Pellegrino axed by struggling Saints

Mauricio Pellegrino last night paid the price for Southampton’s alarming slump after he was axed as manager of the Premier League club.

The Argentinian was only appointed last summer, but the Saints hierarchy pulled the trigger with seven games remaining as they attempt to cling on to their top-flight status.

Southampton have won just one of their last 17 league matches – against bottom club West Brom – with Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Newcastle proving to be the final straw.

That latest setback left Saints languishing just one place and one point above the relegation zone.

Former Liverpool defender Pellegrino had been under increasing pressure as the season progressed, with fans frustrated by his perceived defensive tactics and pundits accusing the players of not playing for him.

Forty-six-year-old Pellegrino admitted as much himself after the Newcastle defeat, saying: “I observed some players who gave up and we cannot show this, to be honest.

“You can lose, you can play badly, but you have to show another face on the pitch.

“For this reason, I would like to say sorry to our fans because we couldn’t represent our club properly. This is the worst thing that we did.”