Saints take on Brentford at St Mary's this evening looking to take all three points and storm out of the bottom three, but it will be tough the Bees themselves have a lot to play for as they look for a win that could put them in the top 7.

The two teams are both looking for a win this evening for different reasons, Brentford could find themselves in the top 7 and Saints could find themselves 15th, so it is going to be a keenly contested game.

But Brentford's good form this season has been based firmly on their home form, they have won 7 at home and drawn 5 losing just 1, taking 26 of their 38 points so far, away from home they have found it far tougher just two wins plus 6 draws and 4 defeats providing the other 12 points.

Likewise is their goal difference, 27 scored at home with just 13 conceded whilst on the road they have notched just 13 goals and conceded 20.

Their recent form has not been great either, their last 4 games have seen just 1 win, 2 draws and a defeat, whilst Saints have notched 2 wins and a draw in the same period and it could be said against far tougher opposition.

So the game is more evenly poised than the Premier League table would suggest, Saints are a team on the up, whilst Brentford are perhaps one who are finding the lofty heights a little distracting.

One thing we have taken from Ruben Selles two games in charge is that he has abandoned the scattergun approach of his predecessor, he has so far worked with a compact squad and this has reaped rewards, we are a lot more disciplined since our defeat at Brentford just 5 games ago and we are a team with a new found spirit.

I would not expect Ruben Selles to change much, perhaps if Ainsley Maitland-Niles is fit he will return in place of Romain Perraud and there could be a change in attack, I would not be surprised if Tall Paul made a start, but in truth it is hard to see much change, the bulk of the starting XI have earned their right to start the game.

This game is certainly a biggie,, three points for Saints would see them soar up to 16th, indeed a 3 goal margin such as the scoreline last season would see us in15th place jumping above Everton and it would give us a big boost and also put the fear of God in those teams in midtable such as Palace, Wolves & Forest who would suddenly see us right up there behind them, if only we had taken a couple of points in those 3 games how different the table would already look this morning, that shows how close we are.

This needs to be a Saints team that come out firing on all cylinders, confident in what they are doing and with a crowd behind them that themselves have suddenly found new belief and who hopefully not only get behind the team, but stay with it no matter which way the game is going.

This morning there are less than 200 tickets remaining and they are sure to be snapped up in the next few hours, so you will need to be quick.

So we go into a crucial 4 day period that sees two home games, two wins would see us pulling clear of the bottom 3 and starting to almost smell the safety line, but more to the point it would decimate our rivals, in most relegation battles there is usually at least one team that looks dead and buried that suddenly comes up on the rails and another than collapses when they looked on the cusp of safety.

A word of caution though, after all this is Saints, it doesn't normally go completely to plan, there is still a long way to go, it would be nice to end this week with six points, but if it doesn't there is still a long way to go.

Saints were never as bad a team as some would have you believe a few months ago, our problems were not one of quality, but of the several issues and most of those issues have now been solved.

Tonight is a night to raise our voices and back our team to the hilt.

Photo: Action Images

ItchenNorth added 08:27 - Mar 15 Tonights the night Theo.
2

highfield49 added 09:29 - Mar 15 Unless there are any fitness issues the same group of players should start against Brentford in my view. The more frequently they play together the more instinctive the movement of players becomes and a rhythm gets established. The area of change that maybe needs a bit of thought is the timing of substitutions and the players involved. Selles clearly knows what he's doing, unlike his inept predecessor, but I'd like to see Onuachu given the opportunity to play to his strengths. Regardless of the team selected all that really matters is three points to lift a bit of pressure and firmly put it on other teams.

0

Block8 added 10:00 - Mar 15 Tonight we need to keep our shape defensively, particularly the full backs. Brentford transition more quickly than any team in the PL and possession is not something they concern themselves with. Toney & Mbeumo pull wide expect & get early ball from midfield or defence and attack with genuine pace. Space behind our full backs will be a problem, especially as then the CB's get pulled wide to cover leaving us exposed through the middle. This and the many unforced errors have been our downfall at the back this season and not taking our chances at the the front certainly doesn't help but if we can keep as tight at the back as we have been, then it's game on!

0

Ifonly added 11:02 - Mar 15 "our problems were not one of quality ..." I really disagree. Some of the players will never be PL quality and some may be with more experience but haven't been sufficient quality so far. Selles has added some organisation and stability, but if we had the quality we'd have been creating better chances and sticking the ball in the net far more often than we have done. Our poor performance this season is not entirely due to the managers. Part of the blame lies with the players - and the club for not buying PL level players last summer.

1

Farlow added 12:03 - Mar 15 I Hope im wrong but i can see Toney stomping all over Bednarek.After the great display Sunday with all those shots,surely the law of average means we,ll score a couple tonight. COYR.
0

Farlow added 12:05 - Mar 15 Surely Ward Prowse,Lavia and Alcaraz are the best midfield 3 we,ve had for a long tme.
4

TimSaint added 12:30 - Mar 15 I'm concerned with our inability to defend from set pieces. Even against 10 men at Old Trafford, we left 2 men unmarked at the far post !! Brentford will get plenty of opportunities tonight, as Toney and Mbwemo are masters at not only orchestrating fouls, but also for going unpunished when they foul. If we score first, I think we will go on to win. We just need some composure in front of goal and our players making the correct decisions in the final 3rd !!

0

Bowlercow added 14:00 - Mar 15 Probably looking forward to tonight's game more than any this side of last October Just hope I don't come away disappointed The team/squad that Ruben is using are more together as a unit than any other since Oct and although there are a couple I would change it is a case of ''in Ruben we trust''
0

JoeEgg added 15:48 - Mar 15 "If we score first, I think we will go on to win." BUT we dont score - never mind first! Brentford WILL score. We still dont appear to have a proven and reliable goalscorer at this level. That for me is the biggest mistake we have made this season. We haven't ever replace Danny Ings.
0

I_would added 16:12 - Mar 15 Joe you hit it right in the crux. Forget all training except shooting practice.
0

Farlow added 16:24 - Mar 15 Do we have a coach to teach the art of goal scoring,i think not. In that respect maybe James Beattie would do a good job.
0

Boris1977 added 21:32 - Mar 15 What's sports direct big idea for next season? This is the worst saints squad in my lifetime (early 80s).
0

A1079 added 21:49 - Mar 15 That quality you were talking about Nick! Precious little evidence of it tonight. Dreadful and non-existent as an attacking side. Completely toothless and please don't go on about an error in defence (though it was) focus on our shocking performances week in and week out up front. Selles not the saviour - why on earth did he pick Elyounoussi and Diallo in the starting line up - I cannot recall the last time either of those showed any of quality.

1

hixepeg940 added 19:08 - Nov 20 I recently tried the soccer training app from zing coach customer service https://www.pissedconsumer.com/company/zing-coach/customer-service.html for the first time. There are exercises for all levels, from beginners to pros. I especially liked that you can customize the program for yourself and track your progress. Video instructions help you understand the technique, and reminders motivate you not to miss training. For me, this has become a convenient way to stay in shape and improve your skills even without a coach.

0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Rochdale Polls