One Game at a Time: You’re Only Here for the Pasties
Southampton (H) August 19th
"Ils ne passeront pas"
It was the French General Robert Nivelle who first coined this phrase to encourage his men at the Battle of Verdun in 1916, and which was later used in propaganda posters created by the artist Maurice Neumont after the 1918 Allied victory at the second battle of the Marne.
It has been simplified over the years, and the anglicised version of “They Shall Not Pass” was exemplified by the performance of the Argyle back line in the latest, and, in the escalating series of League tests that have welcomed Argyle back to the Championship, impressive performance against the unpredictable Watford.
Whilst the game remained goalless, the excitement levels never wavered, with heart in mouth opportunities at both ends throughout. Watford will point to the profligacy of Bayo, although later coverage shows a blatant push in the build-up to his first effort, and whilst dominating possession, Watford fans will probably conceded that the best chance of the match fell to a move of incisive passing, before Randell should have buried his second half shot.
If Scarr and Gibson took the plaudits in the centre of the Maginot Line of the Argyle defence, the flanks were ably protected by Edwards and Saxon (making his first Championship start and looking very much at ease) in a way that meant the much-vaunted Val-Ball was forced time and time again to hit the hopeful long shot or cross.
Add to that a confident and dominant performance from keeper Hazard, and the team with no fewer than twelve different internationals in their squad, and a four-goal home victory already this season were frustrated throughout. With Hardies pace occasionally threatening a Bachmann Turnover from the sweeper keeper, whose footwork was a constant threat to his own defence, and useful cameos towards the end by Azaz and Cundle on debut, the team took the plaudits from the sold out away end. A solid point, that was a whisker from being the classic three-point steal on more than one occasion, from a team that the majority of had Premier League experience less than a couple of years ago, was another substantial step forward.
At least the coach journey home would have been more relaxing than the disrupted journey up to the game, when traffic accidents closing the M5 and the untimely cancellation of the alternative train option resulted in the team being snapped standing for at least part of their journey. The post on Twitter was from a QPR fan suggesting they try an organise something similar for the away game for Argyle, although buying a new defence seems to be the focus of Gareth Ainsworth, which bore first fruit at Cardiff.
Home comforts this week for the squad and fans alike, although in this ever-changing world of Live and Let Die matches, we make our Sky debut for the season with an early kick-off against the Saints. If Watford were a side finally coming to terms with the end of their parachute payments, and the financial pressures that brings, Southampton, having endured what can only be described as a torrid campaign at the top-level last season, are still in the process of watching their expensively assembled squad being gradually dismantled.
Latest departures included James Ward Prowse, now a thirty-million-pound Hammer, with Lavia vascillating between Liverpool, a club that has specialised in denuding the Saints of talent over the seasons (Mane, Lallana, Van Dijk), and Chelsea, but is effectively gone either way. With Boehly at Chelsea apparently operating a transfer policy stolen directly from “Supermarket Sweep” there must be a risk that the Saints may not have a full side out at this rate. The clear out also includes Livramento (The Toon), Salisu (Monaco), and a list that keeps growing, Romeu, Caleta Car, Diallo, Orsic, Nlundulu, Hall. On top of that, having recovered Tella from his barnstorming performances to help Burnley win promotion, he may be off to Bayer Leverkusen, Kochop may head to Dortmund, Suliman to Monaco as well, Che Adams to either Palace or Bournemouth, McCarthy is apparently interesting Everton and Palace, and following recent departures is a high earner they could do with getting off the payroll.
You could be forgiven for expecting a Blue Peter style totaliser being unveiled outside the ground for fans to keep a track of how much cash has rolled in. Not much has gone out yet.
It is a far cry from the humble origins of the Saints, formed originally as St Mary’s Young Mens Association FC, and then simply St Marys FC before adopting Southampton St Marys when elected to the Southern League in 1894. The club dropped the St Marys suffix three years after their elevation, but the move from long term ground the Dell to a new Stadium in 2001 enshrined the connection when they named it the St Mary’s stadium after the area it is located in.
