THE tears say it all. Saints fans today faced life outside the top division for the first time in 27 years.

Defeat in front of 32,000 fans at St Mary's yesterday meant relegation from the lucrative Premiership.

Fans, former players and mangers are now demanding to know where it all went wrong.

It now means the future of manager Harry Redknapp and key players is uncertain.

However chairman Rupert Lowe today gave no indication that he was on the verge of quitting.

''Making decisions in the heat of the moment is never a good idea,'' he said.

THE mood in Southampton today was a sombre one.

Saints fans woke up this morning, headed for work, to school, or simply to begin their day knowing that the nightmare which is relegation from the Premiership was reality.

Defeat by Manchester United and a win for West Bromwich Albion over Portsmouth meant that Harry Redknapp's team finished bottom of the league, ending 27 years of top-flight football.

It is estimated that the club itself will lose an estimated £20m in revenue with a further knock-on effect on the local ecomony.

Today the businesses, fans and some of the club's most famous sons were counting the costs of Saints' failure to stay in the Premiership.

Saints legend Matt Le Tissier said: "I never thought I would see this day.

"This relegation battle has come out of the blue. It's a huge disappointment.''

Former club manager and World Cup hero Alan Ball added: "There are so many questions to be asked. Will Harry stay? Will Jim stay? Will the chairman stay?

''We have a chairman paid a king's ransom to run this football club and he has got to come out and tell people which way he is going to go.''

The former midfielder added: "This chairman is the main man at this football club and the main man has to be brought to task.''

Meanwhile, the Samaritans were expecting calls from some disgruntled supporters in the aftermath of yesterday's result.

A spokesman said: "Research has shown that an event like the relegation of a football club causes a lot of angst, sadness and anger among some members of the local population.

"The emotions prompted by such an event can themselves then be an avenue for other feelings to come out, particularly if the person is prone to expressing their emotions.

"These are not unusual feelings to have and it's important that people share their upset with others, because keeping it inside is likely to do more damage in the long term."

Sports psychologist and lecturer at Southampton University Candice Williams described the relegation as akin to a grieving process.

"To some people it will feel as though there's been a personal loss in their family and it could take them a while to recover," she explained.

"People who support a football club with a passion identify that team as a part of their own identity, so they will take a defeat for their team as a personal defeat, which can obviously cause anxiety and even depression."

However, leader of Southampton City Council Adrian Vinson was confident the fans would stay behind the club.

He said: "Having a first-rate football team does make a significant contribution to the city image and sense of pride, but I am sure everyone in Southampton is behind the Saints and will be backing them to return to the Premiership after the coming season."