Saints travel up to the London Stadium and take on the Hammers whose form in recent weeks has dipped as much as Saints has soared.

If we were looking at this fixture a few weeks ago it would have seemed a daunting task, West Ham looked in reasonable form and we couldn't buy a win, howeverthe past ten days have seen the fortunes of both clubs go in opposite directions.

Therefore we travel up to London in confident mood, with three straight wins under our belt and our team looking like it is now getting to grips with Claude Puel's change of playing style from Ronald Koemans.

I have been confident that we would adapt to the style, after all players change clubs and change styles, most can adapt to differing methods and tactics and indeed in the modern game it is those teams who can change tactics to suit the occasion that succeed, so why should our new manager's methods mean that we would automatically go to the dogs because the players can't deal with it.

Of course there is still fine tuning to do and there are still injury issues in the squad that mean it won't be played to its full extent, but now we have a cutting edge in an in form Charlie Austin there is no reason why we won't be able to keep progressing.

Indeed my only worry for this game is that West Ham are in so poor a form that surely their run cannot continue, at the back they are woeful in recent weeks and injuries for this weekend don't look like making things any better, but as Saints have shown numerous times over the years, it is when the chips are down that a team can come together and pull out an unexpected result.

Their danger man is Dimitri Payet and he is the man Saints must contain, however the way we play under Puel has seen us keep the ball well and win it back when not in possession all adding up to the fact that we do not give the opposition many chances, we have to make sure that is the case on Sunday.

Indeed it is not the system that has been our problem, but lack of concentration at both ends of the pitch, we have been tight at the back, but lost concentration in all games when sometimes it has cost us dearly as at Arsenal and sometimes we have got away with it, e need to make sure that keep concentrating.

Up at the other end creating chances has not been a problem, it has been the number we have converted and we need to start putting them away, a week ago and the nerves were perhaps getting the better of us in front of goal, but now with three straight wins the pressure is off us.

So te job at West Ham is simple, keep playing the way we have, but keep our concentration and put the ball in the net, football is a very simple game, those that claim our poor start was down to the system were far from the truth, the issue is just one of scoring and not aking mistakes at the back.

Of course many did not see it that way and it made many perceive that we were playing badly or boring, I did not think that was the case, yes we were less direct, but the teams in the top six often play that way, they are confident that when the opposition is in possession that they can win it back and attack quickly and finish ruthlessly.

All we have not done in that respect is finish ruthlessly, do that and there is not a lot wrong with this team.

Photo: Action Images

darthvader added 08:26 - Sep 25 If we could finish our chances we would be top of the league . Hopefully the confidence is returning and we give the bubble blowers a thrashing
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