By Victor Galea and Steve Hoiles members of southamptonfcmalta

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Manager: Alan Pardew

Nickname: The Saints

Colours: Home - Red and White stripes. Away - Yellow & Blue.

Ground: St Mary's Stadium

Capacity: 32,689

"Away fans will be in the Northam Stand at one end of the stadium, which holds up to 3,200, all seated. The view of the pitch and the facilities within this stand are excellent. Leg room is good, although the width of the seating has been said to be a bit tight.

Other visiting fans have noted that it has a great atmosphere and the facilities are first class, with stewards and catering staff very friendly (which is a pleasant change). Only one minor gripe was noted ... away fans are searched before entering the stadium which obviously slows the entrance process down somewhat." Away Fans information Guide.

The Saints most capped international is Peter Shilton (49 caps for England).

Their best ever League win was 9-3 v. Wolves - 18/9/1965 - D2 (old).

Best ever attendance: 31,044 at The Dell v. Man. Utd. - 8/10/1969 - D1 (old).

32,151 at St. Mary's v. Arsenal - 29/12/2003 - Premier League

Most League goals in a season: Derek Reeves with 39 - 1959/60 - D3 (old).

Most League appearances: Terry Paine with 713 from 1956 to 1974.

Biggest transfer fee received: £ 8 million for Dean Richards from Spurs - Oct 2001.

Biggest transfer fee paid: £ 4 million for Rory Delap to Derby - Oct 1997.

Looking at the history of the Saint's the move from The Dell to the new St Mary's Stadium was deemed to be a spiritual homecoming for Southampton F.C., because of the new stadium's proximity to St Mary's, the church where the club was founded, in 1885, by members of the St Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association.

The club was originally known as St. Mary's Young Men's Association F.C. (usually abbreviated to "St. Mary's Y.M.A.") and then became simply St. Mary's F.C. in 1887-88, before adopting the name Southampton St. Mary's when the club joined the Southern League in 1894. After they won the Southern League title in 1896-97, the club became a limited company and changed their name to Southampton F.C.

They won the Southern League championship for 3 years running between 1897 and 1899 and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904. That success spanned some major changes for the Saints as they moved to a newly-built £10,000 stadium called The Dell, to the North West of the city centre in 1898. Although they would spend the next 103 years there, the future was far from certain in those early days and the club had to rent the premises first before they could stump up the cash to buy the stadium in the early part of the 20th century.

Good omens were quick to arrive though and before the 19th century was out the South Coast was given a taste of things to come as they reached the first of their four FA Cup Finals in 1900. On that day they went down 4-0 to Bury and two years later they would suffer a similar fate at the hands of Sheffield United as they were beaten 2-1 in a replay of the 1902 Final.

After the First World War, when many teams were broken up by the call of National Service, Saints joined the newly-formed Football League Division 3 in 1920 which split into South and North sections a year later. The 1920-21 season ended in triumph with promotion and marked the beginning of a 31-year stay in Division 2.

In 1925 and 1927, they reached the semi-finals of the F.A. Cup, losing 2-0 and 2-1 to Sheffield United and Arsenal respectively. Promotion was narrowly missed in 1947-48 when they finished in third place, a feat repeated the following season (despite having an 8 point lead with 8 games to play) whilst in 1949-50 they were to be denied promotion by 0.06 of a goal, missing out on second place to Sheffield United. In the 1948-49 and 1949-50 seasons, Charlie Wayman rattled in a total of 56 goals. Then relegation in 1953 sent Saints sliding back into Division 3 (South).

It took until 1960 for Saints to regain Division 2 status with Derek Reeves plundering 39 of the champions' 106 league goals. On 27 April 1963 a crowd of 68,000 at Villa Park saw them lose 1-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.

The dream of Division 1 football at the Dell for the first time was finally realized in 1966 when Ted Bates' team were promoted as runners-up, with Martin Chivers scoring 30 of Saints' 85 league goals. Promotion was a never-to-be-forgotten achievement.

For the following campaign Ron Davies arrived to score 43 goals in his first season as Saints scored 74 league goals, conceding 92. Saints stayed among the elite for eight years, with the highest finishing position being 7th place in 1968-69 and again in 1970-71. These finishes were high enough for them to qualify for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969-70 (going out in Round 3 to Newcastle United) and its successor, the UEFA Cup in 1971-72, when they went out in the First Round to Athletic Bilbao.

In December 1973, long term manager Ted Bates stood down to be replaced by Lawrie McMenemy who was unable to prevent The Saints becoming the first victims of the new 3-down relegation system in 1974 when they were relegated, along with Manchester United and Norwich City.

