I would suggest that there weren't that many Saints supporters that saw this one coming, although it is easy to get carried away, the fact is that this was perhaps the best all round performance by a Southampton team in around 4 years.

Although Tonda Eckert had won two games in a row since taking over, there were still many sceptics in the Saints support and some were worried that we might make him the permanent manager, however after Saturday's performance there will be a few changing their minds.

I have always said that this season's squad is one of the best in the division, that was the most frustrating part of Will Still's reign, he had the quality and quantity at his disposal, he just failed to utilise it with his chopping and changing.

Since his sacking Tonda Eckert has slowly but surely restored confidence & stability to the squad.

He has kept it simple, he has not chopped and changed, but made subtle changes when necessary and more to the point he has put square pegs in square holes.

This has culminated in this performance at the Valley, for the first 14 minutes we had 3 good chances and were on top, but then it all went mad with 4 goals in just 8 minutes.

Quite simply it was breath taking, we played fluid football which involved possession football, but not the Russell Martin way with endless passing it along the back, but little triangles with the 3rd pass moving it forward fast.

We quickly turned defence into attack and blitzed Charlton out of sight, when we added a 5th just before half time we looked to have the game won, but then came the only downside of the day when we conceded on the stroke of half time.

This perhaps the crucial moment for me, how would the manager react to this, the home side would surely come out in the second half and have a go, perhaps look to claw back a goal or two and make it a hard time for us.

The answer was that Eckert kept his side focused on the task ahead , it was all about making sure that the game was won and not throwing a lifeline to Charlton and let them get back in the game, the strategy was not to concede a 2nd goal chasing a 6th up the other end.

So although the first half was almost perfect in so many ways, so was the second, we kept our heads, kept our shape and made sure the game stayed won.

It was an all round team performance , but there were some truly scintillating displays, Adam Armstrong was my man of the match, 2 goals and 2 assists were the icing on the cake, but his all round play was superb, Leo Scienza, Tom Fellows & Finn Azaz were all close behind him, they showed what they can do now they are being played in their right positions, there pace and all round game was just a pleasure to watch.

But the rest of the team all played their part, Taylor Harwood-Bellis looked back to his best, Jack Stephens held the back line well and Nathan Wood added a bit of industrial strength.

A shout out to Ryan Manning, he scored the opener with a header and was strong in getting back and added an over lapping presence on the left, much maligned by some fans in the past, he looked the part at the Valley.

In the centre Caspar Jander had a great run on goal after an exquisite passing movement from the back and he finished with aplomb, Cameron Bragg slotted in next to him and he too played a big part in the victory.

When we made subs it showed the quality we have in reserve, clearly Eckert with the game won, did not wish to risk picking up injuries with a game on Tuesday night, so off went Scienza & Azaz on came Jay Robinson & Joe Aribo, as the game moved forward, off went Adam Armstrong & Bragg to be replaced by Damion Downs & Flynn Downes.

With the final substitution Ronnie Edwards it highlighted the quality we have, not many teams in this division can bring on so many players of this quality and we still had Ryan Fraser, Quarshie & Welington that could have come on add the injured such as Ross Stewart, Elias Jelert, Mads Roerslev, Shea Charles & Cameron Archer to come back into the squad.

The 3,000 travelling Saints supporters were once again in fine voice, not just in roaring on their team and celebrating, but in the way they reminded our former manager in the home dugout just why he lasted so short a period, if Saints could have scored a 6th, that would have been exactly the same number of goals that Nathan Jones's teams scored in the 8 League games he presided over

So the big question is what happens next, can Tonda Eckert win a 4th game in a row, if he does then I would not be surprised to see him get the job, although I suspect that the board might wait to see what happens at Millwall.

From a League table perspective, this didn't do much for us in terms of position, we moved up just one place to 16th, but a closer look at the table shows that we are now within sight of the top 6, just 4 points separate us from Hull in 6th place and just 5 points from Bristol City & Preston in 4th & 5th respectively.

We now have some momentum and we need to keep it going, beat Leicester who sit 10th and we go above them on goal difference or even goals scored, some might scoff and say we only beat Charlton, so don't get carried away, but it should be noted that if Charlton had beaten us they would have been 6th today.

So whatever does happen we can thank Tonda Eckert for what he has done in the last 3 matches, he has taken a squad in complete disarray and turned it round and put us back in the chasing pack for a top 6 place.

More of the same on Tuesday against Leicester would be nice !

All Photos Via Reuters

Southamptonfan added 18:00 - Nov 23 Excellent report. What a fantastic, attacking display. You allude to the team being full of quality players who weren't being managed properly by a terrible manager. Now Still has gone, we can most definitely push on up to the play offs at least. Bring on Leicester on Tuesday.
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1885_SFC added 18:40 - Nov 23 Eckert brings a cool head and more importantly a stability to the squad. Will Still never kept the same team twice whereas Eckert is playing pretty much the same team each week (bar injuries etc) and he is indeed putting square pegs into square holes. Great performance at what looked a difficult place to go on paper. And I am fast becoming Leo Scienza's biggest fan ever! The lad is sheer quality. Got to keep him fit through the tough Winter months and all those upcoming games. The lad is the engine of the whole team.

