Last season I predicted the relegated clubs would not compete while Bristol City and Notts. Forest would get their act together, well I was nearly right, I didn't see Scunthorpe and Billy Sharpe coming! I hope we see a 100% performance from the lads on Sunday that give the huge crowd that are making the trip to the south coast a game to be proud off, certainly there will be more than there were at Grimsby all those seasons ago!
Post mortem's and who might stay and who might go can wait until Monday morning. (Though Freddie seems to be a banker, as a Charlton web site confirms, Charlton look set to sign Southend United striker Freddy Eastwood in the summer for £3 million. Alan Pardew is keen to bring the 23-year-old to The Valley in the summer and bolster the Addicks frontline whether Charlton are relegated or not.) This season has still had the odd highlight, (let's not forget that we have beaten Man. Utd, Leeds Utd, Sunderland, Birmingham, West. Brom and Southampton this season and came within 5 minutes of getting to the League Cup semi-final. Could have been much worse.), while faith remains in the management team who have done so much for the club. Let's give it all at the weekend, have a few weeks off but return in August, will there still be 6,000 season ticket holders?, with hope and belief we can go straight back up. A result with a good performance v the Saints would be a good start.
With young Hooper recalled from Orient the signs are that Eastwood and Gower will still be out, not good news, so let's hope the midfield step up from recent performances while the defence can stand up to an expected Southampton onslaught even though the team are as good as in the play offs keeping the Farmers out. Good luck to Adam Barrett who became a dad to a baby boy this week, congrats from everyone at TLG.
Southampton was the home of the recently departed Alan Ball for many years and I write this on the day of his funeral in Winchester. Our thoughts are with his family and friends and the remaining members of the 1966 England World Cup winning team.
Southampton manager George Burley after the 1-0 win v Norwich and the Southampton team that finished that match.
We have played Southampton 23 matches in total: Won 8 Lost 11 Drawn 4. The last game was the end of one of the worst run's in Southend's history on December 9 when we won 2-1 with absolute crackers from Eastwood and MaCormack. Ironically I thought the Saints were the best team we played up to then, and since in fact. Before then we had lost 0-3 in a Carling Cup tie while the first ever game was back in February 1921 when Myers scored in a 1-0 win. A year later we suffered our worst ever defeat, 0-5 on the 4th of March 1922, our biggest win being 3-0 on Jan 12 1952 in the F.A. Cup, Sibley, Stubbs and French scoring. After a 1-3 defeat at the start of the sixties it was 15 years until we played them again in a F.A. Cup tie which was all over in the first few minutes, then another 10 until the Carling Cup tie.
The Ground
As most fans seem to end up in the city centre before the game, there are plenty of pubs to choose from. A good mix of home and away fans in a Wetherspoons Pub; 'The Standing Order' in the city centre. Remember though that the stadium is a good twenty minute walk away. The Prince of Wales', 'The Bevois Castle' and 'The Station' as good friendly pubs for away fans. Whilst 'The Eagle' and 'The Anchor' (next to the East Street indoor shopping centre) are also mentioned in dispatches. in town does a fantastic full English breakfast for £2 on matchdays. It is well worth a visit as it is very welcoming towards away supporters.
The Chapel Arms was discovered, (formerly the Le Tissier Arms), only five minutes walk away from the stadium. Although a predominantly 'home' pub you seem to be able to get served okay if you arrive fairly early or have colours covered (for some reason they started to refuse serving away fans nearer kick off time). To find this pub, simply go to the corner of the stadium that has the Saints Superstore on it (between the Itchen & Chapel Stands) and then walk towards the city centre along the road, that runs beside the river and you will come to the pub on your right. The Coopers Arms on Belvedere Road (5-10mins walk away from the ground). Good for both home and away supporters and is amongst the closest to the away coaches dropping off point in Britannia Rd through the local industrial estate.
If travelling by train, you could alight at St Denys Station, as this is slightly closer to the ground (about a 25 minute walk away), and there are three pubs within a two minute walk (Bevois Castle is about 5/10 mins from here) The Dolphin, The Junction and also The South Western, which is in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Their selection of Real Ales is fantastic! Around the St Denys area, there is also plenty of street parking. Otherwise alcohol is served within the ground.
