By Nick Mabey.
I don’t know about you but I wasn’t quite ready for the new season. A mere nineteen days after Spain triumphed in the World Cup final against Argentina, Saints were turning out in the Carabao cup away to Colchester. Who starts a new season with a cup match anyway? As it turns out there was lots of rust to knock off the Southampton winning machine and, after an awkward first half, the team secured a win and a juicy looking tie in the next round against West Ham.
And then, in amongst the heatwaves and wildfires, it was time for the league season to kick-off. What could we expect? An away game to Watford would be the perfect test. A tricky fixture, but a team we have a good recent record against. Would our nineteen-match unbeaten run continue in a demolition job or had the trauma of spygate and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the manager’s future bled into the performance? As it tuned out, neither of those eventualities materialised. Saints played well enough to have won but somehow contrived to lose, courtesy of two mistakes at the back and the failure to take some very good chances. All of which leaves me with an enduring sense that we are very much entering into the unknown this season.
The most unusual unknown is the future of our manager, the increasingly smiley and recently fathered Tonde Eckert. The FA investigation into his conduct in relation to the spygate affair seems to be drifting along at a sloth-like pace and we get to speculate not only on the outcome but also on when the outcome might actually become an outcome. I suppose if it’s taken fifteen years for the authorities to still not decide if Man City are guilty of financial misconduct, then we shouldn’t hold our breath. As to what might actually happen, we are in unchartered territory. Saints’ fans were badly bitten when predicting the outcome of the EFL investigation in May and so it is with some trepidation that we wait.
The next unknown is far more familiar, namely which players are leaving and who might be joining. The former is relatively straightforward. Some have gone, most notably the scorer of most of our memorable goals last season, Shea Charles, and the Loch Ness Drogba, Ross Stewart, whose contract was not renewed in unusual spygate-related circumstances. Some will probably go, either sold or back out on loan. And most have confirmed they are staying. We have a small group of valuable assets, who most fans are hoping will stay but might have to go if ‘the price is right’ – I’m thinking Jander, Harwood-Bellis and Scienza.
Potential incoming players is the usual circus of speculation; a game I try my hardest not to take part in. From the fringes it does seem like we’ll have fewer joining than normal but that doesn’t stop the click-bait rumour mill from switching into overdrive. Who knows how that will play out? (this seems the right place to pay tribute to Kevin Keegan, perhaps the most surprising signing in Southampton history, who sadly passed away since I last wrote. I was fifteen when he signed, delivering the Echo in Romsey, which broke the news and had me dancing through my paper round).
And there’s a couple of other unknowns to log. Firstly, starting the season on minus four points is going to be a challenge. It doesn’t seem to have dented belief in the club or, more importantly, the bookies. Although it’s an unknown, its certainly not unique. Many clubs have sadly faced a similar situation in the past, including Saints, who started the 2009/10 season on a massive minus ten points. That season ended with a seventh place finish and a trophy-winning visit to Wembley. I’d certainly settle for that, especially considering the final unknown to look forward to – the playoffs extending to six teams rather than four, meaning eighth place will be enough to fight for that last promotion spot.
So much to wonder and speculate about. Luckily, we have three home games in a week now, and then the transfer window will ‘slam shut’ and hopefully the FA will pull it’s finger out and actually make a decision about Tonde Eckert. Then we can get on with the much more familiar job of following Southampton through 2026’s version of misery and joy, heartache and hope.
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