Southampton were highly successful in the Southern League, winning six times before being elected to the fledgling Division 3 of the Football League in 1920. The club also reached the Cup Final twice, in 1902 and 1904, losing to Bury (four nil) and then Sheffield United (after a replay). It was in this period that the club invested £10,000 in a new stadium to the north of the city. The Dell, which was to remain their home for over a century (barring a brief sojourn at near neighbours Pompey’s Fratton Park in the war years after a German bomb landed in the centre of the pitch). The club was far from wealthy and in fact initially had to rent the ground. It is a surprise given the recent ferocity of their rivalry with the Portsmouth fans that their nickname remains the Scummers, and not the Rent Boys.
The club gained promotion in 1921/2 to the second division, where they remained for 32 years. Their first season at that level saw a statistical phenomenon of the “Even Season” where they won lost and drew 14 fixtures of their 42. A defeat on Saturday would put them en route to repeating that feat, having won and drawn this season so far.
The club has espoused its red and white stripes from day one. Another reason why they will get a frosty reception at Fortress HP. Indeed, they are partially responsible for the spread of the stripey red plague, as in 1909 a representative from Athletic Bilbao, who also played for Atletico Madrid purchased 50 of the club’s strip to take back to Spain and, as a result, both clubs adopted the colours.
Post war the club continued its existence at the second and third tiers of the game, until Ted Bates secured promotion to the First division in 1966, where they remained until 1974, when they, then under Bates former assistant Lawrie McMenemy, were one of the first unfortunate beneficiaries of the new-fangled three up, three down system.
Their promotion in 1966 as runners up was on the back of the goals of Martin Chivers, but his total was surpassed the following season when Ron Davies was signed and scored 43 goals. In this first spell at the highest level the club did well enough to reach European participation in the UEFA Cup on two occasions.
The clubs first major trophy, however arrived in 1976, when as a Second Division side, a goal by diminutive striker Bobby Stokes won the FA Cup against favourites Manchester United. Stokes, Pompey born and a failed Portsmouth triallist as a youth, had been on the brink of a transfer to Fratton Park in exchange for Paul Went, but the deal fell through and thus, seven minutes from the end of the game, he scored the goal that enshrined him in Saints history.
Sadly Stokes, having departed Southampton after eleven years with no Testimonial, drifted via Portsmouth and then a spell in the USA, out of the game, and in 1995, ironically after as he called it, “brassnecking” to get a testimonial, and working in his sister’s café, following the break-up of his marriage, he caught bronchial pneumonia and died.
That 1976 side were also witness to one of football’s less likely goals, when just two weeks before their historic final win Ian Turner was a helpless spectator as Peter Darke, an “old-school” right back, launched a speculative cross which flew over the keeper and straight into the net, to give Argyle a one nil home victory. It was his second and last goal for Argyle, and whilst I can recall this one and the huge grin that followed an almost embarrassed celebration, I don’t recall the other even though I was there, in a 1974 4-1 rout of Cambridge United.
McMenemy dismantled the cup winning side and built a team to win promotion which he duly achieved. Players like Ted McDougall, Phil Boyer, Mike Channon and eventually Kevin Keegan arrived, and the club eventually achieved its highest League position when they finished runners up to Liverpool. Alan Ball, later to manage both Saints and Pompey, and Peter Shilton also graced the Dells turf. Remarkably Shilton is not the oldest player, or even the oldest goalkeeper to play for the Saints. That honour fell to Willy Caballero, who left at the end of last season, in his forty first year against Blackpool.
After that high point Southampton remained a topflight side, largely on the back of two locally developed players in Alan Shearer, and Matt le Tissier. Shearer was sold eventually to Blackburn where he partnered fellow media vacuum Chris Sutton in their Premiership winning side. Le Tissier, arguably the Saints greatest ever player, and known as “Le God” played his entire professional career at The Dell, scoring the last ever goal there, and retiring the following season, and regularly could have hosted his own individual goal of the season contest. He scored an incredible 47 of 48 spot kicks in his career, with Mark Crossley of Forest saying his save from le Tissiers penalty was his finest piece of goalkeeping.
In 2004, then chairman of the club Rupert Lowe approached a high flying third tier club, about to clinch their second promotion in three seasons, to recruit their respected Scottish manager. Unfortunately for Luggy, a player revolt, allegedly led by James Beattie, who christened Sturrock “Worzel” led to Sturrock departing after only a few games, although of all the subsequent managers only Burley, Pardew and Adkins had a better win percentage than Sturrocks. Agitator Beattie eventually tried his hand at managing at Accrington Stanley, where he was ousted “by mutual consent” within two months of the seasons start. He has never managed at professional club level again.
