Southampton supporters have criticized the club`s social media team for seemingly celebrating surpassing Derby County`s unwanted record for the fewest points in a Premier League season.
The Saints, who are already relegated, reached 12 points for the current campaign by securing a 0-0 draw against Manchester City at St Mary`s.
Sitting at the bottom of the table and destined for the Championship, Southampton was on course to match Derby`s 2007-08 record low of 11 points.
However, the draw lifted their total to 12 points from 36 matches, a milestone that surprisingly prompted some celebrations among fans present at the stadium.
This result even led to a sarcastic post from the official Saints social media account after the final whistle, stating: “Sorry if we got your hopes up.”
But other fans were angered by the post, calling it “humiliating” and pleading with the club, which has now recorded six draws, to remove it.
Some fan reactions included:
This is utterly embarrassing. Please delete this. On behalf of every Saints fan.
Even as a joke, this is truly tragic. If I were a Saints fan, I`d be mortified.
This is embarrassing 😶.
Imagine boasting about being the second-worst team in Premier League history.
To be fair to Southampton, there had been considerable discussion about whether they would equal Derby`s undesirable record, and they have now avoided it.
Goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale expressed relief, stating: “Delighted. We`re not happy with the season`s outcome, but we`re glad to have avoided that record… The fans are happy, smiling in the sun… Everyone knows it`s been a tough season. This one was for the fans and the lads who gave their all… Lots of difficult Mondays after heavy defeats. Today is a relief… When Rusky [Simon Rusk] arrived, he asked for extraordinary concentration and personality, which we showed in abundance today… Credit to the lads for how they defended. We made it difficult for [Man City].”
Interim manager Simon Rusk had indeed urged his team before the match to exit the Premier League “with as much dignity as possible.”
Meanwhile, Manchester City failed to secure a strong finish to help their Champions League push and missed an opportunity to draw level with Arsenal, who are second. Pep Guardiola`s team remains within reach of other Champions League contenders like Newcastle, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa, currently sitting in third place with 65 points.
