HE’S JAN THE MAN
Skipper has Bees buzzing
NOT a great end to the season if your name is Ralph and you’re pining for the Alpine mountains.
“You’re getting sacked in the morning,” disgruntled Saints fans sang at boss Ralph Hasenhuttl after they were overwhelmed by a Brentford team with more drive, power and cohesion.
That followed a chorus telling him he didn’t know what he was doing after he sent on Oriol Romeu at 3-0 down in the 83rd minute.
Pontus Jansson, the impressive Yoane Wissa and Kristoffer Ajer scored the goals which ensured beyond any reasonable doubt that the Bees will be in the Premier League again next season.
Southampton should also be as they have an eight-point cushion over 18th-place Everton, but stranger things have happened than teams being relegated who have already gathered 40 points.
And bizarre things do happen to Southampton under Hasenhuttl – like the occasional 9-0 thrashing and collapses in form like the one they are currently suffering.
When Saints won three games on the bounce from February into March, Hasenhuttl was even being mooted as a possible successor to Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United.
He was upbeat and claimed the only thing wrong with life on the south coast was that he missed the air and the mountains of home.
Since then, he has overseen one win in 10 games, a slide that looks unlikely to be halted in their two remaining fixtures – at home to title-chasing Liverpool and away to Leicester.
“The fans are absolutely frustrated and I understand this completely,” said Hasenhuttl. “I have no problem with them because I am responsible for results.
“I will always be responsible for every mistake my players make. At the moment, we are not playing like a Premier League team.”
Asked if the fan reaction hurt, he added: “It’s not something that should hurt because this is the business we are in.”
In contrast, for Brentford boss Thomas Frank this was a match to savour within a season to cherish.
His remarkable side are finishing as strongly as any apart from the title-chasers, with six wins in their last nine games.
Having come up through the play-offs along with Norwich and Watford, Brentford now have the same number of points (43) as the other newbies combined – who are both going back down. “Every year, one of the promoted teams are fine and stay, but it’s often only one out of three,” said Frank.
“I had a big belief going into this season. We were confident but humble and we have put a lot of hard work into every single day.”
The match was put beyond fragile Southampton’s reach when Brentford scored two goals inside 79 seconds. Their first came when Ivan Toney was given all the time and space he needed to gather a corner beyond the far post and set up skipper Jansson after 13 minutes.
Moments later, Christian Eriksen was sweeping on to a long ball and although he was stopped, Wissa finished emphatically.
Southampton were seen off in the 79th minute when Ajer brushed through Mohammed Salisu’s flimsy challenge before burying a shot under Fraser Forster.
As to whether Hasenhuttl will have plenty of time for mountain walking come August, he admitted: “You will have to ask the people in charge, not me.”