Saints travel to Craven Cottage needing to find that missing spark, if it is not coming from the manager can they find it in themselves !

Charlie Austin's rant after the draw against Watford gave us hope for the future in that it showed that the players or at least some of them do have pride in what they do, that it it is a little bit more than just a massive wage at the end of the week.

Over the past decade Premier League players have become detached from the very people who pay their wages and that is the supporters, whilst it is true that the big TV money enables clubs to pay silly money and indeed players agents to ask for it in the first place, the underlying fact is that the Premier League would not be able to sell that product without the passion and input from the fans.

Germany aside most European Leagues do not see packed stadiums every week and many are multi purpose meaning the crowd is even more removed from the game.

The Premier League's selling point is it is a vibrant league with passionate supporters, or at least that is how the countries buying the TV rights see it.

The reality is starting to become different, the fans are becoming disillusioned and walking away from the game, their place is being taken at the big clubs by tourists and although this is profitable in the short term it might not be so sustainable long term, the atmosphere will dilute and more and more the atmosphere will be replaced by the flashing of camera phones.

On Saturday we go to Fulham and it is hard to see how we will win unless something changes, Charlie Austin with his rant gave us hope that it can, he showed that for him at least when he crosses the white line to go on the pitch it is not his bank balance he is thinking about, but the professional pride in his team winning and he playing a part in that.

If we can see a bit more than at Fulham on Saturday then there is hope yet, but pride needs to be right down the line, the saddest thing at the moment is that so many so called Saints fans seem to revel in taking a cheap shot at the team on social media, that has to stop if we are to survive, all the jokes have been done, we have heard it all before, if we as supporters want the players to have pride then how can we ask them to do that if we seemingly have no pride in the team or club ourselves.

This is not happy clapping or pretending everything is all right, it is about being positive and trying to firstly get the job done and then looking at the issues.

Over 3,000 will officially travel up to Fulham on Saturday and there will be many more in the "neutral" area at Craven Cottage, indeed if you are quick there are still about 50 still on sale in this area.

The away support this season has been magnificent and i'm sure it will be at Craven Cottage, the roof and accoustics in the away end make it ideal to create an atmosphere and spur the team on and that is what is needed.

Pride starts with the supporters and hopefully that will help transform the players, the likes of Charlie Austin and Shane Long have been much maligned by some, but they have played with a pride that has been lacking in their team mates at times.

Back in the 1990's we had poor runs that were just as bad as the ones that we are on now, what carried us through was at the end of the season the players themselves stepped up to the plate and found that professional pride needed to win a few games at the end of the season and see s safe, they were spurred on by the crowd who seemed to sense when they had to step up a gear as well.

So this is a crucial game it is one we really have to win and it is one that we can win if both the supporters and the players, especially the players find that pride that we saw in Charlie Austin, the fans need to make it a virtual home game from the start and get behind and stay behind the team, hopefully then the players will respond.

Photo: Action Images

DorsetIan added 10:23 - Nov 19 I really don't want to be negative but aren't we past the point where all we need from the team is a little more effort, or commitment, or team spirit, or passion, or courage, or even pride? What I think we need is a bit more composure and more intelligent decision making - particularly in the final third.
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SAINTSNIL added 10:24 - Nov 19 Will be there, albeit in neutral zone, and will be right behind them. BUT for me the manager and team are in the last chance saloon. No amount of 'passionate ranting'or platitudes from any of them will be worth a flying f##k if they don't perform.
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SaintNick added 10:35 - Nov 19 I think the isssue is that we dont play with the tempo that say the likes of Bournemouth do, we are too slow in our build up, we are scared to attack with numbers in case we get caught on the break. we are were we are because there is zero passion, zero courage zero pride in the team at present, this should be instilled by the manager it isn't. Alan Ball's team in 94/95 is remembered as being a free flowing footballing side and it being MLT's best ever season, yet in a three month spell from mid november to mid march we won only one League game, that in December, We were very similar to this season in many respects, but then we got a slice of luck and never looked back and finished 10th, this is far from last chance saloon, but something has to change

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JimmyMeliaPhD added 11:05 - Nov 19 If we’re relying on pride and passion now, we’re already toast. Only Hjojberg and Yoshida ever show any on the pitch, austin’s rant was off the pitch and he din’t show much on the pitch. More effective would be better coaching and tactics and no more automatic start for any of the current crop (and keep Long as far awAy from the pitch as possible).
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I_would added 11:18 - Nov 19 Ranieri should be here now and he will be the difference. He will utilise Mitrovic correctly and probably get the winner out of him as we have nobody who knows where the goal is. We need a new manager and 3 players asap to survive.
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Nomaesaints added 12:24 - Nov 19 Can anyone tell me why Steve Davis is not playing? He has played two international in the last week and he was very good in both. On the question of tactics the main problem I see is that we are too slow in the build up with sideways passing, back to the centre backs who thenhoof it up the pitch. In the meantime the defending team have got all their players back behind the ball!

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SonicBoom added 12:38 - Nov 19 Err didn't Austin "score" then run 50 yards to give it the big one to the crowd? That doesn't exactly help the relationship does it.
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BoondockSaint added 14:04 - Nov 19 Unless Pride is a new signing that can score 23 goals in a season....... I thought this "pride", "team spirit", "passion", etc. thing had been sorted during the relegation fight, but the season so far it's the same "can't really be bothered" attitude.
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warrens76 added 15:27 - Nov 19 Remember when Markus queued up with fans for tickets, he used to read the comments and feel the fans pulse, remember Cortese talking of us in the PL in 5 years, did it in 3, remember the super renewed SMS, remember the plans on not if we win the PL but how, LCFC did it, remember the project MoPo signed up to... Now take ALL that away, give no hope, sign Hughes (WTF statement of intent is that) ignore the fans concerns and then the UI post 'we have heard it all before, fans need to get behind the club' what about the club getting behind us, like for example the LCFC owners... We have been kicked in the teeth again and again and again, at what point do we tell them to shove it.....the monsters in charge of this club are not 'worthy' of our support they need calling out...sadly in keeping us up by beating Swansea these mercenary b'stards are still here... I want owners who genuinely care and respect the base, don't yo

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