Southampton fans are not looking forward to hosting the Blades on Wednesday night, it is hard to see a win from this one and that is worrying with the trip to Portsmouth looming at the weekend, can Tonda Eckert surprise us all.

I said last week that the next three games would define the season and sadly we did not start too well when we lost to an average Hull City side who showed that if you are organised and stay strong then you can beat Saints.

If that game did not quite define the rest of the season, it has certainly defined the first half of it, as we once again played 3 pedestrian central defenders and and once again paid the price.

So will Tonda Eckert once again fail to deal with the issues that are causing the problems, or will he once again try to shuffle the rest of the side around and pretend that it is not the fault of the back four.

The worry is that in this transfer window we have weakened the squad and not strengthened it, we have lost 3 players who should really be playing a part in Wednesday night's squad and if rumours are correct then we might well be losing a fourth.

I would say that if Adam Armstrong, the Championship's top scorer going into this round of midweek games, is allowed to leave in this window then it shows that the club have thrown in the towel for the rest of this season.

If anyone thinks James Bree is going to change things then why the hell did we get rid of Ronnie Edwards, selling someone for £4.5 million and replacing him with a player who is valued at £750k is not progress.

So all the spotlight is on Tonda Eckert, he started with such promise, but then has become no better than Will Still and is starting to look like the rabbit in the headlights that his predecessor was before his sacking.

So can Tonda get a grip on the squad and actually identify and deal with the issues in hand.

On the face of it, it is worrying, so far in this window, it seems the club has given up on the manager, that they are too scared of the backlash if they sack him after only a few months, a big admission that once again they have got it badly wrong, surely not an 8th manager in essentially 3 years and 2 months.

So have they hung Eckert out to dry and are now more concerned on seeing this season out mid table and perhaps rebuilding in the summer.

Saturday was a disaster, but it could have been better, it was a case of we didn't defend the 2 crucial chances when they scored and Hull defended doggedly and kept out far better ones created by us.

So there is hope there, but only if Eckert stands up and shows some tactical knowledge and nous.

In goal I warned of the folly of replacing Bazunu with the unproven Peretz, so will he get a 3rd chance or will Eckert go for experience and bring back Alex McCarthy or even go for 3rd choice Long, to be blunt I would probably prefer either.

At the back against Hull, we dominated possession in the second half when we went to a back four, I would start Elias Jelert, I would play Taylor Harwood- Bellis in the centre alongside Joshua Quarshie and Ryan Manning at left back, despite his folly on Saturday, he still is the best option, although personally Ryan Fraser would have been a better option.

A midfield two of Downes & Jander flanked by Scienza & Fellows with Armstrong & Azaz up front.

I know most will prefer Ross Stewart, but we do not want a repeat of earlier in the season, when he was overplayed and pulled up injured, better to ease him in and make sure he is fit for Sunday.

So on the face of it we go to St Mary's on Wednesday night more in hope than expectation, the hope that Tonda Eckert might see what we have all been seeing for the past few weeks and do something about it.

Why does he take players like Tom Fellows off when they are having good games, is he really seeing a different game to the rest of us.

This doesn't have to be the disaster that Saturday was, we can win this game and get some of our confidence back, but we need to find that siege mentality.

I have not felt so despondent for many a year as I felt on Saturday, but the real frustration is that we have a squad that is better than most in this division, the issue if the tactics, clearly not those that suit those that are playing, lets get back to playing to our strengths not our weaknesses.

We do not need Wednesday night to be toxic, we need to get behind the team and hopefully help them get back on track.

In a week when we got to Fratton Park at the end of it, if only because we do not want to be going there on the teams back, we need to try and build that siege mentality, that team spirit that was shown back in October/November.

The focus this week should not be on Tonda Eckert, Johannes Spors or Sports Republic, it should be all about creating the spirit to help us win at Fratton Park.

If we lose to Sheffield United it won't be the fans fault, just as it wasn't when we lost to Hull, it won't be our fault if we lose to Pompey, but if that is the case then we need to be standing loud and proud about our City, even if we can't be about our club and owners at present.

This week of destiny is only a third of the way through, football can change in a moment, perhaps it will be against the Blades or better still perhaps it will be at Pompey, but in the meantime there will be plenty of time for recriminations next week, this week is about pride in ourselves and our City.

All Photos Via Reuters