Glennoe (3rd March 2004)
An enforced confinement with a heavy cold gave me a precious period to read Brian Glanville’s Football Memories purchased for a pittance in a charity shop a few months ago.
Published in 1999 just after the previous year’s World Cup it was a forcible reminder of the shortcomings of our "King in waiting" none other than Glen Hoddle.
Glanville, a very well connected Carthusian stood alone among football writers by his acerbic wit and appreciation of the game overseas and in particular Italy. He has covered every World Cup since 1958 (the nightmare for me returns of England’s Derek Kevan wandering around as the lone striker and the unanswered question of what gallant Wales would have achieved had the recently lamented John Charles been fit).
Enough of this reverie!. The book concentrates on Hoddle’s weird behaviour off the pitch in sending Gascoigne home the day after praising his fitness in a press conference. He may well have deserved it but we were all left wondering what had happened. A similar course of action was avoided for his favourite Teddy Sheringham who was allowed to make a public apology and continued to play in preference to the exciting talent of Michael Owen. Months before Hoddle had unfairly criticised Owen as a player who had a lot to learn and needing to improve his behaviour.
His whole attitude to Owen was illogical making Glanville wonder "Could a green eye have been flashing?" And then there was Eileen Drewery!!!!
We at the Dell were also forced to recall the same bizarre behaviour toward our own "God" who was discarded after scoring a hat trick in a B international with the put down that the opposition was not strong enough. Would six goals have convinced him?
All this however is water under the bridge, his time with Saints was most successful and his relationship with the chairman seemed made in heaven. It was his attitude when he became Spurs Manager that needs examining. He paid a King’s ransom for the most moderate performer in our back line Dean Richards whose persistent mistakes were nearly always covered by the wonderful trio around him. He then went on a spending spree that rivalled anyone, with the exception of Chelsea, and the end result was a spectacular failure.
Despite all these problems I am firmly behind the appointment of Glen Hoddle as our new coach. The choice of words at this juncture is most important. It is interesting that no longer does the word manager appear when discussing the vacancy. As long as he is not allowed access to the purse strings, he is the best available coach in the country. The record of clubs being brought to their knees by high spending managers is becoming longer.
In the meantime a big bouquet to Steve Wigley still unbeaten after two games, his continued success may make this whole exercise academic.
After watching The Premiership on Saturday I have never seen Wayne Bridge passed with the ease displayed by Wright-Phillips, I hope you were watching Sven, he can actually reach the byeline!
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Naked in Gloves (25th February 2004)
Yet again the French lead the way in new innovations in the game of football, their influence on the English scene is almost absolute. The latest fashion statement seen for the first time at St Mary’s yet again showed all the Gallic flair.
The unique sight of a topless man parading and celebrating in only a pair of gloves was certainly a first in my experience. Perhaps the management’s reluctance to play Fabrice Fernandes, without doubt our most gifted player, is coloured by his bizarre behaviour. When playing in the lower reaches of local football many years ago the sight of a pair of gloves would always be viewed as a sign of weakness. I well remember a certain local boss, in his half time talk, telling his team to give a delicate, glove-wearing playmaker a good seeing to. Asserting in no uncertain manner the lack of moral fibre in a player wearing gloves. Coming from the Arctic wastes of Northeast Scotland perhaps Gordon Strachan had inherited this view for he certainly has made little use of this player’s natural ability this season.
With a change at the top my heart sank when I saw the team sheet for last Saturday’s home match against Everton. Was Steve Wigley just going to be a Strachan clone and pick an ultra defensive line up in his first game at home? The bench as usual was full of flair and rugged attacking ability whilst the team on the field showed all the old Strachan virtues of hard work and discipline. Were we really looking for another boring nil- nil draw?
Thank goodness Everton tore us apart in the first half and only scored two of the many goals that were on offer, for in truth they should have been out of sight at the interval.
