Saints take on Aston Villa with the season suddenly looking remarkably different from it was just a fortnight ago when many Saints fans could not see a way forward, now they can, but there is still a long way to go.

It is hard to believe that two weeks ago when I wrote the preview for the FA Cup game at Crystal Palace how different the mood was in and around St Mary's stadium or for that matter the world that surrounds the club.

Back then it was toxic, few had any confidence in the ability of Nathan Jones, they could see no progress made since his appointment almost two months earlier and things looked bleak.

They still looked bleak 30 minutes into the Palace game when the infamous "Nathan Jones your football is s***" chant started in the away section at Selhurst Park.

That moment may go down in history as the catalyst that changed the season !

So we take on Villa having won three straight games, one in each competition and find ourselves in the League Cup semi finals and also still in the FA Cup with a great chance of making the 5th round.

But the most important thing is the Premier League and now we face one of those games that we need to win if we are to pull clear of the relegation zone.

Villa's form has been patchy all season, but Unai Emery's arrival in October sparked a mini revival and that pulled them clear of the relegation zone going into the break.

Since football returned they have still been inconsistent, winning two league games, drawing one and losing the other, out of the four games played, they also surprisingly lost in the FA Cup to Stevenage.

This form has taken Villa from relegation contenders to 11th in the table with 25 points and this is the form which Saints need to emulate.

Villa are now in transition, they are making some transfer decisions in January with former Saint Danny Ings being allowed to leave and they are clearly in rebuilding mode.

So this could be a good time to play them, they will be comfortable, there will be players in the side whose days are numbered, perhaps that will leave them without the edge needed to consistently win games and to be blunt their current squad has the foundations, but needs to put a little more in place to truly become a top 10 contender.

Saints need to take a leaf out of Villa's book and follow their example, in the past fortnight we have taken giant steps forward and suddenly the season has hope in it, but hope is not enough we need to turn it into points.

I have always maintained that the basis of a good squad is there, the root of our problems in September and October were down to injuries, yes of course the lack of a striker wasn't helping, but that wasn't the root cause.

In the past 3 games we have shown that the squad has a spirit in it and seems to be behind it's manager and that is vital, anyone who was at and saw the celebrations at the final whistle at Everton could see that and that bodes well.

But spirit alone is not enough we need the quality, two new signings already have helped that and a striker would be the icing on the cake.

The team seem to have now taken on board the new style of playing and it is reaping it's rewards, James Ward Prowse is now starting to be able to get forward and dictate play.

There were those who were critical of JWP before the break, but they took little account of the role he was being asked to play, that was as a holding midfielder and although he was stifled creatively, he was still a good holding midfielder.

But that is not his natural role and one that plays to his strengths, now he is in a more forward role he has shown how he can create chances for Saints and more to the point score chances.

Nathan Jones has got players who were stagnating playing a good role, Ibrahima Diallo, Lyanco and Sekou Mara for instance as well as Adam Armstrong.

We now have a squad rather than 11 players and some bit part squad members.

All this is a bit gushing, perhaps a bit premature some would say, but as much as we decry the defeats, we have to celebrate the good points as well.

There is still a long way to go, but we have the green shoots of recovery, we are not cast adrift, but we have to make sure that the great victory at Everton is not wasted by giving away silly points again.

Although the last few months have been dire, truth is that if we had held on to our point at Fulham we would be 16th and out of the relegation zone as I write, yes that is a what if, but it shows how close we are to being able to pull away.

In terms of games played this is still only Boxing Day in a normal season, there is half a season left, we won only 4 games in the first half, we need to win 7 in the second.

That sounds a lot, but if we won 4 when we were awful and injury stricken, then 7 with a full squad boosted by 2 signings so far and perhaps another is not beyond us, but it is vital to get those wins from games such as these.

The feel good factor is not yet back, but it is getting there, we have a history of getting on the back of a new manager at this club, but we also have a history of giving them the chance to show what they can do and take us forward, Lawrie McMenemy & Gordon Strachan will testify to that, Nathan Jones now needs to show that he has found his feet and is the man to take us forward.