After Luggy’s departure, and the ill-fated Steve Wigley, Lowe caused a furore by appointing Pompey boss Harry Redknapp. Although the club’s rivalry today is considered amongst the fiercest around, this was not always the case. When Pompey won the 1939 FA Cup, the Southampton crowd was a mere 4000 with Saints fans preferring to listen to their neighbour’s cup match on the radio. After their triumph against the Wolves, the trophy was paraded at both Fratton Park and The Dell.
The clubs’ fans call each other, respectively Scummers and Skates.
Summers, for Southampton fans is alleged to have come from the strike breaking activities of the Southampton Company of Union Men, although there is some doubt about that origin. It is also thought that the contrast between the Naval port and a Merchant port alludes to merchant seamen being “the scum that float on the ocean”.
The term of Skate was eventually decided after an informal contest run on a fanzine “The Ugly Inside”. Again, with no formal evidence, royal navy sailors on long lonely voyages were alleged to have used the noble skate as a substitute for female company.
Whatever the reality, the nicknames have stuck in recent years, although the clubs have managed to keep themselves reasonably far apart. Redknapp eventually returned to Fratton Park after a year in charge, and it was eventually Nigel Adkins who, having stepped in when Southampton made a brief trip to the third tier, led the club to promotion to the Championship in 2011 (via a win at Home Park on our least favourite day, May 2nd) and then backed that up with an immediate promotion to the Premier League the following season.
And there, until last season, they remained. Now owned by a Serbian media tycoon, the club had passed from the Liebherr family who rescued it from administration in 2009, via the traditional Chinese businessman to it's now owners, and with a string of high-profile foreign coaches. Pochettino, Koeman, Puel, Hassenhutl, Nathan Jones. You have to wonder about the fit and proper person test being passed by any club owner for whom, when struggling to build a successful Premier League Club picks a CV out from the pile, sees the name Nathan Jones and thinks, yep…he’s the one!
Jones lasted, well not long but too long, losing seven out of eight matches. His successor, appointed to administer their EPL last rites was Ruben Selles, now putting that experience to good use at Reading.
The man entrusted with rebuilding the team and taking them back up is Russell Martin. The ex-Norwich and Scotland international has had a short but glorious managerial and coaching career, failing upwards from Walsall to MK Dons via Swansea to Southampton without, as yet, troubling the trophy engravers. A vegan ( due to dietary issues of colitis) who has a stake in a number of vegan restaurants, a paid up Green party member (so with an FGR safety net wherever he goes to manage) and a Buddhist, Martin’s philosophy is heavily possession based, to the extent that his favourite goal was when Swansea kicked off and scored after 29 touches, with Peterboroughs first touch being to kick off, one nil down.
So far you would have to say, a dominant win over the Wendies where they almost made a thousand passes, followed by a possession heavy drubbing of their reserves by Gillingham, and then a helter-skelter four all draw at home to Norwich, where a second, late, highly dubious penalty salvaged a point, says that the plan is still being imbued into the squad.
It cannot be easy, as players leave St Marys on a seemingly daily basis. Liam Manning has followed Martin from the Swans to the Saints. Unsurprisingly, Morgan Whittaker didn’t. Flynn Downes, another ex-Swan, now at West Ham was due to have a medical on Monday for a loan move after the Ward Prowse transfer, but a mystery ailment prevented his travelling, and so with Will Smallbone having damaged an ankle, for a long term absence, Martin is struggling to name a consistent XI.
With the clubs’ fans apparently targeting Gavin Bazumu as a weak link in goal at a fans forum, something Martin has already come out and denied is the case, there is one selection that looks like it is going our way.
The Saints will have a strong squad come what may, to select from. One thing is for sure, that we know exactly how Martin will want to play.
The other thing for sure is that Schuey and his team will be set up to stop that from happening. It will be our toughest test so far, and we are only three games in, but Fortress HP awaits, and hopefully, much as Preston are presently, the Saints will be decanonised.
