When Saints announced before the transfer window had even opened that Virgil Van Dijk would be sold to Liverpool, the St Mary's faithful assumed that his replacement was already lined up.
Saints fans were not surprised to hear that Virgil Van Dijk would be sold to Liverpool, they were slightly surprised that this was announced before the transfer window was even open and shocked that the player should be allowed to pose in a Liverpool shirt whilst still a Southampton player, but they assumed that Saints were getting the business done early to allow them to bring in a replacement early doors.
After all it was not as if this was a total shock to the club that the Dutch defender wanted to leave, in essence they had had over four months to line up his replacement, so surely he would be primed and ready to step straight in.
But here we are 11 days in to the transfer window, yet there has been no replacement for Van Dijk brought into the club and we have important games coming up, games that if we go into with the same defenders then we will get the same results.
I am on record that I feel that Saints have a good squad and are in a false position, however something different has to be done and that is replacing players in positions that we have lost quality players in, Wesley Hoedt was a replacement for Jose Fonte, Van Dijk now needs to be replaced and given that Charlie Austin is now likely to miss half of the remainder of the season we need another forward in.
If we dont do this fast then we will get the same results we have been seeing and that is poor marking costing us goals at the back and a lack of goals.
I understand that the Saints board need to make sure they make the right decisions, but they have had plenty of time to do that, I understand that the January window is notoriously difficult and overpriced, but Liverpool managed to sign Van Dijk Ok, we got a higher price for him, we can use that to subsidise the fact that we have to pay more for our targets.
I have also stuck up for Les Reed and Ralph Krueger, I truly believe that their track record over the last four years is as good as anything we have seen before at Southampton FC, that being the case then they deserve the patience from the fans to be given the time to get it right, Ralph Krueger was right the only position that counts is the one at the end of the season, but that doesn't mean you sit back and hope things turn out for the best, sometimes you have to be decisive.
The fact that we have won only one League game in almost three months should have set alarm bells ringing, we should be proactive.
I still back them both to get it right, I have no confidence in the manager at present, but accept that he has had some mitigating circumstances and can understand why Reed & Krueger are giving him time.
But time is running out, we are into day 11 of the transfer window and there is no movement, a year ago the fact that we did not replace Jose Fonte ultimately cost us the League Cup Final and I think Claude Puel's job as he had to go ultra defensive in midfield to cover our shortcomings at the back.
A year on and those shortcomings are still costing us dearly and we could pay the ultimate price, all managers and football boards make mistakes, making mistakes will happen, but what is a crime is when they don't learn from them and repeat them and that looks the case again at the moment to be brutally honest.
So almost half way in the transfer window, it now looks as if nothing will change for the trip to Watford, a game that could either see us peg them back and move up the table or could see us drop into the bottom three.
Make no mistake urgent action is needed with this football team, sooner than later !