'I am alarmed' - Fresh reaction given to Southampton news involving Tonda Eckert | OneFootball

FLW's Southampton Fan Pundit Martin speaks about the club's ongoing managerial pursuit.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Southampton are in search of a new head coach following the sacking of Will Still.

The Saints picked up six points in their two matches heading into the international break, beating Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday to give themselves some breathing room going into the pause.

Under-21 manager Tonda Eckert took charge of the Saints in both fixtures, and reports from TalkSPORT's Alex Crook suggest that Eckert is a strong contender for the permanent role as head coach.

Football League World's Saints Fan Pundit, Martin Sanders, has outlined just how "alarmed" he is regarding the pending decision.

"A huge, huge gamble" - Claim made on Southampton managerial decision

Asked how he feels regarding Eckert being expected to take the job permanently, Martin said: "I am alarmed that they are actually considering this."

"Will Still was sacked because the players weren't playing for him. They didn't respect him, and we weren't getting results. A lot of people said that he was too naive, then it came out that he was just too young and didn't get the respect of the players."

Before 33-year-old Still's sacking, the Saints were without a win in five, leaving them sitting in the lower echelons of the Championship in a season that they were expected to go on and win promotion back to the top flight.

"This lad [Eckert] is younger," added Martin. "His most senior positions previously were assistant manager at Barnsley and Genoa, before becoming our U21 manager. How does that make him the man to lead this club back to the Premier League?"

"I think that it is a huge gamble for a massive football club with huge infrastructure and a fantastic fanbase. The minute that results aren't going right, the attendance will drop, and the season will fall flat. Inevitably, it shows the real lack of ambition," concluded Martin.

Southampton's ambition must be promotion

The simple fact of the matter is that Southampton's squad is at a level far higher than the lower echelons of the Championship. While a quick return to the division following promotion can often be a shock to the system, the Saints went into the current season with ambitions of promotion.

Their recruitment matched this. While the likes of Matheus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling departed for big money over the summer, Southampton recruited well.

Alongside Fin Azaz and Tom Fellows - both of whom carry good records in the second tier - the club secured the signing of exciting German midfielder Caspar Jander, who arrived from 2. Bundesliga side FC Nürnberg after being chased by DFB-Pokal holders, Europa League outfit, and Champions League contenders VfB Stuttgart - signalling just how highly rated the 22-year-old is.

Leo Scienza, who scored a stunning solo goal in the win against QPR, also made the move from Germany.

He has since become one of the club's key players, despite their poor run of form throughout the season's opening months.

It cannot be ignored that there is serious quality in this Southampton side, alongside the fact that their recent Premier League history means that they should be one of the favourites for promotion.

So far, they have not lived up to expectations. And the permanent appointment of Eckert would be a huge, huge risk moving forward, and something that the fans will not remember fondly if it pans out poorly.