COYG!!!
Southampton (H) August 19th
"Ils ne passeront pas"
It was the French General Robert Nivelle who first coined this phrase to encourage his men at the Battle of Verdun in 1916, and which was later used in propaganda posters created by the artist Maurice Neumont after the 1918 Allied victory at the second battle of the Marne.
It has been simplified over the years, and the anglicised version of “They Shall Not Pass” was exemplified by the performance of the Argyle back line in the latest, and, in the escalating series of League tests that have welcomed Argyle back to the Championship, impressive performance against the unpredictable Watford.
Whilst the game remained goalless, the excitement levels never wavered, with heart in mouth opportunities at both ends throughout. Watford will point to the profligacy of Bayo, although later coverage shows a blatant push in the build-up to his first effort, and whilst dominating possession, Watford fans will probably conceded that the best chance of the match fell to a move of incisive passing, before Randell should have buried his second half shot.
If Scarr and Gibson took the plaudits in the centre of the Maginot Line of the Argyle defence, the flanks were ably protected by Edwards and Saxon (making his first Championship start and looking very much at ease) in a way that meant the much-vaunted Val-Ball was forced time and time again to hit the hopeful long shot or cross.
Add to that a confident and dominant performance from keeper Hazard, and the team with no fewer than twelve different internationals in their squad, and a four-goal home victory already this season were frustrated throughout. With Hardies pace occasionally threatening a Bachmann Turnover from the sweeper keeper, whose footwork was a constant threat to his own defence, and useful cameos towards the end by Azaz and Cundle on debut, the team took the plaudits from the sold out away end. A solid point, that was a whisker from being the classic three-point steal on more than one occasion, from a team that the majority of had Premier League experience less than a couple of years ago, was another substantial step forward.
At least the coach journey home would have been more relaxing than the disrupted journey up to the game, when traffic accidents closing the M5 and the untimely cancellation of the alternative train option resulted in the team being snapped standing for at least part of their journey. The post on Twitter was from a QPR fan suggesting they try an organise something similar for the away game for Argyle, although buying a new defence seems to be the focus of Gareth Ainsworth, which bore first fruit at Cardiff.
Home comforts this week for the squad and fans alike, although in this ever-changing world of Live and Let Die matches, we make our Sky debut for the season with an early kick-off against the Saints. If Watford were a side finally coming to terms with the end of their parachute payments, and the financial pressures that brings, Southampton, having endured what can only be described as a torrid campaign at the top-level last season, are still in the process of watching their expensively assembled squad being gradually dismantled.
Latest departures included James Ward Prowse, now a thirty-million-pound Hammer, with Lavia vascillating between Liverpool, a club that has specialised in denuding the Saints of talent over the seasons (Mane, Lallana, Van Dijk), and Chelsea, but is effectively gone either way. With Boehly at Chelsea apparently operating a transfer policy stolen directly from “Supermarket Sweep” there must be a risk that the Saints may not have a full side out at this rate. The clear out also includes Livramento (The Toon), Salisu (Monaco), and a list that keeps growing, Romeu, Caleta Car, Diallo, Orsic, Nlundulu, Hall. On top of that, having recovered Tella from his barnstorming performances to help Burnley win promotion, he may be off to Bayer Leverkusen, Kochop may head to Dortmund, Suliman to Monaco as well, Che Adams to either Palace or Bournemouth, McCarthy is apparently interesting Everton and Palace, and following recent departures is a high earner they could do with getting off the payroll.
You could be forgiven for expecting a Blue Peter style totaliser being unveiled outside the ground for fans to keep a track of how much cash has rolled in. Not much has gone out yet.
It is a far cry from the humble origins of the Saints, formed originally as St Mary’s Young Mens Association FC, and then simply St Marys FC before adopting Southampton St Marys when elected to the Southern League in 1894. The club dropped the St Marys suffix three years after their elevation, but the move from long term ground the Dell to a new Stadium in 2001 enshrined the connection when they named it the St Mary’s stadium after the area it is located in.
