IT'S a long, hard, gruelling season in the Championship. Phase one is almost over and so far it's going pretty well.

In this league, more than any other, if you're going to be in and around the top you are going to go through phases where you win a lot of games and phases where you don't.

With six games gone, and time to reflect as we head into an international break, things have not gone too bad for Saints.

The big test was going to be whether things were still going to get worse after last season or whether they would get better.

At the moment, it seems they will get better.

Saints are playing like a team with a bit of confidence again, a bit of self belief, and they are starting to look more like a Harry Redknapp team.

The way they pass the ball, the way they conduct themselves - it's slowly starting to get that trademark Redknapp look about it.

The thing about this league is that it's far too early to be talking about promotion, play-offs and relegation.

We're six games in now and the matches remaining are more than an entire Premiership season.

Phase one officially ends once the transfer window closes.

The right tone has been set on the field so far, but not off it.

Redknapp chose his words carefully last night after the game when he was asked if he was angry about the lack of backing he has received in the transfer market.

Just £90,000 spent so far when he has long said he needs to get in quality players alongside his free transfers.

We're in last chance saloon for signings now.

Trouble is, a lot of the best players are long since gone having moved to clubs earlier in the summer when Saints were occupied with selling rather than buying.

As Redknapp again pointed out, that main concern is where the goals are coming from in attack.

Goalkeeper, defence and even midfield looks fairly settled, even if another wide player may be desirable.

The only essential you feel is that goalscoring striker.

What Saints do have is a lot of forward players who can work hard, hold the ball up and cause problems for defences.

What they don't have is a player who is lethal and scores for fun.

The irony is that they did have one of those a few months ago in Kevin Phillips, but they sold him for less than £1m. Now they are scratching their heads trying to find somebody for up to about £1.5m to try and replace him.

None of this is as easy for chairman Rupert Lowe to put into practice as it is for everybody to suggest.

But, nevertheless, as things stand at the moment we can say that Redknapp has not been backed sufficiently.

The frustrating thing is that what Saints have now might just be enough to put them in the shake-up come the end of the season.

But the addition of a clinical striker would move that thought on from being a possibility to a probability.

Surely £2m is not a lot to ask if Redknapp thinks he can find the man who will do that.

At least another of Redknapp's new signings opened his account last night.

Ricardo Fuller, in his best display so far, produced an instinctive finish across the keeper to equalise on 12 minutes after a terrible backpass from Robert Page let him in.

It was after just six minutes that Coventry had taken the lead when James Scowcroft fired in ex-Saint Marcus Hall's cross.

Antti Niemi had slightly more work to do in this match but he wasn't severely tested - neither was Coventry's Stephen Bywater.

The best chance fell to Brett Ormerod but he headed against the bar from just yards out when it seemed easier to score.

Coventry gave Saints' defence an examination with some direct and physical play, but they stood firm.

Again Saints' midfield was a strong point and it seemed as the game came to a close that the opening was there to push on and get a winner.

It didn't happen, but that's the thing about this league - it doesn't always happen.

But at least when it doesn't, if you make sure you don't lose you're doing something right.

Let's hope that phase one has a successful conclusion tomorrow to let phase two begin with real optimism.