One of the abiding terms of football jargon was employed at the interval with "wholesale changes"being made. At last the flair and the bite were released and apart from Rooney’s third goal the opponents hardly threatened the Saints goal.
Come on Steve, you have a great chance to take Southampton out of the defence rut and more importantly release the obvious talent that is in the reserve side. Nobody knows as much as you do about this untapped reservoir that has been performing heroically this season. The undoubted success of the reserve side has had a lot to do with you being appointed caretaker manager in front of some more obvious choices within the club.
Give a few of them their head you have absolutely nothing to lose and all to gain. In the meantime heartiest congratulations on your debut match, which produced a magnificent fight back and was so entertaining. It was a game that really demanded judgement and a cool head, a genuine baptism of fire.
Last but not least congratulations to Pompey and Winchester City on their respective wins in their Cup competitions, the defeat of Liverpool with a patched up side must be one of the performances of the season.
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The Prodigal Son (18th February 2004)
It is about time the Saints fans realised that Rupert Lowe has only one agenda namely the continued good health and profitability of the Southampton Football Club p.l.c. He is a product of the City and would always submerge his own feelings in the pursuit of his goal.
Since his accession to the throne he has been absolutely ruthless in his stewardship, witnessed by the sacking of Stuart Gray, an act I condemned at the time. We have achieved the comfort zone in the Premiership, played in a Cup Final and Europe and have one of the best new stadiums in the country. A really formidable record!
My only personal grouse this season is the lack of entertainment on the field, but I would willingly swop that for a continued seat on the top table. As regular readers will know I suggested three weeks ago that I thought the best candidate to succeed Strachan would be Glen Hoddle. With that suggestion I added the rider, that unfortunately this would not happen due to their past history. The thought of Rupert Lowe sacrificing his fatted calf for the return of the prodigal son was not an alternative.
Then Lowe showed the good sense and humility that is a true sign of greatness when he suggested that this move could happen. The proverbial hit the fan and the local media interviewed every disenchanted fan and old lady shopping in the High Street. If my betting office, local pub and garage are anything to go by there is a lot more support for Hoddle than was evident in the media.
Regular readers will know that Mr Lowe has never been near the top of my popularity list, but I really back him on this one. Let us hope he shows the courage he has shown in the past and we have the best available coach at St Mary’s.
As Rupert Lowe vividly and graphically spelt out in his press conference he needs Mr Spock back on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise to repel the Klingon attackers.
Everyone at the club will miss Gordon Strachan, but to me it is a bitter blow, for his post-match comments were in a class of their own and his vocabulary was priceless. With his departure I will have to scratch around for scraps each week but the Chairman could inherit his mantle with such pearls as" A secular humanist analogy situation".
On the field he changed our style and the defence really prospered, we steadily became "hard to beat" and sides began to fear a trip to St Mary’s. He could inspire not only the team but also the spectators with his trips into the technical zone.
In reality he chose a good time to go as a lot of things have become stale and repetitive.
His long term and abiding memorial may be his inspired signing of Anti Nieme between the sticks, a real class act!
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Quarantine (11th February 2004)
Southampton can once again give thanks that their team has not been afflicted by this current dreadful epidemic of goals and entertainment.
It has crept steadily throughout the country and has now broken out in the neighbouring town of Portsmouth.
It seems to be fuelled by an insatiable desire to buy or loan strikers. Pompey fell into the trap during the recent window of opportunity and are now suffering as three of their most recent signings scored last Saturday.
Drastic measures have been taken by Southampton to arrest and contain this pernicious disease for in the same period their management signed a reserve goalkeeper and continued their trade in left backs. What foresight they showed and with a bit of luck the outbreak can be contained.
The manager can do his bit as well, for on Saturday he left his most creative player festering on the bench and delayed the introduction of his top scorer until the final minutes. This was inspired and prudent and achieved the desired result with another goaless draw.
