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.
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.