The last thing we need after Friday's debacle is a trip to Manchester City, not once but twice in the space of five days, but could it truly inspire us to great things ?
There aren't many people in the country indeed perhaps the World that give Saints any hope of coming away from the Etihad tonight still in the Carabao Cup, or indeed without getting drubbed not just tonight but on Saturday.
There are lost tribes in Borneo who could tell you what the problem is and that is our failure to deal with our central defensive issues in the summer and now it is all coming home to roost.
It is hard to give any sort of rational preview for this game, I see Ralph Hasenhuttl as a talented manager as he proved last season, but now a lone figure in the dug out with an inexperienced coaching staff that are at best offering him no help at all and at worst are encouraging him to play the players that they are familiar with.
The Ralph Hasenhuttl of last season would be bold and brave and not conservative, in the last four games he has played the same defence and in all but one of those games got the same result, soft goals conceded by the same old faces who have been doing it for years, but they are safe from being dropped because their mates on the coaching staff are counselling the manager.
Tonight Ralph has to do something different, he has been playing the same team for too long and that was never his style.
I think Alex McCarthy will come in, not so much because Gunn was at fault on Friday, indeed he can hold his head up more than most on that pitch, but firstly because McCarthy has played in the previous two cup games ans secondly Gunn needs to be out of the firing line.
In defence I would go with a back four of Valery, Danso, Bednarek and Cedric, assuming that he is fit, if he isn't then we are in trouble, but perhaps putting in Jake Vokins might be an option for his debut, yes a baptism of fire , but no one will blame Vokins whatever the result so there is nothing to lose.
The midfield is harder, we need fast wide players so Nathan Redmond is a must, Romeu & Hojbjerg in the centre and then on the other side is another difficult decision, Boufal showed against Wolves that he cannot hold his position, so perhaps Stuart Armstong is our best option.
Up front I would throw in Che Adams to give Danny Ings a rest, this is a game where Adams pace will be useful and no one will be expecting him to score, perhaps he might.
On the bench I would have Gunn, JWP, Slattery, Klarer, Slattery, Long & Ings.
No Yoshida, no Sofiane Boufal, no Jack Stephens, they have been part of the problem for three years now, they are never going to be part of the solution, harsh but true, so it is time to move forward and try to find out if the likes of Klarer, Vokins & Slattery are part of that solution, certainly they can do no worse than those who will be dropped.
If Ralph Hasenhuttl is to become a great manager at this club then he has to overcome the jobs for the boys syndrome that exists, be it in the coaching staff or the players picked.
If Ralph looks back at last December he came in and was a breath of fresh air, he worked with what he had but he wanted to get the youngsters in and clear out the old guard, now he seems to be unable to do that.
Tonight he needs to be brave, show he is the manager and not anyone else, better to fail doing things your way than to do so using methods that you do not agree with.