How Southampton's excitement unwrapped to become relegation disaster

He did insist Saints learned nothing from their mistakes at the start of the season and that standards had slipped, lamenting the decision to cut almost all of the experience in the dressing room.

The true extent of the England international’s frustration was easy to see and hear when speaking to him, even if he knows he might not be one of the many playing Championship football next season.

It was not only Ward-Prowse left of the old guard as the likes of Theo Walcott and Alex McCarthy remained – but the number of those who went out the door is much greater.

READ MORE: How the Championship looks so far for Southampton with clubs confirmed

Oriol Romeu, Fraser Forster, Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek (who later returned to be a firefighter again) and Nathan Redmond are among the significant departures and all strong characters.

They were replaced by talented but not-ready kids. Even Romeo Lavia – one of the clear players of the season – found both managers Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles wanting more ‘domination’.

It is true there was lateness and sloppiness among other players who had arrived at the club over the summer – striker Che Adams admitted as much back in February.

Theo Walcott also admitted finding it difficult to ensure the group understood the gravity of the situation over the last month. These criticisms are not necessarily relevant to everybody.

The club attempted to redress the balance of the squad in the January window but were gravely unable to get rid of any of their own undesirable players in the process.

They signed Mislav Orsic, 30, Paul Onuachu, 28, James Bree, 25, Kamaldeen Sulemana, 21 and Charly Alcaraz, 20, in the January window – inflating the squad size to over 30.

The first three did not even get close to playing any real minutes and the fourth did not even get close to scoring a goal – Alcaraz, however, was a masterstroke.

But the consequence of a desperate, scattergun approach to their last recruitment opportunity – which, to be honest, was not much of a choice – was fatal.

In an already mentally brittle squad, match opportunities were further decreased and responsibility was further diluted as players could disappear into the crowd.

Constantly conceding from the same situations – individual errors, back-post headers and set-pieces, over and over again – hardly did much for their confidence.

Mohammed Salisu – a guaranteed starting defender for most of last season – has not played a role in the season’s run-in. An ‘injured player’, apparently.

It is hard for supporters to believe they gave absolutely everything. They did not win a single game of the final 11 and, given the quality at the bottom, merely a few could have been enough.

They have lost the most games in their Premier League history and have the worst goal difference in the division, owing to scoring less than a goal a game and conceding just under two.

Saints were probably destined to be the worst team in the league since the first day of the season hammering at Tottenham Hotspur, in truth.

But under former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, they did not hit rock bottom of the Premier League again after coming from two behind at home to Leeds United to draw the next week.

In the Austrian’s 14 games in charge, Saints picked up 12 points – the same total they have amassed in the next 22 games under Jones and Selles.

But Hasenhuttl – for either natural reasons or more sinister ones – was a beaten man and the figure he cut on the touchline in his final days was an indicator that change was likely needed.

Many supporters feel the appointment of Jones was the moment the club was relegated, despite the Welshman being Championship manager of the year.

His tenure was as bizarre and quirky as it was risky, with Sport Republic opting for a project manager at a time when the squad and club needed something to settle the ship.

Jones, for all of his genuine efforts, did anything but settle the ship. Players should not be excused for metaphorically walking all over him - it would not be surprising if they literally did it too. 

The way they packed in against 10-man Wolves while one goal ahead to lose in his final game was an apt example of how both he and the players were doomed.

Jones, ironically, would probably have been the perfect appointment this summer as it emerges Sport Republic could seek another up-and-coming boss.

But he buckled under the Premier League’s bright lights and it led to utter fascination at his press conferences – the busiest one of the year at Staplewood was following the Brentford meltdown.

In truth, Jones might have won just once in the league but he ultimately only oversaw eight games of a 38-match season and Saints were woeful either side of his tenure too.

The appointment of Selles to replace him, after putting Jesse Marsch off on day two of negotiations by showing a lack of clarity in direction, was akin to throwing in the towel.

It is almost unbelievable they appointed a man, albeit we're told a good coach, who has never managed a senior team to try and stitch together a much-too-big group of poor, disillusioned players.

Saints still had 16 games left to play and yet Sport Republic appointed the caretaker on a permanent basis on the back of an emotion-charged win at a torrid Chelsea side.

Selles, despite his team conceding just one goal in his first four league games, was not the answer.  Maybe a shocking defeat to League Two Grimsby Town in the FA Cup was an indicator.

After years of CEO Martin Semmens and Hasenhuttl just about keeping the club up under the austerity of Gao Jisheng, it all unravelled only 18 months after the promise of a new era.

Sport Republic’s arrival and continued commitment mean the club should be in financially secure hands as they approach playing in the Championship for the first time since 2012.

Player sales will generate a significant sum and offset the drop in revenue the club experiences while supporters will have a largely new-look team to support.

St Mary’s – which saw only two league wins all season – has been a dire place. Supporters can hardly get excited on the back of what they have seen for over three years, and they do not.

Lessons have to be learned and decisions have to be put into the hands of experienced football heads – incoming director of football, Jason Wilcox, has a big job on his hands.

As well as reimagining the playing squad, Wilcox is going to have to play a role in the appointment of several leadership staff at St Mary's - not least the first team manager and academy director. 

More departures are expected at Staplewood. Semmens could even be one and that would not be a surprise given Matt Crocker and Toby Steele's exits.

It is very easy for those outside the club to point to the exodus and make comparisons to rats fleeing the sinking ships they have long inhabited.

Sport Republic's Rasmus Ankersen has been keen to stress it is a normal part of a change of ownership at the club - and maybe it is - but it is a poignant moment in the club's history. 

Ward-Prowse and Kyle Walker-Peters both insisted the club can bounce back in the wake of Saturday’s loss (why would they say anything else?). Let’s hope they are right.