I am getting sick to death of certain Saints players being lambasted not only on social media but by other fan websites, it needs to stop.

Whilst I can appreciate why some supporters may not be happy with the performance not only of the team this season, but also individual players, what I find hard to accept is the witch hunts that go on against certain individuals.

I said something similar a couple of seasons ago when both Pelle and Sadio Mane in particular were coming in for some immense stick from certain sections of the crowd, however after they left at the end of that season, suddenly they became hero worshipped by many of those who had previously slagged them off, yet now hold them up as a stick to beat not only our current squad with, but the likes of Les Reed as well, claiming they have never been replaced.

This seems to have esculated after the point at Brighton, in fairness a decent point given that the only team to go to the Amex and win have been Manchester City, but this has not been good enough for the moaners, Fraser Forster, Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond being the whipping boys so far this season.

But it is unfair on Sunday to blame them, Fraser Forster might well have done better on the Brighton equaliser, but it took a deflection that slightly wrong footed him and although there would have been some Premier League keepers that might have got it , there are just as many who would have let it in. Forster was not given enough credit for the rest of his game at the Amex, where he did everything that you would want for him including coming and dealing with crosses under pressure.

Some fans are just willing Forster to make a mistake, yet they forget that he has kept clean sheets in several crucial games this season, including a man of the match performance against Crystal Palace.

But Forster like Tadic and Redmond has mitigating circumstances why he has not been playing with confidence including not yet having a settled defence in front of him and that is a big issue for a goalkeeper.

Tadic and Redmond are also as big a scapegoats as Forster, but again no one looks into the reasons why they are playing badly, no one considers that they are both essentially wingers, they like to cross to a centre forward, Sunday was a good example of why they are failing, they can put in crosses all day, but of you are trying to hit a single 5ft 8 forward who is being marked by two 6ft 4 central defenders, then your choice is either put the crosses in and see them eaten up by the defence and get blamed for that, or check back and keep possession, either way eventually it destroys your confidence.

I am not saying that any of the three players mentioned are totally without fault or blame, but what I am saying is that they should be supported and not subject to the frothing at the mouth I saw at Brighton or the witch hunts I see on social media.

The problem then gets worse as more and more jump in and make it seem a crisis rather than a drama, yes the football is not great or entertaining, but we are still 10th in the League and we could still go to Brighton and get a point despite being so bad, that should tell some of these fans that we do not have bad players and I include Forster, Tadic and Redmond in that, we are just not playing well or perhaps more importantly finding the right formation.

The other issue is that it is fine to demand that these three be immediately dropped, but who do you replace them with ?

Alex McCarthy is the only option to replace Forster and he has not played much in the past year due to injury both long term last season and short term this, would he be better ?

Likewise Tadic and Redmond, who would go in, Boufal would be the obvious choice but that wonder goal aside none of his performances have really demanded he be played ahead of them, Josh Sims and Jake Hesketh are injured, so it is then a case of playing players out of position and neither Steven Davis or JWP are natural wide men.

If we don't have the players at the club to do better then yes we need to change that, but we cannot do anyting till January so what is the point in demanding something that cannot be changed now, better to keep behind the team and hope that it improves before then, that will be the time to moan not now when nothing can be done.

The real issue is the way we are set up, we play wide men but have no centre forward for them to aim at, we play a short central striker who needs balls in the channels, but we have no one who can seemingly hit these balls, we are caught between a rock and a hard place, for some it is easier to blame individuals than look at the root cause of why they and the team are not playing to their full potential.

So these players need our support, not our abuse, are we supporters of Southampton Football Club ? or do we go because we enjoy ranting at players, certainly the man in front of me at Brighton seemed to be practising for the upcoming World's Angriest Man Finals, why travel across the country when your stock words of encouragment are "For F*cks Sake Saints/Forster/Tadic/Redmond" !

Perhaps we have been spoiled by constant years of improvement, but there was always going to be a time when we hit a plateau and lst season was it, yet if 8th is our plateau that is far better than at any time in our history and we need to remember that, we need to be realistic about what we can achieve and how we can achieve it.

All I hear now is people moaning about not being entertained, to be brutal, most people do not support football clubs to be entertained, they support them because thats what they do, over the year we moaned about Manchester United and Liverpool fans only supporting their clubs because they were succesful, but there now seems to be a new generation here that is saying they support Saints because of just that !

