Saints supporters were disappointed with their team conceding an equaliser on Saturday against Rotherham, but one man in the Southampton team shocked by the reaction in the stands at the final whistle.

On loan midfielder Flynn Downes was not a happy man after the draw against Rotherham on Saturday as revealed at the72.co.uk.

"After a performance like that, I know we should have won but we shouldn’t be getting booed off after a game again. That to me is mental.

“I get everyone wants to win, and we’re the same, but the performance and the way we played – it was weird. I get it, I’m a fan. When I used to go and my team didn’t win, of course, you boo.

“But when you are playing the way we are playing and dominate a game like that, okay we conceded a goal we shouldn’t have. In the crowd, I’m seeing fans giving it all this and booing.

“I’m not going to say too much because we need their support. When we are playing at home, we are playing a style that no one else wants to play – all the players need the confidence.

“We need the boost from the fans, so to get booed at the end is mental, absolutely mental.”

So does Downes have a point ? He himself is clearly frustrated, after all the team had won the previous two games and turned a corner, whilst the result was disappointing, it was still 7 points from the last 3 outings and had supporters been told as they entered St Mary's before the Leeds united game that this would be the start of 3 games where 7 points would be picked up, not many would have been complaining.

Clearly Flynn Downes was upset on Saturday and possibly because he is not a permanent member of the Saints squad, he felt able to speak out at what he had witnessed, perhaps something that those who are not on loan would not be able to do.

Speaking to someone at the game on Saturday who was a neutral, they certainly could not see why a team should have been booed off after drawing a game they dominated and they agreed with Downes on this point.

This was not a 4th straight defeat, it was the 3rd game of an unbeaten run which has seen us back on track for the top six.

Personally I think Downes did have a point, the team did not play badly, on another day this could have been a comfortable victory and this is perhaps why the fans were so frustrated, they expected it to be just that.

Perhaps his last couple of paragraphs are the most important, the players are rebuilding a fragile confidence shook after the defeats to Sunderland & Leicester, they need the support of the fans not boos ringing in their ears.

No one would be arguing with the booing if we had just lost 2-0 with barely a shot on goal, but as Downes said, this was not a poor performance per se, just key moments in front of goal at both ends didn't go our way.

This season could head in two directions at the moment and perhaps the fans will play a part in either way, they can get behind the team as in fairness most of them did throughout the entire game and hopefully spur us onwards and upwards or we can watch the team get dragged down.

This is not me saying this, but one of the players who is shocked that a team in the promotion race is being booed off, he called it mental and for a player and indeed supporter of West Ham United to say that, the Hammers being a team that has not been unfamiliar with fan unrest over the past few years, that is saying something.

Of course I am not saying that supporters should not be upset to fail to win a game, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but we have to put those opinions in context and concentrate on what the ultimate goal is and that is promotion, if not automatically but by the play offs.

Photo: Action Images

NewburySaint added 13:31 - Oct 11 Well he would say that wouldn't he, not being our player and being part of the "not progressive, boring, football" problem.... Also, as far as i heard, it was support all the way from the stands on Saturday and any booing occurred AFTER the final whistle.
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