When Southampton lost 9-0 at home to Leicester City just over a year ago, you’d have forgiven the Saints board for acting in haste and sending Ralph Hasenhuttl packing.
To the club’s immense credit they stuck with Austrian, and he has repaid their faith.
At present, the south coast outfit remain in the top ten, and are just four points behind third-placed Everton.
With the January transfer window about to open some new signings wouldn’t go amiss, particularly as injuries to Jannik Vestegaard, Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond have weakened the usual starting XI somewhat.
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However, a perceived lack of funds from the Southampton board will force Hasenhuttl to look towards the club’s academy players to pad out his squad.
“Sure we could always have more players with quality but our budget is not like the budgets of other clubs,” he is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.
“I think we have in every position two options now, most of the time it is an experienced player and a young one — and we don’t want to block the young players too much, we want to develop them.
“And in the last game I brought the young lads in, and they must take the experience against the big teams, they must learn and they have to be patient, but the moment will come when they get more time.
“We know our history with our academy, we know that we need to force them to play. As a manager I look at the young players and the club normally like to give them a chance in the Premier League, although it is tough.”
As long as Hasenhuttl retains the support of the board, there’s some merit in bringing through youngsters in any event.
The hunger, drive and desire to succeed can often trump a willingness from a bigger name to only join a club to swell their bank balance.