A big big game for Nathan Jones who has to take his team to West London rock bottom of the Premier League and take on a Fulham side who know a win will see them go 13 points clear of Saints and only a couple of wins away from Premier League safety.

It's only officially Nathan Jones second game in charge of Saints in the League, but already the knives are out for him and Southampton supporters are questioning his ability to manage in the Premier League.

They cite the fact that as he approaches two months in the job and working with virtually a full squad during the World Cup break, that we appear a team with no direction and seemingly unable to work out just what the manager wants.

Those that wanted Ralph Hasenhuttl out are seeing that the grass is not always greener on the other side, the Austrian's side may have lacked something at times, but they didn't lack team spirit and those that have seen Jones's two games in charge since the break, see a disjointed side who lack just about everything a good football team needs.

However they also see players who have the potential and are just not showing it and there are some who feel that although he has managed only three games for Southampton FC that he has had a lot of time to coach his squad but has not not connected with it.

Comparisons are being made with Paul Sturrock who although took over for the final part of the 2003/04 season was sacked only a few games into the following season as it was felt he was clearly out of his depth.

Jones's accusers level this at him, and also claim he has an arrogance that his career so far has no right to have, they say that if we are to stay up then Sport Republic have to act now rather than later and bite the bullet and make the change.

The reality is that this game has taken on an immense significance, if Jones wins it suddenly it will look a lot different, it could pull Saints out of the bottom 3 and more importantly get them within hitting distance of those in mid table.

But lose it and we are in big big trouble and really should not be and to be blunt it will turn the situation toxic, on a manager who are sizable proportion of the fan base have already decided isn't up to the job.

Certainly Jones seems to have lacked man management skills, some public statements about his players, should really have been kept behind closed doors, public comments about not knowing who his current number 1 keeper is did little for Gavin Bazunu's confidence and we paid the price for that against Brighton.

Also players who were our best performers pre Jones, now seem to be out of favour and that does not bode well for not only the squad spirit, but also the manager's judgement.

God knows what side or formation the manager will play, in goal I would not be surprised to see Alex McCarthy return, but after that James Ward Prowse and to a lesser extent Che Adams, there is literally no one else from the defeat to Brighton who is guaranteed to start in this one.

Personally I think it has to be about putting square pegs in square holes and playing our best players, keep it simple 4-4-2, a formation that the team know, Armando Bella-Kotchap, Sytuart Armstrong and hopefully Romeo Lavia would make a hell of a difference.

My worry is that this is too simple for Jones, he has that arrogance that seems to say he has to do something different, when in this position it is all about doing the basics.

By Saturday night we will either be seeing chinks of light at the end of the tunnel, or we will be in perhaps the most toxic situation the club has ever known.

Photo: Action Images

obelisk added 22:54 - Dec 30 "the Austrian's side may have lacked something at times". Yeah. Wins.
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SaintNick added 23:08 - Dec 30 Easy to be sarcastic, but they got enough wins around this time last year to get ups into mid table safety.
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SonicBoom added 00:17 - Dec 31 Hmm hardly the most toxic situation ever. We all remember worse. Also, is NJ going to play our 'best' 11 in a 442? It didn't work for Ralph, why would he just pick the same team and formation? If we do that might as we'll have kept Ralph.
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saintmark1976 added 08:50 - Dec 31 Nick, please stop attempting to write the manager’s premature obituary and at least give him a chance. This is not a normal season given the World Cup break. There are 22 games remaining and realistically we need a further 26 points to avoid relegation. At the moment that target looks unlikely but surely not impossible? Some sensible early dealings by Sports Republic in the soon to be open transfer window and our prospects could change quite rapidly. In any event, best New Year wishes to you and all long suffering Saints fans worldwide.

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wessexman added 08:57 - Dec 31 "Those who wanted Ralph out are now seeing that the grass is not always greener". I thought Ralph had done wonders keeping us up against the odds during his tenure. But, it was clear after the season had finished we needed a change. Ralph had run his course. The board should have acted in the summer. A much needed striker was not brought in and the appointment of a rookie manager in our predicament with this run of games coming up is starting to look like sheer incompetence. Today and the Forrest game will have to garner at least 3 points. Anything less, and we could be adrift already. Let us hope NJ has learnt from the Brighton game......

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davidargyll added 09:04 - Dec 31 Poor teams - or more accurately in our case disjointed ones - with incapable and arrogant managers invariably end up getting spanked because nothing seems to come off for them. This manifests itself in a“trying-too-hard-to not-to make-mistakes” attitude together with, as was shown by at least two of last week’s goals vs BHA, ZERO LUCK. Odds on much the same thing happens this afternoon at Fulham…

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Jellybaby added 10:40 - Dec 31 A bit over dramatic Nick - maybe too many Sherries?!. We are hardly cast adrift yet. I didn't want Ralph to go or at least felt he should see out the season, but writing Jones off so quickly seems very premature. My instinct is that this challenge will be too much for NJ and we will go down, but we need to at least give the poor guy a chance!
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Colburn added 10:44 - Dec 31 You talk in the 3rd person about some having the knives out after only 2 games and then it becomes apparent that those 'some' are actually you! This is hilarious.. Actually we played lovely football under Sturrock and it was the arrogance of Beattie who kept knocking him. For gods sake give Jones a chance, get behind him. His comment about the number 1 spot being up for grabs is nothing different to what many other managers have said, without criticism. In fact, Ralph was the one who didn't keep his counsel about players, publicly slamming Obafemi among others and yes he may have been correct but you keep these things in house. As well as telling the world we are a club with no ambition, just a feeder, a stepping stone for young talent. Again, he may be right, but you don't make it public in the way he did. This truth is this article is totally transparent showing something of a temper tantrum of a 5 year old who wants his old Teddy back..

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highfield49 added 10:46 - Dec 31 I don't suppose Roberto Martinez is looking for a job now his contract with Belgium has ended? I suspect that even if Fulham win 9-0 NJ will blame the players rather than his ability to coach and manage. Hoping for the best but fearing the worst at present. Anyhow, Happy New Year everyone, even if we need to practice singing "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" to cheer us up.

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HythePeer added 11:02 - Dec 31 "I would not be surprised to see Alex McCarthy return", I would, apparently he is injured, https://www.premierinjuries.com/teams/southampton.
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halftimeorange added 11:41 - Dec 31 Frankly, I think that Willy Caballero is a better backup than Alex McCarthy. I would like to know why Stuart Armstrong never seems to start. Is it that he can't do ninety minutes? It seems that he always arrives at halftime when the proverbial horse has bolted but, he shows more skill and ideas than whoever he replaces and most of his teammates. I just don't get it. I also get the initial impression that NJ needs to brush up his social skills.

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Boris1977 added 14:10 - Dec 31 5 at the back (check), tight back at left back with left back on the bench (check) one upfront (check). The things that never worked for the last coach won't work now. Thankfully we don't have big wages on the books so relegation will be a humiliation rather than a case of bankruptcy. Something is very wrong at the club.
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