From a team perspective I don't expect to see much change from the starting line up against Everton, however based on that performance, I would not be surprised to see two, both in an attacking sense.

Sam Edozie had his moments at Goodison Park, but his end product is not yet there, likewise Moi Elyounoussi, I would like to see both of our new signings start, Mislav Orsic has the experience and Charly Alcatraz could be our get out of jail card for this season.

Starting them would be a positive move in an attacking sense, we still need to sort out our scoring problem, we can't rely on James Ward Prowse all the time, these two will help and I think Adam Armstrong and Sekou Mara still have big parts to play.

Photo: Action Images

davenbennett added 10:44 - Jan 20 If we don't play the 2 new guys, why did we buy them, before a striker?
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Ifonly added 11:12 - Jan 20 "That moment may go down in history as the catalyst that changed the season !" Oh right, I see, because NJ suddenly thought, ok I will change my whole approach based on this informed comment from the crowd about my tactics. The players suddenly felt motivated and proud to play for the shirt with all this support for what they were doing. Sorry but that statement is one of your dumbest yet. We won despite the chant not because of it. We won because of hard work and luck. Since then, we've had exactly the same "shit" NJ (who, unlike the fans, the players are right behind) but wins against City and away at Everton. We stand a better chance of keeping that going if, the next time they're struggling, we do what we're supposed to do as "supporters" and actually support them instead of slagging them off. If you want to slag them off, do it after the match.

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Block8 added 11:27 - Jan 20 Agree with IFonly about getting behind the team, we need the noise from the City game and not the disquiet of the previous home games. Away support is generally good & loud and we need to bring that. I'm not sure Alcaraz should start but rather play a cameo, he seemed a bit lost and off the pace of the game at Everton and maybe needs a little more time to acclimatise to our game. I know we don't have time but we are not deficient in midfield are we? So come on and get behind the team and manager COYR

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Colburn added 12:33 - Jan 20 Or it may go down in history as the dumbest reaction to a manager in history.. But you keep making the excuses for yourself, as long as you can fool yourself, it's all good..
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SaintPaulVW added 12:45 - Jan 20 We now have the squad to be able to make full use of 5 subs. I hope our progress continues over this busy fortnight in both League and Cup. COYR
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wrathoftazz added 14:13 - Jan 20 We won against a team who is not interested in the cup and focusing on being PL champs, although BLIND LUCK. Whilst I know luck plays a big part of winning games, this isn't enough to combat crud players ans an even worse manager. I maybe wrong and they may have turned a corner (I really hope so) but I just can't see it... all I see is same old crud, led by an even worse manager than HH.. lets see what tomorrow brings... beers and chanting or beers down the pub at half time

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DorsetIan added 14:34 - Jan 20 March 2022, we faced Villa away unbeaten in 5, having won the previous 2 and beaten Spurs and drawn with the two Manchesters in the three games before that. We were flying...we crashed 4-0 at Villa Park and picked up only 5 more points during the rest of the season. It's when the rot really set in for Ralph. I'm pretty confident that history is not going to repeat itself... ...but let's see... Jones needs to find the consistency and progress that Ralph never could.

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highfield49 added 15:09 - Jan 20 I'm still not sure if your Alcatraz being a potential "get out of jail card" was supposed to be amusing or just a typo Nick but I'm hoping it was the latter. A settled first choice team would be great for the rest of the season and I can see Alcaraz being part of that team in the coming weeks, in the meantime I think there's more benefit in using him tactically in the second half. Hopefully Orsic will start against Villa and make a big impact, he's a very talented player so let's hope we use his strengths to advantage. I've still got that RH hangover when we might have expected Orsic to be played at left back or centre half.

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PezzaSaint added 16:37 - Jan 20 Whatever the personnel for the Villa game JWP must continue to play in the advanced midfield role, he is wasted as a holder and turns into Butch Wilkins! We’ve ridden our luck against Palace (cup) and Everton (league), but the saying you make your own luck has never been truer. The extra intensity in our play is starting to bring dividends, but we need to keep that up and the crowd can certainly help!

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