SAINTS need to repeat some of their best results of the post-Pochettino era to guarantee Premier League survival – starting with victory at West Ham on Saturday.

To reach the 40-point mark, which is generally enough to stay in the Premier League, Saints need 12 from their last eight matches.

With five of them away from home and the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City still to visit St Mary’s this season, it looks a daunting prospect.

But  a repeat of Saints’ best results from the corresponding matches in the last three years would see them finish the season with as many as 44 points.

When Saints were last relegated from the Premier League in 2004-05, they had 32 points when 34 would have been enough to stay up.

The 1998/99 Saints Great Escape team, which included manager Mark Hughes, stayed up with 41 when 37 would have been enough.

But you have to go back to 2010/11 for the last time a team needed 40 points to stay up - and 38 will probably suffice this year.

West Ham 0 Saints 3 (September 25, 2016)

This was Saints' fourth successive win during a seven-match unbeaten run at the beginning of Claude Puel’s first season.

Charlie Austin’s fifth goal in four games, plus an assist for Dusan Tadic led to calls for an England call-up.

James Ward-Prowse scored the other goal in this win, in what was West Ham’s third game at the Olympic Stadium, following their move from Upton park the previous summer.

Saints return to the Olympic Stadium on Saturday and could not be playing the Hammers at a better time given what happened when David Moyes side played their last ‘home’ game.

Fans’ fury at the move from Upton Park and the subsequent lack of investment resulted in a toxic atmosphere as West Ham crashed to a 3-0 defeat at home to Burnley.

Saints’ visit will be West Ham’s first game for three weeks.

Arsenal 0 Saints 0 (February 2, 2016)

A valuable away point and Saints’ only draw in a six-match unbeaten run that helped secure sixth place in Ronald Koeman’s second and final season at St Mary’s.

It was also the fourth of six successive clean sheets for Fraser Forster and meant Koeman became the third Saints manager to reach 100 Premier League points – and in the fewest games.

Saints will hope Arsenal are distracted by their Europa League quarter-final against CSKA Moscow, the first leg of which is played at the Emirates three days before their visit on Sunday, April 8.

Saints 1 Chelsea 1 (December 28, 2014)

Admittedly, Saints still had Sadio Mane, Victor Wanyama and Graziano Pelle when they last held Chelsea to a draw at St Mary’s.

But then the Blues had the likes of Diego Costa, John Terry and Cesc Fabregas.

Sadio Mane gave Saints a 17th-minute lead against a Chelsea side that went on to become champions.

Eden Hazard scored Chelsea’s equaliser on the stroke of half-time.

Just as it did in 2015/16, the champions’ star has fallen somewhat this season.

Antonio Conte’s side has lost its last three away games in the Premier League and is in danger of missing out on a top-four place for the second time in three years.

Leicester City 0 Saints 0 (October 2, 2016)

Centre-backs Jose Fonte and Virgil van Dijk may have since left but every other member of the Saints side that drew this game at the home of the champions is still at St Mary’s.

It came just a few days after the trip to Israel for the 0-0 Europa League draw in Israel against Hapoel Beer-Sheva and was Saints’ sixth game in little more than two weeks.

The forthcoming trip has also been shoehorned into a busy Saints week with the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley coming three days later.

Saints 2 AFC Bournemouth 0 (November 1, 2015)

This is one of three difficult home games that remain for Saints.

But, encouragingly, they have kept clean sheets in both their Premier League home games against the Cherries.

Goals from Steve Davis and Graziano Pelle (right) ensured a Saints victory from their first top-flight match against their Dorset neighbours. With this match sandwiched between visits from Chelsea and Manchester City, it is imperative that Saints pick up three points from this one.

If Saints were to lose, their ‘rivalry’ with the Cherries would suddenly become less friendly.

Everton 1 Saints 1 (April 16, 2016)

Theo Walcott was in the last Saints side to be relegated from the Premier League so it would be ironic if he were to score the goal that sends Saints down.

Saints have not won at Goodison Park since 1997 and Sadio Mane’s equaliser there two years ago secured their first point on the blue side of Stanley Park since 2003.

A repeat will not be easy against an Everton side that has won its last three home games.

Swansea 0 Saints 1 (February 13, 2016)

Shane Long scored the only goal midway through the second half as Saints repeated their result at the Liberty Stadium from the previous season, when Rickie Lambert scored in the final minute. 

This was Saints’ fifth win in six games and one of Long’s 13 goals for the club that season. 
 

Saints 4 Man City 2 (May 1, 2016)

A repeat of this result is the most fanciful result of the seven.

But if Saints go into it having duplicated the previous six the likelihood is they will already have enough to stay up.

That is by no means certain. The fact the 4-2 win against City, thanks largely to Sadio Mane’s brilliant hat-trick, was only two years ago highlights how dramatic Saints’ fall has been.