Lowe is jeered as Saints are humiliated 5-2 at lower division Watford ... but Wigley says: You can't blame the chairman...

PERHAPS the most damning indictment of last night's 5-2 defeat was the reaction of the Watford fans.

They had stopped applauding their team by midway through the second-half and were instead confident enough to mock the efforts of their Premiership opponents.

When Dexter Blackstock made it 4-1, the Watford fans even started to cheer in sympathy, before continuing with their favoured chant of: "Can we play you every week?"

While delighted with their own team, the home supporters genuinely couldn't believe what they were seeing.

On his way out, one turned to the press-box and said: "You can't blame the manager. No professional player should put in a performance as bad as that."

It was hard to argue, but even harder to know where such a display had come from.

In two-and-a-half-years following Saints home and away, this was the worst I had seen them play by a considerable margin.

It was also the first time when you could ask questions of the character and effort of what is normally such a committed and honest group of players.

Perhaps it will prove simply to be one of those freak results football does occasionally throw up. Let's hope so.

For make no mistake, a 5-2 result reflected the dominance Watford enjoyed until late into the game.

The 1-0 half-time scoreline had flattered Saints if anything. Surely, you thought, they would come out and really show something after the interval.

They did, only it was worse than what had gone before.

Nothing can really mitigate this particular performance, but in their defence Saints are missing the spine of their team. They are also clearly short of confidence.

Of those who remain from what has become the benchmark 2002/3 season, Antti Niemi, Michael Svensson, Matthew Oakley and James Beattie are probably the first four names you would want available.

You can't really plan for the level of injuries currently afflicting Saints, but they are suffering from a reluctance to add top quality by spending significant money on major individual transfers.

There is also a failure to address a long-standing lack of pace and creativity from the midfield.

Once Saints fell behind last night, there was probably not many in Vicarage Road who could sense a midfield of Paul Telfer, Mikael Nilsson, Rory Delap and Anders Svensson, backed up by full-backs Danny Higginbotham and Darren Kenton, providing consistent ammunition for Kevin Phillips and Brett Ormerod.

Saints fans vented their frustrations and directed their chants at Rupert Lowe.

Wigley later tried to diffuse the situation by taking responsibility with the players for the performance.

And he also deserved credit for the magnanimous way he congratulated Watford and pulled no punches in assessing his own team's display.

The truth, though, is that the fans are justified to be asking questions of a chairman whose judgement on several big decisions in the past year has not impressed them.

There will inevitably also be some calling for Wigley to step down after last night. But that would be wrong. Having been appointed in the most trying circumstances imaginable, he still deserves more time.

After changing managers like Elizabeth Taylor trades husbands in recent years, now would NOT be a good time for yet more upheaval.

In the early minutes last night, there was briefly a sense of deja-vu, with Saints wearing white shorts just as they did against Watford 18 months ago.

Then they were victorious 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final. It was one of the greatest occasions in Saints' history.

Much water has passed under the bridge since then and, for the fans, a lot of it has not been pleasant.

"Premier League you're having a laugh", taunted the Watford fans.

On last night's evidence, I'm afraid you couldn't disagree.