Southampton, the worst team in history? Paul Jewell knows the feeling | Southampton

For Southampton, there was the preliminary ache of conceding a stoppage-time equaliser at house to Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Then got here the niggling knot within the abdomen as they confronted as much as preserving alive one other shot at undesirable historical past: the opportunity of turning into, statistically no less than, the worst group in Premier League historical past.

For now that mantle belongs to Derby County, who have been relegated with 11 factors in 2007-08, a marketing campaign through which they recorded a solitary win and have been formally down earlier than the clocks went ahead on the finish of March.

In midweek Southampton have been heading in direction of their third league win of the season till, two minutes into the eight added on, Matheus França twisted his head to information Jefferson Lerma’s cross goalwards. Jack Stephens crashed to the turf, Welington dropped to his knees. Jan Bednarek and Tyler Dibling coated their faces with their fingers. Mateus Fernandes swivelled in anguish. Aaron Ramsdale thumped the grass in disbelief. Cue that all-too-familiar sinking feeling. Relegation will likely be confirmed on Sunday if Southampton lose at Tottenham and Wolves have received at Ipswich the day earlier than.

“A lot of people in that Derby squad were coming in thinking: ‘We’re going to get beat today,’ before even coming into the dressing room,” recollects the then Derby striker Steve Howard, who made 20 top-flight appearances earlier than being offered to Leicester in January that season. “I think that’s the mentality Southampton have got now. Everybody would’ve been panicking, 1-0 up, looking at the clock thinking: ‘Well, there’s five minutes to go. Oh my God, here we go, they’re going to score.’ You drag that momentum in for the opposing team and end up drawing or losing the game.”

This week Ivan Juric, who changed Russell Martin in December, acknowledged the problem. “I don’t want it to be that we are the worst team in the history of [the] Premier League,” he stated. Those that lived that season at Derby now discuss of being the butt of jokes and quiz questions. “It might be a bit of a relief when they are relegated and have that ‘R’ next to their name,” Howard says of Southampton. “But I think they’ll get a couple of draws and get more points than we got.”

Paul Jewell changed Billy Davies as supervisor 14 video games into Derby’s season however recorded 5 factors from the remaining 24 matches. “My managerial career never recovered from it,” Jewell says. “As I was driving up there, David Moyes called me and he said: ‘Are you going to Derby?’ I said: ‘I’m on the way.’ I was on the M1, just gone past junction 36. He said: ‘Well, get to 37, come off, go around the roundabout and go back home. We played them not so long ago and they won’t win another game all season.’ I just went: ‘Yeah, all right, David.’ Unfortunately he was right.”

Southampton registered arguably their finest efficiency of the season towards Palace however, once more, couldn’t recover from the road. They excelled towards Manchester United at Previous Trafford in January, main 1-0 after 81 minutes, however misplaced 3-1, to an Amad Diallo hat-trick. They impressed at house to Liverpool in November however conceded an inexpensive penalty, permitting Mohamed Salah to strike the winner.

“I was watching Southampton against Chelsea this season and Southampton could’ve easily been in the lead and the next thing they’re 3-0 down in a heartbeat,” says Jewell, whose son, Sam, is director of world growth at Chelsea. “I was thinking: ‘I’ve seen this before.’”

For Jewell, his first month within the job, six video games in a usually busy December, proved sapping. The style through which the 60-year-old reels off the outcomes, dates and goalscorers is proof it’s a season that sticks within the reminiscence. “My first game was Sunderland away, we were 0-0 but then we conceded in the 93rd minute, Anthony Stokes,” he says of the primary of a number of nearly-moments.

“Then we went up to Newcastle on 23 December, we were 2-1 up in the 87th minute and then [Mark] Viduka got an equaliser, so we drew 2-2. We played Liverpool on Boxing Day, Steven Gerrard scored in the 93rd minute to beat us 2-1. We played Blackburn at home on the 30th, we went 1-0 up, got a penalty, we missed it and we lost the game 2-1.

“If we could have got those points – and they’re not pie in the sky – it would have given us something to hang on to. We never had a bounce, that feelgood factor on a Monday morning. The Premier League is so unforgiving. Sometimes you need something to go your way, a bit of luck, a bounce of the ball, and that can spark a revival or a bit of confidence, and we never had it. I think we still would have gone down but we would have gone down with a bit more dignity than we did.”

Derby signed eight gamers within the January window, together with Emanuel Villa, Robbie Savage and Hossam Ghaly, however Jewell was powerless to vary their fortunes. Solely David Jones, Craig Fagan, Tyrone Mears, Andy Griffin and Giles Barnes performed within the high flight once more. “That season is a cloud over my head all of the time … it hurt me then and it still hurts me to this day,” says Jewell, who has not returned to the sport since leaving Swindon as director of soccer in 2021.

Jewell believes he was responsible of being too trustworthy, in interviews and together with his gamers. “I know Matt Oakley said the manager came in and all he did was tell us how bad we were, and he might have a point. I was brought up in Liverpool, with Roy Evans, Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Ronnie Moran on you all the time. I remember Ronnie saying to me: ‘The day I stop having a go at you is the day I’ve given up on you.’ Maybe I was wrong to think everyone had that mentality where they could take it. It’s not about blaming the players – I’m standing up saying: ‘Yeah, I made mistakes.’”

The betting firm Paddy Energy produced a spoof “Rams Anonymous” commercial that includes Danny Mills and Alan Stubbs, who additionally joined Derby in January that season, when their report was below risk with Sheffield United struggling in 2020-21. Jewell additionally acquired the invitation however declined. “It was no laughing matter for me,” Jewell says. “It was a serious, tough time in my life. I think it would have been disrespectful for me to make money by taking the mickey out of the fans.”

At this stage of the season, Derby additionally had 10 factors. In midweek Paul Onuachu took his aim tally to 4 for the season, as many as Kenny Miller, Derby’s high scorer in 2007-08. Derby received their remaining level on the day their relegation was confirmed with a draw towards Fulham.

“Would I change anything? Yes, I would … because people like you ring me up every year when a team is struggling,” Jewell says, with a chuckle. “I would love this to be the last one. I don’t wish it on Southampton but hopefully they’ll break the record – I think they won’t, I think they’ll get more points than us – and people can ring up their managers in the future.”