Under Lawrie McMenemy's management, Saints started to rebuild in Division 2, capturing players such as Peter Osgood, Jim McCalliog, Jim Steele and Peter Rodrigues (captain) and their greatest moment came in 1976, when they reached the FA Cup Final, playing Manchester United at Wembley, and surprised all observers by beating much-fancied United 1-0 thanks to a goal from Bobby Stokes. They were only the second team outside the First Division to have won the FA Cup, the first having been Sunderland. The following season, they played in Europe again in the Cup Winners' Cup, reaching Round 3 where they lost 2-3 on aggregate to Anderlecht.

In 1977-78, captained by Alan Ball, Saints finished runners-up in Division 2 (behind Bolton Wanderers) and returned to Division 1. They finished comfortably in 14th place in their first season back in the top flight. The following season they returned to Wembley in the final of the League Cup when they acquitted themselves well, losing 3-2 to Nottingham Forest.

In 1980, McMenemy made his finest signing, capturing the "European Footballer of the Year" Kevin Keegan. Although Keegan's Southampton career only lasted two years, Saints fielded an attractive side also containing Alan Ball, Ted MacDougall, Phil Boyer, Mick Channon and Charlie George and in 1980-81 they scored 76 goals, finishing in 6th place, then their highest league finish.

Southampton continued to progress well under McMenemy's stewardship, and with a team containing Peter Shilton, Nick Holmes, David Armstrong, top-scorer Steve Moran and Danny Wallace reached their highest ever league finish as runners-up in 1983-84 (3 points behind the champions Liverpool) as well as reaching the semi-final of the F.A. Cup losing 1-0 to Everton at Highbury Stadium.

They finished 5th the following year, but as a result of the Heysel Disaster all English clubs were banned from European competition - had it not been for this, then Southampton would have qualified for the UEFA Cup once again.

Lawrie McMenemy left at the end of the 1984-85 season to be succeeded by Chris Nicholl, who was sacked after six years in charge despite preserving the club's top flight status. He was replaced by Ian Branfoot, who until the end of the 1990-91 season had been assistant manager to Steve Coppell at Crystal Palace. By this stage a key player in the Southampton line-up was Guernsey-born striker Matthew Le Tissier, one of the best-loved players in Saints' recent history. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990 and later made eight appearances for the England team.

Southampton was founding members of the Premiership in 1992-93, having played in the top flight of English football since 1978. Ian Branfoot was sacked in January 1994 with Southampton battling relegation. He was replaced by Exeter manager Alan Ball.

Ball secured the Saints' survival for the 1993-94 season and guided them to a respectable tenth-place finish in the Premiership in 1994-95, with inspirational performances from Matthew Le Tissier. But amidst rumors of lack of support from the Board, Ball was lured to Manchester City in the summer of 1995 and Southampton turned to long-serving coach David Merrington to take charge of the team in 1995-96.

Southampton finished 17th with 38 league points, avoiding relegation on goal difference. Two important wins during the final weeks of the season did much to ensure that Saints and not Manchester City would achieve Premiership survival. First came a 3-1 home win over eventual double winners Manchester United, and then came a 1-0 away win over relegated Bolton Wanderers. Merrington was dismissed a few days after the end of the season and replaced by former Liverpool and Rangers manager Graeme Souness.

Southampton fared little better in 1996-97 despite the arrival of Souness, whose track record included two Scottish league titles with Rangers and an FA Cup victory with Liverpool. He resigned after just one season in charge, which had seen Southampton finish 16th in the Premiership, and Southampton's directors turned to Dave Jones one of the most respected managers outside the Premiership who had won promotion to Division One with Stockport County as well as reaching the League Cup Semi-Finals.

With such an inexperienced manager, Southampton was tipped by many observers to be relegated from the Premiership in 1997-98. But thanks to the addition of young striker Kevin Davies, and the acquisition of a few others, Southampton achieved a respectable 11th place finish in the table. Their form dipped in 1998-99 but they again avoided relegation on the last day of the season after a late run of good results. (The so-called "Great Escape".) In 1999 Southampton were given the go-ahead to build a new 32,000-seat stadium in the St Mary's area of the city, a welcome move after playing in the cramped Dell since 1898.

During the 1999-2000 season, Dave Jones quit as Southampton manager to concentrate on a court case after he was accused of abusing children at the children's home where he had worked during the 1980s. The accusations were later proved to be groundless but it was too late to save Jones's career as Southampton manager and he was succeeded by ex-England team manager Glenn Hoddle.

Glenn Hoddle helped keep Southampton well clear of the Premiership drop zone but having received an offer from a higher profile club, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur just before the end of the 2000-01 season. He was replaced by first-team coach Stuart Gray, who oversaw the relocation to the St Mary's Stadium for the 2001-02 season.

