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Charlie Austin Rant Could Help Saints Turn A Corner !

Lately Saints fans have been complaining of bland player interviews, Charlie Austin's after the draw against Watford certainly could not be accused of that and it might just be a turning point in the season.

Saints supporters have been hacked off about the after match player interviews this season, they all seem to follow the same path, the usual comments about needing to up the work rate, be more positive etc leading some to accuse the players of lacking commitment and passion.

Certainly they would seem to have a point, the player interviews both pre and post match have been bland and even appear scripted, indeed it creates a vicious circle and the supporters themselves become disillusioned and blase in their own comments about the club .

But Charlie Austin's rant was different, after the game against Watford when he saw a perfectly good goal ruled out through refereeing ineptitude he was in no mood to be diplomatic and let rip with both barrels.

It was raw passion from the striker and it was good to see because for perhaps the first time this season the guard was down and the Saints supporters could see that a player actually cared, Austin wasn't just taking his money and strolling around, this mattered to him.

Certainly there has never been a wider gap between the supporters and the squad as there is now, it is hard to think of one player whom the crowd truly hail as a hero and in all my years supporting the club I can say I don't think I have ever been able to say that before.

I have always said that this sqaud isn't as bad as some would have you believe, that the issue is all about a lack of organisation and motivation rather than a lack of quality.

That lack of motivation is certainly out there on the pitch, we don't seem to attack with any sort of passion, confidence or aggression.

Hopefully Austin's rant will change that a little, hopefully some of it will rub off on his team mates, perhaps it will create a spirit in the dressing room that seems to have been lacking and they are not getting from the manager.

Maybe it will mark a moment in time in the relationship between the fans, perhaps it will show them that the passion is still there in some players and that will spur the crowd to get behind the team and support them rather than ridicule them.

If Saints are to get through a dodgy period then it needs a positive atmosphere in everything surrounding the club, we need to all kick in the same direction and get some pride back in the club again.

Crowds make clubs, they can either help or hinder players, at places like Anfield their is a pride in the club that inspires the players, but at the moment at St Mary's the apathy towards the club is seeping into the players and dragging them down.

It's a vicious circle that we have to break and then move forward, perhaps Charlie Austin's biggest contribution to this season might well be that passionate rant, that is if both his team mates and the Saints supporters were not only watching but taking notice.

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