Can't Buy Me Luck

George Burley must be wondering what he did in a previous life to deserve such bad luck. The last two games against Derby County and West Bromwich Albion were seen as pivotal to the club`s promotion push, yet a return of 1 point has allowed other promotion rivals to gain ground on Saints.

According to the old footballing proverb, poor refereeing decisions and bad luck are meant to even themselves out throughout the course of a season. If this principle is true, Saints are owed a huge chunk of fortune in the remaining 12 games of the season.

Derby scored with their only shot on target after the ball had debatably gone out of play last Saturday, while West Brom scored an offside goal and should have been down to 9 men had the match had been officiated by a competent referee.

It is important for the fans to keep faith, as tension and frustration in the stands will creep onto the pitch and affect performances. We all know this to be true following the wretched relegation campaign of 2004/05. It is also a well known fact that not only footballers, but people in general perform better when confident and at ease.

The quality of football that Southampton are playing cannot be faulted either, with the general consensus among pundits being that Saints are playing like a Premiership team at the moment.

Let`s just hope that this luck which Saints are owed starts to show soon, before automatic promotion is beyond reach.

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