Claude Puel remained defiant over his Saints future despite ending the season getting jeered by his own fans.

The Saints boss will learn his fate in the coming days as the club instigate their end of season review, but they could well be swayed by the stick he got from supporters in the final day 1-0 home defeat to Stoke.

Fans booed his substitutions again and chanted ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ at the Frenchman as his side made it five consecutive home games without a goal – a total of 455 minutes.

However, Puel was certainly bowed by the criticism, and pointed to Saints’ eighth placed Premier League finish and EFL Cup final appearance as justification of a decent season.

He said: “Just after the game it was a disappointment of course because we did a game with a good spirit, a good attitude with many opportunities.

“It is a little the same picture as all the season I think.

“After I think I want to stay with all the positives and to finish eighth on the table and improve different players, because they can make fantastic work all the season with the good attitude and spirit and good attention.

“They try but all the time at this moment the opponent’s goalkeeper is fantastic.

“Sometimes we are unlucky, sometimes we make situations, but I think it’s a good thing.

“I am positive we finish eighth on the table because in this championship all the great teams finish in the first positions in the table. To finish eighth for me I think is a good achievement.

“All the time it was a difficult competition with all these games since the beginning of the season, with all these injuries eighth on the table with the final is a good thing.

“Of course we come back next season with the same intention but also I hope with progress in the final third to find the solution and to score more.

“It was not enough for the team with all this good work and without the good reward and they deserve this eighth place and the cup final. It’s a good thing.”

Puel said he understood the frustrations of the club’s fans and took the booing in his stride.

“The fans wanted to win, they wanted goals and all the good things to finish the season,” he admitted.

“I know this and it’s normal and after it’s important for me to keep the good journey, the good work, because the attitude and spirit was interesting until the end of the season.

“After sometimes without good reward and the fans sometimes are not satisfied but for us it is the same.

“With the final and to finish eighth on the table is interesting with all these difficulties all this season with all these games and all these competitions and injuries also it’s a good answer at the final I think.

“Not scoring the last game at home of course the fans are unhappy.”