Saints were wrong to sack Puel, says Mick Channon

18 June 2017 10:54

Southampton greats Lawrie McMenemy and Mick Channon have said that the club were wrong to sack Claude Puel.

Saints finished eighth in the Premier League and reached the EFL Cup final at Wembley, but a lack of goals - they scored only 17 times in 19 home league games - saw the Frenchman fired after a single season at St Mary's.

Channon, who made over 500 appearances for the club over two spells on the south coast, believes the 55-year-old was harshly treated.

"Well I don't think he did a bad job," Channon told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme.

"I don't know the politics of it. They never scored goals, they didn't win games at the end of the year.

"They should have won the League Cup - if they had would they have sacked him?

"It wasn't his fault Charlie Austin was injured for most of the season.

"Why sack someone if you've got no-one better? Personally I think they were wrong to sack him."

Saints were beaten 3-2 by Manchester United at Wembley, despite dominating much of the game, and McMenemy - who was manager when the club won the 1976 FA Cup - believes Puel should have been given more time.

"At Wembley we were very unlucky," he said. "On the other hand, if you've been at the games, the football has not been attractive and not enough goals so the season ended on a disappointment for the supporters.

"They didn't like the way their team played, there were too many changes for me - I read in the paper 250 changes over the season.

"In the FA Cup against a weakened Arsenal we lost 5-0 at home.

"On the last day the majority (of supporters) left and the ones that stayed didn't applaud when the manager came out.

"Let him learn, give him an opportunity to get it right."

Source: PA