Another cracking win and another three points lifted Saints out of the relegation zone and gave hope that we can stay out of it.
It couldnt have been a hard decision for Nigel Adkins in picking his starting line up, there is a lot to be said for keeping a winning side, although in truth when Saints visit Anfield Adkins has some thinking to do, but again for an attacking formation the 11 who started on Sunday again struck the right balance.
We shouldnt get too carried away in that we have just played two sides who are ravaged by injuries and poor form, but we still had to beat them and in this game we beat Newcastle well.
From the start it was clear that we were confident and at the back we looked a better side with Fonte and Yoshida starting to look like a partnership, the job was to cut out the lapses in concentration and although there were still the odd moment when we did lose it, in the main unlike other games were one error has been followed by another, the problem hasnt been compounded, but solved by some great saving play from someone else, this is called working for the team, it wasnt there a few weeks ago but its certainly there now.
Again its hard to pick out a man of the match in truth everyone was at least an 8/10 including the subs, but the stand out players for me were again Jack Cork and Jason Puncheon, Cork has added something to the team, he seems to have matured as a player over the past six months and its been his work rate and guile that has transformed our midfield, he doesnt do the spectacular, but he does lots of little things well and thats what good performances are built on, not one off spectaculars, but solid play for 90 minutes.
Jason Puncheon is a different man, lets be blunt two years ago he played 17 consecutive games for Saints at the start of 10/11 season and was below average in most of them, he went off and sulked at a variety of clubs on loan and in his brief returns never showed that he cared, indeed most opinions saw him as a player with potential but one who might struggle to even make his mark in League 1 with his attitude, whether this form and positive attitude will continue we will have to wait and see, but for now he is in great form so lets utilise it.
Again Nigel made the right substitutions in the right positions at the right times, Rodriguez for Lambert in a straight swap might not be popular with some fans, but we have to remember that Rickie will be 31 in January, 3 games in six days wont be easy, we needed fresh legs up front to keep the 2-0 lead and Rodriguez did just that showing why he will push our number 7 all the way for his place and that has to be good, Saints supporters though have to get off his back and realise that this is a squad game, when you play a certain way and a certain type of player in a position is key then it makes sense to have a ready made replacement, to give the player a rest in some games and if he is injured or suspended, Jay Rodriguez is a Saints player, not the enemy just because some see him as taking the place of their hero.
We now have a key game with Norwich City, for the manager it should be easy, pick the same starting line up and the players need little motiivation other than showing them the league table and where we could be come 10pm on Wednesday night, but the players like the fans have to be aware of complacency, in the past eight days we have met two of the poorer sides in the league, it wont always be like yesterday, there are some tough times to come, lets get the points where we can and remember that when we play the better sides its about working harder and ensuring we get the right results.
A great game on Sunday and a great performance, but lets remember Saints are still a work in progress and far from the finished article.