Personally in 45 years or so of following Saints, most of it has not been entertaining or successful come to that, the last five years in the Premier League including last season, in the main have all been better seasons than most of the 30 odd other seasons I have watched us in the top flight.

I am not claiming to be some sort of super fan here, the majority of people who go to the games are solidly behind the team and support it, but there is a growing faction who go to have a go at the players, social media and fan websites esculate that and make it seem that things are far worse then they actually are, we need perspective and to look at things with clarity rather than just following what the next man is saying.

We all need to be behind the team and manager, no one goes out there to play badly, support from the fans helps and we need to remember that, like any other fan I have my opinions on players, I voice them in the pub or on message boards like any other fan, but I try to back my opinions up with reasons why not just because they have played badly, when I go to the games I am behind every single man in a Saints shirt for the 90 minutes, again that is nothing out of the ordinary, it's just what football supporters do, or at least used to.

It's a team game, we should win as a team, draw as a team and lose as a team, that includes the supporters. Individual errors sometimes cost games, but they even out over a season, the team is bigger than the individual.

This is a period of consolidation, things take time and in every season since we returned to the Premier League, including last year, it has generally been the case that patience has been rewarded, remember that !

Photo: Action Images

steve73 added 10:03 - Nov 1 Hypocrite #Yoshida
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SaintNick added 10:34 - Nov 1 You clearly dont read what I write, as I said when I criticise a player i give the reasons why I am criticising him, I dont rant on social media just saying he is sh*t and should be dropped and when I go to games i dont scream abuse at him I support him. There is a big difference between thinking that there are better players in the squad and throwing abuse at players.

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Whiteknight added 10:35 - Nov 1 Nick, I 100% agree with your sentiments and have to confess that the only time I have shouted at a Saints player in recent seasons was Forster away at Palace last year in the aftermath of the first goal. In general I don't believe that criticism or booing helps to improve the performances of the team or individuals. I also agree with your comments about watching Saints and entertainment. I don't think it's a coincidence that our most entertaining periods often have come when we have performed well (not necessarily in the top flight) and vice versa. Even last season under Puel we had some entertaining games! I also think that I am of a similar age to you and have watched Saints live on and off for some 45 years as well (first game West Ham at home 0-0). I think that a huge element in the lack of entertainment is the sanitisation of grounds and the changing demographic of the fans who watch. You never hear any really funny comments in the stands any more - let alone decent singing. I think that if people were willing to become engaged and participated in the whole experience rather than just being spectators then maybe they would spend less time moaning However, I would be interested to know how your witch hunt against Yoshida is any different to the behaviour that you rightly criticise in your article.

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Whiteknight added 10:43 - Nov 1 Nick - sorry. I was writing as you were replying to Steve73. You may be able to justify your comments by saying that the criticism has merit and has reasons behind it but the impact is no different. You never criticise other players in the same way that you criticise Yoshida even though there may be as many reasons, if not more, to do so. This is not a personal dig but an observation about a pattern of writing that has clearly been picked up on by more than one reader of your otherwise usually excellent articles.

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steve73 added 10:45 - Nov 1 I don't think most of your readers abuse players either, if you read the comments beneath your articles we're just doing what you do; calling out players when we think they've let the side down. We all support the team and use forums such as these to vent our feelings in a reasonably constructive way. It's your site and you're perfectly entitled to write what you want but people don't like to be talked down to and I really don't think you have the right to tell other supporters, just as dedicated as you are, how to behave. You might get a reaction out of people but do you really think anyone's going to alter their behaviour on the strength of this article? I don't think your influence stretches that far.

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geezershoong1 added 10:53 - Nov 1 I personally don't and don't even like it either, but who do you think you are..?!
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AmericanSaint added 10:55 - Nov 1 I think you make some valid points here, but have to agree with some people, that you have an affinity to hammer Yoshida, especially last year. I personally think we are playing the wrong system for the players we have. We should go to a traditional 4-4-2, with Foster or McCarthy (either is debatable right now), Cedric, VVD/Hoedt/Yoshida (at CB) and Bertrand, Boufal (left), Orial, Lemina (when healthy) and Tadic, Gabs and Austin up front. I think this will allow the players to play their natural positions and then maybe we will see some entertaining football and then people will stop bashing the players. Just a thought. Finally, I think we, the fans, have become spoiled and want instant success after all these years and the reality is that we are a top-10 team but that is it right now. We will end up somewhere between 12th and 8th and people are going to moan about it and want to fire MP. Just 2 cents.