The opposition also has its part to play, and on Saturday Fulham showed what could be achieved by playing one up-front and packing the midfield. They had a wonderful game and hardly troubled the home side.
Mind you there were times when I felt the Saints had lost the plot as they careered forward into the packed ranks of their defence. The corners became almost uncountable as the bombardment continued until the final whistle.
By the time this article is printed the result from Highbury will be known let us hope they can continue the good work and once again return with a goaless draw. The current goal count for the season is the lowest in the Premier league despite their mid table position this is cause for celebration and pride.
This week is a seminal one for all those down-under as the final countdown on "I’m a celebrity get me out of here" reaches its climax. Having watched the discomfort endured by our old friend "Razor" Ruddock (almost comparable to his time at the Dell) I now have a full understanding why Shane Warne will be very happy to return to the Rose Bowl. The only creepy Crawley he will encounter will be the ex-captain and the golden boy’s return to cricket will be closely watched this week.
After the weeping over the demise of Winchester cricket it is pleasing to report the upward and onward progress of the football side to the sixth round of the F.A. vase. As I stated last year the demise of Wembley is a real blow to the smaller clubs who always played their finals on the hallowed turf. It cannot be helped however and I wish them all the best of luck for the future rounds.
Meanwhile keep up the good work Saints and resist the urge to attack the opposition, we only need a few more draws to pass the magic forty points and avoid relegation.
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Demob Happy (4th February 2004)
Anyone conscripted into the armed forces for national service knows the feeling of joy and happiness which proceeds demobilisation after two years of being shouted at by those in authority. Is this what the Saints players and manager are feeling at the moment with the imminent departure of Gordon Strachan?
For at a stroke the fear factor seems to have disappeared and players are pressing forward and expressing themselves on the field with vitality not seen before this season. The total turn round in style was very apparent in the friendly game against Bayern Munich last week when for once our midfield held its own and deserved to come away with a draw. It is easy to underestimate the value of performances in this type of match but the Germans did the Saints a great service by fielding the players who will soon be seen in the European Champions League.
Treasured among my memories are three friendlies which on retrospect I was privileged to attend. Chelsea v Moscow Dynamo at Stamford Bridge just after the war was played in a thick fog before an enormous crowd and children like myself were passed down and watched from the touchline.
Getting the autographs of most of the Santos side with the exception of Pele was the only glitch on a visit to the Victoria ground at Stoke.
The only time I saw the even more impressive Real Madrid of De Stefano, Puskas, Del Sol etc was in the humble surroundings of Selhurst Park,
Perhaps the thousands of young spectators at St Mary’s last week will be able to recount in their dotage the joy of seeing a real class player like Michael Ballack dazzle the opposition. The size of the crowd bore a real tribute to the strength of the opposition and the current love affair with the game. It was even more remarkable when one realises that not one of the season ticket holders I know bothered to attend.
This would have been my fate if I had not been offered a freebie by one of my directors. Remembering my discomfort the last time this offer was made I was about to refuse when the two magic words "corporate entertainment" were mentioned. There I was a passionate advocate of the re-introduction of standing, and a return to the glorious days of discomfort, away supporters in pens, and police dogs, sitting sipping my wine in the sumptuous Mike Channon suite.
What a sell-out I now know how Tony Benn felt being asked to support New Labour but eventually I was won over by the excellent company at my table.
It was so good to see Anders Svensson return to form and supported by the debutante teenager Yoann Folly the midfield really ticked. The subsequent form at Old Trafford continued on the upward graph and the side was most unlucky to lose. Has the corner been turned and will the joy of the game return to give the very patient fans something to get excited about.
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F.A. Cup (28th January 2004)
Since Manchester United dealt a blow to the F.A. Cup in 2000 by withdrawing from the competition and playing a meaningless tournament in Brazil. The famous old trophy has struggled to return to its old glory and meaning in an over burdened fixture list.
In the good old days (hear he goes again) when the final was the only live televised match seen on both channels, the expectation was enormous. The day would be set aside whilst from early morning the interminable build up climaxed in the match itself.
