Tonda Eckert’s blunt message over Southampton future as pressure intensifies ahead of Portsmouth
Pompey will welcome Southampton to Fratton Park for the first time in six-and-a-half years next Sunday.
Tonda Eckert has delivered a blunt verdict on his Southampton future as pressure intensifies ahead of next Sunday’s trip to Pompey.
The 32-year-old came under increased scrutiny on Saturday afternoon as the Blues’ south-coast rivals fell to a 2-1 defeat to Hull City.
The Saints’ form has spiralled in recent weeks, failing to win any of their previous seven Championship matches, with Eckert picking up just two victories in the league since his appointment at the beginning of December.
This has seen Southampton plummet down the table and are currently just five points above John Mousinho’s men, who also have two games in hand on the 15th-placed outfit.
Southampton boss’ blunt message over future
The bitter rivals are poised to come to blows once again next week, with Pompey hosting a south-coast derby for the first time since 2019.
And asked whether he has any doubts over his future ahead of next weekend’s trip to Fratton Park, the Southampton boss told The Daily Echo: ‘No’.
Following Saturday’s defeat to Hull, enquiries into the defeat began in the Saints changing room, with Eckert emerging to conduct his post-match press duties more than an hour after the full-time whistle.
Despite winning four of his five games in interim charge, the German has won just two of his nine matches in permanent charge , with pressure already growing less than two months into the role.
And while the head coach has taken the blame for the Saints’ recent poor run of form, Eckert has insisted he remains the right man for the job ahead of the upcoming south-coast derby.
Southampton boss responds to pressure ahead of Pompey
He added: ‘I feel that we need to win football games. I feel that we all know that we are not where we want to be, and I feel that I will do everything to turn that around.
‘I apologise, I was in the changing room for a long time, there were some very hard truths to be told, not just from me but also between the players.
‘That stays in the changing room, again, I apologise to keep you waiting so long, that's on me today, but I think it was very important that some things come out.
‘It's all of us together. I'm not going to throw anyone under the bus, and it doesn't help anyone.
‘In the end, I am responsible, but we are all in this together, so it's not the players or me or one or the other, it's us all together.
‘What character shows in the tough moments are in the moments when you fly.
‘We started off on a honeymoon here, it's very nice, but every marriage has some moments where it becomes a little bit more difficult, and now we need to grind it out together.’