Ive supported Saints for over 50 years & looking back l think that we are now about to enter the most exciting one.. TED BATES, for me started the home grown trend, up thru the ranks came the likes of Terry Paine, Mickey Channon, Martin Chivers, John Sydenham etc etc..excellent schoolboy/youth system, tried & trusted. LAWRIE MACMENEMY, took over, despised by many as we were relegated...but what vision that man had. Blended youth with old experienced pros, brought thru the likes of Stevie Williams, Graham Baker etc but, then the master-stroke, the signing of Keegan, which truly put us in the public eye...along with the influx of some of the very best schoolboy/youth players in the UK, queueing up to be associated with the club that was good enough for Keegan...we had MLT,Shearer,The Wallaces,Kenna & plenty more...the structure of the Academy had well & truly begun! LOWE...cannot/will not say a good word about him...to me he destroyed EVERYTHING that was good about SFC..ok he still persisted with the Academy theme but only for the purpose of selling them...ie Bale/Walcott...but by placing Poortiloo & Co in charge l feel that the likes of Best/Mcgoldrick etc were thrusted into the 1st team as soon as they could tie their laces thus halting their progress/confidence etc, who knows how they would have turned out!!!!!!!!!!! CORTESE...Love him/loathe him, at last we have the right structure to able to compete with top Enlish even European clubs...for the 1st time in my support of SFC we are VERY VERY SOUNDLY backed by an excellent financed board. We dont want to be a Man City/Chelsea type club, buying anyone who has a pair of boots...but the thought of being able to enquire, let alone buy, the type of players that we are supposed to be looking at is mouth watering &, at the same time, nurture our young stars to, for once, be brought into the ' Southampton Way', the correct way & who knows, maybe we will be at the top.
What about the stadium? To me, that was the best thing Lowe did and despite his faults, he did very well here in regards to SMS. Don't let the last few years of his reign cloud his overall reign.
He also was at the helm when Morgan Schneiderlin was signed. No one knew a thing about him when arrived - look at him now, one of our best players.
The stadium had always been waiting to happen, if not by Lowe then by someone else. Worth noting that the CEO of the constrution company was old school chum of Lowes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can not stand Lowe but he the thing he did that really helped the club over than oversee the move to St Mary's was address our disadvantage when it came to recruiting academy players. There is a catchment area that clubs can not go beyond to sign players fro their academy. Lowe argued that we were disadvanted as half of our catchment area was the Solent. The FA agreed that we could have a trainging hub in Bristol which had its own catchment area. Hence Bale being snapped up for our Academy. A lasting legacy by the most hated man associated with Southampton.
Lowe's contribution was the stadium (remember everyone talked about, he did it) and improving the academy...both of these things made us a bargain for Leihberr and Cortese. Enjoyed our time in the Prem...I missed our best years, so for me it was a constant struggle with a few midtable finishes. Devastated about relegation and the Championship years were poor, though we got to play offs in the 1st year. All a blur really. The Cortese era was enjoyable because for the first time we were a 'big' club. It is always more fun winning whatever league you are in. Great trip to Wembley, then two fantastic years with the most fun manager in the world. Perhaps our best era is yet to come.
Maybe so. I have enjoyed the Nigel journey as much as any time. Winning is always good, of course, but I also enjoyed going to places like Hartlepool and Carlisle and meeting proper fans. I am very excited to be back in England for tomorrow's game. I'm a seasoned Old Trafford visitor and like the place. Despite the rumours, most of the United fans that we'll chat to will be genuine Mancs who love their club and "get" football. But there will also be those annoying (mostly Essex) so called fans who will be giving it out and would have trouble naming two United players. You don't get many of those on a wet night in Walsall! The Lawrie era was great by the end, but it did include 4 years of Second Division football when winning the Cup and getting promotion finally made up for the loss of St Michael (just!). There were heartaches - that semi-final of '84 - and some great ups - the 2-0 win against Liverpool that same year when Danny Wallace scored the first goal after a superb team build up. But ultimately all Lawrie's ambition ran into the sand of The Board (or was it Bored?). We now have a superb business man with ambition heading up the operation. If Mauricio gets it right, he'll manage a team that will take us beyond our wildest dreams. Bring it on.
You can't mention him either! My most hated player ever. Just seen we are the same age.... explains the same pain.
That game came too late to ruin my childhood but cemented my lifelong belief that I would never be present to watch Saints win an important game. The repeat performance at White Hart Lane 2 years later confirmed it. Hopefully Signor Cortese and Senor Pochettino can prove me wrong over the next few years!
leon best made his debut when we were in the premier league...? he was gone by the time portvlieet and wotte were in charge.
I was there for that one also, but it never seems to hurt as much as the 84 one. Maybe becasue we were so bloody good in 84, but struggling like mad by 86. I can still here Mark Wright's leg "crack" now.
When you say that Lowe was responsible for St. Marys, some would say that it isn't so, his baby was at Stoneham and when that got kicked out for Commercial and Social reasons, we have Southampton City Council to thank for the creation of St. Marys by releasing the land for its use. Stoneham would have suited me better as a location, but was smaller than St.M and so fate played a big hand in what we have.
Just to rub salt in the wound hammered Everton 4 days later at the Dell.....Alan Curtis in for Stevie Williams who was clearly struggling with injury in the semi.
