Southampton on track to emulate unwanted Portsmouth record
Published:Portsmouth currently hold the unwanted record of the worst ever Premier League start to a season, but Southampton may already be nervously thinking that this could soon belong to them.
Southampton have lost their first four games this season, with south coast rivals Portsmouth responsible for taking the longest to get off the mark in 2009/10.
On this occasion, they lost their opening seven fixtures of the campaign and were unsurprisingly relegated.
It is 40/1 that Southampton lose their first eight games of the season and finally take a point in their ninth fixture, which is at home with Tottenham.
Alternatively, Southampton are 20/1 to match Portsmouth and get their first point in their eighth encounter of the season away at West Ham.
Only three teams have ever lost their first five Premier League showdowns of a new season, Portsmouth, Sunderland in 2005/06 and Southampton themselves in 1998/99.
Southampton would probably take a fifth defeat against Aston Villa in their next game if it meant repeating their final finishing position in 1999, when surviving relegation on the final day.
However, the Saints are fancied to break their losing streak against Villa, as they are 2/5 to secure their first point in this fixture.
If Villa leave St Mary’s with three points, it is 6/1 that Nigel Adkins collects his first Premier League point at Everton or 5/1 that it comes at home to Fulham in their seventh game.
Southampton’s start has not been totally unexpected, as three of their opening four fixtures have been against Manchester City, Manchester United or Arsenal.
But they have conceded 14 goals in these four fixtures and the defence certainly seems the immediate problem.
A failure to tighten up at the back would make 4/6 on Southampton being relegated seem a generous price, alongside the 2/1 that Adkins is the first Premier League manager this season out of a job.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