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StEdmund added 19:01 - Nov 23 My first game this season as I live miles away. Right team selection, right tactics. Saints fans in great voice throughout the whole match. The summer signings looked good and young Bragg excellent. Amazing game. Played as a real team though defence perhaps a little unconvincing. Armstrong playing deep bringing the midfield into play worked a treat. Long may it continue .... and I'll be at the next London game!

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Bowlercow added 19:53 - Nov 23 Our football in the first half was scintillating Every single player appeared to know his job and position It was what I believed Still would give us and probably would have If a couple of senior pros had accepted that they didn't fit in Before we scored Stevens tried to gift them a goal which they fortunately didn't take Look at their goal Our left sided CB should have been jumping against him but was stood ball watching After we missed 2 or 3 relatively easy chances I thought it was going to be the same old story of creating and missing chances.And the we took off.I don't think any team in this league could have lived with that One of the best coaches in Europe made some changes and combined with us being content to see the game out they managed to draw the second half If TE gets the job after the Millwall game his first game as Head Coach will beat real toughie against Birmingham As usual he or his replacement will get my full support

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WestSussexSaint added 07:41 - Nov 24 I would say that was the most complete performance since the playoff semi final win over West Brom. Every player contributed and our new get the ball forward quickly style was demonstrated by the 3rd goal by Jander which started with Bazunu. I’m one of those that is reserving judgement on TE getting the manager job on a full time basis. But this win wasn’t against a poor side likely batting relegation (Sheff Wed, QPR). This was against a team that was around the playoff positions, had only lost once at home this season and before Saturday had only conceded 11 goals. Add to that they were coached by the best manager in Europe. TE had the players well drilled with the right tactics and crucially believing in their abilities. I still think there is much more to managing a side on a permanent basis than just focusing on a small number of game. But if TE has the longer term strategy to go with the immediate improved focus on performance and results then he certainly deserves to be in the conversation. I think we will know more after the Millwall game.

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Colburn added 09:54 - Nov 24 Jones wasn’t the worst manager we had, he did win away at Palace in the FA Cup then beat City at home 2-0 in the other cup, a major shock, then he won away at Goodison for our first win there since Kevin Davies. I think he was mainly disliked because of his valleys accent. Yes he wasn’t the right man but he was better than Selles, Juric and Rusk and wouldn’t have done any worse than Martin in the PL. But I get the humour and the banter due to some of his interviews, which were awful. I think you have to give the job to Eckert, he clearly has a plan and strategy and is bringing the best out of our new signings as well as knowing which youth players he can trust. When Brighton put in Hurzeler, he has only had one decent season with Pauli, getting them promoted, I can see Eckert doing the same. We would be foolish to lose him now, the players clearly like him. Just a quick mention to Bragg who was involved and important in the game, a great first start to remember. Jander is top drawn for me and Fellows and Azaz looked to be settled and moving forwards now after a Still start. The next 2 games will show us if Tonda is indeed the man, if we pick up another 4 points then he has to be offered the job.

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underweststand added 12:21 - Nov 24 Eckert really is something else. Hardly gives a smile after his team had plundered 5 goals away from home, but this is no criticism because his nature is typical of his background and analytical style. A "thinking man" who looks to cover all the bases (sorry wrong sport). Armstrong who was MOM fro me scoring once bit might have had a hat trick, and still managed two assists. Jander and Azaz have become fearsome as midfield duo, and at last Fellows showed what wing play is all about and with young Cam Bragg did his part with calmness and a maturity beyond his years. Scienza terrifies defences and if he doesn't score he will surely win penalties in time, as there seems no way to stop him when he gets inside the box. For once - the backline did their job and left Bazunu with very little to do. I'd like to think we could play like this every week, but this was a game that will live in memories for a long time - especially for our faithful away fans.

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SanMarco added 12:32 - Nov 24 Good report from Nick. Of course important not to get carried away but still lovely to see not just a result but a performance too. If we can play like that going forward from now on then all we have to sort out is the defence and we will be right up there. If we get at least 4 points from the coming two games then it is hard to see them not giving it to Eckert. Perhaps a contract until the end of the season? Re dear old Nathan - the main issue was Nick's square and round shaped holes. He is a pretty effective lower league manager and might possibly have got us up easier than Martin did if appointed instead of RM. What he wasn't was a top division manager. He was no worse than any of the others in the last two disastrous Prem seasons but there was a perfect storm of personality, style and performance that led quickly to the inevitable. Quirky, odd, cheeky-chappie managers are not for the Prem League media age - you might get away with it managing one of the Sky 6 but for the rest...

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