Southampton: Can Saints make St Mary’s a fortress again?

In the past two seasons, some drab football played at St Mary’s has seen Southampton put in some poor home displays.

As a result, the Saints fans have become rightly disgruntled at how their team has slipped from the standards set by previous Southampton sides.

Entertainment aplenty came under Nigel Adkins, Mauricio Pochettino and then Ronald Koeman, but spells managed by Claude Puel and Mauricio Pellegrino eventually saw Saints narrowly avoid relegation last season.

With established Premier League boss Mark Hughes in charge though, things seem to be becoming a little more rosy on the South Coast. Safety in May has been followed up by a solid start to the 2018/19 campaign and a more positive vibe across the club.

The main question that fans will be wanting to know, though, is will St Mary’s become a fortress again this season?

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The club’s faithful supporters certainly deserve to start enjoying watching their team play again with the amounts of money they spend on tickets remaining sky high.

They were relatively spoilt for a period between 2010 and 2016, but dour displays had many fearing the worst every time Saints played last season, as the figures below show:

Saints’ home record since promotion back to the Premier League

2012/13: 6 wins, 7 draws, 6 losses, 25 points, 14th best in league

2013/14: 8 wins, 6 draws, 5 losses, 30 points, 8th best in league

2014/15: 11 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses, 37 points, 5th best in league

2015/16: 11 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses, 36 points, 6th best in league

2016/17: 6 wins, 6 draws, 7 losses, 24 points, 17th best in league

2017/18: 4 wins, 7 draws, 8 losses, 19 points, 19th best in league

Much of the problem during the last two years has been the style of play. Ponderous play saw Saints not pressurising opposition teams and waiting for something to happen instead of forcing the issue.

Possession based styles were revolutionary a while back but the threat of counter-attacks has seen a shift in how team’s must play to get results in the top-flight.

The dour displays also affected the home faithful, who lacked belief that their side could get themselves out of trouble after so many disappointments across the season.

At the end of last season, Saints found a way to get points and win games when they had to once Hughes came in. They seemed to be able to adapt their style to play different opponents; not being frightened to defend when they had to but attacking often enough too.

In Hughes, they may have a manager that can help them to rebuild their home form. At Stoke, much of his success was created at the Bet365 Stadium and is shown by the figures below:

Mark Hughes’ home record with Stoke City

2013/14: 10 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses, 36 points, 6th best in league

2014/15: 10 wins, 3 draws, 6 losses, 33 points, 7th best in league

2015/16: 8 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses, 28 points, 11th best in league

2016/17: 7 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses, 27 points, 14th best in league

Whilst home form ultimately tailed off towards the end of his tenure, the points that gave his team three 9th placed finishes in succession saw them make their home ground a fortress.

The positivity that has returned to St Mary’s in recent times can only help. The crowd now realises that their team can put on a show again and the Saints players can look to a vibrant atmosphere again for inspiration.

Two home games against Burnley and Leicester City have passed without a win, but confidence boosting victories over Brighton in the League Cup and Crystal Palace in the league could help Hughes’ side go on a run.

An ideal opportunity to prove their abilities at home arrives on Monday 17th with a clash against Brighton.