The draw at Manchester City saw Claude Puel and Saints pass another big test and once again prove those wrong who said that we could not sustain another summer of turmoil.

I have never claimed that Claude Puel was the best man for the job, like many back in the summer I thought that there were other more qualified options to replace Ronald Koeman.

However having seen the Frenchman appointed I was prepared to give him time to prove his worth rather than condemn him without giving him that chance.

Bu many were not prepared to do that and again we had a period of Saints supporters predicting doom and gloom.

Personally I knew that we had a strong squad even with the loss of Sadio Mane and Wanyama, I was not convinced that their contribution to the club last season was as big as some would claim, yes they were brilliant on their day but the fact is their day was only really in the final games and wasn't consistently over the season.

Therefore I thought that with the addition of a few quality replacements and if Puel was as good as his CV & reputation in France suggested then there was no reason to worry.

But I also realised that emulating sixth would be very difficult if not nigh on impossible, money talks in the Premier League, we have all laughed at Manchester United in the past couple of years, but we havent finished above them and that tells you one thing and that is you can buy success up to a certain level.

Last season was an anomaly and we and indeed Leicester took advantage of it, but 9 games in it is hard to see the top six being anything other than the so called big six.

So I was always of the mind that this season we could not judge how well we were progressing purely on whether we finished sixth again, I said in the summer and i still say now that our minimum target should be top ten and that seventh would perhaps be the highest we could achieve, that is not being pessimistic or lacking ambition it is being a realist.

Our real chance of glory rests in the cups and that is where we have to concentrate our efforts.

So far Claude Puel is gaining respect by the week, not just amongst Saints fans but throughout the Premier League, he had a lot of obstacles in his early weeks at the club, not least that most of his key players were not able to report back at the start of July for pre season due to Euro 16 commitments and the need for a rest.

That meant he was unable to gel his squad together, pre season is not just about fitness its about bonding and bringing the team together and creating an ethic, that was nigh impossible for Puel and that showed in early results.

However since what was a disappointing start we have picked up and our only defeat in the last seven Premier League games has been that last minute penalty winner at Arsenal.

Puel has created a squad mentality and the fact that we could go to Manchester City with so many injuries and get a point, is credit to just what he is trying to do at St Mary's.

The re emergence of a few of our academy players perhaps points at why the board did not seem too dismayed at Koeman's departure, of course they would have preferred him to stay, but Koeman like most Premier League managers was only concerned about results, he was not interested in bringing players on, but only in those who were up to the task right now.

That is not a bad thing, indeed that is the case with most managers at Premier League clubs, but Saints are trying to do something different and that is create a long lasting dynasty not just fleeting success.

Of course there will be blips, but we need to ride those out and keep moving forward.

Therefore this week has been a momentous one in the history of Southampton Football Club, not just for our never to be forgotten visit to the San Siro, although sadly it would not prove fruitful, but the way that we have tackled each game with a squad depleted through injury and ultimately performed well and the Inter Milan result aside took Premier league points.

Most expected us to be caned at the Etihad, after all City were chasing the top of the league spot, however we proved a lot of our doubters wrong and Claude Puel must feel a little satisfied this morning.

Two months ago he was under fire from those that were not willing to give him a little time, the same people who were not willing to give the likes of Pelle time either and need a scapegoat.

Now Puel has proved them wrong again, I am not saying these critics were wrong to have an opinion, indeed everyone is entitled to their own, but you cannot form an opinion based on one or two games as many did.

In modern football there is too much bedwetting and panic, managers are only half a dozen games off being sacked at anyone time, we only have to look at Chelsea who have sacked managers who only moths before have won the Premier or even the Champions League for them as example of that, there is too much of only looking at the last game and not the full picture.

But we at St Mary's are doing just that, it is no about individual results, this is football there are bad ones and good ones, but overall it is about how many more good ones you have and that is only reflected over a season.

So yes we have passed another big test with the draw at Manchester City, but it is no guarantee of what the rest of the season will hold, but what it is, in the manner of how we held City despite not having a lot of the ball, is a good pointer of just how we are continuing to move forward and how the squad have bought into the manager's work ethic and way of playing.

Photo: Action Images

helpineedsomebody added 10:58 - Oct 24 for me loosing rk & the 2 forwards we sold was a big concern for me but watching the last few games & how the team has played i have reilly enjoyed this new system I NOW HAVE CONFIDENCE thank you & well done claude puel &your coaching staff ps i was completely wrong about nathan redmond he must be very close to be called into the england squad
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halftimeorange added 11:50 - Oct 24 HINS, anyone who is an English professional footballer, old enough and playing in the EPL must be near to an international call-up, so weak is the national team as ably demonstrated by Stones yesterday. On the main topic of your e-mail, if the goals don't begin to flow it would not surprise me if Saints added another forward in January because, apart from not scoring as many as they should, there's very little wrong with our side.