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Trojan_Otter added 11:24 - Nov 1 Great article Nick, We've never had it (consistently) so good. Yet you'd never believe it reading the comments sections. Moaning at groaning at players on the field is never going to inspire them to play better.
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SaintNick added 11:26 - Nov 1 Steve73, I dont think most of the people on here hammer the players either, but thats not to say it isnt happening and therefore is wrong. Im not saying I can change anything, im just saying its wrong and I think they are wrong to do it, if they disagree then thats their right to do so
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TimSaint added 11:31 - Nov 1 The society in which we live has such a massive Blame Culture, it is only natural for people these days, to find scapegoats to vent their anger against when things aren't going well. Lets be honest here, we were fortunate to experience 7th and 6th under Koeman, with some attractive attacking football. All well and good you may say, but that has raised the expectation levels for everyone. Puel was fired because we under achieved, adopted a negative approach to games and scored fewer goals than in the season we were relegated in 2005. This season, Pell is still struggling to find his best XI, seems to be adopting a similar style to Puel - ie don't lose, then worry about winning, and has achieved similar results to Puel. Personally I think part of the reason for this is due to the fact that every game this season, we seem to have 2/3/4 players who are not on their A game and the rest of the team have to carry them. It is a massive ask for the rest of the players and those 2/3/4 under performers soon become the targets of the Boo Boys. More often than not, it is the same players that under perform and when that happens consistently, that is when your Witch Hunts start. Yes the manager can change things, or not pick those players, but he picks his team (apparently) based on tactics and what he has seen in training. If he is yet to find/know his best team after so many games, then perhaps the Witch Hunts will continue, or branch out to the manager, especially if results do not improve.

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LordDZLucan added 11:37 - Nov 1 Nick, like others I have become mightily frustrated with your calling out of Yoshi in just about every article you write. I was almost pleased that he didn’t play at the weekend so that you couldn’t criticise him. That’s how bad it’s got. I agree with your article 100% but you need to take a long hard look at yourself.
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pete_boggs added 11:42 - Nov 1 The pundits on monday admitted that entertainment is not in the bottom-half managers mindset and that prem survival is paramount. Until paying customers complain things will remain the same. Complaining changes things otherwise corruption always wins. As far as witch hunts go how many games do Saints fans have to watch with Forster chucking points before people get angry and fed up. No one wants to watch the table, they want to watch the matches. The table isn't reflecting how we're playing or where we'll end up at the end of the season. We need to make changes now.

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Navysaint added 11:54 - Nov 1 Until entry to the matches is free then the paying supporter has the right to criticise any one they see fit that are performing below expectation. There are quite a few to choose from at the moment as well. Where has the free flowing attacking football gone, the excitement of the match is slowly eroding as we start to "Plod On" not "March on" the Southampton way.
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ericofarabia added 12:01 - Nov 1 I guess it's an age old thing .... fans always have a whipping boy or two who they always pick fault with. In my early days I clearly remember adults berating a gangly Mick Channon in his early days for getting wiped out by gnarly old pros who didn't take prisoners, as if it was his fault!! Even Le Tiss took a bit of flak for a while, FFS what is a matter with people! In this day and age everything is about instant success. As you say Pelle and Mane were both given verbals before they'd barely played a game for us!! I can only assume that Money is now a big part of the reason. Big Fees (for us!!) paid for relatively unheard of players, on big salaries .... earning in a week or two that us fans could only dream of earning in a year or more. The feeling that lack of effort and professionalism to match that money makes fans quicker than ever get on the back of not just individuals but the team as a whole. Playing attractive football and putting in plenty of effort might help, but we as a team aren't even doing the simple things such as retaining the ball from our own throw ins! But, no matter what, anybody in the team's shirt on the pitch should be given as much encouragement as possible during the match.

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landerwal added 12:13 - Nov 1 If the criticism of players is now frowned upon, what is the point of the Ugly Inside? Players, referees, managers, owners have been criticized since professional football started in the 1800s, so take that away and what is there left to talk about. Football stirs up emotions In us that few other things in life do and when players earn the sort of money they do in the EPL they should be able to live with a few harsh words said about them.

