The writing is on the wall – and has been for some time now.
A 17-point gap to safety means, barring a miracle, Southampton’s return to the Premier League will be a short one.
Their tally of nine points so far is the lowest after 29 games on record. Even Saints boss Ivan Juric has conceded he knows what is coming.
“We will go down, but [we want to go down] with more fight, more dignity and more everything,” he said after the 2-1 defeat to Wolves before the March international break.
“Today was another game [that suggests] we are not ready to take points. There is always something missing.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Southampton’s match against Wolves in the Premier League.
“The will to play well and to attack is there. The lads want to win and do their best. There are moments when we are not good enough, and that’s it.”
In spite of the misery this season has brought, Saints fans have, admirably, packed out St Mary’s every other week. The hope always returns, but the mood is almost always significantly lower when it’s time to leave.
It has been quite the contrast to last season, when a 22-match unbeaten run in the Championship helped aid their successful bid for promotion to the Premier League via a play-off final win over Leeds at Wembley. And the harsh reality is many are now talking about Southampton as one of the worst teams in Premier League history.
With that in mind, here we take a look at the unwanted records they could break between now and the end of the season on May 25…
Lowest cumulative points total
What’s the current record? Derby set the record for the lowest cumulative points total in Premier League history in the 2007/08 season, when they picked up just 11 points.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Saints have picked up just nine points so far. They need just three more points from their final nine games and, based on their points-per-game rate of 0.31, they are on course to finish on 14 points. That would, however, still be the second-lowest return on record.
Fewest points won at home
What’s the current record? Sunderland collected just seven points from 19 games during the 2005/06 season, comprising one win, four draws and 14 defeats.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Saints have just four points from their 14 games at St Mary’s to date, comprising one win, one draw and 12 defeats.
Fewest home wins
What’s the current record? Sunderland (2005/06) and Derby (2007/08) both recorded just one Premier League home win each.
Could Southampton break it? No, but they could match it. Their one and only home win of the season to date came on November 2 when they beat Everton 1-0 at St Mary’s.
Most defeats
What’s the current record? Factoring in only 38-game seasons, Sunderland (2005/06), Derby (2007/08) and Sheffield United (2020/21) each lost 29 games.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Saints have lost 24 of their games so far this season and could well set a new record with nine games left to play.
Sheffield United lost a joint-record 29 Premier League games in 2020/21
Most home defeats
What’s the current record? Watford lost 15 of their 19 home games during the 2021/22 campaign, when they were relegated under Roy Hodgson – the Hornets’ third permanent manager that season.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Saints have lost 12 times in the league at St Mary’s this season. They have five home games remaining and will set a new record should they lose four of those.
Watford were relegated from the Premier League in 2021/22
Most consecutive home defeats
What’s the current record? Watford lost 11 home games during the aforementioned 2021/22 season.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Saints have lost their last nine games at St Mary’s – a run that started on November 24, when they lost 3-2 to Liverpool. They lost 2-1 to Wolves on home soil in the last game before the international break and next face Crystal Palace on April 2.
Longest winless streak
What’s the current record? Derby hold the record for the longest winless streak in the Premier League, which started on September 22 2007 and spanned 32 games. It is, technically, still ongoing as they have not returned to the top flight since.
Could Southampton break it? No, but their run of 22 without a win between March 12 2023 and November 2 2024 is the third-longest in Premier League history. That run also broke a long-standing club record, which previously stood at 20 games, set between August and December 1969.
Worst goal difference in a season
What’s the current record? Derby (2007/08) and Sheffield United (2023/24) jointly hold this record, each finishing with minus 69.
Could Southampton break it? Yes. Their current goal difference stands at minus 49.
How do Martin’s and Juric’s records compare?
Southampton sacked Russell Martin on December 15, following a 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham. Six days later, Juric was installed as his successor on an 18-month contract, fresh from a spell in charge at Roma that spanned less than two months.
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Former Southampton boss Russell Martin says he would implement more dart arts if he’d been given more time at Southampton.
“I think it’s a really big challenge but I’m very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better,” said the former Croatia international when he was appointed.
Since then, Juric has taken charge of 12 Premier League games and overseen one win and 11 defeats. He has the lowest points-per-game average of any manager to take charge of at least 10 Premier League games with 0.25.
And a brief look at the numbers shows little has changed from one manager to the next.
