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Time To Reflect And Enjoy Saints Start To The Season

The game at Aston Villa completed the first section of the season for Saints, but the fact it was only a draw left some fans deflated.

When the chaos of the summer was ensuing where we are now seemed a long way off and a mere pipe dream, even though when we went up to Anfield and the opening game things looked a lot better, there were few Saints fans who could be described as optimisitc that we could match last seasons exploits.

I was one of those who felt that things were not as bad as they seemed, but I have to admit even I could not see what was coming next.

The defeat at Anfield answered few questions at the time, on one hand it was a good display and against a side who had finished second the year before and were expected to challenge for the title again, but on the other there was that suspicion that we had dropped at least a point.

The latter thought would be correct although there were few either in the crowd that day or watching on TV who would have predicted the divide that would exist between the two clubs a little over three months later,

But since then it has been the best start to a Saints season ever with a side playing the best football we have seen in a long time, some would say ever, since that day at Anfield we have played a further 11 Premier League games, we have won 8 of those, drawn 2 and lost only 1, add to that a further 3 wins in the Capital One Cup and it has been a great three months for Saints.

Therefore we headed up to Villa Park expecting a win, but we found that football often isn't like that and we fell to ground with a bump, although we should take heart from the fact that we stuck to our task and got a deserved point, something previous Saints sides would not have done.

All good sides suffer games where just when they are expected to win a game with ease it either doesn't go their way or they have an off day, it is the good sides that get something out of those days.

But now is not the time to be bemoan our performance, now is the time to celebrate a job well done in the first third of the season before we move on and concentrate on the next tranche of games.

Take a look at the Premier League table now ! I mean it go to the BBC Sport site and stare at the table and enjoy, right have you done that ? good so have I, if Im not mistaken Southampton Football Club sit 2nd, two points above Manchester City and a full 7 points ahead of Manchester United in 4th place.

It has been a glorious start to the season and we have every chance to make this a real season to remember.

I looked at this season as one that if we were to progress we needed to finsih ahead of the 7 clubs above us last term, thre e of them sit in the top four with us, the next three sit 9 points behind us and one is 12 points adrift, an enormous gap to make up.

This gives us a great opportunity, last season I said at this time that although Saints were hovering around the top four they had no chance of being there at the end of the season, the reason for that was all of those top 7 clubs I mentioned were all in good form and all there or thereabouts.

This season is different, none bar Chelsea and Man City can be said to be firing on all four cylinders, this season more than any other is a year when a club outside of the big cartel could jump in to a Champions League spot possibly and 5th place for the Europa League definitely, the prize is there for the taking.

So lets enjoy the ride, it will be bumpy but we have a clear path forward and a clear strategy that was not there a year ago, even the biggest optimist would not predict that the next tranche of a dozen games will produce the points haul this one has, but if we can come out of it relatively unscathed then we will be strong and ready for a good run in to the end of the season.

For the first time in a long time Southampton Football Club is united on every front, the board, the staff, the players & the supporters, there has probably not been a period when that could be said in three decades, the future now is truly bright, it will be rocky at times but we have cause for optimism, lets enjoy it .

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