All the talk as we headed into the clash with Newcastle United on Friday evening was about whether we could win and go top, but what wasn't mentioned was the fact that in oder to achieve that we had to do something that three managers before Ralph hadn't managed.

Whilst we all jumped off our sofa's on Friday night at the final whistle we all celebrated a feeling we hadn't felt since 1988, being the top of all the Leagues in England, but very few remembered that to do that we had to do something that Mark Hughes hadn't managed, Mauricio Pellegrino hadn't and Claude Puel had also failed to do.

In fact we have to go back to the penultimate game of Ronald Koeman's reign for the last time this happened four years and six moths ago, that is winning three Premier League games in a row.

This has been brought up several times in the last few years, but it got lost in the run up to this game, possibly as we didn't want to tempt fat, but more probably because we had just forgotten this fact in the excitement of the fact that we could go top.

So in beating Newcastle Ralph Hasenhuttl achieved not one but two landmarks, top of the league and the first manager since Ronald Koeman to win three games in a row, back then Koeman won a fourth game in a row to end the season in sixth.

Hopefully Ralph can do the same in what will be a toughie at Wolves, if he does or at least gets a point then we will be posting our standard up on the battlements, we are making a serious challenge for a top 10 place.

Photo: Action Images

Monksway added 10:33 - Nov 7 Brilliant display but bench very strange -Kayne Ramsay plus semi-fit Diallo only defensive options. No Salisu, Valery. Well done Stephens - out of position but put in a shift for the team and kept JWP and Romeo to control midfield. Hu
0

underweststand added 10:49 - Nov 7 well said Nick. The real question now will be ..is this the beginning of a "new look" Saints or was it purely the crest of a wave at a start of season success. The three wins on-the-trot phenomena is indeed rare for Saints historians, and we look forward to more, but the real question will be how will Ralph look to improve the side (in January) if we are to maintain this sort of form throughout the rest of the season. We did well with a makeshift side without Ings, Bertrand and a list of their potential replacements who were also injured, but it's clear that we must have a squad of proven players to select from if we were to encounter any future injury crisis, and still retain out potency as a potential top 5 side. Right now I'll look to the NEXT 8 games (until the end of December) and see where we are before 2nd. Jan ...when we entertain Liverpool.

1

StEdmund added 11:11 - Nov 7 And another clean sheet ......
2

saintpete01 added 12:44 - Nov 7 It was Alright on Friday night 👍
2

AirFlorida added 12:47 - Nov 7 Two assists from Theo too (it was his run into the box that allowed Armstrong to pinch the ball and score). All those moaners about Theo being a daft signing have gone very quiet.
4

dirk_doone added 13:38 - Nov 7 Just 4 more points needed to join the elite thousand point club: https://www.worldfootball.net/alltime_table/eng-premier-league/pl-only/#:~:text=
1

vanmans added 15:14 - Nov 7 Were Top for another day now that Everton have lost.😂😂😂
5

DellBoyWally added 21:06 - Nov 7 West Brom 1 - 1 Spuds Leic C 1 - 2 Wolves Man C 2 - 0 Liverpool That's nice. Top for another 2 weeks
1

Consigliere added 08:58 - Nov 8 I logged in for the sole purpose of making the very same point as Dell!
-1

Blogs 31 bloggers

Southampton Polls