Southampton part ways with Will Still as Eckert named interim coach

Southampton parted company with manager Will Still on Sunday after a 2-0 home defeat to Preston North End left the club 21st in the Championship and mired in a relegation battle. The club confirmed Still, 33, and three members of his coaching staff have left St Marys, with Under-21s head coach Tonda Eckert named interim first-team coach.

Still was appointed in May on a three-year contract following spells in France with Reims and Lens. He guided Lens to an eighth place finish in Ligue 1 and arrived at Southampton with a reputation for progressive coaching, but results in England did not follow. Still won two of 13 Championship matches and four of 16 matches across all competitions before his dismissal, with the Saints picking up 12 points from their opening 13 league fixtures and suffering three successive league defeats prior to Saturday’s loss.

Southampton said assistants Rubén Martinez, Clément Lemaitre and Carl Martin have also left their roles. Group technical director Johannes Spors thanked Still and the coaching staff, saying Still “is a great person who gave everything to try and improve performances and results. Ultimately that process has taken longer than any of us...