This could perhaps be the biggest game since Saints return to the premier League in 2012, three points is essential.

Sadly whilst Brighton go into this game with the benefit of a couple of new faces into the squad to boost their morale, we go into it having to use the same players that have won only once in three months in the Premier league, plus the addition of one unfit new signing.

Now normally I would not be too concerned about this, the squad we have is strong in all departments bar in the centre of defence, but like the rest of the season the issue is likelt to be the manager being unable to make the right decisions tactically and more succintly make the right substitutions at the right times.

Given that on Saturday his last two substitutions were just plain baffling makes me believe he has learned nothing and seems determined to play to his own tactical wants, rather than to the qualities of his squad.

The team is packed with quality and it's problem is it's manager !

I cannot even predict the team, the manager will do something totally out of the blue which makes no sense to almost anyone else in the ground, I just hope that he gets lucky.

But we can only hope the team can play to it's potential in spite of it's manager and not because of it, but I fear the game will follow a similar pattern, we will start well, take the lead and then in the second half run out of steam because Pellegrino cannot bring on fresh legs in the right positions and we will concede sloppy goals because of this.

As I always say, do the same things, get the same results and this game a has 1-0 lead eradicated by a goal or two from Ulloa coming on late and getting a couple of chances unmarked.

I have given this manager time, yet I see nothing to suggest he is doing anything different to gain us points, anything we get we get through the sheer graft of our players who often run themselves into the ground whilst the manager takes off someone still with energy.

After this game if we have still failed to bring in anyone else in the window, win or lose something has to change, if it its not new players coming in, then it has to be the manager, sad to have to say it, but that will be the only option left.

So tonight we have to make it not about the manager, it has to be about the fans getting behind the team and inspiring it to a great victory, the game has to be all about the supporters and the players and the manager has to be peripheral.

So get along there and remember that this is about Southampton Football Club, not Mauricio Pellegrino or for that matter Les Reed, it has to be another great night like many that have gone before.

We have the players, we have the supporters, we just don't have the manager, but sometimes that doesn't matter.

Photo: Action Images

Wembley76 added 13:29 - Jan 31 Such a shame that your piece is sooo negative, even before a team has been announced or a ball has been kicked! Am certain that players wonder why playing at St. Mary's is often such hard work.... At a time when the club/players need 100% backing for the 'whole nine yards' of a game/games; I really question what that atmosphere (for a player) these sorts 'social media threads' create, in terms of ANY POSITIVITY 😩

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darthvader added 13:40 - Jan 31 3-0 win for saints then . Nicks reverse psychology doing the trick
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schatfield added 13:45 - Jan 31 oh man what a dreadful article. That will have the fans pumped up ready for tonight. If we win tonight, will u be praising the manager and his tactics or will it be down to luck/other things...
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Number_58 added 14:04 - Jan 31 Anyone got a phone number for the Samaritans?
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petedoors1 added 14:19 - Jan 31 Looks like were not going to sign any new much needed players whilst all those teams around us have? What s going on we have had all of January to get this Quincy Promes deal done. LOOKS LIKE WE ARE GOING DOWN. REED OUT AND PELLEGRINO OUT.
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SonicBoom added 14:47 - Jan 31 He can't win can he? If he's too positive he's accused of ignoring our glaring issues. If he's less happy he's accused of being negative! He was negative about the prospects of the manager and whether he would be proactive and offensive. The last but was a good rallying call.
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SaintNick added 15:00 - Jan 31 Sonic is right whatever I say someone will read it the way that they want to, I have little faith in the manager, I hope he succeeds but Im not sure he will, but I will get behind them and argue about it tomorrow
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dovif added 15:28 - Jan 31 We have had problem scoring for over a year now. We are under a goal a game during that time and that has been under 2 managers. One of which are coaching another PL side, who is not having any problem scoring goals. I think the facts indicate that the talent level in attack and not defense is inadequate. We have now had 2 transfer windows to fixed this. And have plenty of van dyck money to fix it. Which could hav been used in August as well. It is passed time that the board and les reed shares in a large part of the blame

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dovif added 15:28 - Jan 31 We have had problem scoring for over a year now. We are under a goal a game during that time and that has been under 2 managers. One of which are coaching another PL side, who is not having any problem scoring goals. I think the facts indicate that the talent level in attack and not defense is inadequate. We have now had 2 transfer windows to fixed this. And have plenty of van dyck money to fix it. Which could hav been used in August as well. It is passed time that the board and les reed shares in a large part of the blame

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skiptonsaint added 16:34 - Jan 31 I was going to say that when we look back on this recent period we might say that Kats sale was an issue What worries me about this window as it stands is it looks even worse on penny pinching now especially compared to our rivals This is one admittedly big game but the whole clubs penny pinching attitude needs a serious rethink
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SanMarco added 18:06 - Jan 31 If the team really was "packed with quality" would be be a point off the bottom and winless since November whoever the manager was? MP is certainly not helping but there is more to it than that. Tonight is certainly the proverbial 6 pointer and we MUST win. A disaster tonight combined with no signings and the mood will plummet to levels we haven't seen since Lowe's total football revolution. This is probably the easiest game we have left, and defeat would be eloquent comment on the failure to adequately address defensive and attacking problems that have been evident for well over a year. That said I feel we are due a league win and tonight should be the night: 2-0 to the Saints. Alright probably 1-0 then but anything will do...

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saintpp added 18:25 - Jan 31 good article Nick cant argue with that
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Boris1977 added 18:29 - Jan 31 Fair article on balance nick, particularly under the circumstances. Can't see us winning tonight and had resigned myself to the inevitable around Christmas. However as nick saints we are supporting saints not the manager or owners. It could be argued that the club had been mismanaged over the past 20 months but that is the crux. Do we want to be held to ransom by mercenaries or compete at the level where the people in charge believe we are best suited? I think our board have decided which path they prefer.

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