Southampton F.C.
| Badge of Southampton | |||
| Full name | Southampton Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Saints | ||
| Founded | 1885, as St. Mary's YMA | ||
| Ground | St Mary's Stadium Southampton England | ||
| Capacity | 32,689 | ||
| Chairman |  Leon Crouch | ||
| Manager |  George Burley | ||
| League | The Championship | ||
| 2005-06 | Championship, 12th | ||
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Southampton Football Club (originally St Mary's YMA) are an English football team, nicknamed The Saints. Based in the city of Southampton in Hampshire, the team was formed in November 1885. In 1898 the team moved into The Dell, the ground which was to be their home for over 100 years. However, as a result of a limited stadium capacity, the team moved to St Mary's Stadium in 2001. The current stadium is more than double the size of its predecessor, and has staged England internationals. The club's parent company is Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC.
Their finest hour was their FA Cup win in 1976, when they beat Manchester United 1-0. They also were the runners-up in 2003 against Arsenal and runners-up in the 1979 League Cup final against Nottingham Forest. Southampton also finished runners-up in the Football League Championship to Liverpool in 1983/84.
Following the departure of manager Harry Redknapp on December 7 2005, George Burley was appointed to the position of Head Coach on December 22 2005. They have since sold 17-year-old Theo Walcott, arguably their best home grown player since Matt Le Tissier, to Arsenal.
Southampton reached their first F.A Cup final in 1900, losing to Bury, but had to wait until 1976 to win the trophy - beating Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley. In 1984 they finished second in the league to claim their highest-ever league finish. They were founder members of the Premier League in 1992 and competed in its first 13 seasons before being relegated in 2005.
Significant former managers of the Saints include Gordon Strachan, Glenn Hoddle, Alan Ball, Graeme Souness, Lawrie McMenemy and Ted Bates. Significant former players include C.B. Fry, Sir Alf Ramsey, Terry Paine, Matthew Le Tissier, Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon, Alan Shearer, Steve Moran, Wayne Bridge, Peter Shilton and Antti Niemi.
History
Early days
In 2001 the move from The Dell to the new Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium was something of a spiritual homecoming for Southampton FC.
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.
Joining the Football League
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.
Post-war years
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.
Reaching the First Division
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.
Cup glory
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 Stadium, 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.
Return to Division One
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 themseleves 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.
After McMenemy
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 in the Premiership
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 the following March and was replaced by Paul Sturrock, who was in the process of guiding Plymouth Argyle to their second promotion in three seasons.
Paul Sturrock suddenly announced his resignation just after the start of the 2004-05 season (eventually becoming the manager at Sheffield Wednesday), and first-team coach Steve Wigley was put in charge of the first team. But a bad run of form saw Southampton once again battling near the foot of the Premiership table, and the club's directors felt that a more experienced manager was needed. So they turned to former Portsmouth, West Ham and Bournemouth manager Harry Redknapp.
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.
Strachan goes
The last three years have seen considerable managerial instability at a club once known for rarely changing its bosses. Following the departure of Gordon Strachan (who had led the Saints to their first FA Cup final since 1976), Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock was appointed to the job in March 2004. However, rumours of player dissatisfaction and personal problems dogged Sturrock, and he was replaced just five months later by reserve team coach Steve Wigley.
Relegated after 27 years
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. Wigley's short, tumultuous term as manager had parallels with a previous internal promotion, Stuart Gray, a talented coach who was sacked as manager prior to Strachan's appointment in 2001.
The chairman overseeing this 'revolving-door' policy was Rupert Lowe, who risked further fan ire when he appointed Harry Redknapp 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 the club were relegated to the second tier of English football for the first time in 27 years. 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.
Burley takes over
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 manager 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 good form which secured Southampton's Championship status in 2005-06 has been carried through to this season, and they stand fifth in the table at the start of March 2007.
On 26 February 2007, it was announed that Michael Wilde would step down as Chairman of the Football Club on 28 February. 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.
The Saints Trust
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.
Anthem
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 generally be heard being chanted from the stands during matches.
