Peter Beagrie has writtern an aticle about us on the sky sports website. Pretty spot on in my view...
It was no surprise to see Jan Poortvliet resign from his job at Southampton last week.
It's easy to say he jumped before he was pushed, but to be honest I don't think Southampton could afford to push him. The promotion of his assistant Mark Wotte is exactly what everybody thinks it is; the cheap option.
The only credence you can give to that appointment is that he knows a lot of this ridiculously young side from the Academy and he will have a bond with the younger elements of the Southampton squad - and that is quite a large element.
Financial constraints seem to be dominating most decisions at St Mary's at the moment. I doubt the new manager will be given any latitude in the transfer market and for him it will be a case of getting on with what he's got.
But as much as I enjoy watching youthful exuberance, it has been proved time and time again that you can't get by on that alone in the Championship.
Southampton are a beautiful footballing side from the same mould as Swansea - but they lack the seasoned professionals, the physical strength and the goal threat of the Welsh team. I applaud the Southampton style, but I'm sure the supporters would sacrifice some of that total football to stave off relegation this year.
Luck
I don't think people should get carried away by the 2-2 draw against Norwich. The youngsters deserve a big pat on the back for showing the character and resilience to overturn a 2-0 deficit away from home, but I don't think that was a direct result of the new manager making changes.
It was more through good luck than good management and also the fact they went out in the second half and played with no fear.
But in this division it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish. Southampton will hope to build into a crescendo where they can win some games and keep their head above water.
That one point in midweek stopped their opponents going more than three points ahead of them and staying within one win of Norwich will be a confidence boost for the players. It could turn out to be a very important point.
The worry is that many of the teams around them - the likes of Derby and Doncaster - have bigger squads, more experienced squads and more spending power than Southampton. Even bottom-placed Charlton have far more experience in winning Championship games.
Nigel Pearson managed to keep them up by the skin of their teeth last year, but I feared for Southampton at the start of the season - and at the moment my fears are proving to be correct.
