The appointment has yet to be finalised and Saints have interviewed several candidates, with Dennis Wise an option if the board decide to opt for continuity. He has the backing of many of the players and experience of the league. Dave Bassett, however, is expected to leave the club when his contract expires in January.
The leading candidates are two Dutchmen, Mark Woote and Cees Lok who have sent Saints fans trawling through the search engines trying to find information on just who they might be.
Mark Woote has left his post as Feyenoord's technical director, sparking the media frenzy with clear hints from his club that he is heading to Saints. He was previously linked as a candidate to be the Spurs technical manager, but his club have said that he wants to get back onto the training pitch.
His management record is decent, but not exactly stellar, having managed the Dutch U21s and U19s and Dutch clubs Den Bosch, ADO Den Haag, Willem II and Utrecht. He does have good contacts in European football and Saints may be looking to exploit his experience in the transfer market.
His number two is expected to be Cees Lok who has quit as first team coach of NEC Nijmegen. He had taken them to a very creditable fifth in the league and is well respected as a coach.
Clive Woodward was thought to have been at the recent PSV Eindhoven v Feyenoord match and the crucial component is how he will work with the duo. Woodward will be offered an increased role with the first team, after Redknapp's reluctance to work with him.
If Woodward is really going to be at Saints for the long term, then he needs to be involved with the first team and earn his high wages. The youth setup is doing fantastically well, it is the first team that need the work. Whether he is the right man for the job is another matter, but Saints need to see the experiment though and allow him to do his job.
While a clear out of the coaching structure may be what the club needs, the most important ingredient for the future is stability, both to stabilise the club and to bring the fruits of the academy smoothly through into the first team.
The appointment of two unknowns would be another risky move for Saints and surely Rupert Lowe's final card to play. Another failure and his position would be untenable.
The move does leave so many unanswered questions. What will they know about English football, its market and its tactics? How will the players respond to them? Do they really know what they are letting themselves in for in working with Woodward and Lowe? Another episode of the south coast opera is set to begin.