Make no bones about it after an appalling run this is the most important game of the season for Saints who need to get their act together and start winning games and climbing up the table.
We have been saying the same things week in week out, Saints aren't playing badly but continued errors and lapses in concentration have mean that they have kept losing games they really should have won.
So the season is at another crossroads, the poor form needs to be addressed and Ronald Koeman needs to earn his corn as manager.
Not that I blame Koeman, Saints are not getting battered in games they are losing them by the odd goal and virtually every one of those is down to poor play by one player or another, when a team plays with no heart and no direction a manager can be blamed, but that is not the case it is conceding soft goals, every game follows the same pattern, Saints at best dominate and at worst look comfortable for 90% of the game, but have a moment of madness or two that cost them dearly.
S that the bad news out of the way, the good news is that tonight could see four changes from the weekend that could sharpen us up and change our luck, Fraser Forster will instill stability in goal, Soares and Bertrand will offer both defensive and attacking options at the back being square pegs in square holes and up front the return of Pelle will hopefully offer more of a goal threat.
The time for excuses is long gone, the time for fine words is long gone, what is needed now is unity both in the team and in the stands with everyone playing their part in winning this game and putting an awful couple of months behind us.