IT WAS billed as a must-win game. Saints didn't win. Promising anyway or a failure? It depends who you listen to.

Opinion was certainly divided after the 0-0 St Mary's draw with Manchester City.

After a good last 20 minutes some supporters felt a wave of optimism wash over them, and that everything will be all right in time.

Others felt this was the result that condemned Saints to a season-long struggle with relegation.

There are plenty of reasons to understand both view points, though at this stage the jury is still out on which it will be, even if I for one was prepared to be swayed by this important game.

Manchester City arrived at St Mary's ravaged by injuries - but no more so than Saints.

And in the first half they tore Saints apart and if only they had somebody to finish Nicolas Anelka's continual good work or a little more luck when having three efforts cleared off the line, they could have cut loose.

Come the second half, and in particular the last 20 minutes, and Saints really kicked into gear, playing some of the best football of their season.

Better finishing from them and they would have snatched a barely deserved three points.

And the reason it's hard to say which way Saints' season will go is because it's by these fine lines that Premiership games are increasingly being won and lost.

Apart from the traditional top five any other team is capable of a run of results if they just click, defend solidly and take a chance or two a game.

Take Everton and Bolton who are invading the upper reaches of the table - are their sides really that much better than Saints or Man City?

No, they're not. Bolton lost to West Brom this week and Everton to Spurs to prove the point.

Perhaps that's why it's so disappointing. There are opportunities to be had to climb the league because 28 out of 38 games a season are against teams of a similar quality.

They may have differing levels of confidence but the raw materials of the squads aren't actually that different.

And when fans see Saints slip to defeat against an average Fulham team and struggle to a home draw with an injury riddled Man City team it's easy to see how it can be distressing.

But despite slipping into the bottom three, the reason this game didn't sway my vote as to where Saints will be for the rest of the season is that if they get going in the next few games they still have to play 22 games against teams no better than they are this season.

It's not great to accept that's the most positive way to look at it but that's the best way to think if you're trying to assess what Saints have done so far and what they can or can't achieve this season.

However, if they play whole games like they did in the first half against City they will lose most of them.

Five successive corners caused Saints problems and they had to clear off the line twice - and then once more later in the half.

Anelka caused all sorts of problems but nobody else could finish. Ben Thatcher whipped a free kick just over the bar, while Jihai Sun fluffed a great chance after being played through on goal.

All Saints managed in the first half, despite some neat play at times and more good work from the increasingly impressive Anders Svensson, was a Kevin Phillips header that he could only direct at David James.

Jelle van Damme came on at half-time for the injured Graeme Le Saux and injected some extra pace and threat for Saints but City still came at them.

Jon Macken should have put Anelka clear but let himself down with a weak pass as he did later when given a great opening from an Anelka cut-back.

Sun had a similar chance that he directed goalwards but at a decent height for Niemi to save - the keeper also being brave to block Anelka's run, getting clattered in the process.

Saints really got going after the introduction of Neil McCann. He may not have had the best of starts to his St Mary's career but he looks a different player now - direct, willing to run at people and possessing a good cross.

He flashed a shot just wide five minutes from time before James saved and Crouch couldn't convert a header - Rory Delap had had one cleared off the line earlier.

But the best chance came in injury time and fell to the man you'd want it to - Phillips. He just had to get the ball over James and on target and it was three points. But his shot was too low and the keeper caught it.

Mistakes are proving harsher than ever this season.