Despite the bad start to the season, Saints supporters still seem to consider that the fault doesnt lie with the manager but the lack of signings in key areas.
Although it would be fair to say that support for Nigel Adkins is not quite as strong as it was a few weeks ago, it seems that Saints supporters are looking a tthe bigger picture rather than just calling for the sacking of the manager for the sake of it.
Polls across the internet seem to put support for Adkins at between 75-80% which is still a very high percentage, although down on the 85-90% he was enjoying a few weeks ago.
It seems that the supporters having seen the manager lead the side to two consecutive promotions are taking the view that you dont just become a bad manager overnight and that the success that he has brought us does deserve some loyalty.
But it is a little more than that, many recognise that whoever the manager is, the squad that he has been given to work with is not up to the task and is unbalanced with many key areas not strengthened in the summer despite it being obvious to most.
This being the case many Saints supporters are cutting the manager some slack, however it should also be noted that although most seem willing to do this, they are only willing to do it up to a point, whilst yes the manager does have some good excuses, he does have to make the best of a bad situation and the defeat at West Ham raised several questions about team selections that have been bubbling under the surface. There does come a point where the buck has to stop and someone has to be accountable, whilst bringing in a new manager now wouldnt change the players available to him, the right tweaks in selections might improve results a little and keep our heads above water, Nigel has to show he is the man to make them.
But for the moment Saints supporters are content that Nigel is the man to turn it around, however performances do have to improve, the next few weeks will be crucial for the career of Nigel Adkins, to refresh people's memories its always been a learning curve for Adkins and even during the past two seasons there were periods where he appeared to be not up to the job, however he always learnt his lessons from his mistakes and we came back stronger than before, hopefully he can continue to do so, this is his toughest lesson yet, if he learns it well then it will be good for Saints.