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Last December, Wolves and Southampton were the Premier League’s bottom two clubs, seriously at risk of being cut adrift. Both then hit the panic button within 24 hours of each other, Wolves sacking Gary O’Neil after a testy late 2-1 home defeat by Ipswich, and Russell Martin getting the boot for an equally ominous 5-0 gubbing by Spurs. Both clubs rolled the dice on grizzled, combustible European coaches. In the short term, one appointment worked – Vítor Pereira led Wolves on a chaotic pub crawl to safety – and the other did not. Ivan Juric earned four points in 14 games and was sacked before achieving his ambitious goal of not leading ‘the worst team in Premier League history’. Southampton were relegated with seven games to play, while Juric vaulted back on to his feet by getting the gig at Atalanta.
What happened next? Well, the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 heroics meant Saints and Wolves were no longer vying for the title of best Hampton. Wolves struggled with a post-survival hangover, but offered Pereira a fresh three-year deal despite four defeats from their first four games. “Now is a time for stability,” cheered chief suit Jeff Shi. Forty-five days later and with two points on the board, Shi decided now was a time for upheaval, and Pereira was given the boot. Perhaps he was panicked by the sight of Southampton sitting 21st in the Championship, like the ghost of relegation still to come. In just 13 games, Saints had shredded the reputation of one of Europe’s most promising young coaches – and revived their strange parallel with Wolves by sending Will Still packing just a few hours after Pereira.