Now with hundreds of live games jamming the airwaves the expectation is vastly diminished, as it just becomes another game. Most football matches watched dispassionately are boring the essential ingredient is a deep partisanship and support for one of the sides.
The competition was also deeply affected by the demolition of the twin towers and the loss of Wembley. Those of us who have struggled to relieve our over full bladders at half-time will remember the smell and experience to our dying day, but despite its antiquated and inadequate plumbing there was something magical about the place.
B.B.C. television have been most careful to select their live games this season concentrating on sides who they feel would not field an under strength eleven To supporters in the North East the cup is the holy grail. In the Third round the biggest attendance was at Sunderland to see them play Hartlepool neither of whom are Premiership sides. So in both rounds they have concentrated on Newcastle United, many of us yearn to see a probable upset but care has to be taken that we do not see a reserve side being turned over.
The answer to this conundrum would be to take away the fourth place spot in the league for qualification to the European Champions League and replace it with the cup-winners or in the likely event of duplication the runners-up.
As Southampton found this season the consolation place in Europe is not very profitable one game one mistake and your out. The hardy souls who journeyed to Bucharest also found that the plumbing in Rumania left a bit to be desired.
In the meantime however let us applaud Portsmouth’s safe journey into the fifth round draw and wish them success in the subsequent rounds.
The departure of Marsden from St Mary’s demands an accolade from this column and a hearty vote of thanks from Wayne Bridge who he nurtured through his early years on the left side. They were a formidable team in the problem area for most teams including England.
This season their creativity has been sorely missed and this is one of the reasons the games have been a little drab. It is nice to know that football is still a team game and that interdependence is still important we will miss them both.
Let us hope his trip to Korea will be a happy one but do be careful of eating the stew!
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Sweet Revenge (21st January 2004)
The ghost of the late great Ted Bates must have rested easy last Saturday night after the defeat of Leeds United pushed them to the bottom of the Premiership table.
Are the horrors of 1972 at last to be put to rest? For in that year an arrogant and cocky Leeds humiliated the Saints in front of 34,000 people in the ground but more importantly millions watching "Match of the day" on television.
It became the stuff of legends and is constantly shown to this day on television when the Don Revie side is discussed. Just before his untimely death I sat next to Billy Bremner at a football dinner and reminded him of the match. To my surprise he expressed regret at the unbroken passing incident and said that he now feels embarrassed when he watches it. No side he maintained should humiliate another to that extent and it was now a matter of regret.
Ted Bates was the manager that awful day in 1972 and perhaps it was in his honour the Saints performed so well. "What goes around comes around" is the old adage and it would be really ironic if Leeds went out of business in the next few weeks whilst Saints sit (relatively debt free) in the middle of the table. I for one will not be crying!
Talking of old sores I must declare my own preference for the situation of manager for next (or probably later this season). The short spell of management by Glen Hoddle was really inspiring and at the time he made the decision to leave we had won five games in a row and the style of the team was really positive. We had come a long way in a short time and it was a great pity it did not have time to develop.
Rupert Lowe does not strike me, as a man who can forgive and forget very easily although I felt, at the time, that Hoddle would be unable to resist a move to his spiritual home. If, as I fear, he has blotted his copybook then we will have to look elsewhere.
At the time of Gordon Strachans appointment I was firmly behind Micky Adams and I see no reason to change that view. He has done well in the Premiership with a real scruffy Leicester City side that seems to hang together by the seat of their pants. He will have learnt a lot about crisis management which is absolutely vital in most clubs at this level, a really bad run by any except the top sides will see you in trouble.
Over many years I have learned the hard way not to take on the bookies and they have promoted a Monsieur Trousers from the improbable Kingdom of Qatar to favouritism. Ridiculous as it all seems I will not be opposing them although in the past the chairman has been able to spring a few surprises of his own.
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