At the end of the 2000-01 season, in the last competitive match at the Dell, talismanic Matthew Le Tissier came on late to strike the last ever goal at that famous and much-loved old stadium in sublime fashion. Southampton finished the match 3-2 against Arsenal, providing a fairy-tale ending to the days at The Dell. But Gray was sacked after a disastrous start to the following season, and in came ex-Coventry manager Gordon Strachan as his replacement.

St Mary's is one of the new breed of stadia, which is often, unfairly in my view, referred to as 'identikit' or 'McStadia'. This is because these stadia are perceived as soulless and lacking in character in comparison to those they replaced. In my view, these arenas will develop their own 'soul' and character as time passes and new memories and achievements will be associated with it by the clubs and their fans.

Gordon Strachan did much to revitalize Southampton during the 2001-02 season, and they finished in a secure 11th place in the final table. They did even better in 2002-03, finished 8th in the Premiership and coming runners-up in the FA Cup to Arsenal (after losing 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium).

Strachan resigned in March 2004 (to take a break from football) and was replaced by Paul Sturrock, who had been in the process of guiding Plymouth Argyle to their second promotion in three seasons. However, rumors of player dissatisfaction and personal problems dogged Sturrock, and he was replaced just five months later by reserve team coach Steve Wigley. Wigley's tenure proved disastrous, with Southampton slipping further and further down the Premiership table. Frenchman Christian Damiano was brought in to assist, but after a run of only one win in 14 games; both men's contracts were terminated.

Chairman Rupert Lowe risked the ire of Saints fans when he appointed Harry Redknapp as manager on December 8, 2004. The news shocked much of the football world, as Redknapp had resigned as manager of Saints' arch-rivals Portsmouth just days previously. Lowe and Southampton continued to make headlines after former England Rugby World Cup-winning coach Sir Clive Woodward joined the club - eventually being appointed Technical Director.

Redknapp failed to rejuvenate the Saints, and on 15 May 2005, Southampton were relegated from the Premiership following a 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United, thus ending 27 consecutive seasons of top division football. Saints made a disappointing start to the season, with the emergence of young star Theo Walcott as a rare cause for optimism. Yet even more shocks were to await the fans.

On November 24, 2005, Portsmouth manager Alain Perrin, the man who himself replaced Harry Redknapp at Southampton's arch-rivals, was sacked by chairman Milan Mandaric. Rumours gradually grew apace that Mandaric and Redknapp had resolved the dispute that caused Redknapp to walk out in the first place, and that he was poised to rejoin his former club.

With these rumors seemingly reaching breaking point in the media - not to mention the bookmakers - Redknapp walked out on Southampton on December 3, 2005. The two rival clubs found themselves at loggerheads over legal compensation, which threatened to leave Redknapp in limbo, but with the dispute eventually resolved, Redknapp rejoined Portsmouth on December 7, 2005. After three matches under caretaker manager Dave Bassett and assistant Dennis Wise, George Burley was unveiled as the club's new head coach on December 23 to work alongside Clive Woodward, who was promoted from Performance Director to Director of Football.

The once model of top flight stability club, had lurched from one disaster to the next. From the appointment of Sir Clive Woodward (former England Rugby coach!) as Performance Director in 2005, it had been a tough time for the club.

In the wake of overwhelming calls for him to stand down, Lowe eventually resigned on June 30, 2006, a few days before an Extraordinary General Meeting that was predicted to see him removed from the club's board. He was replaced as Chairman by Jersey-based businessman Michael Wilde who had become the club's major shareholder.

During the 2006-07 season, the board set about trying to secure new investment in the club. However, on 26 February 2007, it was announced that Michael Wilde would step down as chairman of the football club on 28 February. On 2 March it was announced that Leon Crouch would take the role of "acting Chairman" until the end of that season, when the Board would reassess the situation. Crouch was reportedly fired on 21 July 2007.

Southampton's off-the-field controversy affected their on-the-field fortunes substantially during 2005-06, and at one point they were in real danger of a second successive relegation. But their form improved during the final weeks of the season and they finished a secure 12th.

The good form which secured Southampton's Championship status in 2005-06 was carried through to the start of the 2006-07 season, and the turn of the year saw the team in 4th place in the table. The new board of directors had spent a club record £6 million on transfers. Polish strikers Grzegorz Rasiak and Marek Saganowski and 17 year-old left back Gareth Bale all had great runs in form. A drastic loss in the team's form overall, coupled with inept displays against fellow promotion hopefuls, saw the team drop to 8th place by mid-March 2007, and rapidly losing touch with the promotion race. However, with other promotion rivals dropping points and a small run of form in late April, Southampton were able to reach 6th place, the last play-off position. They lost the home leg of their playoff semi-final to Derby County, and on 15th May achieved parity on aggregate but lost on penalties in a thrilling encounter.

In the 2007-08 season, coach George Burnley was called by the Scottish FA to coach the Scottish national team. Assistant Coach Jason Dodd was appointed as Caretaker Manager alongside John Gorman. However a poor run of results led to their dismissal and the appointment of former England under 21 coach Nigel Pearson.

