Saints simply have to go to Sunderland and get a result for several reasons not least to show their supporters that they are ready not only to start to rise back up the table but can be competitive at Wembley .

Claude Puel is about to enter a phase of his Saints career that will determine whether he is destined for a short stay at St Mary's or is going to go down in Saints history as a legend.

There can be no argument that he has had a lot of difficulties this season that have not been his fault, namely the Jose Fonte situation, the horrendous injury list and the failure of those in charge of transfers to replace the departed Fonte.

But he has undoubtedly made mistakes of his own not least the infamous rotation policy that has been the root cause of our lack of momentum in the past two months.

So now he goes into two crucial games with confidence low and the opposition well aware of our weak link being in the centre of defence.

So Puel has to take his side to Sunderland and prove that he is the man to lead Saints forward, he not only has to show that he knows his best side, but that he can get the best out of them.

Normally for a game like this you would have players chomping at the bit to show that they should be picked at Wembley and that a great performance at Sunderland will cement their place. But Puel's squad know that at times team selection does not bear any relation to the form of individual players but seemingly exists only in Puel's head.

That is not good Players like to know that they play well and keep their place, strikers like to know that they score goals and keep their place, after all it is what they are there for and most strikers will tell you that goal scoring form comes in bursts, one minute you havent scored for weeks and the next everything you hit is going in.

Not for Puel's strikers though, the reward for a goal is often a place on the bench the next game.

So the Sunderland game is important for Puel, win it and he gets the spectre of relegation off his back and gives him a springboard for Wembley, but not only that he has the chance to get some momentum going for the rest of the season and most importantly Wembley.

But lose it and you feel that it will be hard for him to still be in the job next season, the weight of the supporters will be on his back, the relegation zone a little too close for comfort and morale ahead of Wembley will be at an all time low.

Mistakes have been made this season, but we cannot change what has gone on only what the future holds, all football clubs suffer set backs and it is wrong that some of our supporters have turned this one into a witch hunt, like Chelsea have done over the last year, we have to learn, change and come back stronger, we have to suffer bad times to appreciate the good.

But football is a results driven game, having got Saints to a Wembley final Claude Puel should be enjoying God like status in Southampton, but at present he isn't, the next few weeks will decide his future at the club long term.

Photo: Action Images

Sanguin added 09:35 - Feb 10 I feel like we’ve moved away from the rotation policy now that we’re out of the Europa League and FA Cup. I’m sure that with a week since our last game and two weeks until our next game, Puel will put out his strongest side. It doesn’t feel like the ‘Southampton Way’ to get rid of Puel, if we acknowledge that a lot of the problems aren’t his fault then, logically, getting rid of him won’t fix those problems. I’m sure most others will disagree, but I hope we stick with Puel and give him a summer and another season to prove himself.

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saintstuinoz added 10:23 - Feb 10 Sanguin, great comment. I really don't understand the hate towards Puel. He has taken us further in the League Cup and Europa League than we ever did under Koeman. The FA Cup was always a tough draw, and we haven't done much in that under former managers anyway. I appreciate that we're unlikely to match or better last year's league performance, but to be honest if I'd been offered a Cup Final and 10th, or no final and 6th, I know what I'd choose. Given the injuries and loss of Fonte, I think he's doing a decent job. Let's keep the faith and support the team, and look forward to a trip to Wembley and possible Cup glory!

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steve73 added 10:48 - Feb 10 Huge game and reminds me of an away trip up there under Souness in 97. Was a freezing midweek game, relegation 6 pointer and Lundekvam got injured early. Benali came on to replace him and single handedly kept them out. Egil scored and we took the points. We really need that kind of Saints spirit to win this one, a defeat would be disastrous. We need that same 'all hands to the pumps' attitude we showed at Anfield but I'm just not sure that mental fortitude is there with this lot unfortunately.

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LordDZLucan added 11:02 - Feb 10 The one criticism that you could make of Puel is that he has not been strong enough with either the board or the players. The moment Koeman felt that there was a danger of his January transfers not coming off at Everton he was very vocal in the media. Equally he was quick to criticise the players when they were underperforming. Puel has got to learn to fight his corner. Then we will learn whether he's a good coach.

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highfield49 added 11:23 - Feb 10 Clearly the immediate issues are performances in the league and ensuring that we are playing top flight football next season. Second to that is picking up the trophy at Wembley which opens the door to European football again. However, the side issues for me are whether the club will allow Black to see out his contract or ask Puel to nominate a more dynamic and capable alternative. I can't remember any occasion when Black has appeared on the touchline to support the players on the pitch and give either direction or encouragement. What is his role? He sits alongside Puel looking as though his world is about to end fiddling with a notebook and looking pretty much disinterested. The other issue is whether Puel's family are unsettled in Southampton. It's tough enough giving 100% carrying an, apparent, lame duck like Black but if he doesn't have family support I feel really sorry for the guy. I'd like to see him stay but from my perspective the odds might not be in his favour. I wish him well whatever the outcome.

