Long serving Saints stalwart Maya Yoshida has urge that his team mates bring no negativity into the dressing room at St Mary's for the game against Huddersfield and that equally applies to the supporters as well.

Yoshida has spoken out about the need to the Saints squad to be positive and avoid negativity if they are to beat Huddersfield on Saturday.

When asked what Saints need to do to turn this around, the Japanese defender said:

"Don’t bring any negativity, stay positive and help each other before we start pointing at each other — that’s the way."

It’s a difficult situation which we haven’t had in the last couple of years,"

"It’s like life, life isn’t always a good time. At this time we need to show our character and we have to stand up."

Yoshida is absolutely right in what he says although the worrying question is as to why Yoshida has mentioned negativity and whether this is a veiled dig at certain individuals in the squad.

Certainly all the squad could learn a lesson from Yoshida, I might not always be complimentary about his performances, but there can be no doubting either his service to Southampton Football Club or his commitment.

But although he did not mention the supporters, his comments could equally be aimed at them on Saturday, whilst it cannot be denied that the majority of the supporters have remained behind the team and abuse has been minimal, the atmosphere at St Mary's against Leicester was toxic and you could almost feel the crowd waiting for failure once the second goal went in and the third leading to a big walk out at half time, that was not condusive to any form of comeback n the second half.

In retrospect you can understand why so many walked out, it was a form of protest, but now having made that protest against the Foxes and shown the board their disatisfaction, the Saints supporters need to heed Yoshida and come to St Mary's in a positive mood with no negativity.

That means looking forward and not back, we cannot change the result against Leicester, but we can help influence the one against Huddersfield, the fans need to create a positive atmosphere, even if we go behind, stay behind the team and encourage them.

I am sick to death of the number of people who utter nothing in support of the team during games apart from shouting "For F*cks sake Saints" at various moments.

That phrase seems to have become the default method of support for far too many supporters of late and this needs to change if we are to move forward.

So on Saturday we need to be exactly what Yoshida wants of his team mates, Positive with a capital P, if we are to expect the players to be exactly that and get a result, then we need to be behind them and with them from the opening whistle to the last.

Photo: Action Images

BaselSaint added 11:16 - Dec 20 We don't need to be told about negativity - we are Saints fans! But with a manager who cannot discipline and motivate a group of very highly paid and capable individuals to work as an effective team we are looking to the club (who we pay for) to sort it out. That is not unreasonable.
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St_Guido added 11:19 - Dec 20 BaselSaint has nailed it
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SaintPaulVW added 11:23 - Dec 20 Like pain you sort of forget that even during our standout seasons we had periods where things looked dire. We've played well against most of the top 6 and our GD is okay compared with most of those below us. I'd have preferred us to have a few more points under our belt but the modern game is one of small margins. Definitely need to push on in the second half of the season. Same again is not acceptable. Got to stay positive and hope that MP is a fast learner. Unless there is a standout candidate, not sure that changing the manager again will really help us at the moment. COYS.

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ItchenNorth added 11:28 - Dec 20 Changing manager again will not help. Look at any club that continually changes managers and they head one way, down. A new guy will only delay the inevitable. It's down to the club to invest more and show faith in their appointment (s).
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GeordieSaint added 11:32 - Dec 20 Basel, it is the big media companies that fund football, not your ticket price.
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Sanguin added 11:41 - Dec 20 I agree on staying positive, not least because it makes attending games miserable when you have someone sitting nearby constantly moaning. The Leicester game was the most abject performance at home from a Saints side I can remember seeing since we were relegated from the Championship in 2009. I don’t think it’s a useful example of fans demonstrating support for the team. The team on the pitch need to give us something to be positive about, the first Leicester goal was against the run of play and the team fell to pieces after that. Interesting debate though, I imagine that if we’d played like that in our first game back in the Premier League then there wouldn’t have been any walkouts. We rallied a bit in the second half against Leicester and could’ve made it 3-2. Perhaps you’re right and if we had been behind the team more then we could’ve nicked something. I think our higher expectations of the team make us demand more and accept less, it makes us much more likely to be negative when the team is struggling, which makes it just that little bit harder for the team to overcome their struggles.

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SaintBrock added 12:19 - Dec 20 I am not sure I know what negativity looks like, can it be smuggled into the changing rooms in a carrier bag from Morrison's? Best to brief a couple of our security guys to stand outside and wave their magic wands about.
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helpineedsomebody added 12:42 - Dec 20 have you looked in the mirror yet nick
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wessexman added 12:53 - Dec 20 The fans can see how we have regressed over the last 18 months. Puel did a remarkable job given how bad a hand he was dealt by the board. Our present manager is clearly well out his depth and the performances reflect this. Many of us are very worried about our predicament. The main culprits, our board, are silent as usual. Our new owner is nowhere to be seen. Yes, negativity is very unhelpful. but neither is a board which seem hellbent on sticking it's head in the sand.

