FORMER Saints midfielder Andy Townsend has called on the club to replace Ivan Juric with a more "adaptable" manager this summer.

Juric's future at Saints is in the hands of technical director Johannes Spors but supporters have expressed their desire to see the Croatian sacked before the end of this season.

Of the 2,680 supporters who responded to our poll on Juric's future, 94 per cent wanted to see a change of manager, with 60.8 per cent hoping to see him depart immediately.

Townsend, who made 88 appearances for Southampton during the 1980s and now works as a commentator, feels his former club "accepted their fate" this season.

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Saints, currently 17 points adrift of safety, are on the brink of suffering their second Premier League relegation under Sport Republic, who could appoint their sixth manager.

Ivan Juric has won one of 12 Premier League games at Southampton.Ivan Juric has won one of 12 Premier League games at Southampton. (Image: John Walton/PA) Townsend slammed Juric's failure to make an impact at St Mary's and insisted the South Coast side must appoint someone who brings "something different to the party".

"Whenever a coach walks through the door, and Ivan Juric obviously has merits, you're looking for that new voice, you're looking for a spark," he told OLBG.

"You're hoping that you get some impact from him. That hasn't happened. They concede a lot of poor goals at this level. They give teams far too many opportunities to get at them and they're shell-shocked.

"I was never there, sat on the bottom of the league, but I've had moments when I've been down the table and looking over your shoulder a bit.

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"Southampton look like they have accepted their fate and they're going to be playing Championship football again. They know that. They've got to be realistic. 

"I would have thought that it would be time to make a change again in the summer and get a manager that they hope can get them up.

"(They need to) look for that manager that's a little bit adaptable and is prepared to change things and tweak things in order to survive.

"You don't want a coach coming up and saying this is what we do, this is what I do, because they'll be coming up and going back down again.

"They need to bring someone in that can bring something a little bit different to the party."