Southampton must swallow their pride and replace Ivan Juric ASAP | OneFootball

To steal a phrase from the 1970 Edwin Starr song, Ivan Juric and war are similar in being good for absolutely nothing. With two months under his belt now, the Croatian manager has not improved Southampton in the slightest and if anything, he's made the Saints ten times worse.

Look, I hold my hands in the air. I was one of those respectfully campaigning for Russell Martin to be replaced. But just because Juric has more than underwhelmed, does this mean Southampton should've kept Martin? No, the two situations are not mutually exclusive.

Now, Southampton find themselves in a position of seeking their third manager of the season. If they are not in this position, then they need to put themselves in that position.

Southampton must swallow their pride and replace Ivan Juric ASAP

Despite only being a couple of months into his tenure, Southampton must part ways with Ivan Juric as soon as possible. He has shown absolutely no sign of being the right candidate for the long-term future, so it's better for all parties if the relationship is cut-short.

I know, I know. Ivan Juric must be paid until the end of the season. This was agreed on by both parties. However, this doesn't mean that the club must have him on the touchline. They can pay him gardening leave until the end of the season, when he was likely to leave anyway, bringing in a replacement now.

For Southampton, it would allow them time to form a new identity before the relegation. For Ivan Juric, it would allow for his reputation to remain somewhat intact. Whoever his replacement is, it will give them enough time to gel with the players before pushing for promotion again next season.

The way I see it, Southampton owe no loyalty to Ivan Juric. If anything, keeping him on the touchline does Southampton more harm than good. He's evidently lost the dressing room, after all.

The question then becomes, who will replace Ivan Juric? Well, don't all come queuing at once. The most obvious answer is Danny Rohl, who is tipped to return to Southampton. However, a quick replacement isn't likely considering his position at Sheffield Wednesday. Therefore, we assume that Simon Rusk will be given another shot as interim boss if the decision to send Juric on gardening leave is reached.