Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has praised the atmosphere created by the home fans against Newcastle, proving it was the right decision to berate them last month.
Hasenhuttl says that the fans were unbelievable and helped his team to fight hard against Newcastle, albeit ending in a 1-0 defeat for the Saints.
Speaking to Southampton’s website, Hasenhuttl said:
I want to say the atmosphere today was fantastic. The fans were unbelievable, they really pushed us and really helped us a lot with this fight, in the second half especially.
This comes after Hasenhuttl hit out at the supporters at St. Mary’s for putting too much pressure on his players and making it difficult to play there last month.
Sometimes it is a little difficult to play at home.
Against Burnley, everyone expects that we are 3-0 up after ten minutes. It is a little hard to show this, this is a pressure guys aren’t used to carrying.
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The difference between the two quotes is quite stark. He was frustrated and felt like the supporters were making it harder for his team, but now believes that they are giving the players a boost on the pitch. This comes from Hasenhuttl’s criticism and his decision to encourage the fans to up their support and get behind the team.
Hasenhuttl’s original comments clearly worked, with Southampton fans producing an excellent atmosphere against Newcastle. They were loud from the first whistle and backed their team all the way, even in spite of the defeat. This is a sign of progression in the relationship between the fans and the club, with it showing that the supporters are buying into Hasenhuttl and what he wants to do going forward.
This bodes well for the future of the club, as it allows Hasenhuttl time to develop his squad and progress the team going forward. It could have been much harder for him to do this if the fans were constantly on his back at St. Mary’s, making it a tough place to play football for their own team.
