It's almost here the start of a new football season ! Yet another new era starts at St Mary's, but how good a start will it get off to ?
Mauricio Pellegrino starts his Saints career in earnest tomorrow with the visit of Swansea City to St Mary's and hoping to emulate his fellow countryman and previous Saints boss Mauricio Pochetino be becoming only the second manager to win an opening day fixture in the Premier League not only since our return in 2012 but since 1999 when David Jones's side won at Coventry courtesy of a late goal from Egil Ostenstad.
It could be said that in all that time perhaps have we never so much needed the boost of an opening day win as we need tomorrow.
Swansea themselves are in some disarray, their leading scorer last season Fernado Llorente is out with a broken arm, Gylf Sigurdsson is not available due to his impending move to Everton and that takes out 24 out of the 45 goals they scored in the Premier League last term.
They have also lost Jack Cork to Burnley although he has been replaced by the only significant addition to their squad Roque Mesa who at 28 is untried at the top level for anything other than the last 2 seasons in Spain.
So if Saints had been able to pick an opening fixture themselves it would surely have been this one on paper, a side that are missing their best two players from last season and have not replaced them yet.
But this is Saints and the opening day always seem to be a disaster of some sape or form. Mauricio Pellegrino looks set to keep it simple though, I cant see much past what was last years staple back four at the end of the season, Soares, Stephens Yoshida and Bertrand, although he could throw in a suprise and give Bednarek his debut at the expsense of Stephens
I full expect him to play two holding midfielders Romeu and Lemina and then it is going to get a little tougher to decide.
Wide I thinkhe may opt for Tadic and Redmond and up top Gabbiadini, so that will leave him pondering whether to opt for either Austin in a deeper role or Ward Prowse or Davis.
That leaves him plenty of options on the bench, I think our squad outside of the centre of defence is stronger in all positions, its just that weakness in the centre which we may get away with on Saturday but going forward will get exposed.
We need to get behind the team from the stands and stay with it, its time to put last season in the past and look to the future, it is no use moaning about lack of goals and entertainment in the final home games of last season, all that matters now is this one, crowds can motivate a team or they can drag it into the gutter, lets make sure we are the 12th man !