Saints Facts
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Saints are the only club in Hampshire and the only team who can carry the south into Europe and bring some Pride to us southerners.

Its going to be a great night and I can just see the Saints fans giving 100% just as they did in 1984/85 when they lost to Hamburg. I went to the away leg with the `Winchester Boys` and the atmosphere was superb just Saints all over the place in the bars. One bloke went to a night club and we didn't see him again not even on the coach back. A Southampton lad took the shower out the hotel as a souvenir, clever these plumbers, think it was a Mira! 

The Steaua away leg is just a fantastic opportunity for all the new Saints fans to see their club and the Pride of the South in Europe. With 32,000 for the home leg and 2,200 for the away leg its all Southampton on the South Coast.

Saints Best XI

Dave Nickolls :  Tim Flowers, Wayne Bridge, Deano, Tahar, Dodd, Oakley, Le Tissier, Channon, Keegan, Shearer, Pahars,

Gorden Wong :  Shilton, Mark Wright, Dean Richards, Mark Dennis, Rod Wallace, David Armstrong, Le Tiss, Channon, Keegan, Pahars, Shearer

Jon Stallard :  Shilton, Kenna, Steve Mills, Holmes, Wright, O'Neil, Paine, Channon, Davies (Ron), Le Tissier, Sydenham

Terry Manning:  P.Shilton, S.Mills, D.Watson, M.Wright, I.Golac, A.Ball, M.LeTissier, S.Williams, K.Keegan, M.Channon, R.Daveis, subs. T.Flowers, M.Dennis, D.Steatham, A.Shearer, R.Wallace, D.Armstrong

Alastair Poole :  T.Flowres, J.Kenna, D.Richards, K.Monkou, W.Bridge, M.Oakley, J.Magilton, N.Maddison, M.Le Tissier, R.Wallace, A.Shearer

Steve Rhodes :  Shilton, Golac, M.Mills, Watson, Osman, Williams, Case, Moran, Keegan, Shearer, Channon.

Saints Worst XI

Terry Manning :  Dave Beasant, Ray Wallace, Joe Kirkup, Jon Gittens, Forbes Phlipson-Masters, Mark Whitlock, David Speedey, Perry Groves, David Hirst, George Lawrence, Kerry Dixon,

Saints Facts

Southampton were born out of Deanery FC, which was started by schoolteachers who were members of a young men's association connected to the local St Mary's Church. Saints were officially founded in 1885 and joined the League in 1920.

Saints ground capacity is only 15,252 but in the 1984/85 season I saw the home game against Sheffield Wednesday (FA Cup 6^th round) which had an attendance of 24,000.

In the season 1977/78 I also saw the first game of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion which had an attendance of 24,306.

Also in that season men's home kits cost £12-85, scarves were£1-50, bob hats 50p, wings patch from 45p I want one of these for my cut off, do you know anyone who has one.

In the 1989/90 season Saints hit six of the best as they trounced Luton town 6-3 at the Dell. Saints also shared the points on visits to Norwich City 4-4, Chelsea 2-2.

The number 4 was prevalent in that season as Saints win 4-1 at QPR, 4-1 at home to Liverpool, 4-2 away at Charlton, 4-2 at home to Swindon in the LC4 round replay.

The Idea of the Zulus also came about in this season as I went to the QPR away game with my mate Craig, on the way to the ground all you could here coming from the pubs and streets was Saints fans singing. This resembled the Zulus in the film `Zulu` converging on the British soldiers over the hills. The gate was 10,000 but I am sure Saints had about 7,000 fans that day.

David Gower that well-known successful cricket player supports the Saints, he stars in the hit show `they think it's all over`.

Alex Ferguson said that Manchester United lost 3-1 to Saints at the Dell because `the united players could not make each other out in their grey away kits`. That’s just another one of the sad Muppet's excuses, there is also the `wrong studs` worn by the goalie when Le God scored from miles out at the `Theater of Crap`.

