YESTERDAY was not a great day to be a Saints fan.

Not only was there the frustration of seeing no further players arrive before the transfer window shut, but the team lost again, robbed by a staggering late penalty decision.

At the start of the transfer window, fans were cautiously optimistic that some money would be spent on improving the team.

The sale of Antti Niemi and Theo Walcott then boosted this expectation still further.

The departures of an entire team's worth of senior players further heightened the excitement.

But, when push came to shove, no great money was spent.

There was the cash signing of Alexander Ostlund for an undisclosed fee.

Then there were two loans and a free transfer on a short term contract.

There could well still be a couple more loans to come.

It's perhaps easier to put this into context now.

The massive squad changes that have been talked about for sometime are under way.

So many players have left, a great deal more will follow in the summer.

Of the players that have signed, only one has a contract that will keep him at the club beyond the summer.

Clearly it seems the major movement in will come then.

George Burley's current plan must surely be to keep plugging away until the end of the season and try to get in the players that will at least keep them up this season.

Nevertheless, it is disappointing for the fans that there was not as much to get excited about in the transfer window as they had hoped for.

With the perhaps optimistic assumption there might have been a couple of million to spend anyway, then maybe as much as £5m more after the sales, a biggish name or two was expected, and arguably needed, to lift morale.

Nobody knows what the club has been trying to do except for the club.

But, for whatever reason, it hasn't happened to the extent they would have liked.

What is clear, though, is that Ostlund and Peter Madsen, as well as the two others that could come in on loan, will have to make a decent impact on the side.

As has been said before, the team are looking slightly better, but the confidence still seems fragile at times.

Once they get a lift, they are capable of playing well.

But, sometimes, they can almost seem beaten before they've really started.

Saints were unlucky to lose to Plymouth last night in what was another scrappy game.

The first half passed almost without incident until the stroke of half- time, when a long throw into the Saints box wasn't cleared and Nick Chadwick spun and fired home to open the scoring.

Bartosz Bialkowski got down and got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.

George Burley made two changes at the interval, bringing on Kenwyne Jones and Darren Kenton for Marian Pahars and Jim Brennan, and it breathed new life into Saints.

Suddenly, they looked capable of opening Plymouth up and posed a threat down the wings in the shape of Nathan Dyer and the impressive Andrew Surman.

Saints had to wait until the 70th minute to level.

This time it was a Saints long throw that did the trick.

Matt Oakley arrowed the ball in from the right, it was allowed to bounce in the box and it looped up to the centre of the goal, where Surman stormed in to head home from close range.

After that point Saints started to get on top and looked the more likely side, Jones coming close with a snapshot that was straight at the keeper.

But, on 83 minutes, Saints were cruelly robbed when referee Andy Hall awarded a penalty.

He seemed to suggest it was for handball, but a clue came from the fact that no Plymouth players or fans appealed.

No matter, Paul Wotton stepped up and slammed the ball home to Bialkowski's right, sending the Saints keeper the wrong way.

It was a cruel blow for Saints, but they were not quite done there.

In the 90th minute, Oakley's corner was met by the head of Jones.

The striker must have thought he had scored as the ball arrowed towards the top corner.

But, somehow, keeper Roman Larrieu managed to dive and stick out a hand that diverted the ball on to the bar and then caught the rebound.

All in all, it was a pretty disappointing day for Saints fans.