South Coast derby
Most league goals
- 185 Mick Channon 1966-1977 & 1979-1982
- 162 Matthew Le Tissier 1986-2002
- 160 Terry Paine 1956-1974
- 156 Bill Rawlings 1920-1927
- 154 George O’Brien 1959-1966
- 145 Derek Reeves 1954-1963
- 145 Eric Day 1945-1957
- 134 Ron Davies 1966-1973
- 97 Martin Chivers 1962-1968
- 90 Tommy Mulgrew 1954-1962
Sponsors
- Rank Xerox - 1980
- Air Florida - 1983
- Draper Tools - 1984
- Dimplex - 1993
- Sanderson Group PLC - 1995
- Friends Provident - 1999
- Flybe.com - 2006
Famous Supporters
- Craig David
- Fiona Phillips
- Roger Black
- David Gower
- Dickie Davies
- Will Champion
- Pete Devereux
- Jack Dee
- Lucy Pinder
- Philippa Forester
- Damien Lovelock
- Iwan Thomas
- Ed Chamberlin
- Jon Sopel
- John Denham
- Chris Packham
- Sir David Frost
Famous former Saints
For a more complete list see List of Southampton F.C. players
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Managers
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Club records
Biggest wins -
- 11-0 against Northampton Town F.C., 28 December 1901 (Southern League)
- 11-0 against Watford F.C., 13 December 1902 (Southern League)
- 8-0 against Northampton Town F.C., 24 December 1921
- 9-3 against Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., 18 September 1965
- 8-2 against Coventry City F.C., 28 April 1984
- 7-1 against Ipswich Town F.C., 7 January 1961 (FA Cup)
- 6-0 against Luton Town F.C., 8 February 1995 (FA Cup replay)
Biggest losses -
- 0-8 against Tottenham Hotspur F.C., 28 March 1936
- 0-8 against Everton F.C., 20 November 1971
Most appearances - Terry Paine - 815 : 1956-1974
Most goals - Mick Channon - 228 : 1966-1977, 1979-1982
Most goals in one season - Derek Reeves - 44 : 1959-60
Most goals in one match - Albert Brown - 7 : against Northampton Town F.C., 28 December 1901
Youngest player - Theo Walcott - 16 years 143 days. Against Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., 6 August 2005
Most capped player while at Southampton - Peter Shilton - 49 (125 in total)
Record transfers -
- Spent: Rory Delap, £4,000,000 from Derby County F.C.
- Received: Theo Walcott, £12,000,000 to Arsenal F.C.. (£5 million down, £5 million club appearances, £2 million England appearances)[1]
Record home attendance - 32,151 against Arsenal F.C., 29 December 2003
Club honours
- FA Cup winners: 1976
- FA Cup finalists: 1900, 1902 and 2003
- Football League Cup finalists: 1979
- Football League Division 1 runners-up: 1983-84
- Football League Division 2 runners-up: 1965-66 and 1977-78
- 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 and 1903-04
Current playing squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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No squad numbers
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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U18s
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Non-playing staff
President John Mortimore
Acting Chairman Leon Crouch[2]
Executive Directors Jim Hone (chief executive), Lee Hoos (operations director), David Jones (company secretary), Andy Oldknow (commercial director)
Non-executive Directors Leon Crouch, Mary Corbett, Lawrie McMenemy MBE
Manager George Burley[3]
Coaches Glynn Snodin (first team), Simon Hunt (chief scout), Malcolm Webster (goalkeeping), Stewart Henderson (reserve team)
Sports Scientists Paul Balsom (head of sports science), Scott McLachlan (performance analysis), Andy Barr (head of sports medicine)
External links
- Southampton F.C. official website
- Official Picture Website
- Spanish Saints
- Up The Saints - Independent Southampton F.C. Fansite
- The Saints Trust - Supporters' Trust for Southampton Football Club
- GeckoSaint - Independent Southampton F.C. Fansite
- The Saints Forum - Independent Saints Forum
- Hong Kong Saints website
Footnotes
- ^ "Saints media pack 2006-07 (see page 10)" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Crouch is Saints acting chairman". BBC Sport. 2007-03-02. Retrieved 2007-03-03.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Saints media pack 2006-07 (see page 19)" (PDF).
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References
- Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk (2003). In That Number - A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC. Hagiology. ISBN 0-9534474-3-X.
- Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk (1992). The Alphabet of the Saints. ACL & Polar Publishing. ISBN 0-9514862-3-3.
- Gary Chalk & Duncan Holley (1987). Saints - A complete record. Breedon Books. ISBN 0-907969-22-4.
- David Bull & Bob Brunskell (2000). Match of the Millennium. Hagiology. ISBN 0-9534474-1-3.
- Jeremy Wilson (2006). Southampton’s Cult Heroes. Know The Score Books. ISBN 1-905449-01-1.
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