Hasenhüttl determined to repay fans
Ralph Hasenhüttl says the events at Manchester United earlier this week will not derail his side's progress and that he wants to repay the fans for their support following that match as soon as possible.
Saints' 9-0 defeat was the second time in as many seasons that they have suffered such a result, but, as Hasenhüttl explained, this occasion was markedly different to the first, with his team in a far stronger position in the table and having had to deal with both a significant injury list and some controversial decisions at Old Trafford.
The manager was incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from fans following the result, and wants to make sure the team gets back to winning ways as quickly as possible for them.
"It's a completely different situation," he said, ahead of today's trip to Newcastle. "That doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt more or less or whatever. It's never nice if you lose like this.
"I think everybody saw the circumstances with the early red card and the shock that the team had afterwards.
"I must say a big thank you to all the people out there. They were supporting us after this game about how we get punished in some moments. It's not on me to discuss any decisions anymore. There was a lot out there discussing it over the last two games.
"It was tough to take, definitely. We have it, we cannot undo it, but what we can do is take all this positive reaction to us that we normally didn't deserve.
"The fans see what team we are, what club we are in the moment, and what we have given them this season so far.
"We won't let this one game have such an effect on this season that we stop playing good football and I think we did it this season very often. It's not long ago that we beat the champions at home, so what we have to do now is, we cannot make it unhappen, but show that we stand up and we give them back what they want to see from us – a team that is fighting for every win, without stupid fouls, with lads who know what they have to do and then being a more competitive team."
Not many fanbases would likely respond in such fashion, and Hasenhüttl agreed it was a particularly special reaction to receive.
"Especially in the moment where you don't have them very close to you physically, it's important to know they are still there and are still watching you and that you still emotionalise them with what you're doing, with the wins you take, with the effort you put in, with the sprints you make on the pitch, with the duels you go in on every game," he said.
"It's important to know they are there, because this is the most important reason that you do it, to make them happy, to give them enjoyment.
"We are there to give them good weekends and good evenings, better than last Tuesday, and it's good to know they are out there, that they care, and you can be sure that this payment on our account we want to pay back.
"We want to do it, we want to show up that we can again stand up and fight back and grab the next points with everything we have."
