The coming of Hodd!:- Jones steers Saints to a respectable twelfth place in '97-98, eight points clear of the drop, but there are misgivings among the supporters regarding how Matty is deployed. The following campaign has some dark and heart shuddering episodes.

Saints finish seventeenth with the second worst defensive record in the league: -27; only bettered by relegated Forest's munificent -34!

Still, there are grounds for optimism as football gears up for the 21st century, and Saints kick off the 1999-2000 season with a 1-0 win at Coventry; then lose 3-0 at home to Leeds, then … And so the year progressed, until Jones not only under pressure from the fans in respect of performances and results, but arranged to stand trial on charges of child sex abuse emanating from his time as a Merseyside social worker, learned that his case would not be heard until November 2000!

In January, regardless of the fact that Saints had secured a vital home win over Everton, it was announced that Jones had been granted "compassionate leave" for a year, and former England manager Glen Hoddle had been appointed to take his place in the interim.

Saints form gradually improves under Hoddle's management and they pull out of the relegation dog-fight by the middle of April -leading the faithful to grumble that there was sod all excitement left in prospect for the rest of the season and nothing other than that to complain about!

Hoddle then built on his success in season 2000-01, but with Saints in the top 10 and chasing a European place, Hoddle dramatically quit to join Spurs and was replaced temorarily by coach Stuart Gray, despite a shocking end to the season, Gray was given the post full time in the summer of 2001 as the Club moved from the Dell to St Mary's .

THE DELL

After a disastrous start to 2001-02 Gray was sensationally sacked after only 8 games to be replaced by Gordon Strachan, a move that brought Rupert Lowe's profile with the fans into the gutter, not only would this be Saints 3rd manager in a little over six moths, but Strachan had got Coventry relegated the previous season, little did the fans, or Lowe for that matter know how influential Strachan would be.

Strachan's first full season 2002/03 would be one of the best in almost two decades for the Club, not only did they finish 8th but they reached the FA Cup Final although the defeat by a solitary goal to Arsenal at Cardiff would be a disapointment, the fact that Arsenal had already qualified for the Champions League meant that Saints would be back in Europe for the first time in 19 years.

But the writing was already on the wall, as the fans basked in a period of relative success, expectations rose and no one foresaw just what would happen next.

Season 2003/04 started well enough unbeaten in their first six league games Saints looked set for another good season, the win at Spurs in September saw the ghost of Hoddle excorcised as he was sacked after the game, however going out to Steau Bucharest in the first round of the UEFA Cup was tempered by the fact that by December after a 2-1 win at Anfield Saints went inot the Xmas period 3rd in the league, but the clouds were brewing.

In February Strachan quit and as Steve Wigley took over as caretaked it was deja vu, but then Lowe appointed Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock and all seemed well, a reasonable end of the season held hope for the future.

Season 2004/05 didnt start too badly a win and a defeat, however Sturrock was sacked and replaced by Steve Wigley who himself would last only a couple of months before the arrival of Harry Redknapp from Pompey, Saints had had four managers in 2004 and disaster was around the corner.

Many Saints fans speculate on why we got relegated, many say it was the failure to invest in the team, but that would be wide of the mark, in 2004/05 Saints spent more than any other club bar the top four and the other traditional big spenders, the truth of the matter is that they spent big and three different managers wasted big.

It has to be said that the problem lay with the Chairman for his meddling and belief that he knew enough about football to appoint managers, he didnt and Harry Redknapp must surely go down as the most inept manager we have had, he should have kept us up but didnt as a seried of expensive loan signing showed no passion to try and keep us up, neither did Redknapp for that matter.

RUPERT LOWE

The first season out of the top flight was a disaster, top names were sold and replaced by Redknapp loan signings and it was no surprise when he left the Club in the December almost a year to the day he had arrived.

New manager George Burley had the unenviable task of selling off the remaining silver whilst a boardroom battle raged for control of the Club eventually won by Michael Wilde as Lowe departed.

But if fans thought that was the end of the stormy times they were wrong, Saints should have got promotion in 2006/07 but a decent squad was often sent out disjointed with its best players on the bench, Saints reached the play offs only to go out on penalties to Derby County who would win the play off final themselves. Many would say that the team reached the play offs in spite of Burley and not because of him.

As the Club went into season 2007/08 it lay in its lowest ebb for over half a century, boardroom battles that seemed to have no end in sight and a manager who couldnt seem to gel a squad together who should be good enough to win promotion, the history of Saints had a few twists and turns yet.

In 2007 boardroom control changed hands almost on a monthly basis and finally in the December Jim Hone who as chief executive had been running the club stepped down and departed along with most of the executive members of the board, Leon Crouch stepped into the spot (again) and his first task was to replace George Burley who in a situation that seemed to suit everybody, not least Saints who actually got paid to see him go, departed for the Scotland job.   

With Saints sitting comfortably in mid table Crouch opted not to replace Burley but let coach's Jason Dodd and John Gorman run the side, whatever the reason the pair couldnt galvanise a team that was sliding out of control and they were soon replaced by Nigel Pearson, in truth Pearson's record as in points per game wasnt great, but a last game win over sheff Utd kept Saints up and Pearson should have been at the helm for the following year.

But in the Boardroom things were still turbulent, Lowe had joined forces with Wilde and collectively they had enough clout to oust Crouch again.

But although on the surface Saints just seemed to be in poor condition, under it they were sinking fast, Lowe was plugging gaps in the finances and having to get high wage earners off the books and replace them with kids and free transfers, the ship had been sinking since the folly of Wilde's regime in 2007 when big money was spent not just on transfers but on wages and finally the game was up and Saints entered administration in March 2009.

Saints remained in admin for almost four months and the clubs future was very much in doubt, on at least a couple of occasions it was in danger of actually being wound up, it was interesting to see those who stepped up to the plate and those that didnt, great words were uttered by some famous names, who then did nothing else, that could not be said about Leon Crouch, whatever peoples thoughts on his Chairmanship he didnt desert the club, not only putting his hands into his own pocket but working tirelessly to encourage others to do the same.

After the disaster of the Pinnacle groups period of exclusitivity Saints looked dead in the water, however with the club literally within 48 hours of being liquidised Markus Liebherr resurrected his earlier interest and the Club was saved.

Season 2009/10 was one of resurrection, Alan Pardew was appointed and big money was spent, there are those that will say that Saints really should have done a little better in the League given the money spent, but all would agree it was a season when the fun came back, the Johnstones Paint trophy might not be the biggest honour in the game, but it gave Saints a trip to Wembley.

But season 2010/11 is one of delivery, there were many excuses as to why Saints failed to make the play offs in 09/10, but in the summer of 2010 the focus has to be on delivering and a return to the Championship.             

Photo: Action Images

measaint added 23:49 - Jun 11 Excillent reading, Thank you, Is there any chance that it can be updated from the lowe era to this present day?
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