Love him or loathe him, there's no doubting Jack Stephens commitment to Southampton. The Southampton fans unfairly made the captain the scapegoat for a terrible Premier League campaign and that sentiment has spilled over into this season.
Stephen's performances in pre-season were analysed for his mistakes. When Southampton conceded early in the pre-season encounter with National League side Eastleigh, it was Stephens' error which was magnified.
When the captain's name was read out for the opening game of the season against Wrexham, there was no shortage of dissenting voices among the home crowd. Stephens though would prove everybody wrong.
Stephens' temporary salvation
When he smashed home the winner in second-half stoppage time, there was no stopping him. Stephens ran towards the corner of the Northam and Itchen stands and cupped his ear. Here was a player that was fighting back.
Scoring the winner in the opening game of the season may have been a sweet moment for Stephens but it was to prove merely a temporary salvation. His form fell off a cliff. His performances against Stoke City, Watford, and Hull City were poor both statistically and in reality.
Rumours of a spat between the captain and Will Still emerged in the press but were refuted by Stephens in the aftermath of Still's sacking.
The truth about Stephens under the interim boss is surprising
Under Eckert, Stephen's form has improved a little. His average rating has improved from 6.67 to 6.95 in the four games that he has featured. His replacement for the Leicester game, Joshua Quarshie has a better average rating (7.13) than Stephens and it was a surprise to see the captain get the nod over Quarshie against Millwall.
At Millwall, Stephens was forced into making 12 clearances, almost twice as many as Nathan Wood (7) and more than any other player on the pitch. In possession, Stephens had 83 touches with a passing accuracy of 96.7%. On the whole, he had a very solid game.
But that is not what his critics will be talking, posting, or blogging about. They will be focusing on how lost Stephens looked when the ball came out to Femi Azeez for Millwall's equaliser. They will be asking questions about his positioning for Millwall's winner. In short, they will be blaming the blameless.
Southampton fans who criticise Jack Stephens should do so even handedly. His performance against Millwall was bettered only by Ryan Manning and Finn Azaz. With player ratings online so heavily weighted towards goals and assists, it's difficult for defenders to achieve the high ratings.
Saints' worst defender plays every week
If Saints fans are looking for a scapegoat: somebody to point the finger at, then Nathan Wood might be a more suitable candidate. His inability to read the developing situation and get out to close Femi Azeez down for Millwall's first goal was unforgivable. At this level, Wood surely needed to do better than that. His rating has rarely climbed above 7.0. On Saturday he rated 5.3 on Fotmob.com.
The unabating abuse that Stephens suffers at the hands of a handful of clueless fans is astonishing. That he can maintain the level of performance that he does and keep coming back for more is a mark of his character. Perhaps it should be Nathan Wood who is looking over his shoulder: Quarshie is waiting in the wings.