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saintmark1976 added 11:27 - Feb 10 Does Puel have a long term future at Saints? I rather expect that the answer is connected to who ultimately owns the club,if and when this never ending saga concerning China is finalised. As a previous poster said earlier in the week "for the answer you can do a lot worse than to simply follow the money".
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SaintBrock added 12:16 - Feb 10 Who ever has had a long term future at Saints Nick, the ones that don't get sacked begger off after two years anyway
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carolinasaint added 13:00 - Feb 10 I have no problem with Puel's rotation policy. It was advantageous for several reasons last fall: with matches coming fast and thick it gave players a rest, allowed some young players a look-in, and let Claude see what worked in terms of players and combinations. Now, however, with essentially a one-game-per-week schedule, I suspect (and hope) that he'll generally play his "best" eleven (whomever that is in any given week). My biggest issue with Claude is our style of play. Matches, irrespective of result, have been less exciting than MoPo's high press or Ron's lightning-quick counterattacks. We see a fair amount of the ball but often it seems like we don't care to do much with it. In any case, here's hoping for win up north tomorrow. I would prefer not to have to seriously worry about relegation. And while we're at it, let's go ahead and thrash United at Wembley as well :)

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SanMarco added 13:15 - Feb 10 The rules of football responsibility, unfair though they are, says he will go if results don't improve soon. saintstuinoz: Euro record RK pl 4 w 2 d 1 lost 1 Puel pl 6 w 2 d 2 lost 2. It was actually RK who got us to the group stage - Puel was knocked out at the earliest stage possible for him. RK got through a round last season. steve73: we could do with a bit of the luck we had that night too !!!

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dirk_doone added 13:58 - Feb 10 Les Reed is 65 this year and his decision making has been deteriorating badly. Should we continue to pay him until he's 70 or for the rest of his life? He's got most decisions wrong in the last year so his next managerial appointments would probably be no better than Puel and Black. If we are really thinking about the long-term future of the club, perhaps Reed is the one we should be asking the question about.

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halftimeorange added 15:34 - Feb 10 Eric Black is the perennial caretaker. He's there simply to hold the reins if and when Claude is sacked or resigns. I wouldn't bet against either. The Sunderland game has taken on epic proportions. Saints capitulation against WHU was similar to what they did in the reverse fixture - crumbled as soon as a goal was conceded. The difference was that the Hammers had time to get over their loss of form and confidence and they have an aggressive manager and a determined captain. Claude is not self-assertive enough for many Saints fans and we have nobody like Mark Noble at our club, never mind in our team. Defoe must be relishing the chance to play tomorrow against our leaky and panic-stricken defence. I just hope Puel puts someone like Davis on him to spoil his game, otherwise our bleak run will continue. St Mary's was like a graveyard after Carroll scored. It's almost as though many fans have accepted that we're in for the worst possible outcome to our season. The board aren't talking and it seems as though they have collectively shrugged their shoulders, perhaps in a show of Gallic sympathy with our manager. it is a very unpalatable situation.

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SaintBrock added 17:01 - Feb 10 The obvious guy to man mark Defoe is Ryan, he'll have seen plenty of him in action on England duty and should know his little dodges and tricks. Whether he has the pace or not is another question but he has a few years on Defoe so should be able to stay with him. The real problems we have in the back line is that Cedric will have to keep an eye on Jack Stephens all afternoon as well as try to play his own game which isn't easy. We definitely need Jorde Clasie in there tomorrow to support Romeu, on their day two of the toughest tackler's in the league. What we don't want is the luxury of JWP missing every tackle he goes in for. How we need that early goal, if we don't score within 6 minutes it could be a long afternoon!

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BarnetSaint added 22:42 - Feb 10 I took a national express coach up to that midweek game at sunderland. 6 hours each way. Great away win, made the drag of a journey so worthwhile.
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NewburySaint added 23:55 - Feb 10 Nope, not for me & I would go as far as saying that if we don't win tomorrow-and it needs to be a win-then he should be sacked. That may sound harsh for a man that got us to a cup final, but he also got us knocked out of Europe from 1 of the weaker groups & has so far overseen a very mediocre at best Premier season. I feel he should be sacked if we don't win tomorrow because I really won't be able to see where we could get the 12 or so more points required from after having lost what would be 7 out of 8-we would need the reaction that a new manager normally brings to a team (apart from Allardyce!) to get us over the line. On the flip side, if we do win then surely Puel would be able to guide us to 10 or so more points in the rest of the season.....& then we can get rid of him in the summer & try again. But we shouldn't be talking about scrambling to get to 40 points, which I feel is very much in the front of most Saints supporters minds now-that is too much of a drop from seasons past. What I really, really wish for though is that Reed isn't around to make anymore managerial appointments, or oversee any more transfer windows because he has got it wrong too many times now, not least with the last appointment & most recent window.

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