Gordon Watson has absolved Ronald Koeman of blame after witnessing Saints’ dismal League Cup exit at Sheffield United.

The former Dell striker was at Bramall Lane on Tuesday and was left shocked by Saints’ miserable performance.

After winning at Arsenal and Stoke to get to within touching distance of their first League Cup semi final since 1987, Saints collapsed to defeat against the third tier Blades.

It was the club’s fifth straight defeat after four successive league setbacks.

But while there were mitigating circumstances regarding the league losses – standard of opposition, unlucky breaks, injuries, deflected goals, missed penalties – there were none on Tuesday.

“It was embarrassing, we never got out of first gear,” Watson summed up.

“You expected so much more.

“There’s been excuses or circumstances with the previous four league defeats. But this time there were no excuses, no reasons.

“No way could any of the players hide behind the manager.

“He put out a team that I would be happy with if he put it out against Everton this weekend.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“I have been one of the club’s biggest fans these past few years but that was the worst game I can remember for a long time.

“It was so bad it’s hard to try and put it into words.”

Watson, right, was left stunned by Saints’ sluggish display. “There were 4,000 Saints fans and you can’t hide behind excuses, they all saw the game.

“If you have a real go and still lose, then that’s cup football – shocks can happen. All it takes is one goal.

“But we didn’t have a go.

“Ok, we have had some injuries and Pelle was suspended, but that happens to all teams.

“We can’t use that as an excuse.”

Fans have commented that Saints’ recent performances suggest the players have lost confidence due to the losing run.

“I’ve been in dressing rooms and I know it is possible for confidence to go quickly,” Watson said. “On occasions like that you are looking around for leaders, you’re not looking to the manager.

“But Saints have not got an inexperienced side any more. When you have an international break they have 15 players going away to play for their countries.

“The players will be gutted, they will know they missed a great opportunity to get to the semi finals.

“What makes it worse is that the team won away at Arsenal and Stoke to get to this stage.”

Individually, hardly anyone impressed for Saints.

“Mane kept on giving the ball away and Gardos was like a rabbit caught in the headlights,” Watson continued.

“There was no width from the full backs, no overlapping.

“It was scary to see.

“I thought Sheffield were poor, they are a third division team who struggle to score goals. But we didn’t have anything about us at all.

“It was a chance to get in the semi finals of a major cup competition, playing away at the weakest side left in the tournament – and we had one shot on goal. And that was a tame one.

“Are we too reliant on Pelle up front?

“We don’t really know as he has played virtually every minute of every game, so we don’t know what anyone else would be like up there.

“What I do know is that we kicked it too long to Shane Long at Sheffield United.”