The recent announcement that Simon Rusk would be taking over as temporary manager of Southampton, it drew a lot of comments on social media, however a chunk of them concerned the person appointed a his assistant.

That assistant is Adam Lallana, and the reason that this has raised some criticism on social media, is that there are those that cannot forgive him for demanding a move back in 2014 and his behaviour at that time and see that as deserting the club and that there is no forgiveness.

There is precedent for this situation though, Mick Channon is deservedly considered one of the greatest players ever to have graced the shirts of Southampton FC, but he has a track record of demanding to leave the club and subsequently leaving.

Back in May 1975 Channon himself demanded a transfer after Saints had failed to secure promotion back to the top flight after their first year in the then Second division, back then there was no freedom of contract, Southampton refused to grant his transfer request and Channon stayed.

He was obviously glad he did as just a year later he was running round Wembley with the FA Cup, but move forward to 1977 and he was granted his wish to leave and joined Manchester City.

His time there was not successful and he returned to The Dell in September 1979 and resumed his position as Southampton legend.

Back then there was no outcry, no one decried his return or called him a traitor, or that he should never be allowed to set foot in the club again, he was not booed on his return to the club as a Manchester City player after Saints returned to the top flight in 1978.

Channon was just about to turn 31 when he arrived back at the Dell in 1979 and still performing well when he left for the final time in 1982 approaching 34.

This shows that prodigal sons can return and finish a job they never completed when they left under a cloud.

I am not defending Adam Lallana though for his departure back in 2014, to be honest, the whole summer of that year stunk with the way that Liverpool poached not only Lallana, but also Rickie Lambert & Dejan Lovren.

In the case of Lallana it hurt because he was "one of our own" as the song goes, but he deserved a big move, Like Channon he was loved by the fans after he had broken into the first team squad in 2007/08 and would be a regular in 2008/09 as a squad full of youth headed towards administration and relegation.

It would have been easy for him to have left in 2009, but he stayed and the rest as they say his history, but when he left he had given us 6 years of being a regular first team player , he had played 235 League games and scored 48 goals across one relegation, two promotions and 3 divisions, add to that another 30 or so games in cup competitions and he had paid his dues at St Mary's, at 26 years old like Channon before him he deserved a big move, the chance to earn more money and test himself on a bigger stage, City had finished 2nd in 1977 only a point behind Liverpool, it was a big move.

The way Lallana left was not nice, no one who was around at the time was happy in the way it played out and I suspect that if he could turn back time he would not have repeated the mistakes made then, that does not mean that he would not have wanted to leave, he was being offered a chance to join one of the biggest clubs in the World, challenge for trophies and get paid a lot of money, why would he not want to go.

Yes it left a sour taste in the mouth, but time is a healer and as Mick Channon proved, it is possible for a Club legend to demand a move and leave and then return without the fans turning their wrath on them.

All Photos Via Reuters

redwight added 10:31 - Apr 11 Very well said Nick.
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underweststand added 10:32 - Apr 11 Sorry... but those fans who still criticise Lallana for his move to Liverpool - (11 years ago ? ) need to get real, and understand that ambition is not a dirty word in any profession. Top-rate careers at Prem / International level can be short-lived, and there is no doubt that Adam was one of the best players in the Premier League at the time, whilst Saints were struggling to stay up in the Prem. every season. His assist-partnership with Lambert was a joy to watch for 5 seasons and (in part) responsible for Rickie's impressive Saints goal tally. Then..30-odd international games and England Player of the Year barely two years after his move further underlined his quality. After Klopp arrived at Liverpool, AL became a key player in the "Klopp-sides" that later went on to win a Prem. League title and CL trophy. I was sad to see him go, but being pragmatic we should also understand that; the likes of Mane, van Dijk, Lavia, and Livramento belong in ANOTHER league, and not struggling for survival all the time. Everyone saw their departures as inevitable and didn't gripe about it. Adam spent almost 12 years of his early career with Saints and played on from.. -12 points in L1 , up through 2 leagues and showed his quality in the top Tier, when he might well have moved on even earlier than he did. Not everything was bad news , and without those following couple of Koeman seasons, we wouldn't have seen the likes of Mane, Tadic and Pelle in Saints colours, (and very few people criticised them when they inevitably moved on). I for one, am glad to see AL back, where his experience and background will hopefully help us in the near future, and (perhaps) eventually onto a managerial career "somewhere" and I won't criticise him when that day arrives either.

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HythePeer added 11:07 - Apr 11 Statistically, isn't he and Rusk the best management team Saints have had this season?
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landsdownsaint added 11:09 - Apr 11 For me , Lallana is & allways will be one of our own , he loves the club & it’s his home .
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Centurion added 11:39 - Apr 11 Probably the same people who protested against Hoddle returning to manage the club. One of our most successful managers. They are vocal but a minority. Most supporters put the club first.
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Farlow added 12:50 - Apr 11 I,d like to wish the new management team the best of luck and hope we can restore some pride before the Seasons end.Regards Lovren i think we did very well to get the amount for him that we did.
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Bowlercow added 13:38 - Apr 11 When MC left for city we had his replacement already here When AL and the others left the club was basically in the do-do and trying to transit from the NC regime to one that was affordable The club had stood by AL When an earlier transfer had failed on medical grounds None of that stopped him departing at time that was critical to the club Having said all thatN I still wish him and Rusk every success over the next 7 games Will I forgive and forget NO

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