Mark Hughes has described Southampton’s game against Bournemouth on Saturday as “huge” for the club and one of the most significant of his career in management as he seeks to kickstart the team’s bid for Premier League survival.
The Saints have never lost to their south-coast rivals at home but are entrenched in the bottom three, four points from safety and with a solitary league success to their name since late November. Hughes, the former Wales, Blackburn, Manchester City and Stoke manager hired to replace Mauricio Pellegrino in March, has taken one point from his four league games in charge.
“Given where we find ourselves, arguably it is one of the biggest games of my career,” he said. “It’s a huge game for the club. The consequences of going out of the Premier League are huge. Everybody knows that. It doesn’t matter if a club has been here a short time or for a longer period, as Southampton have, it still has an impact: on the fans, the surrounding area, businesses, everything.
“A lot of work and finance are generated by having a Premier League club within the town. We know the consequences of going down. It’s going to impact on a lot of people. So we need to do something about it. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Hughes added: “It’s black and white. We need to win the game. That’s what we have to do if we want to make the three games after this significant: we need three points. We know exactly what we have to do. It’s a difficult situation but not one we’re apprehensive about. We’re determined to get the job done and safeguard the future of this club in the Premier League.”
