It seems that Will Still has received a stay of execution after the debacle at Blackburn, can he save Saints season and indeed perhaps his job with a victory at St Mary's ? With numerous injuries this will be a true test of the manager's character and that of his team.

In days of old Saints would play many games with the manager under pressure and the team struggling and just when you didn't need it, a raft of injuries to key players.

Back then you would find out whether the players were really playing for the manager or had had enough, that question will perhaps be answered this Saturday, when either this will see a determined Saints team knuckle down and show that they have the fight and motivation in them to show they are behind the manager, or it will be a repeat of the performances against Blackburn and Hull, where we capitulated easily due to a lack of backbone when we really needed it.

Of course Will Still has injury problems, he will be missing our most consistent player in Shea Charles for at least 6 weeks if we are to believe what he said at the press conference on Thursday, he is joined on the injury list by Sam Edozie who has rolled an ankle, Ross Stewart & Elia Jelert who are also out long term and Flynn Downes who has also picked up an injury in training to add to his illness woes.

So Still has a weakened squad to pick from, but it is still a bigger and potentially better one than Preston, with all respect to the Lancashire side and their manager who start the weekend 7th in the table.

Even when we have a full squad the issue has never been about the size or quality of the squad, it is about the way it has been used and the selections and substitutions made.

To put it bluntly what happens on Saturday is in the hands of the manager, if he picks the right side and motivates it and then makes the right substitutions, then we can win the game.

If he continues in the vein he has been doing in the past 2 months then we will get the same results and that will not be very good.

Firstly in my opinion he has to change the goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu had done little wrong that warranted dropping after the game at Hull, Alex McCarthy has come in and made several errors but has kept his place, the manager has to be decisive and restore Bazunu.

In defence I would revert to a back four, two full backs and two centre halves, same in midfield, two central players and two wide men with two up front.

So my line up would be.

Gavin Bazunu,

Mads Roerslev, Ronnie Edwards, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Manning

Tom Fellows, Joe Aribo, Caspar Jander, Leo Scienza

Finn Azaz

Adam Armstrong.

Square pegs in square holes, two full backs playing at full back and not as wing backs to which they are not suited, a ball playing central defender with pace in Ronnie Edwards complimenting a strong physical centre half in THB.

In midfield two strong mobile players in Jander and Aribo, with two attacking wide men in Fellows & Scienza.

Up front is a little more tricky, but Adam Armstrong is a must and I would play Finn Azaz just behind him to get the ball and play him through.

I did think of other options, Leaving Ryan Fraser out was hard, Cameron Archer has a knock so 50/50, ditto Flynn Downes, Jay Robinson was also an option, but I think we need experience, I even considered Damion Downs, throw him in and see what he can do rather than the cameo appearances he has had of late.

So add Joshua Quarshie & Nathan Wood to the bench, even Jack Stephens and the manager still has a decent squad to call upon, even missing half a dozen players as he might well have to do.

But the situation is in the managers own hands, has he just been unlucky and he really does know how to get the best out of the squad, or is it his own tinkering and chopping and changing been the problem all along.

Truth is he has to get the squad performing now, not in January or ready for next season, but now, over the past few weeks I have sat and watch a squad that has no leadership or organisation on and off the pitch flounder, I cannot see what the manager is trying to do, especially in the last 20 minutes when his substitutions have been counter productive.

But I will turn up and cheer him and his team on, not because I am a Happy Clapper, but because I am a supporter of the club and the team, the club is the one constant, it has been there for 140 years, it has seen constant changes of owners, managers, players and of course supporters, as older generations die off and new ones come in, but you can support Southampton FC and those playing for it and want them to win, even though you do not agree with the owners or the manager or even the team selection.

I like others have players I like and those I don't rate, but it is not a personal thing, I would not want to see Alex McCarthy picked this week, but if he is, he will get my 100% backing on the pitch and if he saves a last minute penalty to win us the game, then no one will be more delighted than me.

So lets all go to St Mary's and remember what we want from supporting a football club, protest about the off field issues when the team is not playing, channel the anger and energy in a positive way, lets get 3 points and then deal with the rest.

All Photos Via Reuters

underweststand added 15:07 - Oct 31 There is a good argument that some of our best / better players are out injured - until Christmas / New Year - and even back we shouldn't expect them to be playing 90+ mins. With all this deep analysis about players, every game is / will be different and so far only 4 teams have proven to be better than us, and another goal in all those drawn games would have given us another 12 points and we would be comfortably in the top six. Will Still has said he picks the team, and the way he wants it to play, the players have admitted that they are at fault because they aren't doing the job. The obvious conclusion is that ; whether we play pretty, or tough..it's only about winning.

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Slacker added 16:17 - Oct 31 I like your team selection Nick. I agree about Bazunu regaining his place. The full backs will be better focussing on their defensive roles primarily supported when necessary by the two wide players in front of them. This way we don't back off and vacate the middle of the park to easily which with a back three/five we nearly always do. Fellows and Azaz were top players at previous clubs and both have goals in them. However Stills said his preferred line up is 4 2 3 1 - which would be better than any form of three at the back. The best teams in the premiership and beyond playing three at the back often have one outstanding central defender flanked by two very mobile defenders - not three centre backs.

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Bowlercow added 18:09 - Oct 31 Team selection for fans is probably the most subjective part of our "job" I would play Wood and THB and let Edwards play further forward instead of Aribo Baz Roeslev Wood THB Manning Fellows Edwards Jander Scienza Azaz Armstrong
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kingolaf added 21:49 - Oct 31 Bazunu, dear god! We don’t need a keeper with crisp packets for hands.
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YosemiteSaint added 23:13 - Oct 31 When we have a big squad, all of whom are competitive in the Championship, the "out injured" excuse wears thin quickly. Still should be able to win with our personnel. If he doesn't recognize what we've got, and has frozen out some players so early in his tenure, he needs to take a look in the mirror. I think your preview says as much in so many words, Nick, and i'm here for it.

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Boris1977 added 23:17 - Oct 31 Play bazuna as the rush keeper 😀
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sandywelsh added 12:34 - Nov 1 I like your team Nick
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