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simmo400 added 12:54 - Dec 20 Must win game no doubt about it. Anything less than a win will be a disaster.
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patred added 13:10 - Dec 20 negative pegative pah...we have every right to expect players and managers who have been made millionaires by the game in the PL to give 100% everytime they put our shirt on. No way should supporters should be made to feel guilty about expecting them to care a fook. Owners, Chairman and board members whose reponsibility is to run our club are invisable. They sit in their ivory towers, ignoring the concerns of those who travel miles, spend small fortunes following our chosen teams, and in the main have to work a lifetime to earn a fraction of those they support. And we get a well paid manager whinging about well paid players not giving thier all. He should be sacked for that alone. Allowing them to get to that state. As for the players..ferk you, we will criticize you lazy arsed coonts if you deserve it..and you do. SORT IT OUT NOW before you destroy a club that you should be proud to be associated with. Roll your sleeves up, get out there and show your worthy of support

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LordDZLucan added 13:35 - Dec 20 It's very easy for the players to get the crowd on their side. All they have to do is just go in for a few 50/50 balls as though their lives depend on it and the crowd will be behind them in an instant. The trouble is our players don't do that apart from one or two notable exceptions e.g. Oriol Romeu. Our players tend to do the opposite. This is backed up by the fact that the last time I looked we had the lowest number of Yellow cards in the Premier League......and Oriol Romeu had half of those! This is what gets the crowd on their backs because it looks as though some of the players are not committed not wanting to risk injury just in case it jeopardises a big money transfer. In summary a bit more commitment from the players would go a long way to creating some positivity!

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no7saint added 13:55 - Dec 20 While we haven’t seen much to inspire us on the pitch this season, there is no doubt a supportive crowd can only help the team perform. I get the arguments about players astronomical pay but I think brittle confidence is our big issue rather than lack of effort. Saints need to be more adventurous with the ball, and with that comes the confidence of knowing they can take risks without loud groans if it doesn’t come off. The increasingly irate crowds you see in premier league grounds these days – see Koeman’s last days at Everton, Bilic at West Ham – end up in a self-destructive circle where the negativity of supporters and players feeds off each other and there is no way back into games when the team goes behind. I think a little bit of that happened at Leicester last week. This is not a dig at our fans, the players and certainly the manager obviously need to take the lead but if we can turn St Mary’s into a fortress we can be the 12th man that gives the team the platform to win games. COYR.

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skiptonsaint added 14:13 - Dec 20 We just a bit of luck to start coming our way and a ton of effort Coys
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brownk added 16:44 - Dec 20 Time for all the talking to stop and the players to deliver a rousing performance and the supporters to get behind the team! COYRs!
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kingolaf added 17:16 - Dec 20 I think the mass walkout was our way of trying to get our manager sacked. Supporters paying a small fortune have every right to protest. We'll still be here long after Reed and the players have left.
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AirFlorida added 17:37 - Dec 20 No time for negativity? Hope MP's reading this 😂
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oldeastterrace added 18:02 - Dec 20 Yes, get behind the team during games but don't tell fans not to be critical or boo at the final whistle. There are a growing number like me who can see that we are going backwards as a club and that frustration is spreading, If we are not careful we are going to end up back in the Championship in the next year or two. There are several issues behind the scenes, it's not just Pelligrino that is the problem. My gut feeling is that there is an influence on the way we play that comes from behind the manager. A total rethink/re-structure is needed. Until these issues are dealt with then sacking the manager will be like ' re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic' as the old saying goes. Anyway, fans will be fans they will do what their heads and hearts tell them to.

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underweststand added 09:56 - Dec 21 The brand of "anti-supporter" you speak of aren't new to the Saints (unfortunately). I'm old enough to recall when Saints were in the top tier for the first time (1966), and the regulars always noticed the "loud mouths" who turned up to watch Saints get pounded by a top club, and curse the team for being poor. (!) Once again, the team is in transition, and its fair to say that the squad and new manager haven't gelled yet. It isn't just down to poor displays, as we've often had good % possession and more shots - but without scoring. Perhaps MP isn't getting his message home yet, but our defence isn't the worst in the Prem. either, (with only two bad defeats - Liverpool and Leicester) - but if I were a striker in our dressing room, I'd feel that was where the problem lay. It's not as if the chances haven't been there. You can choose to blame negative fans, poor management or whoever you like, the answer to these problems will only come when we get the ball in the net regularly. Those fans who want to stay away are welcome to do so, but as a fan of many years standing I've stayed loyal to some very poor squads over many decades who were often the wrong end of the table, but still supported them through thick and a lot of thin. who can reclall

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