Jo Tessem credits Southampton's experienced signings for this promotion push

Southampton used to buy young players, develop them and sell them on for a profit. This summer they changed the plan, and Jo Tessem thinks that is why they are sixth despite a four-point deduction.

Tessem, a former Southampton midfielder, was quoted in a BBC Sport piece on the 26th October. "To be successful you need an experienced core in the team," he said.

The three summer signings

On BBC Sport, Tessem named Cyle Larin, Keven Schlotterbeck and James Ward-Prowse as the permanent signings that made an immediate impact. All three went straight into the side.

Larin has scored seven times, more than twice what any other Southampton player has managed, Saints Marching reported. Schlotterbeck has been in the back four since his arrival on the south coast, where he has slotted in perfectly.

Ward-Prowse's return is obviously an emotional one. After the West Ham game, he spoke about what it means to be back at the club he grew up at.

He said beating his old manager Nuno felt better, too. Saints Marching suggested in August that his set-piece delivery could create chances for Larin and Léo Scienza.

Does Tessem's theory hold up?

Jo Tessem's theory may well have something in it but the three goals at West Ham came from Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin, none of whom belongs to the summer trio.

Larin was injured for the Hammers trip. Schlotterbeck and Ward-Prowse both played the full game, but Southampton still conceded twice, the second a late goal from Tomas Soucek.

Experience isn't just about scoring goals. Ward-Prowse patrolled the middle of the pitch for 90 minutes, and Schlotterbeck was resolute in the back four, which gave the younger forwards a platform.

However, experience does not make anybody immune. Schlotterbeck's error contributed to the 2-1 defeat at Wrexham, Southampton's only league loss in their last ten games.

Eckert has his own explanation, and it is about squad size. He chose a very small squad deliberately, and he says it gives players a chance to step up.

The two ideas fit together. A small group with an experienced spine gives a manager a settled core, with room for a Dobbin or a Matsuki to take the headlines.

Southampton also have the best home record in the Championship, 16 points from a possible 18.

Tessem is right about the recruitment shift and the dressing room it has produced. The one caveat is the one the West Ham scoreboard offered: the goals are coming from everywhere, and that is how a promotion push looks when it is working.

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