Saints midfielder reacts with apology after realising shameful Ivan Juric figure | OneFootball

Will Smallbone believes more than boss Ivan Juric, it was the players' performance that led the Croatian named as the worst Premier League manager.

Well, don't you feel the tension between Southampton and the fanbase has grown wider these days? While initially, it was due to disappointment with the club's performance, now it's drifting apart in this discussion.

Who of the two, Ivan Juric and Russell Martin, was the better Southampton manager?

Ask this to a Saints fan, his instantaneous reply would be Russell Martin. Now, not to disapprove of the answer, but shockingly, it's a close call actually. Except for Martin's Championship push, both he and Juric rank closely among the worst Premier League managers.

As per Opta Analyst, while the latter has had the lowest points per game ratio, Martin isn't far, just 0.02 PPG ahead of the Croatian.

But the real twist arrives when you hear the Saints player's opinion. Though an ardent Russell Martin follower before, the club players have recently turned remarkably to Juric's support.

Notably, while just days ago, Ugochukwu backed the ex-gaffer, now Will Smallbone has arrived in Juric's defence.

Recently, Smallbone stepped up on behalf of the Southampton squad, taking responsibility for their underperformance that ultimately saw Juric post the league’s worst managerial record.

Smallbone hints at Saints players' hampering display in Juric's poor tally

In fact, as quoted by the Daily Echo, Smallbone went out of his way to defend the ex-gaffer’s legacy, saying: "There was a lot that we could have done better to help him, but I don’t think his points-per-game tally will define him as a manager. Us as players will always look at ourselves first."

Sure, Smallbone’s words may be tinged with personal bias, considering how well Juric managed him, but even so, it’s a commendable show of respect for a manager whose stats tell a harsher story.

However, don't you feel why so everytime? Note it, after boss Martin left, the manager started getting praise which he deserved before and it's the same happening with Juric now.

A tinkering thought, why can't Southampton stick with a manager when the season already feels doomed? Maybe Juric could've turned things around in the next seasons.