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SanMarco added 12:18 - Nov 1 I get the sense that we are often talking about several different things on this particular subject. I believe that hatred and abuse has been an increasing problem ever since, well, the late sixties (?) but now the venting of 'extreme emotion' at football matches seems to be a constant happening. It has also spread into the ubiquitous social media where people can rant and deliver extreme abuse with impunity, and even a little bit onto sites like this one. We musn't conflate the above, though, with people coming on here and saying player x or player y isn't good enough. I believe that certain of the players mentioned in the article are not good enough players for us with the aspirations we have and I have often said so on here. I don't 'hate' these players and I don't abuse them personally or professionally. I have no problem with Nick's views on Yoshi as they probably match mine on Redmond and one or two others. He doesn't abuse Yoshi, though he does rather over-concentrate on him for sure. As for entertainment - maybe it would be good for the game if supporters at all clubs, especially the non 'big six' fourteen, DID demand it. Even some of the top-six clashes are boring (eg Liverpool-Manure) and I dont see why entertainment should not be part of the package. Of course, like all true supporters, my connection is an emotional one and entertainment arises as much from the anxiety and anguish of it all as it does from great things on the pitch. If we win at Anfield in a couple of weeks in an awful game I will, of course, be delighted - but wouldn't I be even more delighted if it WAS entertaining as well???

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JGH added 12:30 - Nov 1 Spot on Nick.
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SaintNick added 12:31 - Nov 1 Lordlucan, if you read what i wrote about Yoshida, I didnt criticise him for his effort or his game, I just said we needed better players at this level and Hoedt for instance is a better player and showed that on Sunday in the final third of the game in carrying the ball forward and helping us keep possession. In my opinion some lost sight of the standards needed with the VVD situation ad Yoshida became a beacon of hope, I applaud him for raising his game and cutting out his errors, but the fact still remains he is not as good as Hoedt or VVD that is not criticising him just some players are not as good as others, I have for instance never uttered a single word against Jeremy Pied, but I wouldnt play him ahead of Cedric

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AirFlorida added 12:32 - Nov 1 Agreed! Go Redmond. You're the best. Tadic.. You're brilliant. Forster.. I've run out of superlatives.
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highfield49 added 12:41 - Nov 1 I don't see the player witch hunts as being anything other than sheer frustration at the inability of supporters to be able to frequently jump up and down and celebrate goals. That has always been the point of the game and hopefully always will be. We remember the great goals scored by Davies, Channon, Worthington, George, Osgood, LeTiss, Lambert, Pelle, Mane and many, many more. For me it's more difficult to remember who put the ball through to Bobby Stokes at Wembley or who crossed the ball for Lambert to score against Scotland than it is to recall errors made by players that cost us points. I'm not going to go there because that becomes another witch hunt! Solve the scoring issues and the supporters will forgive or forget the negative aspects of the match much quicker.

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saintsaintsaint added 12:47 - Nov 1 100% we shouldn't boo any of our own players during the game. But, after the game on any medium (social media included etc)... as fans surely we're allowed to pass comment, even if that is a criticism? I don't believe trolling and abusive behaviour is symptomatic of just this, it's something that is a problem with our society in general.
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bstokesaint added 12:54 - Nov 1 Good posts by Erico and SanMarco. I think the rise in salaries could probably be correlated in a graph against the rise in anger and hatred from supporters in the modern game. Fans demand the right to criticise players and you can see why. Basically footballers get paid more than CEO’s of a lot of large companies and the responsibility on the latter positions is huge. People in this position are accountable to shareholders, colleagues and the public and their wages are supposed to reflect this. This is no different to footballers. They get paid mega bucks and the public think they have an entitlement. When a player falls on his backside and doesn’t track back then fans become incensed. It’s kind of understandable, as ugly at it is. I don’t like witnessing hate and abuse at Saints’ games, but I think it’s part of modern-day football. It’s sad really but fans are losing the love for the game and I don’t see it changing any time soon.

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schatfield added 13:02 - Nov 1 Good article. I would agree and would never shout at a player at a footy match if a player was doing bad, no matter if he was having an off game or not, they are only human after all. But on sites like this, I am happy to say my thoughts and maybe critique such players if i think they dont perform well.....as one person said above, these sites are intended for our thoughts and discussions

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SaintNick added 13:09 - Nov 1 Debate on web sites is good, its the abuse at games and on social media im talking about, too many people just copying what they hear and read and not really giving any reasoning behind their opinions
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LordDZLucan added 13:11 - Nov 1 It's not what you say about Yoshi that's the issue, Nick, it's the sheer number of times you've said it over a period when our problems have been at the other end of the pitch. It's just not constructive criticism.
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