A SET of protest banners have been hung outside of Saints’ Staplewood training ground as the club’s season reached the brink of relegation on Monday night with a 4-3 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

The defeat at the City Ground made it ten games without a win and Saints now find themselves eight points adrift of safety with three games to go. A failure to beat Fulham next weekend would officially curtail Saints’ 11-season stay in the top flight.

The disastrous campaign has seen Saints mired in the relegation zone since early November while cycling through three different managers - all with limited to no success. 

Without a victory since beating Leicester City on March 4, supporters have voiced their frustrations at St Mary’s and on social media.

Meanwhile a set of protest banners were hung at Staplewood with the aim being for players and staff to see the message as they either left for Nottingham or returned following the meeting at the City Ground.

While significant supporter ire has been aimed at Saints’ owners Sport Republic - who took over last January and spent heavily before overseeing the worst season for the club in the last decade - these protest sings appear to be aimed at the team’s tactics and particularly the limited use of striker Paul Onuachu.

“Attack both bylines. Cross back to the penalty spot for Onuachu. Let the laws of physics take effect,” the first banner wrote, accompanied by a smaller sign saying “No long balls needed.”

Onuachu is a clear example of Sport Republic’s failed recruitment this season with the towering forward arriving in January for a fee of around £18m but making almost no impact since. 

After starting three of the first four games following his signing, Onuachu has failed to make the Saints’ XI since even as Che Adams missed time through injury. The Nigerian is yet to find the net for Saints.