RALPH: IT’S UNDERDOG EAT DOG IN TOP FLIGHT

RALPH HASENHUTTL celebrates three years in charge of Southampton tomorrow – and says he still loves being the underdog.

Saints were deep in relegation danger when Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes in December 2018.

The Austrian successfully piloted them to survival and has finished 11th and 15th in his two full seasons in charge despite having one of the lowest net spends in the Premier League.

Hasenhuttl said: “I must say that I like the challenges. I like the tough jobs. That is the reason I signed here because I could have had it easier.

“Over my career as a manager, I have always tried to go for the difficult challenge. No job is easy but this one is extremely tough. To play against the best managers, the best teams, in the world when you are needing need points to survive is always hard and always tough.

“But it’s also enjoyable because you get better as a manager. That’s what you want. You can learn from the best managers here.”

Saints host Brighton today looking for their first win since beating Aston Villa 1-0 on fireworks night.

Brighton, who won the corresponding fixture last season 2-1 thanks to a winner from Leandro Trossard, haven’t collected three points in a Premier League match since beating Leicester on September 19. Of their nine matches since, they’ve drawn seven.

Saints are actively looking for new owners and Hasenhuttl (above) says even finishing in the top half of the table is a tall order under the current financial restraints.

The 54-year-old said: “The general target is always the same, finishing as high as possible in the league table. The best finish since I was here was 11th, which was above the expetations we have.

“But it is a long journey and there is definitely no game where you go in and say ‘oh, we will win and that’s it.’ That shows you how tough this job is.”