Ralph Husenhuttl's task is simple enough, restore the fitness and motivation levels to the standards last seen under Ronald Koeman . Certainly Oriol Romeu feels so.

Since Ronald Koeman left the club in 2016 I have always maintained that the squad has been good enough to achieve far better results than it was doing, under Claude Puel we still managed 8th and a Cup Final which on paper alone was a pretty decent season by Saints own standards but there was something missing under Puel, yes the organisation was there but his game was less about fitness and more about passing, fine in essence but you have to get a balance.

Certainly the motivation didn't seem to be there and under Mauricio Pellegrino both fitness levels organisation and motivation slipped further, Mark Hughes came in and in hindsight did little more than Pellegrino but got lucky due to Swansea's inability to win a game in their final 8.

This season we have had a squad that has lacked all three key components, we have seen players who were good enough to play in our sides that finished in the top 8 a shadow of their former selves.

Now it seems that all three elements are being worked on by Ralph Hasenhuttl, firstly he laid his plans down clearly to the players, you are either with him or you will be left behind, by bringing in the players on their day off he showed that he is serious and demanded the same of his players, he has already upped the fitness work in training, the players are responding and seem to be motivated, now we just need the Austrian to get the team organised.

That was missing under Hughes, his sides this season were all over the place as has been emphasised by the number of changes in the defence.

The hope for Hasenhuttl now is that if he can restore the likes of James Ward Prowse and oriol Romeu to their former glories then the likes of Wesley Hoed, Jannik Vestergaard and Mo Elyounoussi can finally show they have what it takes, certainly Stuart Armstrong is proof of that, in the last few weeks he has put in a series of performances that showed why he might just be the bargain of the season, if he can do that based on his earlier games then there is no reason why others can't.

Certainly Oriol Romeu feels that there is now hope, his words perhaps show how Hughes squad felt, those not picked felt isolated and that there would be no way back, now all seem to know that there is all to play for.

"As a professional, you always need to work hard and hope that when the chance comes, you take it,”

“It seemed to me that it was impossible to get a chance a few weeks ago.

“The old manager had other things in mind.

“He probably didn’t like the way I played, or the way I was going about my daily things.

“Every manager has his own ideas and his own way of doing things.

“As a player, you have to understand that some people like the way you play, and other people won’t.

“I asked him if I could get some game time with the under-23s.

“I physically felt like I was losing my fitness and I needed to get to playing some games, otherwise every week it gets worse and worse.

“The longer you go without playing, the harder it is to get back into the team.

“Luckily, against Cardiff my chance came. I tried to do my best and help the team, but we didn’t win, and I am bitterly disappointed about that.

“I am already looking forward to getting another chance.”

But the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to have rejuvenated Romeu.

“It’s been hard for the last few months I won’t lie,”

“As a player, it’s been tough to be out there, but I assume we have to go through those moments.

“When a new manager comes in everything changes.

“Everyone has a new chance to show him that they are ready to play. That’s what I thought when he was coming in and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

“After a defeat it’s hard to say there has been a lift, but of course there are things that are positive.

“We think it will get better under him and we need to work hard to make sure we get every detail from him.

“Once we get to that perfect point, it should help with results.”

Romeu seems impressed with the way the Austrian works adding:

“There will be a lot of things that are coming and so many changes.

“We have a lot of time before Arsenal to work with him and to get an understanding of all those changes.

“He wants us to play with a lot of intensity and to look for clever runs to go in behind the defenders and that when we lose the ball, we recover a lot quicker to win it back.

“The way he wants us to play is the right way.

“I think we will be a better team for it, but it takes time to get used to something we haven’t been doing.

“We need to get into that physical state as quickly as possible.”

So the good news seems to be that Hassenhuttle is bringing a new sense of purpose to the team, Romeu's comments were made about specific aspects of working under Hasenhuttle rather than the bland "we are all working harder etc " comments that have been trotted out to the media from the players over the first months of this season.