Southampton were highly successful in the Southern League, winning six times before being elected to the fledgling Division 3 of the Football League in 1920. The club also reached the Cup Final twice, in 1902 and 1904, losing to Bury (four nil) and then Sheffield United (after a replay). It was in this period that the club invested £10,000 in a new stadium to the north of the city. The Dell, which was to remain their home for over a century (barring a brief sojourn at near neighbours Pompey’s Fratton Park in the war years after a German bomb landed in the centre of the pitch). The club was far from wealthy and in fact initially had to rent the ground. It is a surprise given the recent ferocity of their rivalry with the Portsmouth fans that their nickname remains the Scummers, and not the Rent Boys.
The club gained promotion in 1921/2 to the second division, where they remained for 32 years. Their first season at that level saw a statistical phenomenon of the “Even Season” where they won lost and drew 14 fixtures of their 42. A defeat on Saturday would put them en route to repeating that feat, having won and drawn this season so far.
The club has espoused its red and white stripes from day one. Another reason why they will get a frosty reception at Fortress HP. Indeed, they are partially responsible for the spread of the stripey red plague, as in 1909 a representative from Athletic Bilbao, who also played for Atletico Madrid purchased 50 of the club’s strip to take back to Spain and, as a result, both clubs adopted the colours.
Post war the club continued its existence at the second and third tiers of the game, until Ted Bates secured promotion to the First division in 1966, where they remained until 1974, when they, then under Bates former assistant Lawrie McMenemy, were one of the first unfortunate beneficiaries of the new-fangled three up, three down system.
Their promotion in 1966 as runners up was on the back of the goals of Martin Chivers, but his total was surpassed the following season when Ron Davies was signed and scored 43 goals. In this first spell at the highest level the club did well enough to reach European participation in the UEFA Cup on two occasions.
The clubs first major trophy, however arrived in 1976, when as a Second Division side, a goal by diminutive striker Bobby Stokes won the FA Cup against favourites Manchester United. Stokes, Pompey born and a failed Portsmouth triallist as a youth, had been on the brink of a transfer to Fratton Park in exchange for Paul Went, but the deal fell through and thus, seven minutes from the end of the game, he scored the goal that enshrined him in Saints history.
Sadly Stokes, having departed Southampton after eleven years with no Testimonial, drifted via Portsmouth and then a spell in the USA, out of the game, and in 1995, ironically after as he called it, “brassnecking” to get a testimonial, and working in his sister’s café, following the break-up of his marriage, he caught bronchial pneumonia and died.
That 1976 side were also witness to one of football’s less likely goals, when just two weeks before their historic final win Ian Turner was a helpless spectator as Peter Darke, an “old-school” right back, launched a speculative cross which flew over the keeper and straight into the net, to give Argyle a one nil home victory. It was his second and last goal for Argyle, and whilst I can recall this one and the huge grin that followed an almost embarrassed celebration, I don’t recall the other even though I was there, in a 1974 4-1 rout of Cambridge United.
McMenemy dismantled the cup winning side and built a team to win promotion which he duly achieved. Players like Ted McDougall, Phil Boyer, Mike Channon and eventually Kevin Keegan arrived, and the club eventually achieved its highest League position when they finished runners up to Liverpool. Alan Ball, later to manage both Saints and Pompey, and Peter Shilton also graced the Dells turf. Remarkably Shilton is not the oldest player, or even the oldest goalkeeper to play for the Saints. That honour fell to Willy Caballero, who left at the end of last season, in his forty first year against Blackpool.
After that high point Southampton remained a topflight side, largely on the back of two locally developed players in Alan Shearer, and Matt le Tissier. Shearer was sold eventually to Blackburn where he partnered fellow media vacuum Chris Sutton in their Premiership winning side. Le Tissier, arguably the Saints greatest ever player, and known as “Le God” played his entire professional career at The Dell, scoring the last ever goal there, and retiring the following season, and regularly could have hosted his own individual goal of the season contest. He scored an incredible 47 of 48 spot kicks in his career, with Mark Crossley of Forest saying his save from le Tissiers penalty was his finest piece of goalkeeping.
In 2004, then chairman of the club Rupert Lowe approached a high flying third tier club, about to clinch their second promotion in three seasons, to recruit their respected Scottish manager. Unfortunately for Luggy, a player revolt, allegedly led by James Beattie, who christened Sturrock “Worzel” led to Sturrock departing after only a few games, although of all the subsequent managers only Burley, Pardew and Adkins had a better win percentage than Sturrocks. Agitator Beattie eventually tried his hand at managing at Accrington Stanley, where he was ousted “by mutual consent” within two months of the seasons start. He has never managed at professional club level again.
