In many respects Saints have their first benchmark of the season on Sunday at White Hart Lane when they face ex Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Sitting 2nd in the Premier League has surprised those who thought that Saints were heading into meltdown in the summer, however the benchmark that many will judge the season on will be how well we do against Tottenham Hotspur and ex Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino.
The first judgement of that will come on Sunday when we head to North London, beating Spurs will be sweet and will see us go 8 points clear of the North London Soccer Chickens.
Of course the season is a marathon not a sprint and a good result at WHL is only the first battle of a long season, in the bigger picture it will be difficult to finish ahead of Spurs given their much bigger clot in the financial stakes, however winning the little battles is a start and for most Saints fans finishing above Spurs would be seen as a big step forward and confirmation that the club is still moving forward.