There seems to be a new edge to the players, those that are up for it seem to be relishing the challenge and Hasenhuttle has made it quite clear that there will be no passengers as has been the case since Koeman left with too many players seemingly content to be back up choices and take the money rather than go to a lesser club to play regularly.

That lack of hunger has manifested itself on the pitch, certain players may be lauded by the fans for their loyalty, but if you stay at a club 6-7 years or more with barely a sniff of a regular first team game, then there is a reason for that and it doesn't bode well going forward.

For the first time since Koeman left us for Everton can we feel some optimism, let's hope it continues.

Photo: Action Images

SaintBrock added 13:17 - Dec 13 I give up! Like trying to write on water.
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OoohTerryHurlock added 13:41 - Dec 13 His name is Ralph Hasenhuttl Show our new manager some respect and at least spell his name right. Your inability to spell it correctly on more than one occasion during this article speaks volumes.
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DorsetIan added 13:49 - Dec 13 "Speaks volumes" - what on earth does that mean? I'm sure most readers can forgive a couple of mispellings, without that signifying something else. I agree that it's great to feel positive again. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating for Rolf Harrishut but for now I think we are entitled to feel optimism about a managerial appointment for the first time in a long time.

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Dellwizard added 14:58 - Dec 13 I agree with the above. I think Ray Harryhausen is going to get the best out of our players !
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SanMarco added 15:44 - Dec 13 I am delighted that motivation, organisation and fitness are returning. Just quality needed now. I think we ought to allow some bedding-in when it comes to spelling. I never did get to grips with Toby's second name for instance and I will be spelling Hasenhuttl wrong for a while I am sure. Usually you'd just call him Ralph but we've already got one of those (more's the pity I hear thousands of voices sing.)

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schatfield added 17:00 - Dec 13 Rolf Halssehutty will have them fitter than ever before in no time.....I know its Arsenal and their 21 game unbeaten run this weekend but I have a good feeling about this game. Even the fans might not boo for once!
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underweststand added 18:47 - Dec 13 You see...now I agree with most of your comments (Nick) and a return to the high-pressing game that Pochettino introduced after his arrival may be painful for some in the beginning but as he stated from the start, some will " fall by the wayside" sooner or later. I must admit for a bunch of guys who earn more in a week than many fans do in a year (and even longer than that if they are pensioners)...many of the pics. we've seen of pre-match training at Staplewood look more like "a walk in the park" than prep. for a Prem. game. Perhaps some of them may be required to sweat a bit more now, but if it brings better esults then few of us will be able to begrudge them their huge salaries. As for the 20-odd versions of new manager's name ...perhaps we can put Hasenhuttl in our spell checks ....for future reference.

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BoondockSaint added 19:18 - Dec 13 Glad that Saints are getting (hopefully) back on track. But why was Motivation Organisation, and Fitness allowed to leave in the first place? Us fans were complaining about how the players couldn't be bothered and for all the media stories about the Saints state of the art training facility, they were all gassed at late in the game. It should have been obvious to the board. Dellwizard- we should have a more animated team now!

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vanmans added 22:33 - Dec 13 Restore James Ward Prowse to his former glory. I have been supporting Saints for 50 years and I never seen him have any glory.
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A1079 added 23:01 - Dec 13 If I had a pound for every time a player praised a new manager, I would be able to buy a season ticket and still have change for a burger from the concourse. Whatever our new manager brings he sincerely hope he changes the mentality, the drive and passion and hopefully some tactical nouse that has been so clearly missing for the last 2-3 seasons. But, I am realistic. It won't happen overnight and things may have to get worse before they get better and we may have to accept relegation. We need to be patient. I feel more positive than I have for a long time, but if it is a new dawn, all we have at the moment is a glint of light.

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perazi added 09:31 - Dec 14 I'm struggling to remember Ward-Prowse's "former glories". I think RH might be the Manager to send the "dead ball specialist" on his way" - he will never be a Premier League player of any substance. Romeu is a different case - I expect the new Manager to get OR back to his best; and the team will be better for it.
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