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SanMarco added 12:47 - Oct 24 Always best to be careful with the 'I told you sos'. It is only October and there is a long way to go. I thought the comments on Match of the Day on the fact we would have won if we had been better in the final third were rather perceptive. Don't get me wrong - this was a great and highly pleasing performance. If VVD, Romeu, Austin, Fonte and Forster all stay fit/avoid suspension and don't miss a game all season we will be in the top 8 or better and our lack of goals will not matter because 1 will often be enough and even 0 will get us a few points. In the real world though that will NOT happen. Once the defence is weakened by injuries/suspensions/loss of form then we will suffer for not replacing the goals we sold. When (and I believe it is when rather than if) that happens anyone that says 'I told you so' will be jumped on for saying 'I told you so' - presumably a bit like those railway leaves, the 'wrong kind of I told you so'. I believe we are doing very well and in some ways we do look more solid than last season - we have even managed to play with two third choice full-backs and not been hurt badly. That is brilliant and I will be delighted all week at yesterday's performance - I just believe that the note of triumphalism and 'I told you so' in the article is maybe a wee bit premature...

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abingdonsaint added 12:55 - Oct 24 Let's face it, Puel would not have been any fans first choice simply because I doubt anyone had heard of him. But we once again need to understand that the board have proven on numerous occasions that they know what they're doing. No one had heard of Poch either, and it's no surprise that Puel has got us playing great football and using the academy, as that would have been researched before he was approached, and be one of the main requirements at interview. A lot of the names supposedly in the frame would not have met those requirements, and anyone thinking he was under any pressure after our slowish start is deluded. I liked Koeman, but I think our football has actually moved up a level, and still early days. All fans are entitled to their opinion of course, but we always need to be aware that we only have a fraction of the information.....

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SaintNick added 13:10 - Oct 24 People go on about not replacing the goals from the players we have sold, firstly Sadio Mane had two league goals this time last year, Redmond has three, a total that mane did not surpass till 20th March last year. Charlie Austin who was signed in January to replace Pelle has four league goals so far, Pelle had five goals at this stage. So the two players who have gone have been replaced by two who have exactly the same number of goals at this time last year. This time last year we had 15 goals and now we have 11, there is a shortage of goals but the issue is not the two strikers bought to replace Mane and Pelle, but goals from other areas of the team On a brighter note a fit Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez who already has one more league goal than last season could put us on track as could Boufal Defensively we have conceded 4 less than this tie last year so things are fairly similar as it stands. If we dont hit the bad patch that started with our 13th game then we could be on track for a better season

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BoondockSaint added 16:04 - Oct 24 The worry in the summer with Puel was that he was not the first choice or a big enough name. No one knew if he was good, or he just had good players. All the more well known managers were turning us down out of hand, no reasons were given. It was confusing to the fans because the Premier League is a favourite destination for managers. The worry was they were the same reasons Koeman left: No money to spend on players (or big name managers) and lack of ambition. It's scary when Rafa would rather stay in the Championship with a temperamental owner! Big name managers attract big talent players. So hopefully Puel flourishes in the Prem, but then we will have to worry about him skiving off for the blight lights of West Brom or Sunderland.......

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SanMarco added 17:08 - Oct 24 "People go on about not replacing the goals from the players we have sold" They do so because it is a real issue Nick. I am one of those 'people' and I would love to be wrong. I hope in a few months time I will be proved wrong. If I am one of those 'people' being told "I told you so" in March I will be delighted. PS if the defensive players all were to stay fit and on form then we may not need quite as many goals anyway.

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SaintStu7 added 09:41 - Oct 25 Great article. It's not a 'I told you so' it's a summary of where we actually are after another enforced reshuffle. I find it strange how negative people can be especially around the transfer of players. We have sold when we have had to and when the price was right then recruited fantastic replacements or used players who were not being fully utilised (Romeu). We already had a great squad that Koeman wasn't using to its potential. Had we signed yet another striker then there would be no certainty they would have actually been a success and would had prevented Austin, Long and Jayrod getting the game time needed to get them on form and scoring regularly. Support the team we have rather than always harping on about what or who we could have signed. Coyr

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highfield49 added 10:05 - Oct 25 As ever I can't disagree with most of the posts regarding Puel and the squad. In fact the rotation of players clearly shows that just about any squad member picked will know what to do in their role. Compare this situation to last year under RK when many of us got very nervy if any of the bench warmers was allowed on the pitch. For example, an appearance by Yoshi always filled me with dread but he has a new confidence and imo has taken his game to a higher level. On the other side of the coin the ratio of chances taken to chances created still has to be improved. We should have had at least six goals against Burnley and lost against Inter because they took their only real scoring opportunity. I suspect, but don't know, that last year we converted more chances into goals and it could prevent us doing something a bit special this season. I'm hoping that Boufal will provide the spark going forward to get the goal factory running more smoothly.

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