GEORGE Burley must feel he has one of the toughest jobs in football at the moment - and he might well be right.

He is effectively having to try and manage with one hand tied behind his back.

You don't have to always agree with his decisions to appreciate the predicament he finds himself in.

Having been forced to sell his best two players during the summer, trim the wage bill further and with virtually no resources to go and invest, it's a tough ask. In fact it's even harder than that.

The Saints boss is putting on a brave face but inside he must surely be struggling.

In terms of football management his job is such a difficult one.

And, after two poor defeats to start the season, the pressure is going to be on him.

You would imagine he wants to get on the roof of St Mary's and shout what else can I do? I didn't want to sell my best players but it's for the good of the club.' Forget these recent results just for a moment. Even if the problems continue, his job should be safe. If Saints lose Burley then the real strife will begin.

The essence of the problem for Burley is managing expectations.

Saints still have decent players in the squad but clearly have a few gaping holes that need to be filled and they probably won't all be before the transfer window closes.

On the back of that Burley is expected to get the team challenging for promotion again.

Though Burley hasn't curried favour with elements of the St Mary's crowd for a few of his team selections you can see where the problems arise.

The reality of the situation is that Saints can finish in the top six again. But they are in a weaker position to do so than they were last season and so, when Burley is judged on results, that has to be taken into account.

He is still the best man Saints could get for this job and, the more backing he gets, the better he might well be able to do.

However, he's got early troubles to turn around now.

After Saturday's nightmare 4-1 defeat against Crystal Palace, a game three days later against lower league opposition was on paper the perfect chance to get the season back on track. But, as is the way with football, perhaps the trip to Peterborough on the back of the Palace result produced more anxiety than expectation amongst the players.

Full story in today's Daily Echo