End of Season Report

See also: Saints Update and Another View

Phew! How can one club's supporters be expected to cope with such high anxiety year in and year out? Once again the Saint's survival in The Premiership wasn't guaranteed until the final game of the season. Saints lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in front of three thousand raucous travelling fans at Villa Park. Fortunately, results elsewhere conspired to leave the Saints two places and one point above the drop zone. This it has to be noted is an improvement (no really? The typist), albeit modest, on last season when goal difference kept us up. From this glimmer of light I shall take my lead, casting aside the Prozac prescription that was my spring report, I shall don my rose tinted spectacles and evoke the spirit of the coca leaf.
(Err ? do we allow this then - the Ed)

The poor run of form culminating in the defeat at the hands of Brentford in the friendly back in February looked set to continue. Saints' 3-2 defeat at home to Sheffield Wednesday, after leading 2-0 at half time, must have broken the spirit of many a Saints fan. Never before had I heard so many season ticket holders concede relegation so early in the year.

Travelling to St James Park and securing all three points against Newcastle United on March 1st proved to be the turning point in the team's fortunes. The win produced a massive lift for the supporters and Souness' players alike. This coupled with the £500,000 transfer of Mike Evans from Plymouth Argyle to partner Egil Ostenstad up front proved an immediate success. Evan's West County accent and bushy sideburns proved an instant hit with the fans and his workrate and ability to find the net earned him the Premiership's platter of the month in April. Souness for the second time this season picked up the manager of the month award for the same month, a reflection of the team's improved results.

Survival in the Premier League was the reward for finishing the season stronger than all the rival relegation candidates. Saints clung grimly on. They fought back from the disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Leicester City (again 2-0 up at half time) on March 22 until the 2-0 home win over Blackburn Rovers on May 3rd. The Saints were unbeaten in seven games, a remarkable achievement when set against the rest of what was a poor season. Both manager and team deserve much credit for this valiant achievement, which ensured the club its twentieth consecutive season in the top flight of English football.

Paradoxically the run of good form coincided with the absence through groin industry of the Talismatic Matthew le Tissier. He was memorably described earlier in the year as 15% flair and 25% lazy bastard by opinionated cockney TV and radio personality 'Danny Baker'. Bearing in mind Le Tissier's recently well publicised affair with a teenage temptress he would be wise to take back his copy of the kama sutra to the library and return to the bosom of his young family, thus ensuring some much needed rest to his overworked groin. (Hmmm - yes indeed but what's the point of being a famous footballer otherwise? - the typist)

Souness' team will start the new season with at least one new face. Kevin Davies had been a target for the manager for some time, but had been unable to sign the striker from 2nd division Chesterfield any earlier. Their amazing Giant Killing FA cup run was only halted by Middlesborough in a semi final replay. Souness concedes the 20-year-old Kevin is far from the finished article but has shown enough potential this season to warrant his chance to prove himself at the highest level. I believe him to be an excellent buy. The cost of which will be decided by league tribunal.

This being the year of a landslide swing to labour in the general election it is ironic that Hampshire County Council should revert back to Tory control. Its first act was to initiate a review of the planning application for the new stadium at Stoneham. This is very worrying for the club and its supporters who, like me, have been under the impression the deal had been rubber-stamped. The fickle voters of this county have cast a dark cloud over the future club. (Yes but not as dark as Saint's lousy play - the typist crossly who didn't vote Tory but still likes the pretty green bit this proposed club is going to sit on). As the end of season euphoria wears off will we once again reach for the Prozac tablets?

Following the stress and tension of a truly nail biting campaign, we can now relax and indulge ourselves in the carnival atmosphere of the end of season awards and forthcoming all star testimonial match. In his first season at the club, Egil Ostenstad was the runaway winner for player of the year. Receiving the award from long time Saints' servant Ted Bates, who celebrates sixty years at The Dell this year, runners up in descending order were: fellow new boy Robbie Slater, Jason Dodd, Jim Magilton, and Eyal Berkovic (Three Souness signings in the Top five).

Finally I can't sign off without mentioning Francis Benali who has been granted a testimonial match on May 13th for ten years, loyal service to the club. Now I know Benali has many detractors. I am not among them. I believe the stick he receives from home supporters' effects his performances at The Dell. However, fans travelling to away games tend to get behind the team more, consequently Benali plays his best away from The Dell. For me he shows 100% commitment to the club on and off the field. I hope the game against an ex-Saints line-up including Alan Shearer, Tim Flowers and Richard Hill is a sell out and I would encourage home fans to support him next season instead of undermining his confidence. Remember how The Dell atmosphere helped rebuild Dave Beasant's shattered confidence?

Log on again for my pre-season report, which will also cover any important news during the closed season.

Return to 1997 SUMMER Index