I WAS pleased to see this week the sending off of Jannik Vestergaard against Leicester had been overruled.

For this sort of thing to happen in any game is bad enough.

But to happen after 10 minutes of play, in some cases, makes a team drop their shoulders, feel sorry for themselves and be easier for the opposition to beat.

In Saints’ situation, it was the opposite.

They clenched their fists, more or less said ‘come on, up and at ‘em’ and they finished up with a 1-1 draw. Bearing in mind Leicester as well would have been a team they would have desperately wanted to beat, having lost to them in the FA Cup semi-final.

It crossed my mind that as you watched the game, he should never have been sent off. I don’t think anybody would have objected if Saints had even been awarded an extra point.

We know it will never happen but it would look good for Saints to have got two points from that game.

So well done Ralph and the players. If they continue to show this sort of fighting spirit, not just for the remaining games but for next season, we could be looking up a lot more than looking over our shoulders in the league table.

If ever there was a game to require this fighting spirit, it is today’s fixture at Anfield. Never an easy place to go to.

I suppose, as I’ve said before, one thing in the opposition’s favour is the famous Liverpool crowd will not be in the ground.

You were normally always greeted going onto the pitch at the start of the game with a massive choir singing You’ll Never Walk Alone.

As I’ve often said, it sometimes felt like you were 1-0 down before the referee had even blown his whistle.

So Saints, let’s carry on from where we left off and that would really be good for all concerned.

I was surprised this week to see UEFA would be allowing teams to announce a bigger squad than usual, with 26 men for the Euros instead of 23.

On the one hand I suppose it gives Gareth Southgate the chance to mingle with the players who he hasn’t been able to see more of – although he has often been filmed watching in the stands.

It can’t be a regular thing, because if it’s the same players sitting on the bench game after game, they may lose interest.

But it brings to mind what I’ve often thought, why not have an England B team again?

We had one in Graham Taylor’s day. While I managed the under-21s as they are now, I also did B team games a couple of nights before joining up with the under-21s.

In the three or so years we were together, there was only eight B games – always friendlies.

I remember some of the players in the B team beforehand would be told they would only play half an hour, or even the first half, as they would be on the bench for the first team a couple of nights later.

As most of the B team squad would fly home, three or four would be chauffeured to join up with the first team while I carried on with the under-21s.

The point being, that all of these appearances at every level gave players an added experience of what international football is about – even down to where the referee is totally neutral from neither country on the field. The discipline was much higher when you are representing your country.

All that sort of experience could also show the management whether a player, who might have been outstanding for his club, could have found it sometimes harder to mix with other players he may have only seen once or twice a season on the pitch.

One of my jobs was to watch players during training and even in the dressing room as much as the game itself, so you could judge the type of character - if there was a leader for instance, or a player who needed an arm round his shoulder.

When the games were all over, there would be a staff meeting at the FA looking back and everyone made their own comments about the games themselves, but also each individual on a long list with a view to strengths, weaknesses and character.