From the M3 take the A33 into Southampton. Continue on the A33 until you reach the junction with the A3024 Northam Road and turn left onto this road towards Northam. Then turn right onto the B3038, Britannia Road for the stadium.
There is hardly any parking available at the stadium for away fans (for home fans you can pay £5 for a car parking ticket in advance and park across the road from the stadium) and there are parking restrictions in force for the local area. Most fans seem to be just heading for the city centre car parks and then embarking on the 15-20 minute walk to the stadium, the NCP car park will cost £5. It should be pointed out though, that after the game the roads around the city centre become almost grid locked. It can take over an hour to get away afterwards.
Alternatively, a number of fans will park around the Marina area and then taking the ten minute walk to the ground. Parking in this area has the advantage that at the end of the game, you can avoid the city centre gridlock, by heading along the coast on the A3024 and then onto the M271/M27. A suggestion is parking in Woolston where there is plenty of street parking, and make the 15 minute walk from there to the ground over the Itchen toll Bridge. To get there, you leave the M27 at Junction 8 and follow the A3025 to Woolston. You can be back on the M27 within 10 minutes of getting back to the car. Another is parking at the NCP car park called "Bargate" at the junction of Palmerston Road and Houndwell Place. The cost was a mere £2 for 4 hours and it was only a 10-min stroll to the ground.
Finally, there is a free park and ride scheme in operation specifically for away supporters. This is situated just off junction 8 of the M27. After leaving the motorway at Junction 8 and heading towards Southampton, there are clear AA signs for the Visitors Park and Ride car park which is opposite a big Tesco superstore. Although it says pass holders only, this doesn't apply any more. They were checking match tickets at the entrance. There are buses waiting but sometimes hardly any supporters. Once there were enough people to fill half a bus it left. 15 minutes later and we were at the stadium. Afterwards the buses were waiting and although the police stop all cars after the match in a fairly wide area the buses can still leave. Ten minutes later you are back at the car park. The car park is well organised with really friendly stewards and bus supervisors.
In 2001 the move from The Dell to the new Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium was deemed to be a spiritual homecoming for Southampton F.C.
The team that play in red and white today can trace their roots back to the club formed in 1885 by members of St. Mary's Church Young Men's Association who played their football on the banks of the River Itchen for 13 years before moving on.
The club was originally known as St. Mary's Young Men's Association F.C. (usually abbreviated to "St. Mary's Y.M.A.") and then became simply St. Mary's F.C. in 1887-88, before adopting the name Southampton St. Mary's when the club joined the Southern League in 1894. After they won the Southern League title in 1896-97, the club became a limited company and changed their name to Southampton F.C.
They won the Southern League championship for 3 years running between 1897 and 1899 and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904.
That success spanned some major changes for the Saints as they moved to a newly built £10000 stadium called The Dell, to the North West of the city centre in 1898. Although they would spend the next 103 years there, the future was far from certain in those early days and the club had to rent the premises first before they could stump up the cash to buy the stadium in the early part of the 20th century.
Good omens were quick to arrive though and before the 19th century was out the South Coast was given a taste of things to come as they reached the first of their four FA Cup Finals in 1900. On that day they went down 4-0 to Bury and two years later they would suffer a similar fate at the hands of Sheffield United as they were beaten 2-1 in a replay of the 1902 final, but it had given the club a thirst for the big occasion - albeit one that would not be truly satisfied for over 7 decades.
After the First World War, when many teams were broken up by the call of National Service, Saints joined the newly-formed Football League Division 3 in 1920 which split into South and North sections a year later. The 1920-21 season ended in triumph with promotion and marked the beginning of a 31-year stay in Division 2.
In 1925 and 1927, they reached the semi-finals of the F.A. Cup, losing 2-0 and 2-1 to Sheffield United and Arsenal respectively.
Saints were briefly forced to switch home matches to the ground of their local rivals Portsmouth F.C. at Fratton Park during the Second World War when a bomb landed on The Dell pitch in November 1940, leaving an 18-foot crater which damaged an underground culvert and flooded the pitch.
Promotion was narrowly missed in 1947-48 when they finished in third place, a feat repeated the following season (despite having an 8 point lead with 8 games to play) whilst in 1949-50 they were to be denied promotion by 0.06 of a goal, missing out on second place to Sheffield United. In the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons, Charlie Wayman rattled in a total of 56 goals. Then relegation in 1953 sent Saints sliding back into Division 3 (South).
