Southern Discomfort ! When Saints Won Six Championships !
In this month's issue of football magazine When Saturday Comes there is an interesting article on when Saints were truly one of the Countries top teams.
This month's edition of When Saturday Comes has a special feature on Saints, the first half written by a former presenter of the club's radio station The Saint Tim Manns looks back on his experiences going to the Dell as a schoolboy back in the Sixties, the second by Neil Cotton takes a look at the early days of the club when it was truly one of the top clubs in the country, but the achievements back then now go relatively unnoticed due to the fact that Southern club's were yet to joing the fledgling football league.
Cotton's article is nothing new to those Saints fans who take a keen interest in the club's history, however for many and indeed the rest of the nation, it will be a revelation.
Back in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th Saints were truly one of the countries top clubs winning six Southern League Championships and being the first club in the professional era from outside of the Football League to reach an FA Cup Final, playing in two, although in between these two defeats, fellow Southern League club Spurs would win it.
But because that back then the Football League was essentially a competiton for Northern Clubs whilst those South of Birmingham played in the Southern League and was the Nothern clubs who dominated with the Football league eventually absorbing the top clubs from the South Saints domination and achievements now go virtually unrecognised, despite the fact that we would regularly beat the Football League teams when we met in the FA Cup.
I would recommend that Saints fans buy the magazine and find out more about the club's early days and how much rich history that we actually have.
When Saturday Comes is available in most big newsagents.
What to read next:
Southampton V Bournemouth The PreviewSaints take on the Cherries in the New Forest derby, although given the name, most Southampton fans care more about who has the best trees in their half of the forest, than how Bournemouth are doing.
Southampton V Bournemouth In Pictures Part 2The second part of our pictorial view of the Cherries visit to St Mary's takes us from 2018 up to the present day, how many of the games and the players who took part, do you remember, give your memories in the comments section below.
Southampton V Bournemouth In PicturesThe first of a two part pictorial view of The Cherries visits to St Mary's in the last decade, there have been so many players who have come and gone over the past 10 years, there will be a few forgotten faces, how many will you remember after this memory jog.
Are Things Far From Ok In The Southampton Camp ?The win at Ipswich last weekend, prompted hope that Ivan Juric was finally moving his team in the right direction, but the days following that win have perhaps exposed frictions that seem to lie within the camp.
Southampton V Burnley The FA Cup VerdictThis should have been a game that brought a little life relief to Southampton supporters, instead it was possibly the worst performance that we have produced this season, it had little hope for the future either this season or next.
Southampton V Burnley In PicturesHere we take a look back at some of the clashes with Burnley at St Mary's and remember a few old familiar faces, what are your memories of these games & the players, give your stories here.
Southampton Announce Appointment Of New Technical DirectorAlmost a year after Jason Wilcox left St Mary's to join Manchester United, Saints have finally appointed his replacement, many Southampton supporters would say that this is perhaps the main reason why we are now certain to be relegated.
Southampton V Burnley The FA Cup PreviewSaints take on one of the best teams in the Championship as the worst team in the Premier League, a good gauge of the big gap between the two divisions now, so which one will come out on top and get the chance to be ritually slaughtered at Anfield, The Etihad or another Big 7 club.