Exclusive: Johannes Spors sent 'gamble' warning amid Southampton FC manager hunt | OneFootball

Tonda Eckert has now overseen a month's worth of games as Saints' interim boss

Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert, Don Goodman, has urged the Southampton hierarchy to remain patient as they continue to assess their next managerial move whilst Tonda Eckert remains in interim charge for the meantime.

The South Coast side have been under the German's watch since Will Still was relieved of his duties on November 2nd, with the recently relegated Premier League side enjoying a marked improvement over the past month.

Indeed, Eckert had enjoyed a record-breaking start to life at St. Mary's in his interim position, before Saints succumbed to a first defeat since the 2-0 defeat against Preston North End in what proved to be Still's final game in charge, losing 3-2 to high-flying Millwall at The Den on Saturday afternoon in rather dramatic fashion.

Southampton had taken the lead twice, with Adam Armstrong opening the deadlock on 55 minutes, before the in-form summer recruit, Finn Azaz, looked to have made it five wins on the bounce as his 87th-minute strike cancelled out Femi Azeez's initial equaliser for the Lions.

However, that wouldn't prove to be the case, with Alex Neil's side staging a late comeback of their own through the defensive duo of Caleb Taylor and Tristan Crama, with the latter scoring a decisive 97th-minute goal to ensure the points remained in South London.

Despite an overall positive run of recent form, it is fair to say that the manner of Saints' first defeat in five Championship outings has sparked plenty of discourse as to whether handing Eckert the job on a full-time basis is the decision which under-fire ownership group, Sport Republic, should take.

Unsurprisingly, given a lack of experience in the role compared to several potential candidates who have been linked with the vacancy over time, Goodman exclusively told Football League World that it would be a "gamble", but one which could pay off should their upwardly mobile form continue in the coming weeks and months.

Don Goodman issues fresh Tonda Eckert, Southampton FC managerial verdict after Millwall defeat

Prior to the resumption of Championship action after the final international break of the calendar year, it was revealed that Eckert was given the remit of overseeing Saints' matches against Charlton Athletic, Leicester City and Millwall, with the latter of those concluding the three-game period on November 29th.

Indeed, the 32-year-old was able to continue a streak of successive victories over Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday prior to the two-week fixture break by dominating against the Addicks at The Valley, as Saints found themselves 5-1 up at half-time, before also seeing off Leicester last Tuesday as back-to-back home victories were recorded for the first time since the 2023/24 promotion-winning season under Russell Martin, also becoming the club's first manager to win their first four games in charge since the end of World War Two in the process.

Before then, though, it was initially claimed that Saints' technical director, Johannes Spors, who himself has been linked with a potential move to Bundesliga outfit, Wolfsburg, was hoping to identify a German-based head coach or manager to take over from Still on a permanent basis, although that now very much remains to be seen.

It is also still unknown as to whether Eckert will be handed the full-time job ahead of the so-often season-defining Christmas and New Year period, with the man who was appointed as Under-21s boss in the summer still unwilling to discuss those chances after Saturday's eventful loss.

As such, Goodman believes all concerned - including Spors - should remain patient, and he thinks that appointing Eckert now to a permanent position as head coach would be a big risk.

"It was clearly a little bit of a trial period for Tonda Eckert," Sky Sports pundit Goodman told FLW.

"I think the hierarchy wanted to see whether he could keep that momentum of the first two games going. He did, with some really good displays.

"Obviously, they were brought back down to earth a little bit by Millwall last weekend. But, I think, as long as he's OK (with it), I think I'd be a little bit more patient.

"Home games against Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion are an opportunity for Southampton to bounce back. They're only five points outside the play-offs," Goodman added.

"I think I'd like to see a little bit more for a little bit longer before I was jumping in (to a decision,)" he added. "He's only 32 years old, which would be a little bit of a gamble.

"But, if momentum continues the way it is, then, obviously, it would be a gamble worth taking."

Southampton have an ideal chance to bounce back from Millwall setback with successive home clashes

As Goodman alluded to, the competitive nature of this season's Championship means Southampton are within touching distance of the top six despite a disappointing collapse in SE16 over the weekend.

They now have an ideal opportunity to respond with successive home fixtures against Birmingham and West Brom, with both West Midlands sides enduring particularly poor form on their travels, with Blues ranked 21st for points accumulated away from St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park despite residing in eighth overall after 18 games played.

Another healthy points return from the six available could, once again, do Eckert's chances of landing the full-time job no harm at all, with supporters certainly hoping for clarity on the matter sooner rather than later.