Trouble at home for leaky Blades. MATCH ACTION SLIDESHOW

GEORGE Burley's assertion that the Championship is a marathon not a sprint provided Bryan Robson with a small crumb of comfort as he surveyed the damage caused by another hugely disappointing performance.

But the Sheffield United manager knows that unless his players find a solution to the defensive problems which are threatening to shape an entire season the leaders will be cruising down The Mall while the Blades navigate Tower Bridge.

Goals from Grzegorz Rasiak and Jhon Viafara condemned Robson's side to the fourth defeat of his reign - already halfway towards the number he deems suitable for the entire campaign - and, more worryingly, their first on home soil since the former England captain's appointment in May.

Given their problems away from Bramall Lane, United must hope this does not mark the start of a worrying new trend.

Hardly the ideal preparation for tomorrow's visit of Cardiff City and the Robbie Fowler/ Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink partnership which is showing ominious signs of fulfilling its fearsome potential.

"We've got to bounce straight back on Tuesday," Robson said. "If we keep conceding like that then we are always going to end up chasing the game and that makes it even harder to play football.

"I set a target this season of losing only eight games and we've already lost four so we've got to start winning matches and, more importantly, put back to back wins together.

"But chasing games is not an excuse for the goals we are conceding.

"It's a long, hard season and I'm sure we'll get it right.

"I'm confident that with the quality of player we've got here that if we keep working hard we will put a good run together.

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"We'll be working doubly hard to try and turn the results around and this makes the Cardiff match even more important."

Having already beaten West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers in front of the United supporters ,Robson could have been forgiven for thinking that a Southampton squad stripped of the star names which came so close to delivering promotion last term represented the perfect opposition following the recent loss at Crystal Palace.

Indeed when United took the lead courtesy of Keith Gillespie's clinical early finish the stage seemed set for a profitable afternoon.

The Northern Ireland international drilled a low finish across the Southampton goalkeeper and inside the far post after Jon Stead contested Christian Dailly for an aerial ball.

United best move of the match soon after - involving Derek Geary, James Beattie and Stephen Quinn - provided further encouragement but Rasiak's effort prompted a decline which left Robson and large sections of the United support simply scratching their heads in bewilderment.

Viafara edged Southampton in front following a mix-up between Paddy Kenny and his defenders and from that moment on the harder United tried to worse it seemed to get.

Southampton keeper Kelvin Davis went the entire second half without making a save of note.

Confidence is clearly a problem.

Read more: Robson looks to brain power.

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What do you think? Post your comments below. The Blades impressed before Rasiak’s effort but the Pole’s intervention caused United to unravel.

Although Robson accepted his share of the blame - “When I changed it to 4-3-3 we didn’t get to grips with it at all” - the players must also shoulder some of the responsibility.

Despite the undoubted quality which exists within their ranks, United are struggling to master the basics of defending and possession.

How Robson must have longed for a midfielder of Youssef Safri’s quality as the Moroccan’s touch and awareness ensured he stood head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch.

“He wants the ball and he enjoys passing the ball,” said Burley. “We got him from Norwich for 100,000 and I think he was a steal.”

Having been paired with Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carling Cup just hours before kick-off, United know they must improve to avoid being embarassed by Arsene Wenger’s precocious collection of youngsters.

Like the Frenchman, though, Robson will look to provoke a response using the carrot rather than the stick.

“I’m convinced there is room for improvement and that we have got the players to do it,” he said.

“People like Lee Hendrie and Nick Montgomery need games to get their match sharpness, and when ever we are making a mistake it is being punished.

“It’s all about the basics and that’s why I think we’ll turn things around.

“We had a go at the lads after Palace and so now we’ve got to have calmness.

“Our decision-making and football intelligence has got to be better.”

Burley acknowledged United’s shortcomings. “When to come to a ground like this you’ve got to be pleased when your keeper hardly has to make a save,” he said.

“We showed a wonderful work ethic.”

But he diplomatically refused to dismiss United’s chances of climbing the table.

“Forty six games is an awful lot,” he said. “It’s a marathon and it’s where you finish not where you are now that matters.

“Four of five wins in a row in this division makes all the difference and United are certainly capable of doing that.

“You’ve only got the see the players they’ve got here to know it.

“Look at Sunderland last year - they were dead and buried at the bottom at this stage and they got automatic promotion. That just goes to show you what this division is like.”Boss's view

The gap between ourselves and the leaders is not insurmountable. We can claw that back. But we can't afford to keep making

these mistakes for too much longer or there will be a danger that rather than looking forward we will be looking over our shoulders.

We will just keep

working on the training ground to put things right. I'm confident that if we put the work in it will come.