RALPH Hasenhuttl insists it is up to his team to lift the home crowd after Saints responded to being booed by coming from behind to beat Watford.

The Saints boss was pleased with the character shown by his players but was quick to defend those supporters who booed them.

“It’s normal,” he said. “The atmosphere was exactly how we played. We need to lift them, we have to create.

"You cannot demand support if you don’t show them anything. You have to show and then you get something.

“This is what lifts everybody. We have to look to what we can do better and the rest comes by the way.”

Saints were very poor in the first half, but the introduction of Shane Long and Sofiane Boufal in particular helped turn the match on its head.

“We had a big discussion in the dressing room [at half-time],” continued Hasenhuttl.

“The first half was far away from what we showed last weekend [at Arsenal].

“That was the really strange thing, it must be to do with the [recent] history of games in this stadium.

“We have had no successful moments for such a long time and this is in the mind.

“But because of the subs we were more brave and convinced about what we were doing.

"We were more flexible and harder to defend. It was a massive signal for them and the crowd to show how we can turn the table in a home game.

“We wanted to play like this from the beginning, the players didn’t play like we wanted them to or how they can play.

"Maybe that’s because of the pressure that was on them.

“I have analysed more than I wanted to. It’s more important to have this win now and these first three points at home.

“Now we have a big home game against Norwich where we must win again.”