Southampton Appoint Ivan Juric
Saints finally revealed what had been the worst kept secret for a few days, naming Ivan Juric as Russell Martin’s replacement shortly after 5 p.m. on Saturday evening.
Southampton Football Club’s statement read as follows:
“Southampton Football Club has confirmed Ivan Jurić as the new Men’s First Team Manager, subject to final work permit confirmation.
Regardless of the club’s present Premier League position, we are committed to fighting for survival this season, and we feel this appointment will give us with the tenacity and desire required to improve results on the pitch.
Jurić, a former Croatia international player, joins Saints on an 18-month contract. He has a track record of helping his sides outperform expectations.
“I want us to be more aggressive, to do much more pressing and we have to be quick to change mentality because this is my idea of football.”
Ivan Jurić, Men’s First Team Manager.
To date, the 49-year-old has spent his coaching career in Italy, most recently with European heavyweights Roma, but he has also managed Mantova, Crotone, Genoa, Hellas Verona, and Torino with noteworthy success.
After signing his deal, Ivan Jurić stated:
“I’m quite thrilled. I believe it is a huge challenge, but I am optimistic because I saw a squad that can achieve better.
“It’s critical to quickly engage with the fans. I want an aggressive team, and I think Southampton supporters will appreciate that.”
Although this hiring does not provide the experienced Premier League manager that some Saints fans want, having previous Premier League or English top flight experience as a manager does not guarantee success at Southampton FC.
Indeed, throughout the last 70 years, Saints have had 31 managers, with only nine having previously managed in the top division of English football.
Alan Ball, Graeme Souness, Gordon Strachan, Glenn Hoddle, Harry Redknapp, George Burley, Alan Pardew, and Mark Hughes.
It’s fair to say that their time at the club had mixed results; nonetheless, the Southampton approach has always been to pick managers who can be regarded as youthful and hungry with something to prove, and Ivan Juric is no exception.
So, whatever our opinions on this appointment are, and I understand there will be a few different ones in this situation, he is the manager now, and we must support him to do things right.
That should be a relatively simple challenge; to be blunt, we have been dismal this season, so we should at least improve our results; whether these gains will be sufficient to keep us from relegation is another question.
Welcome Ivan Juric and good luck !
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