It took until 1960 for Saints to regain Division 2 status with Derek Reeves plundering 39 of the champions' 106 league goals. On 27 April 1963 a crowd of 68000 at Villa Park saw them lose 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.
The dream of Division 1 football at the Dell for the first time was finally realised in 1966 when Ted Bates' team were promoted as runners-up, with Martin Chivers scoring 30 of Saints' 85 league goals. Promotion was a never-to-be-forgotten achievement.
For the following campaign Ron Davies arrived to score 43 goals in his first season as Saints scored 74 league goals, conceding 92. Saints stayed among the elite for eight years, with the highest finishing position being 7th place in 1968-69 and again in 1970-71. These finishes were high enough for them to qualify for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969-70 (going out in Round 3 to Newcastle United) and its successor, the UEFA Cup in 1971-72, when they went out in the First Round to Athletic Bilbao.
In December 1973, long term manager Ted Bates stood down to be replaced by Lawrie McMenemy who was unable to prevent The Saints becoming the first victims of the new 3-down relegation system in 1974 when they were relegated, along with Manchester United and Norwich City.
Under Lawrie McMenemy's management, Saints started to rebuild in Division 2, capturing players such as Peter Osgood, Jim McCalliog and Jim Steele and their greatest moment came in 1976, when they reached the FA Cup Final, playing Manchester United at Wembley, and surprised all observers by beating United 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bobby Stokes.
The following season, they played in Europe again in the Cup Winners' Cup, reaching Round 3 where they lost 2-3 on aggregate to Anderlecht.
In 1977-78, captained by Alan Ball, Saints finished runners-up in Division 2 (behind Bolton Wanderers) and returned to Division 1. They finished comfortably in 14th place in their first season back in the top flight. The following season they returned to Wembley in the final of the League Cup when they acquitted themselves well, losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest.
In 1980, McMenemy made his finest signing, capturing the "European Footballer of the Year" Kevin Keegan. Although Keegan's Southampton career only lasted two years, Saints fielded an attractive side also containing Alan Ball, Phil Boyer, Mick Channon and Charlie George and in 1980-81 they scored 76 goals, finishing in 6th place, then their highest league finish.
Southampton continued to progress well under McMenemy's stewardship, and with a team containing Peter Shilton, Nick Holmes, David Armstrong, top-scorer Steve Moran and Danny Wallace reached their highest ever league finish as runners-up in 1983-84[1] (3 points behind the champions Liverpool) as well as reaching the semi-final of the F.A. Cup losing 1-0 to Everton at Highbury Stadium.
They finished fifth the following year, but as a result of the Heysel Disaster all English clubs were banned from European competition - had it not been for this, then Southampton would have qualified for the UEFA Cup once again.
Lawrie McMenemy left at the end of the 1984-85 season to be succeeded by Chris Nicholl, who was sacked after six years in charge despite preserving the club's top flight status. He was replaced by Ian Branfoot, who until the end of the 1990-91 season had been assistant manager to Steve Coppell at Crystal Palace. By this stage a key player in the Southampton lineup was Guernsey-born striker Matthew Le Tissier, the best-loved player in Saints' recent history. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990 and later made seven appearances for the England team—he finally retired in 2002 at the age of 33.
Southampton were founding members of the Premiership in 1992-93, having played in the top flight of English football since 1978. In May 2005 they were relegated to the 2nd tier of English football for the first time in 27 years.
Ian Branfoot was sacked in January 1994 with Southampton battling relegation. He was replaced by Exeter manager Alan Ball. Ball secured the Saints' survival for the 1993-94 season and guided them to a respectable tenth-place finish in the Premiership in 1994-95, with inspirational performances from Matthew Le Tissier. But Ball was lured to Manchester City in the summer of 1995 and Southampton turned to long-serving coach David Merrington to take charge of the team in 1995-96. Southampton finished 17th with 38 league points, avoiding relegation on goal difference. Two important wins during the final weeks of the season did much to ensure that Saints and not Manchester City would achieve Premiership survival. First came a 3-1 home win over eventual double winners Manchester United, then came a 1-0 away win over relegated Bolton Wanderers. Merrington was dismissed a few days after the end of the season and replaced by former Liverpool and Rangers manager Graeme Souness.
