Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger has been dining with players in a bid to arrest their recent slump, under-pressure manager Mauricio Pellegrino has revealed.
Saints have plummeted to 17th in the Premier League table following a nine-game winless streak stretching back to the end of November.
Pellegrino has faced supporter unrest at St Mary's in recent games, but earlier this week received the backing of Krueger.
He insists the former professional ice hockey coach has always been helpful and has been spending time with Saints' squad in an attempt to spark an upturn in results, starting with Saturday's FA Cup clash at Fulham.