Southampton

Image source, Opta

Resurgent Southampton could find themselves in the play-off places with a win at high-flying Millwall on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Following Wednesday's 1-0 home win over Sheffield Wednesday, which ended a four-game winless run, the Lions go into the weekend sat fourth and with a chance of climbing into the automatic promotion places with another victory.

After drubbing Leicester 3-0 on Tuesday, Saints have now won four straight under interim boss Tonda Eckert, scoring 13 goals and conceding only three, and have climbed to 13th, but depending on results elsewhere another win could see them jump into the top six.

• Millwall have won just one of their past nine league games against Southampton (D3 L5), though it was in their last meeting in February 2024 (2-1 at St Mary's).

• Southampton are unbeaten in their past six away league games against Millwall (W3 D3) since a 3-0 loss in September 1977.

• Having lost 3-1 at Portsmouth last weekend, Millwall could lose successive league games on a Saturday for the first time since last December, coming against Coventry and Middlesbrough.

• Southampton lead the Championship by way of points (12) and goals scored (13) since Tonda Eckert's first game in charge (5 November); they scored 13 goals in Will Still's 13 league games by comparison.

• All five of Finn Azaz's goal involvements for Southampton in the Championship this season have come in his past four appearances (4 goals, 1 assist), while he could score in four successive matches in the competition for the first time.

"Coventry look like a team that are ready to go the season - but every team has a wobble."

Have the Sky Blues already got the Championship title in the bag? Is new Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg the right man for the job at Riverside Stadium? Is it time for Southampton and Tonda Eckert to make their partnership official?

The 72+ team are joined once again by Chelmsford City striker Lyle Taylor to discuss all of the latest news in the Championship - from Coventry's dominant 10-point lead to Charlton's defensive woes.

Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.

Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis says interim boss Tonda Eckert deserves "massive credit" for their vastly improved Championship form.

Saints are on a four-game winning streak under the 32-year-old German since he took temporary charge after Will Still was sacked.

Harwood-Bellis scored twice in the 3-0 victory over Leicester on Tuesday and said it was "good to back-up" the 5-1 win at Charlton on Saturday.

"I think he [Eckert] has given us everything," Harwood-Bellis told BBC Radio Solent.

"The meetings are so detailed with what he wants. There is detail in there that you wouldn't even think about when you're on the pitch.

"That's a big thing about Tonda, he wants to help you. Against Charlton, the goals we scored were walked through the day before.

"We knew there would be space on the break if we sat off a little bit deeper [against Leicester] and that happened.

"Obviously there are going to be bumps in the road, we know that. It's not only going to be plain sailing but it's down to us to keep the level now."

Before this run of four wins, Southampton had taken 42 games to pick up their previous four victories and the 23-year-old said it's "good to be enjoying football again".

"It's been tough, last season and the start of this season, it's not been nice," he added.

"But we've come out the other end. We're not there yet, we're still not satisfied. No-one in that changing room is satisfied."

"Let's be honest, there's only one question on everybody's mind - when will he get the job?"

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Southampton midfielder Jo Tessem reflect on a dominant 3-0 performance over Leicester City that saw the Saints win a fourth victory in four games under interim boss Tonda Eckert.

Has it earned Eckert the permanent role? Time will tell.

Listen to the full episode of Goin' Home and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.

Interim Southampton boss Tonda Eckert says he is happy to continue in charge of the Saints after the impressive 3-0 win over Leicester City on Tuesday night.

The 32-year-old has now won all four games since taking over from sacked manager Will Still on 2 November, lifting Southampton from 21st in the Championship up to 11th, just two points off the play-off spots.

"I'm very pleased, we knew that we needed to invest a lot today for a clean sheet because obviously there's a lot of quality on the other side of the pitch and we managed that quite well," Eckert told BBC Sport.

"I think there was one situation early on in the game after a corner when the ball dropped inside the box and I feel that was the only real moment that they had inside the box and being able to say that over 90 minutes I think is a compliment to the boys.

"I'm happy to go on, to go into another game on Saturday, it's going to be a big challenge coming up and we need to make sure that we carry on the momentum.

"I want to go to Millwall and win another game on Saturday. That's what it is about. I don't look too far ahead. It's a big game coming and that's all I focus on."

Southampton will look to continue their marvellous winning run under interim boss Tonda Eckert as they host fellow relegated side Leicester City on Tuesday (20:00 GMT).

The Saints had only won two of their 13 games under previous boss Will Still before Eckert took charge, winning all three of their matches under the German to make a strong impression on fans.

However, Leicester have took victory in both their previous two league matches to inch closer to the play-offs and won't want to risk being caught by their hosts three points below them.

• Southampton have lost each of their last four league games against Leicester, their longest ever losing run against the Foxes.

• Leicester have lost just one of their last eight away league games against Southampton (W5 D2), going down 1-0 in the Premier League in March 2023.

• Southampton have won fewer home league games than any other ever-present side in the English Football League since the start of last season (3), though they did beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 last time out at St Mary's.

• Having won 2-1 at Norwich in their last away league game, Leicester are looking for back-to-back wins on the road for the first time since February 2024.

• Leicester have conceded the first goal in six of their eight away league games this season, though did come from behind to beat Norwich 2-1 last time out.

Southampton interim boss Tonda Eckert praised attacker Adam Armstrong for his hand in their convincing win over Charlton on Saturday.

Saints thrashed the Addicks, scoring five times in the first half in a game where all the goals came in the opening 45 minutes.

Armstrong shone on the pitch, scoring once and assisting two of the other goals.

"We are very very happy to have Adam [Armstrong] as a character," Eckert told BBC Radio Solent.

"As a player on the team – with the quality he brings, it's very nice to have him up there and he recognises moments like nobody else.