After Luggy’s departure, and the ill-fated Steve Wigley, Lowe caused a furore by appointing Pompey boss Harry Redknapp. Although the club’s rivalry today is considered amongst the fiercest around, this was not always the case. When Pompey won the 1939 FA Cup, the Southampton crowd was a mere 4000 with Saints fans preferring to listen to their neighbour’s cup match on the radio. After their triumph against the Wolves, the trophy was paraded at both Fratton Park and The Dell.
The clubs’ fans call each other, respectively Scummers and Skates.
Summers, for Southampton fans is alleged to have come from the strike breaking activities of the Southampton Company of Union Men, although there is some doubt about that origin. It is also thought that the contrast between the Naval port and a Merchant port alludes to merchant seamen being “the scum that float on the ocean”.
The term of Skate was eventually decided after an informal contest run on a fanzine “The Ugly Inside”. Again, with no formal evidence, royal navy sailors on long lonely voyages were alleged to have used the noble skate as a substitute for female company.
Whatever the reality, the nicknames have stuck in recent years, although the clubs have managed to keep themselves reasonably far apart. Redknapp eventually returned to Fratton Park after a year in charge, and it was eventually Nigel Adkins who, having stepped in when Southampton made a brief trip to the third tier, led the club to promotion to the Championship in 2011 (via a win at Home Park on our least favourite day, May 2nd) and then backed that up with an immediate promotion to the Premier League the following season.
And there, until last season, they remained. Now owned by a Serbian media tycoon, the club had passed from the Liebherr family who rescued it from administration in 2009, via the traditional Chinese businessman to it's now owners, and with a string of high-profile foreign coaches. Pochettino, Koeman, Puel, Hassenhutl, Nathan Jones. You have to wonder about the fit and proper person test being passed by any club owner for whom, when struggling to build a successful Premier League Club picks a CV out from the pile, sees the name Nathan Jones and thinks, yep…he’s the one!
Jones lasted, well not long but too long, losing seven out of eight matches. His successor, appointed to administer their EPL last rites was Ruben Selles, now putting that experience to good use at Reading.
The man entrusted with rebuilding the team and taking them back up is Russell Martin. The ex-Norwich and Scotland international has had a short but glorious managerial and coaching career, failing upwards from Walsall to MK Dons via Swansea to Southampton without, as yet, troubling the trophy engravers. A vegan ( due to dietary issues of colitis) who has a stake in a number of vegan restaurants, a paid up Green party member (so with an FGR safety net wherever he goes to manage) and a Buddhist, Martin’s philosophy is heavily possession based, to the extent that his favourite goal was when Swansea kicked off and scored after 29 touches, with Peterboroughs first touch being to kick off, one nil down.
So far you would have to say, a dominant win over the Wendies where they almost made a thousand passes, followed by a possession heavy drubbing of their reserves by Gillingham, and then a helter-skelter four all draw at home to Norwich, where a second, late, highly dubious penalty salvaged a point, says that the plan is still being imbued into the squad.
It cannot be easy, as players leave St Marys on a seemingly daily basis. Liam Manning has followed Martin from the Swans to the Saints. Unsurprisingly, Morgan Whittaker didn’t. Flynn Downes, another ex-Swan, now at West Ham was due to have a medical on Monday for a loan move after the Ward Prowse transfer, but a mystery ailment prevented his travelling, and so with Will Smallbone having damaged an ankle, for a long term absence, Martin is struggling to name a consistent XI.
With the clubs’ fans apparently targeting Gavin Bazumu as a weak link in goal at a fans forum, something Martin has already come out and denied is the case, there is one selection that looks like it is going our way.
The Saints will have a strong squad come what may, to select from. One thing is for sure, that we know exactly how Martin will want to play.
The other thing for sure is that Schuey and his team will be set up to stop that from happening. It will be our toughest test so far, and we are only three games in, but Fortress HP awaits, and hopefully, much as Preston are presently, the Saints will be decanonised.
COYG!!!
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