Southampton news: Opinion – ‘Saints panicked and spent over the odds’

Telegraph journalist Jason Burt, speaking about Southampton’s relegation on a special BBC Radio 5 Live programme about life at the bottom of the Premier League:

“I rate Russell Martin very highly, I think he is a better manager than Southampton. I think he should be at a higher club. He’s obviously tried to implement a style at Southampton that the players weren’t good enough to play.

“They went from having someone like Russell Martin in charge who has a specific style of football – then, bringing in a coach like Ivan Juric is a huge gear change.

“To suddenly try to change mid-season is almost impossible because it means a club has no real pattern in what they want to achieve.

“Southampton panicked and spent a load of money over the odds. Nottingham Forest did the same, they gambled but got away with it. Sometimes it does work which makes other clubs think that they can do the same.

“Clubs come into the Premier League and think they have to spend and they end up spending very badly. Southampton spent money on players that were, frankly, sub-standard.”

Listen to the full programme on BBC Sounds