Southampton: Saints Marching’s weekly poll – edition 2
By Chris Hughes
Every week Saints Marching runs a poll on their Twitter account, grasping the opinions of the Southampton fans from a relevant topic.
In about an hour and a half, Southampton will take to the pitch at Anfield, attempting to continue their record of four games undefeated against Jurgen Klopp.
With the last international break of 2017 over and done with, the Saints have three fixtures between now and the start of December, facing Liverpool’s rivals Everton and the league-leading Manchester City after today’s game.
It marks the start of a difficult run-in between now and the new year, with Southampton’s easier bunch of fixtures behind them. Despite this, The Saints haven’t won by more than a single goal and have struggled under new boss Mauricio Pellegrino.
Initial hope that the Argentine would play free-flowing, attacking football has been and gone, with the Saints remaining defensive and struggling to score as a result.
WEEKLY POLL: How many points do Pellegrino and #SaintsFC need to pick up in the next three games in order to keep his job?
— Saints Marching (@SaintsMarching_) November 17, 2017
The 46-year-old is swiftly losing the support of the club’s fans and could have limited time to save his job. Picking up points over the next two and a half weeks is imperative.
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- Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
- It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
- Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
- A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse
Of those who voted, nearly half of them believe that five to six points are needed for him to win back the trust of the Saints fans and keep his job.
It means that a result against either Liverpool today or Manchester City would be coupled with a positive result against Everton, who should have their permanent manager by the time the two teams meet.
A quarter of those who voted believe at least three points are required, but voters in that bracket may also believe that talk of the gaffer’s sacking so soon into the season is preposterous.
Meanwhile near-enough the final quarter believe that seven or more points are needed, a tally which would require the Saints to remain undefeated throughout the tricky run of games. Whilst that may seem an impossible task, Southampton were impressive against Manchester United, and last season Pellegrino’s Alaves showed a knack for giant killing.