Southampton fared little better in 1996-97 despite the arrival of Souness, whose track record included two Scottish league titles with Rangers and an FA Cup victory with Liverpool. He resigned after just one season in charge, which had seen Southampton finish 16th in the Premiership, and Southampton's directors turned to Dave Jones—one of the most respected managers outside the Premiership who had won promotion to Division One with Stockport County as well as reaching the League Cup semi finals.
With such an inexperienced manager, Southampton were tipped by many observers to be relegated from the Premiership in 1997-98. But thanks to the addition of young striker Kevin Davies, and the acquisition of a few others, Southampton achieved a respectable 11th place finish in the table. Their form dipped in 1998-99 but they avoided relegation on the last day of the season. In 1999 Southampton were given the go-ahead to build a new 32,000-seat stadium in the St Mary's area of the city, a welcome move after playing in the cramped Dell since 1898.
During the 1999-2000 season, Dave Jones quit as Southampton manager to concentrate on a court case after he was accused of abusing children at the children's home where he had worked during the 1980s. The accusations were later proved to be groundless but it was too late to save Jones's career as Southampton manager and he was succeeded by ex-England team manager Glenn Hoddle.
Glenn Hoddle helped keep Southampton well clear of the Premiership drop zone but having received an offer from a higher profile club, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur just before the end of the 2000-01 season. He was replaced by first-team coach Stuart Gray, who oversaw the relocation to the St Mary's Stadium for the 2001-02 season. At the end of the 2000-01 season, in the last ever competitive match at the Dell, talismanic Matthew Le Tissier came on late to strike the last ever goal in sublime fashion. Southampton finished the match 3-2 against Arsenal, providing a fairy-tale ending to the days at The Dell. But Gray was sacked after a disastrous start to the following season, and in came ex-Coventry manager Gordon Strachan as his replacement.
Gordon Strachan did much to revitalise Southampton during the 2001-02 season, and they finished in a secure 11th place in the final table. They did even better in 2002-03, finished eighth in the Premiership and coming runners-up in the FA Cup to Arsenal (after losing 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium).
Strachan resigned in March 2004 (to take a break from football) and was replaced by Paul Sturrock, who had been in the process of guiding Plymouth Argyle to their second promotion in three seasons. However, rumours of player dissatisfaction and personal problems dogged Sturrock, and he was replaced just five months later by reserve team coach Steve Wigley. Wigley's tenure proved disastrous, with Southampton slipping further and further down the Premiership table. Frenchman Christian Damiano was brought in to assist, but after a run of only one win in 14 games, both men's contracts were terminated.
Chairman Rupert Lowe risked the ire of Saints fans when he appointed Harry Redknapp as manager on December 8, 2004. The news shocked much of the football world, as Redknapp had resigned as manager of Saints' arch-rivals Portsmouth just days previously. Lowe and Southampton continued to make headlines after former England Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward joined the club - eventually being appointed Technical Director.
Redknapp failed to rejuvenate the Saints, and on 15 May 2005, Southampton were relegated from the Premiership following a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United, thus ending 27 successive seasons of top division football. Saints made a disappointing start to the season, with the emergence of young star Theo Walcott as a rare cause for optimism. Yet even more shocks were to await the fans.
On November 24, 2005, Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, the man who himself replaced Harry Redknapp at Southampton's arch-rivals, was sacked by chairman Milan Mandaric. Rumours gradually grew apace that Mandaric and Redknapp had resolved the dispute that caused Redknapp to walk out in the first place, and that he was poised rejoin his former club.
With these rumours seemingly reaching breaking point in the media - not to mention the bookmakers - Redknapp walked out on Southampton on December 3, 2005. The two rival clubs found themselves at loggerheads over legal compensation, which threatened to leave Redknapp in limbo, but with the dispute eventually resolved, Redknapp rejoined Portsmouth on December 7, 2005. After three matches under caretaker manager Dave Bassett and assistant Dennis Wise, George Burley was unveiled as the club's new head coach on December 22 to work alongside Clive Woodward, who was promoted from Performance Director to Director of Football.
In the wake of overwhelming calls for him to stand down, Lowe eventually resigned on June 30, 2006, a few days before an Extraordinary General Meeting that was predicted to see him removed from the club's board. He was replaced as Chairman by Jersey-based businessman Michael Wilde who had become the club's major shareholder.
