Yet Adkins was happy to let that continue, he even assisted the playing down of the early success Saints were enjoying; “we’ll look at the table a quarter of the way in, if we are still with the pack then, we’ll look forward to January.” Saints have played 14 games now and sit top with 30 points. For the statisticians among you that is 2.14 points per game (ppg), higher than the 1.91 ppg that won Neil Warnock’s QPR The Championship last season.
However the past two weeks for Southampton, that has seen the end of a tricky seven game spell, has proven the credentials of the quietly run club. It was a run that was much needed too considering the public pressure executive chairman Nicola Cortese placed on Nigel Adkins, “I want us to be Champions” was the message he gave The Sun in an exclusive interview. It was by far his most in-depth interview as of yet, with previous dealings with the media being short and sweet and sometimes painfully blunt.
However Adkins’ men proved their mettle on the pitch with a 1-0 win over then 2nd placed West Ham and then a 3-0 win over then 3rd placed Middlesbrough. West Ham hadn’t lost on the road until Saints beat them courtesy of a Jos Hooiveld goal and when ‘Boro came to visit they had the toughest defence in the league and had yet conceded more than two goals in one game; Saints made sure that was no longer the case with a Guly headed brace and a Connolly goal that capped a 25 pass move.
No doubt questions will continue to be asked; the club sit top and it has been their best start for 58 years but there are 32 games left, there are 9 games until Christmas and January has the ability to change everything. The former Premier League mainstay for 27 years looks like they have enough in the tank, strong enough artillery and a top soldier at the helm.
One way or another, they are finally getting the attention a team of their quality deserves; Jacqui Oatley, BBC football journalist tweeted, “Dear #bbcfootball bosses, please send me back to St Mary’s again soon. #SaintsFC; a dream to watch: waves of passes like ripples in water.”
Written by Jordan Florit for www.may-cause-offence.tumblr.com/ For more articles like this visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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Really good article, enjoyed reading that.