Roy’s army head down to Southampton with a spring in their step. Saints, on the other hand are rock bottom of the table, four points from safety.
I spoke to Allen Gunn of St. Mary’s Musings to hear how Saints fans are feeling about the game, and the season more broadly.
TEB: How worried are you about relegation? Are you still fighting or resigned to it?
AG: Mathematically it is very possible so we are probably still fighting, but the question remains whether we can score enough goals. The only realistic way we’re staying up is James Ward-Prowse doing an absolute madness and banging in a series of long-range free kicks.
We’re even missing our non-goalscoring forward – Che Adams – although there is some prospect of him returning for the Palace match up, likely on the bench.
It has been weird as Adams was brought in to score goals, which haven’t materialised (5 goals this season, 7 last) but his all-round play has been good – and without him we do lack a presence to build around.
TEB: Okay, so tell us who is going down?
AG: Obviously very tough to call, and it’ll likely change week by week, but right now it’s sadly probably us, West Ham and Leicester City.
TEB: If you go down, are you optimistic you can come straight back up?
AG: I’m not sure. The issue is the model doesn’t really work in the Championship, which is to sign very young players with something to prove in the Premier League. Our owners, Sports Republic, have said we would be financially viable but I don’t think we’ll be the club that comes straight back up as we have deeper issues to resolve. I imagine we’d lose several of our quality players as they would be available relatively cheaply with high upsides.
TEB: To the game on Saturday, where will it be won and lost?
AG: If Palace score first, it’s going to be lights out, we really struggle for goals when we go behind but I imagine it might be tight so I’ll go for 1-0 either way,
TEB: What would be your fairy tale end of season story?
AG: Ward-Prowse hitting a winning free kick 3-4 weeks in a row. Carrying his boyhood club on his back the entire way. There are other guys that can be a factor, Lavia for example, but overall if we stay up it will be down to JWP.
TEB: Anything else?
AG: Southampton have been a real rollercoaster club, highs and lows, sometimes within the same week! Whatever the outcome of the season is, it’s been a good ride. If we go down, it will be emotional, just a couple of highlights worth mentioning:
The FA Cup Final – losing to Manchester United (TEB – we know that feeling!), Gabbiadini (who had the goal disallowed in the final) scoring the goal against Swansea to keep us in the division in Hassenhuttl’s first season.
Big thanks to Allen, and here’s to many more highlights to come.
