HAVING been a manager for so many years, at every level from non-league to international, you learn quite a lot as you go along.

At the stage that people like I am now, you watch from a distance, more like a supporter but with the experience behind the scenes.

When a manager like Ralph Hasenhuttl loses his job, I have to say I have sympathy straight away – particularly as it is still such an early part of the season.

Having said that, if you add the end of last season to the beginning of this, which is what the Saints board obviously did, we were quite fortunate not to get relegated last year. In a lot of places, the manager would have been out in the summer.

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But Ralph was given the chance and I think the 4-1 defeat against Newcastle was the final move because to lose at home is one thing, but to let four goals in at home in a defeat makes it look a lot worse. Ralph would probably put his hands up and have to agree with that. 

I am sure he will come back in at some stage and possibly will want to prove he should have still been at St Mary’s.

But whatever happens, good luck to him and like the supporters, I will certainly be looking to see if he pops up again here.

I’m not sure he will want to go back to Austria unless it is for a holiday or two. The fact that our game, particularly in the Premier League, is covered by foreign players and staff, shows that this is where they all want to work.

Having talked about managers, obviously I was waiting to see who took over.

I have to admit the appointment of Nathan Jones was one I hadn’t come across before.

But looking at his record, he has certainly done the things I always talk about. It is better to start off at a lower level and he has many years at different places, even with a spell abroad.

He would appear to be someone who has taken on coaching and managing as a passion, rather than just an opportunity to get a job.

He had a spell at Luton as a player when David Pleat signed him. Just to be around someone like David would be good as I’m sure he would have seen how David handled situations with his experience.

Nathan looks to me as someone who, unlike a lot of players, would listen and learn, rather than clear off to a pub or restaurant after a training session.

He has cut his teeth at home and abroad already at lower level and has had some success with getting Luton promoted from League Two and then almost guiding them to the Premier League.

He will, I’m sure, impress the players with his experience and will certainly have the biggest squad of any club he’s been with.

The bigger squads in these days compared to the old are sometimes a plus.

But the other side of it is, if you have more than 20 players and you are turning up when the games are already being held as opposed to pre-season, the ones who aren’t picked will have to work harder to get in rather than complaining they should have been in instead of the others.

His first game at Liverpool is never one you want to pick. Looking at the league table, they are normally in the top two or three but have now just edged into the top 10 at present.

They will be wanting to win this game in particular, as it is the last league game for everyone until the end of December.

So, let’s get behind Mr Jones and hope that he can win the players over quickly. A draw at Anfield I’m sure would be more than enough at present.

The World Cup break will give everyone at the club an opportunity to plan a new way forward.