Analysing the wreckage of Blackburn Rovers’ trip to St Mary’s poses a difficult dilemma. Were they really good or were Rovers really bad?

The answer, as usual, lies somewhere in between, though we’re more inclined to subscribe to the former. It was probably a bad time for Rovers to play Southampton and a good time for them to face Rovers.

The Saints entered the game 13 Championship games unbeaten and started like a team filled with confidence. They pressed Rovers incredibly high and were very successful in winning the ball back.

Russell Martin’s side sustained attacks as well as any team has against Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side this season. It put Rovers on the back foot and they couldn’t get out of their own half.

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Rovers tried to fight fire with fire. Tomasson felt his side didn’t play well enough on the ball and at times, he was right. There also needs to be some acceptance that the opposition did their job very well.

They set traps for Tomasson’s side and they played into them, sticking to their philosophy and style of play as they always do. That is admirable and in the long term, it will serve them well. In the short term, there will be times you get burned.

Rovers didn’t help themselves at times either. The timing of the opener was a sucker punch. It felt like Blackburn had ridden the storm and as half-time approached, 0-0 would have been a good result.

Leopold Wahlstedt had a great game in terms of shot-stopping but he will be disappointed with the opener. On Tuesday night, he had his best game in a Blackburn shirt, especially in terms of dominating his penalty area.

That has been the area of his game that needs to improve as he continues to adapt to English football. Whilst the Samuel Edozie’s goal wasn’t a howler by any means, I’d like to think he’d handle the situation better in 12 months and clear both players out of the way.

The crowd were starting to grow frustrated despite Saints’ dominance and so that goal lifted them again. Once Callum Brittain was sent off, it was game over.

It was a moment of stupidity from the Rovers defender, who doesn’t need me or anyone else to tell him. He apologised to his team-mates after the game because it was a costly error.

Given the status of the match, it was the defining moment. Make no mistakes, Rovers were still second-best and might well have lost but they were in the game. At 1-0, there is always a chance. The red card made it an uphill task.

One thing I would say, which has no bearing on the red card, is the inconsistency in punishing ‘time wasting’ is infuriating. Brittain can have no complaints given the new rules but there were other similar incidents that went unpunished.

Joel Aribo, albeit less obviously, kicked the ball away after it went for a goal-kick in the first half. No card. That doesn’t excuse what Brittain did but referees need to decide whether they are implementing this new, stricter approach or not, week in, week out.

Ultimately, Rovers struggled to impose themselves on Southampton. The tactics were understandable but they require you being on your ‘A-Game’ to play through the pressure and make the right decisions in the final third.

What you have to consider is the energy levels in the squad too. It’s the end of a three-game week and they were handed their toughest assignment, given the away travel too.

I know it is repetitive and perhaps boring, but it’s such a young group. There will be fluctuations in form and performance levels. That doesn’t make it any less frustrating for 1,300 fans who paid their hard-earned money to travel a week before Christmas.

When the dust settles and the emotion dies down, I think Rovers fans know they are still performing where they should be. Tomasson is getting the absolute maximum out of this group, especially considering the injuries.

Take Andrew Moran. He is 19, in his first senior loan. Based on his midweek performance, he shouldn’t have played at St Mary’s. He needed a break and that’s normal, he’s a teenager after all.

But Tomasson has few other options, especially given Moran’s talent on the ball. Rovers are just asking their players to push through the tiredness which they are doing willingly. But, ultimately, performances will suffer.

They have got to find a way of adding bodies in January, even if they are short-term solutions that might not perfectly align with the long-term plan. Ideally, Rovers need an injection of quality but they must get extra players to rotate, if nothing else.

Finances are tough, I don’t expect Rovers to be splashing the cash, obviously. But if they can get some favourable loans, it could make a world of difference.

As we’ve said many times, the top four are in a class of their own. The Championship has four teams worthy of automatic promotion this year, two of them will miss out.

Results against Leeds and Saints won’t dictate the season. Results against Bristol City, Watford, Huddersfield Town and Hull City will. It is basically a rat race for fifth and sixth place between 10, 12, maybe more, very even teams.

There is nothing between them really. Form fluctuates between 10-game stints and Rovers are part of that pack. When January comes, they need to ensure they have enough to give themselves a chance because it is not a high bar this year.

The injuries will then hopefully subside, players will come back and the world will be rosier. But for the here and now, that doesn’t make the frustration any easier to swallow for Rovers fans.

They weren’t good at Southampton but they weren’t an embarrassment. They are an honest group, a young group and a stretched group. They played a very good team, made costly errors and were punished. That’s the cruel reality of the Championship.