In the 1981 season Saints finished 8^th in Division 1 with 45 points from 42 games, they won 18 games. Our rivals were in Division 4 at time with the likes of Aldershot.

Manny Andruszewski played for Saints, he was born locally at Eastleigh of Polish parents, he played full back and center back during the late 70s.

Ted MacDougall joined saints in 1977 for £55,000 from Norwich.

Ian Turner joined the saints when he followed Laurie McMenenmy from Grimsby in 1974.

Saints have so far (2000 season) had 6 shots cleared off the line.

Saints record transfer fee of £2m was for David Hurst.

International captains at the Saints have been; Kevin Keegan, Mike Channon, Dave Watson, Peter Shilton, Stuart Williams, and Barry Horn.

Matt Le Tissier made his full Southampton debut in 1986 and played against Glenn Hoddle for Spurs.

Southampton FC History

Shipbuilding workers from the North working at the famous Woolson shipbuilding yard are said to have formed a team called Southampton Rangers and this was followed by a team a group of teachers (Mr. Wood, G. McIvor, A.Fry, F. Montgomery) creating Deanery Football Club in 1880.

Five years on and we have the team Southampton St Mary's FC and their first game was against Freemantle and wore a kit with diagonal red strips, the game was played on the site of the Hampshire Bowling Club.

The team had its first professional player Jack Drollin in 1892 possibly on £1-00 a week and beat Pompey 2-0 at the County Ground in the semi-final of the Hampshire Senior Cup, 1894 saw the formation of the Southern league and by a twist of fate by the 2nd Scots Guards being ejected Southampton St Mary's took their place in the league.

The Hampshire County Cricket Ground in Northland Road was Saints next home in 1896 and Saints won the Southern league title winning 15, Drawing 5 and not losing a game. The following season saints won the title again in 1896-97 and yes the hat trick of titles was complete in 1897-98.

The club became a limited company in 1898-99 and moved stones through away to their new ground nicknamed the `Dell` by Mr. George Thomas a director of the club.

A FA cup final appearance in 1899-1900 saw saints lose 0-4 to Bury at Crystal Palace but Saints were back in the final the next year only to lose 1-2 to Sheffield United in a replay, they also beat Northampton 11-0 in the league at home. The Southern league title was to Saints in the season 1902-03, and 04, and on 28th August 1920 Southampton FC played its first game in the Football league in Division 3 drawing 1-1 with Gillingham they also beat Pompey 2-0 (h) and 1-0 (a) so its in our blood to beat them!

Saints won the Division 3 title in 1921-22 losing only 4 games from 42 and gaining 61 points.

Saints did not take their place in Division 1 until 1966-67 with contribution from the great Terry Pain and Martin Chivers and with Mike Channon scoring on his debut against Bristol City that concluded a great season for Saints.

Of course later on we have the FA cup 1-0 triumph against Man U in 1975-76, promotion to Division 1 in 1977-78 that was the start of Saints long stay in the top flight and the achievement of second in Division. In 1983-84, the ZDS Cup Final in 1992 against Forrest in which we just lost 2-3 to Forrest with the mass 36,000 Red and White Army of saints fans and the skills of Le God. And that Steve Moran goal against Pompey at Fratton Park to give Saints a win in the Forth round of the FA Cup.

These are only snap shots of saints History but it clearly shows there are plenty of options in names, years etc to help in the naming of the new ground and to help the fans keep the identity of the club at the site.
In an astonishing turnaround the club and sponsors will now have a re-think on naming of the new ground. The echo reported that `Brian Wilkinson head of communications at FP decided to take into accounts the fans views before finally deciding the name of the new ground, and that Rupert Lowe was delighted that the club sponsor is taking the wishes of the fans into account.
There was outcry from the fans with e-mails to the echo and pressure on the club to incorporate a historical part of the club into the name and at least it has drawn a positive response from the sponsors. Evan if the sponsors and fans meet half way then that's positive for all.
The name of the new ground was changed on 13/10/00 to `The Friends Provident St.Mary`s Stadium`.