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Southampton supporters have reacted with fury after owners Sport Republic reportedly made Gary O’Neil the frontrunner to replace Will Still. Saints are looking for a new manager after Still was dismissed on Sunday following a miserable start to the season. Still was sacked after a 2-0 defeat by Preston left the team 21st in the Championship. The 33-year-old won just two of his 13 league matches with a team expected to challenge at the other end of the table after relegation from the Premier League . Interim boss Tonda Eckert oversaw a much-needed 2-1 win over QPR on Wednesday night, but there remains lots of unhappiness among the fanbase ahead of the visit of bottom club Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. Anger has been brewing around Sport Republic, who bought the club from Chinese businessman Gao Jisheng in January 2022 and have overseen a dreadful period in the club’s history. And news that former Portsmouth midfielder O’Neil is being considered as the next manager has not gone down well. The Telegraph reports that O’Neil is in ‘pole position’, ahead of other candidates like ex-Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, after rejecting the chance to return to Wolves . O’Neil has a decent CV, having done well at Bournemouth and initially at Wolves, but his affinity with Pompey – where he spent the first seven years of his professional career – makes him unsuitable in the eyes of many fans. Social media was awash with negativity around the 42-year-old on Friday afternoon, with many digging up O’Neil’s past comments and posts about Saints’ bitter rivals. One widely shared article contained past quotes from the ex-midfielder on his love for Portsmouth. “After 11 years, 192 appearances and 17 goals, I said farewell to Fratton Park. I loved it there and still feel I have unfinished business,” O’Neil said. “I established a relationship with the fans which I never had anywhere else in my career. Even though I was from Bromley, in Kent, I did my real growing up at Pompey, this school kid who arrived – then left as a Premier League footballer. I'm certain that one day I will manage Portsmouth Football Club, that's my aim. Hopefully that moment is part of my future.” Saints fans are eager for an appointment to be made soon, with the expected departure of Rob Edwards from Middlesbrough to Wolves about to make the managerial market more competitive. Technical director Johannes Spors is the man leading the search and previous reports suggested he was looking to Germany for candidates. Former Saints managers Russell Martin and Ralph Hasenhuttl have both been linked with a return. But it is understood that neither are considered viable options, despite both being available having been sacked from their roles at Rangers and Wolfsburg respectively. There isn’t much credit in the bank for Sport Republic, who have presided over a succession of managerial appointment blunders since taking over. Martin took Saints up to the Premier League before flopping, but Ruben Selles, Nathan Jones, Ivan Juric and Still were all unequivocal failures. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
