Saints fans wait with baited breath for the return of Harry Redknapp to St Mary's to receive the same sort of welcome usually reserved for the Pope at Ibrox.

Its fair to say that many things divide Saints fans when they talk about their football club, however perhaps two men in the history of this club do not divide opinion, the first of those is Ian Branfoot and the second Harry Redknapp, in the case of "Arry" as all his friends in the media prefer to call him instead of the using his full name or even just his surname as they do with most players and managers, you wont find many Saints supporters who dont blame him for our relegation in 2004/05.

Arry will like to give the impression that when he arrived at Southampton we were a busted flush, we were the toughest job of his career, the truth though is that when he started on 8th December 2004 we sat 3rd from bottom in the table with 12 points from 16 games, this sounds a low total but to put it into perspective, Blackburn and Palace both sat only 1 point above us and Birmingham 2 points ahead, Fulham in 14th were 5 points, that shows that the task was difficult but achievable, unlike the rest of the strugglers Saints problems were seen as down to the change of managers, Redknapp being the 3rd of the season and the 4th in 2004, in simple terms we had a decent squad it just needed managing in the right way.

Harry will of course claim that he had no money to spend on the squad, whilst that perhaps true in todays terms, in that season as a whole we were something like the 11th biggest spender in the premiership, but more to the point Rednapp was gioven money in the transfer window, Nigel Quashie was signed for £2.1 million not to mention a host of other players were brought in on loan, Olivier Barnard, Henri Camara, Calum Davenport, Jamie Redknapp, all of whom were experienced Premiership players, indeed Redknapps squad for that season contained some 12 players who went on to play Premiership football for other clubs after leaving Saints, around another dozen or so who were proven Premiership players but didnt play in the division again after this season including the likes of Claus Lundekvam as well as three internationals in Van Damme, Jakobsson and Nilsson, in short Redknapp had the squad, he had the quality he just used it badly.

Indeed by the 20th March after beating Middlesbrough away we had pulled out of the bottom four and appeared to be capable of pulling clear, but then Redknapp started to lose the plot, a 3-1 home defeat to runaway Champions Chelsea was probably to be expected, but the capitulation at Blackburn, going into this game we had both Blackburn and Pompey within our sights after it, although we were still not in the bottom four relegation was now only a four horse race, but with seven games to go there was still a long way to go.

Now it all started to unravel and perhaps Aston Villa at home was the day in which the squad lost faith in its managers ability to manage, initially it looked good and Saints rushed into a half time lead, now legend takes over, with Andreas Jakobsson injured and needing to come off Redknapp went into the shower room at St Mary's to consider his options, he decided to put on Danny Higginbotham, but in the meantime Jim Smith had got Calum Davenport stripped off and warming up, Harry didnt overule him, upshot being that Villa scored three times as Saints defence fell apart and lost the game, the final table shows that if we had won that game we would have stayed up, Davenport only played another 12 minutes in the season ultimately the last 12, Higginbotham was a rock and scored the last minute equaliser at Palace that meant we went into the final day with our future in our own hands.      

On that final day Harry apparrently couldnt decide what his tactics would be, ultimately they were ones of desperation, Marian Pahars was fit again and rumoured to be the secret weapon albeit off the bench, but perhaps the fact that Pahars wasnt used wasnt the surprise, but the fact that in the place of suspended Peter Crouch, Kevin Phillips wasnt asked to partner Henri Camara up front, but Brett Ormerod was, bear in mind that Ormerod had been out on loan at Wigam since mid January and two goals in that time didnt exactly make him the in form striker, Phillips hadnt scored in the previous three outings, some of which he had been on the bench, but he had scored in the three prior to that, his record of 10 goals from 21(8) games in this season wasnt shoddy.

In the end Saints surrendered on that final day with barely a whimper, but perhaps the biggest surprise was Redknapps failure to even try to rescue the game in the final minutes, at 2-1 down for the final 27 minutes it was clear Saints needed a win, a draw wouldnt be good enough as news from elsewhere came in, what did Redknapp do though ? in truth not a lot because he had no plan B for such situations, Phillips was thrown on with 19 minutes to go, but the other subs were Davenport for Barnard on 78 minutes and Delap for Prutton on 71, with Phillips the only truly attack minded player on the bench we had nothiong to offer in chasing the game, long before the final whistle Saints fans knew the game was up as the team petered out with little heart, the mercenaries in the team like Redknapp werent interested in Southampton Football Club's fate, perhaps the first time that could ever be said about a Saints team.

Redknapp joined Saints for one reason and one reason only, to put two fingers up to Milan Mandaric the Pompey Chairman with whom he had fallen out, speaking just after he had walked out on Saints in December 2005 after being refused permission to talk to Pompey he He told the Sunday Mirror:

 "The last year has been the worst of my life and that is no exaggeration.

"I made a monumental mistake walking out of Fratton Park and a day hasn't passed since I left the ground for the last time that I didn't regret my decision.

"Events this season have simply increased my desire to get away and once Portsmouth asked permission to speak to me this week I knew I had to go back."   