"Those teams are tough to play against, when you know they are coming for you. You will have a little bit more space between the lines and if you get that one pass right, there is a whole pitch to open up.

"We worked on this [over] the last [few] days and it came off.

"After the break, you just have a couple more days to prepare and we did that well."

The Saints are back in action this midweek when they take on Leicester City at St Mary's on Tuesday (20:00 GMT).

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton first team assistant manager Paul Trollope has left the club to join new Wolves boss Rob Edwards at Molineux.

The former Luton Town assistant coach joined Saints this summer to work alongside Will Still but now leaves to rejoin Edwards who he also worked with at Nottingham Forest and Brighton.

Interim boss Tonda Eckert is expected to take charge of the side for the upcoming games following the international break and has officially announced his backroom staff.

The German coach will be assisted by coaches Jeremy Newton, Ben Reeves, Ryan Flood and analyst Albert Jones.

Also in their coaching shuffle, Southampton confirmed that Adam Lallana would take up the position of interim Under-21s head coach.

The former England international had been working with interim first team boss Eckert but will now take up the new role at Staplewood, assisted by former West Ham and Stoke player Matthew Etherington.

Saints are next in action on Saturday when they travel to face Charlton Athletic in the Championship.

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

The Championship action resumes after the international break as Charlton Athletic welcome Southampton to The Valley on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Addicks are ninth after going down 1-0 at Wrexham in their final game before the break to end a run of five games unbeaten, from which they took 11 points, but Nathan Jones' men remain within two points of the play-off places.

Saints won back-to-back games under interim boss Tonda Eckert before the break to jump up to 17th, now eight points clear of the drop zone, and another win here would close the gap to their hosts to just two points in a congested mid-table.

• This is the first league meeting between Charlton and Southampton since April 2011 in League One, a game won 2-0 by the Saints.

• Southampton are winless in their past 10 away league matches against Charlton Athletic (D7 L3), with each of the last five ending in draws between September 2004 and March 2011.

• In all competitions, Charlton have won 18 of their past 23 home matches (D4 L1), winning 16 on home soil in 2025. It's their most home wins in a year since 1983 (also 16), last winning more back in 1938 (18).

• Southampton have won their past two league games, as many as they'd won in their previous 27 encounters (W2 D9 L16). Saints last won three in a row back in April 2024.

• Southampton have had 72.5% possession on average when losing in Championship games this season, the most of any side. However, when winning they average just 38.8% of the possession, a drop of 33.7% which is the largest difference between any side's possession average when winning and losing.

"If you want to get a big name for management, then you've got to pay the big bucks.

"Do you want to pay compensation to a club to get them out if that means you don't therefore have enough money to get the striker over the line in January?"

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and Tom Murray look ahead to a reunion with former boss Nathan Jones as Saints visit Charlton on Saturday and what's occurring with the managerial position as Tonda Eckert continues as interim boss.

Listen to the full episode of Saints Social and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Sport Republic appear to be taking their time over their managerial appointment, and that is no bad thing, given their track record regarding recruitment.

Their fifth appointment was outgoing boss Will Still, who was relieved of his duties earlier this month due to a poor start in the Championship campaign, having seen just two wins from his 13 games in charge.

Enter Tonda Eckert…

Eckert has been given an extended stay at the helm due to his recent success of two wins from two, and probably deserves to be given more time beyond this international break.

I, personally, expected him to have been replaced during this hiatus. Appointing him on a permanent basis could be a huge risk given his inexperience, but he has certainly earned more breathing space following those crucial wins over QPR and Sheffield Wednesday.

Sport Republic will no doubt have used this international break to tout potential suitors, but as of yet, nothing is on the horizon. Which, I will repeat, is no bad thing.

Sporting Director Johannes Spors is casting his net in Germany and seemingly is not being rushed by Championship rivals Middlesbrough, Swansea and, up until this week, Norwich, who are currently conducting their own searches.

Sport Republic have appointed five permanent mangers in their three full seasons in charge. During that period, they have overseen two relegations from the Premier League, and one promotion with their only success, Russell Martin, but failed to give him the tools needed to succeed in the top flight.

Moving forward, fans will want to see an experienced manager, who's widely respected with a clear structure. We cannot repeat mistakes from the past. It is a huge task they simply have to get right.

Take your time, give Tonda time in that interim, but ultimately make the right decision. The fans won't tolerate another failure.

You can hear more from Ray on the In That Number podcast., external

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton interim boss Tonda Eckert is expected to remain in charge of the club on an interim basis for the time being.

Despite reports the German was going to be made Will Still's permanent replacement, it is more likely he will continue in his current role.

Prior to the international break, Eckert, 32, won both of his matches as interim boss, beating QPR and Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

"What I do think is that after two wins he has a shout," BBC Radio Solent's sport editor Adam Blackmore posted on X, external.

"But it more than likely could depend on the next three-game batch after the international break for which he could well still be in interim charge.

"Saints have spoken to candidates but they can afford to be patient with Eckert's good start and it allows them time to see the market develop so it's highly unlikely anything imminent occurs either way."

After the international break, Southampton have three games in the space of a week as they travel away to Charlton and Millwall either side of welcoming Leicester City to St Mary's.

"I think we could pick from the top shelf. I think even if there's a manager we want who's in a job, I think we could pick him and he would come.

"I think [Tonda] Eckert has made it a little bit tricker. He's come in and got the players to play for each other and for the club and for him. He's put himself on the map."

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and former Southampton forward Jo Tessem discuss back-to-back wins for the Saints and whether interim boss Tonda Eckert has impressed enough to earn the permanent role at St Mary's.

Listen to the full episode of Saints Social and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.