Although the majority of the fanbase are calling for the head of Mauricio Pellegrino, the Saints hierarchy need to make sure that they have carefully planned and thought out the situation.

Last season saw Claude Puel under fire almost from the first month of the season and now we see Mauricio Pellegrino facing the same wrath from the supporters.

But in hindsight now Puel does not look so bad, back then although it could not be denied that the Frenchman made mistakes, he was also plagued by long term injuries to key players not to mention the situation with Jose Fonte, after still steering the team to an 8th place finish and a major Cup Final, it has to be said that perhaps the Frenchman could have been given another season, however poor season ticket sales swayed the board and in fairness things were not quite right, even after the extenuating circumstances that meant that after a couple of good wins away from home with four goals scored in each, that Puel had to switch tactics and concentrate on stopping goals and not scoring them.

Mauricio Pellegrino does not have the same excuses as Puel, he has had a series of baffling team selections and line ups and so far has resolutely refused to change his tactics to suit the players he has.

The supporters themselves recognise this, although it has to be said that as much as some of them can see what is going wrong with the way Pellegrino sets up his team, they seem unable to acknowledge tat these very same tactics are not helping the performances os several players, if the supporters are frustrated that we only play a lone striker, then how must the likes of Redmond and Tadic feel, as wide men and crossers of a ball, they more than anyone want a target to hit and they don't have one, people should at least cut them some slack on this.

Therefore with Puel at the moment it is hard to see hw he can carry on in the long term and although the Everton game is now taking on a big significance, a defeat should not mean instant dismissal, as much as a win should make everything rosy again.

The board have to look at the stuation carefully and perhaps the most important thing to consider is what the next move is.

Sack Pellegrino now and who would run the team whilst we searched for a manager ? Pellegrino's own assistants would go with him and that would leave Eric Black, a man who those shouting loudest for the sacking of both Puel and Pellegrino, seemed to equally blame for our tactics, after Black there is no one at the club currently with the experience to guide us througgh a couple of difficult weeks.

So if Les Reed and Ralph Krueger are considering sacking Pellegrino then they need to be careful what they do and have the new man lined up before they wield the axe.

They also need to consider the long term affect on the club, therefore appointing someone like Sam Allardyce might boost results in the short term, but ultimately it will cause more problems in the long term, too many clubs look for short term fixes and ultimately it only keeps them above water for a short period and they still end up going down eventually, think Aston Villa and Sunderland here.

Some fans are also calling for Les Reed and Ralph Krueger to go, the question is why ? they have steered the club to a position it has never been in in it's entire history, that of an established top ten club, we have to realise that sometimes things go wrong, people make mistakes, that doesn't mean the club is rotten to the core, the Premier League is tough, each year at least two big clubs do not qualify for the Champions League due to not being in the top four, those that call Krueger "Wreck it Ralph" and laugh at their own wit, should look at Arsenal and Manchester United last season and the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool the season before that and consider that if they can't get in the top four every year, how are Saints supposed to on a regular basis, ambition is about having a plan and a structure and not idle boasting, Saints have that structure, but there is a reality here and that is that we do not have the resources os at least six other clubs, probably nearer ten.

So we need to stick to that structure, not panic and make our next move carefully and if Pellegrino is to go then it is a planned departure in the boardroom, not a knee jerk reaction that we see at so many other clubs.

Saints have a good team, this season might not hold the riches of other seasons, but we are still nearer the top ten than the bottom three, ironically if we beat Everton we could find ourselves back in the top ten, if we had beaten Burnley as well we could have been in the top seven.

All if's and but's but they do tell us that things are bad, but they are far from a panic situation.

What we need is a win on Sunday that will buy us time, time that perhaps could see the manager learn from his mistakes and show he is the man to take us forward, this would not be the first time at this football club that that has happened as Lawrie McMenemy will testify, I don't think it will happen here but it should be noted that Pochettino, Strachan or even Nigel Adkins did not set the World alight in their first dozen games at Saints either, however I do not think this will happen.

So that is why we need a win and time, time for the board to set up their next man for the job and one that could take us forward and not backwards.

Photo: Action Images

mattthelegend added 19:37 - Nov 22 How many people actually know what Eric Black does, not protecting him, but does anyone really know the influence he holds, I cannot accept he has the final say as MP has his own team with him. Pellegrino I also cannot believe he is that stupid enough to keep persisting with this 4-2-3-1 formation. Which begs the question who is deciding to persist with this formation? I watched the England v Germany game and Bertrand attacked more down the left in 15 minutes with 3 CB,s and 2 WB,s than he has for Saints all season.

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underweststand added 16:50 - Nov 24 This is a difficult one. YES we're all p***d off because we're not scoring goals, but at the same time, someof the recently named players aren't doing their share either, and poor form isn't the same as - not trying. On the other hand our Chinese owner had put in £200 million of his own money , and is certainly entitled to an opinion, regardless of what the fans think/say, and the last thing he wants is to fear relegation just months after he's bought the club. By the New Year, we'll see whether our strikers recover some form, especially considering the opposition we'll have played by then. By then, some players will know their fate , and it's almost certain we'll have one or two new faces who know where the goal is .... and can find the back of the net , and not the side netting.

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