If Redknapp knew it was a mistake from the very moment he walked out, why didnt he own up to it and leave Saints in January 2004, OK it wouldnt have been great having to change managers so soon, but surely far better to get a man with integrity and honour into the job who would at least show some enthusiasm for keeping the club up, rather than a self centred egotist who only had one aim on his mind and that was to do the best for Harry Redknapp and his bank balance.

In recent years Saints fans havent all sung off the same hymn sheet, indeed with the sacking of Nigel Adkins they were divided again, however perhaps ironically they will be all reconciled on Saturday and opinion will be as one to "welcome" Harry back to perhaps the place he most hates in English football and perhaps the only club with which he is associated of which he doesnt speak with fondness, thats not the fault of Saints fans who in fairness got behind Redknapp in that season, we didnt deserve such a persong over our club, we deserved far better than that, but on Saturday we get the chance to thank him and in doing so perhaps in uniting the supporters in getting behind Saints and roaring them on to three points that pushes us a step closer to safety and Harry a step closer to another relegation, albeit one that once again the supporters of his club dont deserve but that wont worry Arry !

Photo: Action Images

LennyJam added 14:09 - Feb 28 totally agree Nick. this would be such poetic justice. he cared almost nothing about us when he was here and used the club. his attitude was an utter disgrace and the fact he stayed on after relegation was a joke how fitting would a new look saints, fitter, stronger and all round a better club than the one when he first arrived won the game and all but made his job of keeping QPR up near on impossible this is a must win game for both teams.

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LennyJam added 14:20 - Feb 28 will add. where did you get this about fans being divided again (about adkins) again as in ike before? absolutely not though was it many were gutted, angry and chanted his name at the everton game but that was about it there was no protest, let alone the mass protest that was advertised I think you need to stop talking about issues that dont really exist
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SaintNick added 14:25 - Feb 28 no one said there was protest but there are still many who think Adkins sacking was wrong
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LennyJam added 14:31 - Feb 28 you said, fans were (and i quote) "divided AGAIN" again? sorry, that is simply not true many expressed a (brief) disastisfaction but quickly moved on and supported the team. no protest, no booing, just appreciated nigel and that was that
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SaintNick added 14:36 - Feb 28 If you want to be pedantic " indeed with the sacking of Nigel Adkins they were divided again" undoubtably the sacking of Adkins divided supporters initially at least, since then many have been willing to give Pochettino a chance and therefore there hasnt been protests etc or much backlash, however if Saints lose the next two games for instance it might start up again. The again perhaps refers to the sacking of Pardew when again we were all initially divided, but soon united behind the new manager, however brief the disatisfaction was it still divided supporters and there are still those who believe that it was the wrong thing, in truth I like pochettino and feel he will do well, so I dont want to see him fail, but i still feel the timing was completely wrong, I know many people who still feel that its too early to judge whether its the right decision

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LennyJam added 14:39 - Feb 28 anyway, good article other than that ittle bit ;-)
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SaintNick added 14:42 - Feb 28 Thanks !! the again bit wasnt meant to be seen as so expressive, the focus was meant to be on the stadium standing up as one and getting behind the team after abusing Harry
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Iceberg added 14:47 - Feb 28 the way adkins was sacked was wrong, if not the decision. To not even mention him in the very next programme was brutal. Even just a small paragraph thanking him for all he had done but it was now time for a change etc.
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ExiledSupporter added 15:04 - Feb 28 I for one (of many) thought Adkins dismissal was disgraceful and unwarranted (not least because the Chairman did little to help strengthen the squad and address the obvious priorities we had at the end of last season) I was ashamed of the club for its handling of Adkins, and I know that I am far from alone in that opinion. On the other hand I remain a fervent supporter of the club and wish Pochettino every success and hope we preserve our status this season. However, unlike some supporters, I am yet to be convinced that this is anything like a certainty and our inept performance at Newcastle has underlined our continued fragility. As far as the managerial change is concerned I cannot see how any rational fan can think anything other than that we need longer to judge whether the change has been justified by a significant improvement in results.

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trotsky added 15:05 - Feb 28 A decent analysis, though one of his key aberrations was the failure to bring Matt Oakley back into the team after he'd recovered from injury. Oakley had been a key figure in Strachan's success, but Redknapp preferred to field his knackered and over-rated son and the bull-in-a-china-shop Quashie, rather than somebody who had delivered for the club time and time again as a quality defensive midfielder. What I find galling about this article is that it is highly revisionist. At the time of Redknapp's appointment there was at best a highly vocal minority or at worst widespread support for him. Such people (presumably) either thought this was also sticking it to PFC, or couldn't see his mercenary / uninterested / not-my-fault-guv approach from the start. (Or were plain desperate?) There are interesting parallels with the post-Adkins scenario, i.e. between those who thinks this stinks and want to point it out now, and those who subscribe to the party line or think you should just grin and bear it when the club's integrity takes a nosedive.

