Today Saints managed to shoot themselves in the foot, and the problem is it isn`t for the first time this season they have done it. But are some fans reactions over the top?
It`s hard to tell what Southampton are going to turn up when you pay your hard earned cash to go and see them. Are we going to see the free flowing, free scoring premiership standard Saints, the tentative defensive and occasionally lucky saints or as in today`s case the Southampton who for some reason just cant put the ball in the back of the net. In all honesty it`s hard to complain about the quality of Southampton`s play today, they made top of the table Derby County look quite frankly average, the problem is for some reason we just couldn`t put the ball in the net.
One thing I will ask of to some of the Saints fans is perspective. Like many others I read the fans forums I have noticed a trend of some fans going over the top every time the team losses, the most contradictory thing is that those same fans couldn`t praise the team any higher only midweek the last time the team won. The fact is that yes Saints managed to mess up today and yes it is not for the first time this season but Southampton are sitting in 5th, and although even I agree we could be higher then that I am certainly not going to go on a over the top emotional reaction every time things go off track. At the end of last season and indeed before Rupert Lowe left the club most fans, in fact probably nearly 100% off fans would have been delighted with a finish in the top six, so what has changed? I read how negative people write about not making the top two, as if the top six is a major let down. Did people think that the new board would be some sort of miracle cure to all the teams` problems and that we would all of a sudden walk this league?
What is such a shame is that in my opinion Southampton are more then good enough for a top two finish. How did I reach that assumption? Well I have seen what this squad is capable of, this team put four past in inform Birmingham City side and for two thirds of today`s game against Derby this team made them look completely average. We have one of the leagues highest goal scorers, players of the quality of Rudolf Skacel and Inigo Idiakez and so many promising youngsters. And of course we have one of this leagues most successful management teams in charge But for some reason they struggle to meet there potential regularly and that is why Southampton are 5th and not 1st in this division.
I know that people are not going to change there opinion based on this article, in fact I would be horrified if they did, every one is entitled to there own opinion and that I applaud. But what I have noticed recently are contradictory fans who change there mind every week, I only hope this trend wares off. The general point of this article is a plea to those saints fans who constantly put the team down with over the top knee jerk reactions every time things don`t go our way, we are not going to win every game for god sake. Southampton is a fantastic club, which has fantastic fans. Let`s get behind them 100% and please to those who do, don`t look at the playoffs as a disaster, yes we are capable of more. But is really that bad of a back up plan?
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