Lately Saints fans have been complaining of bland player interviews, Charlie Austin's after the draw against Watford certainly could not be accused of that and it might just be a turning point in the season.

Saints supporters have been hacked off about the after match player interviews this season, they all seem to follow the same path, the usual comments about needing to up the work rate, be more positive etc leading some to accuse the players of lacking commitment and passion.

Certainly they would seem to have a point, the player interviews both pre and post match have been bland and even appear scripted, indeed it creates a vicious circle and the supporters themselves become disillusioned and blase in their own comments about the club .

But Charlie Austin's rant was different, after the game against Watford when he saw a perfectly good goal ruled out through refereeing ineptitude he was in no mood to be diplomatic and let rip with both barrels.

It was raw passion from the striker and it was good to see because for perhaps the first time this season the guard was down and the Saints supporters could see that a player actually cared, Austin wasn't just taking his money and strolling around, this mattered to him.

Certainly there has never been a wider gap between the supporters and the squad as there is now, it is hard to think of one player whom the crowd truly hail as a hero and in all my years supporting the club I can say I don't think I have ever been able to say that before.

I have always said that this sqaud isn't as bad as some would have you believe, that the issue is all about a lack of organisation and motivation rather than a lack of quality.

That lack of motivation is certainly out there on the pitch, we don't seem to attack with any sort of passion, confidence or aggression.

Hopefully Austin's rant will change that a little, hopefully some of it will rub off on his team mates, perhaps it will create a spirit in the dressing room that seems to have been lacking and they are not getting from the manager.

Maybe it will mark a moment in time in the relationship between the fans, perhaps it will show them that the passion is still there in some players and that will spur the crowd to get behind the team and support them rather than ridicule them.

If Saints are to get through a dodgy period then it needs a positive atmosphere in everything surrounding the club, we need to all kick in the same direction and get some pride back in the club again.

Crowds make clubs, they can either help or hinder players, at places like Anfield their is a pride in the club that inspires the players, but at the moment at St Mary's the apathy towards the club is seeping into the players and dragging them down.

It's a vicious circle that we have to break and then move forward, perhaps Charlie Austin's biggest contribution to this season might well be that passionate rant, that is if both his team mates and the Saints supporters were not only watching but taking notice.

Photo: Action Images

Sanguin added 10:22 - Nov 16 PARK LIFE!
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HythePeer added 10:23 - Nov 16 Should the referees be allowed to go on TV and rant about the players' performances.
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SaintNick added 11:16 - Nov 16 Hythepeer that is not really relevant, the referee is there to make decisions players are not
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Scoot added 12:08 - Nov 16 If this is what it takes to get us playing and winning then why is Hughes even going in to training? His leadership means nothing if it takes a disabled man to rev up the team.
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SaintNick added 12:24 - Nov 16 Sometimes a football team need self motivation, why would you call Austin disabled ?
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bstokesaint added 12:27 - Nov 16 It was certainly refreshing to hear the rant. It’s nice to know the players still care. The quality of refereeing in the PL is pretty poor. I actually think there should be a dozen top professional referees and they should be paid well to remain in that elite category. If they have bad performances then this should be reflected in their pay (preferably performance-related) and their ranking. It’s too easy for referees to just admit they made mistake and move on when so much rests on their decisions.

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SonicBoom added 12:59 - Nov 16 The rant seems to have overshadowed the fact Austin ran off to make some sort of point to our own fans when he celebrated. Not a very good idea. Score goals and put in effort and you won't need to "make a point" to the fans.
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BoondockSaint added 14:17 - Nov 16 Charlie may have helped the whole sport as he has turned the spotlight on the only professional sport not using VAR: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46224473 Both supporters and referee just want the right call made. To my "small club" mind, the FA was dragging their feet because the "big clubs" always got the benefit of controversial calls or diving. Because of Charlie's rant, everyone not just Saints (goal disallowed) or Watford (penalty not called) are calling for it. Notice the FA are not fining Charlie? Because it would be a public relations nightmare, punishing him for stating the obvious.

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underweststand added 16:26 - Nov 16 Almost every sport on the Planet has some sort of VAR system - so why is it that the FA so blantantly held back on this issue ?. Charlie and MH were right in that the Prem. has worldwide appeal yet still relies on doubtful ref. calls in almost every game. Many of us have watched televised matches where fouls go unpunished, penalties ignored and (as this case - good goals rules out). Pure Hollywood. ..and when will we hear the end of those moans that a "denied penalty shout" might seemingly be counted - "as good as a goal" in the final analysis. I 've seen many penalty kicks missed... or saved by an alert keeper. YES - the standard of refereeing is "very uneven" and this example only rubbed salt into the wound when one recalls that last season Watford "stole" a point (and denied us all three) by "scoring" with a handball in added time. VAR is long overdue. NOTED : During a 10 year period in Ferguson's time only one penalty was awarded to an away side. Even then it was in the 86th minute ... when MU were already leading 3-0. Fear or favour from referees? In future VAR will take away the "blame" from the officials. Everyone who saw that Charlie's (justifiable) angry outburst was from the heart and highlighted a problem that has been ignored for years whilst the technology to make correct decisions has been readily available. I doubt the FA had the courage to "punish" Charlie when the truth was plain to see and they should have felt shamed by it. (Likewise Gabbiadini's "third goal " in the League Cup Final). Only a few decisions every decade have really affected football in a positive way. Like many older fans, I recall the first introductions of substitutes...(1966) previously injured players could not be replaced and the team was forced to play with just 10 men. The Bosman decision brought about a real change in players' terms of employment, and it might just be that Charlie Austin's heartfelt outburst has dragged World football into the 21st century . With VAR available we will all see that justice is done - (even if it might go against us sometimes) - at least it will be seen to be fair. RANT OVER !

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BoondockSaint added 17:55 - Nov 16 Nice Fergie stat underweststand! I think the refs will welcome it, not only because it will insure they get the call right, but because it will shut up managers, coaching staff, players, etc. from yapping all game long and afterwards. Plus, they can never be accused of favouring or being intimidated by managers or the crowd.
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SaintBrock added 18:23 - Nov 17 If this is the best league in the world then why isn't the PL importing the best referees in the world to adjudicate the supposedly best players. In an era when few English players rank in the world's top 50, why would anybody suppose that our referees are superior to those from other countries. They are not and clearly so.
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1970 added 21:06 - Nov 17 I think for all the good in Austins outburst we wont be in the prem to see VAR being used especially against the cheats at the top, instead we will be in the championship playing this mythical quality football you lead us to believe we are capable of, no we are actually very poor Nick and for over a year have been a complete embarrassment of a football team, the stats speak for themselves but to have Krueger and hughes in charge of anything spells disaster, its also very clear what our footballing philosophy is by ignoring an unemployed Bielsa and employing hughes and selling Tadic ,Carillio and Boufal are only match winners, if we lose to Fulham then we are doomed no matter how you dress it up, draw and the easy mathematics would suggest the points rate will not be enough either , so it all comes down to Saturday bring it on coyr

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