The rotation of the past few games now means that Claude Puel has no leeway with the supporters as he goes into the game against Everton.

There are many Saints supporters on social media calling for the head of Claude Peel after two straight awful defeats, this serves no purpose at present, in that a manager, indeed any manager needs to be given time and Puel is no different.

The time to judge him is at the end of the season when we can look at the big picture, at present we do not look like getting into trouble at the bottom so the worst thing that can happen is an exit from the two remaining cups and mid table obscurity.

But the trip to Goodison will go a long way to sealing Puel's reputation in the eyes of many and if he is able to get something out of this game then he will perhaps keep the balance tipped in his favour.

Their is no doubt the Frenchman has tried to be too clever for his own good in recent weeks and the constant change has upset the balance and momentum of the team and this needs to be addressed.

With Virgil Van Dijk missing he has to get back to basics, the side is weakened so does not need to be weakened further by needless change.

Quite simply Puel has to put out his best side in each game, get the points in the bag and then worry about the next game, he has to stop trying to be clever and be a step ahead.

At this present time I remain behind Puel and back him to succeed, but he has to help himself, the backing of the fans is essential, we have over the years seen many managers brought down because the crowd have been on their backs and not given them a chance, if the board sacked them at the first period of hardship then Lawrie McMenemy would not have been around to have won us the cup.

So up at Goodson Park I want to see a strong Saints team set out to win the game, I do not want to see the likes of Ryan Bertrand on the bench or youngsters in the side to give them a game, I want to see men in the side to do a mans job.

If Claude Puel does that then he can win this game, if he doesn't then more Saints fans will be turning on him and that will not be a healthy situation going into a week of vital cup ties.

Photo: Action Images

lockseaf77 added 09:49 - Jan 2 Well if the pile of absolute drivel he supposedly came out with regarding today's game as reported in the Echo, they haven't got a clue what they're supposed to be doing, and so more chaos will ensue. We had bad patches with Koeman and Pochettino, but there was always a light at the end of the tunnel, confidence didn't drop too much. But with this bloke I fear all is lost.

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SaintPaulVW added 11:02 - Jan 2 Different perspective from the other side. Some interesting thoughts on our underperformance http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/12/31/14134910/everton-southampton-tact
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LordDZLucan added 11:10 - Jan 2 We don't know what Puel's brief is from Les Reed. It could be that he has been told to prioritise the development of younger players in which case all this chopping and changing is not his fault. And the failure to replace Schneiderlin, Clynne, Wanyame, Mane and Pelle with players of the same quality certainly isn't his fault either. But what is his fault is trying to play a system that doesn't suit the players we've got. The end result is boring football with no end product I don't particularly care who he puts on the pitch as long as he gets the most out of them. I know they will give 100% for the team and the fans. For me this season is now a write off. Immediate priorities are to keep Van Dijk and get Schneiderlin back. We can then put things right in the summer.......as long as we stay up.

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petesmaterob added 11:14 - Jan 2 Nick, I'm sure you will agree that feedback done in the right way is healthy, even if it is not agreeing with the way things are being done at present. I have been following the Saints for nearly 50 years and I don't expect them to win the league (nod of course to Leicester so it can be done) and a top half finish whilst playing attractive football is all I want whilst trying to bring on young English players. My big problem is that the style of play is at best boring to watch, easy to defend against and has lead to us being knocked out of Europe and losing more matches than necessary with this bunch of players.

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LordDZLucan added 11:18 - Jan 2 A very interesting article SaintPaulVW. It seems like pessimism is rife up there as well! Two big differences between us - Koeman has been making a lot of noise about spending loads of money on players and they are not considering selling their best player in January.
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SanMarco added 11:38 - Jan 2 The Lawrie Mac point is a good one. I think half the time the manager is sacked as a sacrificial offering to fans when the fault lies with others. I am certainly not one to turn quickly on managers and I am not in the definite "Puel Out" camp yet. He is not responsible for the quality of the players or past transfer dealings but he responsible for the tactics, team selection and player motivation. Those things together are leading to what, on the whole, is pretty turgid and unentertaining fare. The fact he cannot communicate is worrying too. We need to see how we go in the cup ties and today. Let's face it, if we were winning all these games 1-0 ala M'boro and Everton home most of us would be putting up with the entertainment issue. Saints 2 CP 0 in April 76 was hardly a classic! Anyway - as the article says - no nonsense today with selection, 100% performance and no reason why we cant get at least a point. If things do go badly we need a club statement soon - otherwise I sense the mood getting ever-worse. If they dont intend to back him with HIS chosen reinforcements this month I almost sense that replacing him now might be just as well. I don't see lockseaf77's 'light at the end of the tunnel' with Puel + these players...

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bigmart added 12:14 - Jan 2 It wouldn.t matter if we won 8-0 at Everton, Puel would still be a useless manager according to most. Many seem to have taken a dislike to him from the get go, maybe it's his "interesting" interviews, or maybe because he's French. Same as Nathan "Guly" Redmond, the stats show he's quite a decent player, but he gets lambasted every week. Our team is up near the top of goal attempts and against Burnley, hold the record for the highest number of goal attempts in one game, so why are we boring to watch. Frustrating yes, boring no.

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Gizzle007 added 17:46 - Jan 2 Puel out
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the_saint added 18:29 - Jan 2 Hahahaha another 6 changes and he drops long who scored last game out this bloke really has not got a clue even his after game interviews are boring. This man is dragging us down for god sake get a settled side before it's too late Still we're still 7th I mean 8th I mean 9th sorry I mean 10th ( any body see a pattern )
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dirk_doone added 18:52 - Jan 2 "we do not look like getting into trouble at the bottom so the worst thing that can happen is an exit from the two remaining cups and mid table obscurity." I hope you're right, Nick. we were 7th at Christmas when we got relegated in 1974. The problems with the ageing and ever more obstinate Les Reed at the helm are only going to get worse. This year he appointed Puel and even worse, relegation specialist, Eric Black as assistant manager. He's fallen out with every decent manager and player we've had, sold Pelle, Mane and Wanyama, and then boasted because he'd bought Redmond and Hojbjerg, we now have the best pool of midfielders in the Premier League. Les Reed needs to be replaced or we are going into a steep decline.

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