Due to the overwhelming number of injuries and with the transfer window closed, Pearson had no option but to bring on loan more experienced players such as former England and Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright, Christ Perry and Trinidad and Tobago striker Stern John. Nevertheless, even this was not giving the desired results especially with the last minute goals conceived. During the last game of the season the Saints managed to save relegation on what has been referred to as Survival Sunday. Saints hosted Sheffield United in an exciting match with both teams fighting for victory until the last minute for different reasons of avoiding relegation and playoff promotion respectively.

In summer 2008, former Saints chairman Rupert Lowe joined forces with another Saints former-chairman Leon Crouch to acquire the majority of shares in the club in a bid to overthrow the current Saints Chairman Michael Wilde.

In reaching their goal, a new regime was formed. This entailed the removal of head-coach Nigel Pearson, who ironically took up the coaching of Leicester City (one of the teams which were relegated to the 3rd tier of English football) and the appointment of Dutch coaches Jan Poorveilt and Mark Wotte in summer 08.

The very limited finances resulted in the selling of Saints young talent to other clubs coupled with the constant decline in the team's performance left no option for head-coach Jan Poorveilt to resign. Therefore, by the New Year 09, the Saints were being coached by Reserves Team Manager Mark Wotte.

It was an on-going struggle especially because of the non-renewal of the contracts of a number of players who were on loan with the Saints due to financial problems. The pressure of the continuing financial problems was increased by the fact that the Football League insisted that if Saints did not find a way to settle their debts, 10 points were to be taken off either in the current season with only 5 games remaining or in the next season which meant that Saints would start the next season with 10 points deducted. Needless to say, this resulted in the Saints being relegated to the 3rd tier, a position Saints were in 50 years ago.

Saints' future had been in grave doubt since chairman Rupert Lowe put their parent company, Southampton Leisure Holdings, into administration in April with debts of more than £30million.

Following the relegation and with consistent pressure from Saints fans, Chairman Rupert Lowe resigned on the 30th June 2009. The club was at its most fragile moments in its 124 years of history. The risk of the club going into administration was increased every day unless a potential buyer would buy the club. Mark Fry was appointed administrator to handle this delicate business by ensuring the club's best interests were safeguarded. A number of investors came forward and at one point in time, it was thought that The Pinnacle Group, having Matt Le Tissier as one of the Directors, was going to be the potential buyer of the club. However, last minute u-turns lead Mark Fry to open discussions with other interested parties. The Pinnacle Group said it was dragging its feet because of the 10 point deduction penalty.

Saints sunk into administration and only to start their 2009-10 League One campaign with a 10-point deduction.

The race went on for the acquisition of the club. Speculation that the Worldwide Financial Services Group was the next potential buyer arose, however it was taking forever to finalize the deal. Staff, fans and every person who have the Saints' best interests at heart breathed a sigh of relief on the 7th July 2009 when it was made public that Swiss born Billionaire Markus Liebherr showed serious interest in acquiring the club. Rival groups were shocked and tried desperately to contact Mark Fry, without success, to put the pen to the paper.

On the 8th July 2009, history was made and Southampton FC was rescued by the Swiss billionaire Markus Liebherr out of his own personal wealth. Mr. Liebherr commented that his would be a long-stay and that all that is needed to safeguard the club's best interests would be accomplished. At last this 3-month saga was over to everyone's relief.

Mr. Liebherr had different plans for the club and straight away appointed Chief Operating Officer Andy Oldknowa, which was a former Director for Southampton FC. Coach Mark Wotte just 24 hours after Mr. Liebher took control left the club the reason being that of a 'wider strategic plan' being implemented to improve all aspects of the club's operations, both on and off the field.

The Saints are taking a new shape and after much uncertainty, the management can finally concentrate on playing football and taking the club back to the echelons of English Football, a place which Southampton FC truly deserves.

Since the takeover, things have been looking up for the Saints. Experienced new manager Alan Pardew has been able to bring in a host of new faces and, despite the 10-point deduction and a shaky start, he has guided them into mid-table with a chance of qualifying for the play-offs at the end of the season. With the resources now at their disposal (Liebherr's fortune is estimated at 2.6 billion), Saints' ultimate goal must be to get back into the Premier League.

Unlike fierce local rivals Portsmouth, Southampton appear to have landed on their feet with their new investor. Liebherr already had an affiliation with Southampton through one of his business subsidiaries, Liebherr Cranes. With the help of Nicola Cortese, the new Executive Chairman, Liebherr has set about improving the infrastructure of the club, from administrative departments right through to the academy and the coaching and playing staff. The idea has been to set up a solid foundation on which to build long-term, sustainable success, rather than just throwing money around on flashy signings.

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