Saints have probably dropped more points from games they have led in than any other team in the Premier League this season.

Saints road trip to freezing cold Lancashire was memorable for one very unwelcome stat and that was it saw us drop another five points from games that at some point we have lead in, OK there is a big difference in leading at Old Trafford after 3 minutes and going into the 90th in front at Wigan, but the stats dont lie, in games where we have lead at some point we have dropped 24 points after these last two games.

Thats far far too many and whilst some have been early leads like Man Utd last Wednesday there have been a few late leads dropped as at Wigan and Stoke a few weeks ago, just how much better the League table would have looked now with just those extra four points on board.

It would have left us with 28 points, only 1 behind what Stoke themselves would have had and more importantly seven, yes seven points off the bottom three, eight points ahead of Wigan second from bottom and a massive eleven ahead of QPR, with a superior goal difference that would leave all three of those clubs trailing in our wake and needing three wins just to catch us assuming we didnt pick up a point in the meantime.

Thats the difference between going down and survival in that league taking your chances at one end and keeping it tight at the other, a few weeks ago Reading looked dead and buried, but a few games that saw them score late goals, indeed in their last four games goals in the last five minutes have seen them pick up six points they wouldnt have otherwise get, contrast that with our problem.

Thats why I was so disapointed that Saints didnt make more use of the transfer window, I have high hopes of Maurricio Pochettino, but to be blunt he cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear, the lapses of concentration as seen at both Wigan and United have been going on for far too long now and arent things you can alter much in a players psyche Luke Shaw aside. being honest other teams know that this is a weakness and their manager will encourage their players to get the ball into the box in the closing stages knowing that we get nervous at this time, we have to show we can deal with this.

So the key to staying up or being dragged into the relegation zone will be our ability to get leads in the final 13 games and hold them especially if they are in the final stages, if we lose as many leads in the final third of the season as we have done in the first two thirds then I fear for our chances of survival.      

Photo: Action Images via Reuters