Southampton's off-the-field controversy affected their on-the-field fortunes substantially during 2005-06, and at one point they were in real danger of a second successive relegation. But their form improved during the final weeks of the season and they finished a secure 12th.
The new board of directors spent £7 million on player transfers during the 2006 close season, as the club aimed for promotion back to the Premier League. During the season, the board also set about trying to secure new investment in the club.
However, on 26 February 2007, it was announced that Michael Wilde would step down as chairman of the football club on 28 February, after failing to secure any inward investment in the company. On 2 March it was announced via the Southampton Official Website that Leon Crouch would take the role of "acting Chairman" until the end of the current season, when they Board will re-asses the situation.
On 27 April 2007, it was rumoured that Paul Allen, the American entrepreneur who formed Microsoft with Bill Gates, may launch a takeover bid for the club. An apparent close source said "he believes there is long term investment value in UK Soccer. Southampton is a sleeping giant, a family-supported club with traditional values, and we see the value in taking the brand global."
The St. Mary's Stadium has been home to the Saints since August 2001. It has a capacity of 32,689 and is one of only a handful of stadia in Europe to meet UEFA's Four Star Criteria. For more information, see St. Mary's Stadium. The club's previous home had been The Dell, which it moved into in 1898. By the end of its life, The Dell had a capacity of just over 15,000.
The club's training facilities, known as Staplewood are located in Marchwood, on the edge of the New Forest. They have received significant investment over the last 10 years, most notably during the time Sir Clive Woodward was employed by the club between 2005 and 2006, and are now considered to be among some of the best in the country.
The Saints' anthem is the popular sport tune When the Saints Go Marching In, and since the club's official nickname is 'the Saints', they are one of the only teams who do not change the original lyrics, as do teams such as Birmingham or Liverpool, changing 'Saints' for 'blues' or 'reds', respectively. It can often be heard being chanted from the stands during matches.
Originally, the club used the same crest as the one used by the city itself. However during the 1970s a competition was run for fans to design a new one.
The winning design was used for around 20 years, before being modified slightly in the 1990s for copyright reasons.
From top-to-bottom, the halo is a reference to the nickname 'Saints', the ball to the nature of the club, the scarf to the fans and the team colours. The tree represents the nearby New Forest and the water Southampton's connections with the rivers, seas and oceans. Below that is a Mayflower - the symbol of the city which is also present on the city crest.
In the mid-1990s the ball was changed from a vintage style ball (such as those used in the 1960s) to a the current ball with black and white panels, for copyright reasons.
The Saints Trust, a democratic, not-for-profit organisation, committed to strengthening the voice of supporters in the decision making processes at Southampton Football Club, was officially launched on 3 February 2006. The aims of the trust are to:
- Strengthen the bonds between the Club and the local community.
- Work for the football and financial success of the club.
- Encourage and promote supporter representation on the club's board acting as communication to the supporters.
- Acquire shares in the club, formally creating a supporters' stakeholding.
The trust currently now over 700 members and the proxy control of some 720,000 shares, approximately 3% of the club. It was promised a seat on the board by the former chairman but that could be taken away by the new one who seems to heve got the backing of a vote taken by other directors. Foul paly and good luck to the supporters taking up the fight.
The South Coast Derby is the name given to matches between the Saints and Portsmouth F.C.. There have been 66 first class games between the clubs, with Southampton winning 33 and Portsmouth 20.
Mick Channon, who had two spells with the club currently holds the record for the number of league goals scored for The Saints. During his times with the club between 1966 and 1977, and 1979 and 1982, he netted 185 times in league competition. The next highest scorer is Matthew Le Tissier, an attacking midfielder who spent his entire career with the club between 1986 and 2002. As of April 2007, he is the only midfielder to have scored more than 100 goals in the Premier League. Third highest is winger Terry Paine, who played at The Dell between 1956 and 1974. He scored 160 goals for the club.
Club honours
- League Cup
- Finalists: 1979
- Football League Division 1
- Runners-up: 1983-84
- Football League Division 3
- Champions: 1959-60
- Football League Third Division South
- Champions: 1921-22
- Southern League
- Champions: 1896-97, 1897-98, 1898-99, 1900-01, 1902-03, 1903-04