I SUPPOSE we’re at that stage of the season, with about a third of the league games left, when the league table more or less tells us who are going to be in the top three or four, who will be pushing them to try to get into Europe, who are happy to be in the mid-table safety area, and who are looking at the bottom area.

Sadly in our case at present, we are one of those who are looking at the bottom area.

This has suddenly happened to Saints bearing in mind looking back, heaps of praise were put on, particularly to the manager and his team, after the way they recovered from last season’s 9-0 defeat.

But then, all of a sudden, we are in the news for the club’s longest ever run of defeats, which included another 9-0. Having been in dressing rooms so often, these are occasions when more can be done in the dressing room than on the pitch in training.

Players often view a fixture and make their mind up beforehand. Sometimes it could well be in our case, they could be thinking, we’ve got one game against a lesser division team in the FA Cup, win that and that will then get us to Wembley in the semi-final, one game off Wembley again in the final.

But I’m sure Ralph is drumming it into them to put that to one side and get the points that we need. Do not look on certain games as being easy.

Fortunately in a way it might help this Saturday at Sheffield United, who are everybody’s favourite to get relegated. Sadly in a way, because the manager and his assistant, Chris Wilder and Alan Knill, were ex-youngsters at Saints. But hang on, they’ve just beaten Aston Villa.

That, I’m sure, will have given them a tremendous lift. The team talks could be ‘well everybody says you’re going down, let’s prove them wrong and let’s get those extra points needed’.

It’s this sort of conversation and patter which comes in at this time of the year.

As I’ve said, I’ve never known four away games in a row, but unfortunately that’s what has hit Saints.

Whilst on paper, Saturday, if you had to pick one would be the bottom team, look who is next – the top team, Manchester City. They themselves are breaking records as we talk, with 21 wins in a row.

All of that apart, I have to say I think no matter what happens Saturday, Sheffield have left it too late. And West Brom, who with Sam Allardyce there now, have got the one man who has a record of keeping every team up he has managed, but I think he arrived too late for this one.

But the days of two down have long gone and third-bottom is the one to look out for. Look at Newcastle United for instance. I’ve said often this season the pressure Steve Bruce is under with the supporters in that area.

On the one hand he will miss the backing they give the team, on the other hand he is probably delighted he is not walking out to about 50,000 booing him every other week.

But they are now in a situation where they are gradually slipping down the table, now sitting fourth-bottom.

By contrast, Saints supporters seem to have rallied round Ralph and that helps. At the minute the team need the support in the ground more than ever, but I’m sure they will all be sending their best wishes from where they are.

The third-bottom spot is obviously the big question mark at present, so let’s hope we can come away from Bramall Lane with three points, which will give us that gap that is needed.

Fundraiser with a difference

The differences in all forms of life at the moment were shown up by the fact that the Saints Foundation, which does so much good work in the area, couldn’t have their annual fundraiser at the ground.

But they did it in a different way, which is all above my head! Fans could pay to take part in the event this year, which all happened online.

I was interviewed, speaking about my time at Saints, while the likes of Ralph Hasenhuttl, Danny Ings, James Ward-Prowse and Matt Le Tissier were also involved on Thursday evening, with some memorabilia auctioned and raffled off to supporters.

Full marks to Greg Baker and his team for finding a modern and different way of raising funds to help out people in the area.