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Happy_Jack added 15:20 - Feb 28 "Higginbotham was a rock and scored the last minute equaliser at Palace that meant we went into the final day with our future in our own hands." I seem to remember that if Norwich won their last game we were down anyway so it wasn't in our own hands?
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SaintNick added 15:42 - Feb 28 You could well be right, it was clear Norich were getting walloped early that afternoon though
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Happy_Jack added 15:47 - Feb 28 I could be wrong on that Nick but I think that's how it was. Yep Norwich were losing early on which lifted us at SMS for a time. Norwich collapsed and lost 6-0 at Fulham
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ericofarabia added 15:47 - Feb 28 Norwich went into free fall at Fulham pretty early on if i remember correctly so it was in our hands for the 2nd half in which time Coont chops did the square root of feck all to acheive a win for us. I hope he gets a real rough ride tomorrow.
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SaintJez added 15:50 - Feb 28 Exiled - "inept" is a harsh verdict on our performance at Newcastle. Was a pulsating, high quality football match where we had more shots on target and the result could have gone either way. We only lost due to a couple of very basic defensive mistakes by our reserve left back. Newcastle have had a very rough trot with injuries but are just getting their first team back together and bedding in some new signings. They finished 5th in the division last season and, when their first team are all available, they are certainly no mugs. It's not a disaster if we can match them stride for stride for most of the match on their turf. Clearly we need to get rid of the basic errors at the back. Playing Shaw for 90 mins would definitely help. Centre back is still a weakness but the midfield and forwards are as good as any side in the division outside the top 6. Massive game on Saturday. Need to play without fear..

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SaintNick added 15:56 - Feb 28 We didnt lose due to two very basic mistakes by our reserve left back,that would be to forget the two very basic mistakes made by our defence in the first half when our reserve left back wasnt on the pitch, its time we played as a team, won as a team and lost as a team and that includes our fans, someone took exception to the word "divided" earlier in the thread, clearly we are divided as half of our fans blame certain players for everything

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SaintJez added 16:06 - Feb 28 don't think we conceded in the first half due to basic mistakes, to be honest. Their first was classic counter attack and then got the break of the ball as the keeper saved. Agreed we shouldn't be exposed so easily but that is the price you pay for pressing football. The 2nd was probably a foul and then a dream, 1 in a 1000 strike (and that's ignoring the fact it was offside too). My point is that we weren't outplayed at any stage in that game away to the team that finished 5th last season. it's no disgrace.

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SaintNick added 16:20 - Feb 28 Sorry Jez but the two first half goals were from mistakes, the first saw jack Cork give the ball away cheaply then fail to close down his man and getting no where near him allowing him to get in his cross come shot which in fairness took a bad deflection, the second saw the ball hoofed forward and our first choice left back go in and fail to win a header, if fox had made either of those two mistakes you would be crucifying him

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BlackRod added 16:36 - Feb 28 Of course Arry was happy to jump ship from Portsmouth as soon as Spurs came beckoning. Arguably he did more long-term damage to them than he did to us. In any event opinions about him are one of the few things where supporters of the two clubs are united. Why QPR fans thought Arry could save them I don't know - it's a re-run of what he did to us.
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A1079 added 16:47 - Feb 28 There is alot of focus on Redknapp, and no doubt, I will be like everyone else, prepared to give him stick. I have never liked the man and even less trusted him, long before he joined Saints and my view never changed. My concern though is that this Saturday is a very important game for us, putting aside who their manager is, we simply need to win, even win ugly if necessary. QPR may or may not be doomed but Redknapp would love to get this one over us. Just hope the team and to some extent the fans are focussed in doing all we can to get the win and not be diverted from that objective

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SaintNick added 16:57 - Feb 28 We need to give Harry a warm welcome and then at kick off turn the focus onto the team and harness the energy into backing them, in effect what we have done on many other occasions notably in the branfoot days and when Hoddle first came back to the club, also ironically what Pompey fans did to us in 2005
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SaintJez added 17:03 - Feb 28 maybe Nick! maybe! As Alan Hansen would say "you show me a goal, I'll show you a defensive error". I'm a fan of Fox for his quality on the ball but he does make a lot of mistakes and is a liability defensively at this level. Shaw's arrival in the team has coincided with a lot more stability. I don't think Shaw made a great attempt to win the header for the 2nd goal but I would have given Fox benefit of the doubt if it were him too. The forward came from behind him and levered him underneath it. There's not a great deal you can do.

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SkateHater added 17:52 - Feb 28 I despise Redknapp ... He is THE worst Saints manager ever ... Not just because he relegated us ... But as nick said , he used us, and just didn't care at all about our club ... We were just a vehicle for his agenda and career ... At least we know that ALL the other managers we've had (including Branfoot) tried their best for the club regardless if they were ultimately good enough or not ... HE IS VERMIN !!!

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IanRC added 18:48 - Feb 28 Sorry Nick. Don't agree with your defence of Fox. I agree he had a good game against MCFC but otherwise he has been an accident waiting to happen and against it did - twice If I recall correctly one of many refereeing errors was a booking of Shaw that was not warranted. If not for that he might still have been on the pitch and we might of had a very different result.
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IanRC added 18:50 - Feb 28 And your right Harry deserves the very worst reception we can muster on Saturday
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