Southampton Greatest All-Time Team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

FA Cup winner in 1976

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for Southampton. The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, Everton,
Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, 
Leeds United, Leicester City, West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers
North West England

South East England

Southampton were originally founded at St. Mary's Church, on 21 November 1885 by members of the St. Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association. 

 

Their home ground since 2001 has been St Mary's Stadium, before which they were based at The Dell. The club has been nicknamed "The Saints" since its inception in 1885 due to its history as a church football team, founded as St. Mary's Church of England Young Men's Association, and play in red and white shirts. Southampton has a long-standing rivalry with Portsmouth due to its proximity and both cities' respective maritime history. Matches between the two sides are known as the South Coast derby.

The club has won the FA Cup once, in 1976, and their highest-ever league finish was second in the First Division in 1983–84. Southampton were relegated from the Premier League on 15 May 2005, ending 27 successive seasons of top-division football for the club. They returned after a seven-year absence, and have played there ever since.

The 1983-1984 team that finished second in the league

Team
GK: Peter Shilton (England)
Peter Shilton is considered one of the greatest keepers ever.  He is England's all-time cap record-holder with 125.  He earned his first cap in 1970 and his last 20 years later in 1990.  He took England to 4th place in the 1990 World Cup.  He played for 11 different clubs in his career, all in England.  He won two straight European Cups in 1979 and 1980 with Nottingham Forrest. He was PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1977–78, an award rarely won by a goalkeeper.

Peter Shilton

GK: Tim Flowers (England)
Flowers began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1984.  He was Peter Shilton's unberstudy with Southampton before becoming their starter in the 1989–90 season. He was notably part of the Blackburn Rovers side that won the Premier League in 1995. He also played for  Swindon Town, Leicester City, Stockport County, Coventry City and Manchester City.  He had 11 caps.  He went to both Euro 96 in England and the 1998 World Cup.

GK: Tommy Allen (England)
Allen started with Sunderland. From 1920 to 1928, he played for Southampton. In the 1921–22 season, Southampton took the Division Three South title. Saints total of only 21 goals conceded in a 42 match season was a Football League record which stood until 1979 and remains a record for Southampton. Later, he played for Coventry.

RB: Jason Dodd (England)
Jason Dodd started with his native Bath City in 1988. From 1989 to 2005, he played with Southhampton, with a loan spell with Plymouth Argyle. In 2005, he left the club.  However, injuries prevented from him playing juch with Brighton and Conference South team Eastleigh.  

RB: Ivan Golac (Yugoslavia)
Golac made over 350 appearances for FK Partizan and won League championship medals in 1976 and 1978.  In 1978, he joined Southampton, where he was the club's first ever foreign player.  He also played for AFC Bournemouth and Manchester City, and a second spell with Southampton.  He played once for Yugoslavia in 1976 against Algeria.

CB: Claus Lundekvam (Norway)
Lundekvam started Brann at home.  In 1996, he joined Southampton, whee he played until 2008. He was the team's first choice for captain for several years.  He was forced to retire in 2008 because of an injury.  He had 40 caps for Norway between 1995 and 2005.  His first international goal, against Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2002, was the 1,000th goal in the history of the Norwegian national team.

CB: Mark Wright (England)
Mark Wright started with Oxford United in 1980.  Later, he had spells with Liverpool, Derby County and Southampton during the 1980s and 1990s. With Liverpool, he won the 1992 FA Cup as its captain. He made 45 appearances for the English national football team, and was a member of the team which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1990.  He scored his only goal for England in the group stage.He also went to Euro 1988 and 1992.

Mark Wright 

CB: José Fonte (Portugal)
Fonte started his professional career with Sporting CP B, moving to England with Crystal Palace in 2007. In 2010 he signed with Southampton where he made 288 appearances in all competitions, until he joined West Ham United in January 2017; he then represented Dalian Yifang in China and Lille in France. Fonte was part of Portugal's squad at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, winning the former tournament.

CB: Chris Nicholl (North Ireland)
Nicholl played for Burnley, Witton Albion, Halifax Town and Luton Town, before establishing himself with Aston Villa.  He captained the side to victory in the 1976/1977 League Cup. He scored one of the greatest goals in any Aston Villa match. From 1977 to 1983, he played for Southampton.  He had 51 caps for North Ireland, representing them at the 1982 World Cup.

LB: Tommy Traynor (Ireland)
From 1950 to 1952, Trayor played for Dundalk. He then played for Southampton from from 1952 to 1966.  During his time at The Dell he amassed 487 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals. He is Southampton record appearance holder.  He played 8 times for the Republic of Ireland.  

LB: Wayne Bridge (England)

Born in Southampton, Bridge played with his hometown club between 1998 and 2003. He then played for Chelsea between 2003 and 2009.  He later played for Manchester City, Fulham, West Ham Sunderland, Reading and Brighton. From 2002 to 2009, he played 36 times for England.  He went to 2002 and 2006 World Cup Finals and the 2004 European Championship.

Wayne Bridge

CM/RM/RB: Steve Williams  (England)

Williams made his debut with Southampton aged 17 in 1976.  He succeeded Alan Ball as team captain and led The Saints to an F.A. Cup semi-final and to runners-up position in the 1983–84 First Division.  From 1984 to 1988, he played for Arsenal. Then, he played for Luton, Exeter and Derry City. He payed 6 times for England.

CM: Jimmy Case (England)
Known for having one of the hardest shots in the British game, Case shot to fame with the powerful Liverpool side of the 1970s and early 1980s. He was a part of the team that won the European Cup winner in 1977, 1978 and 1981.  He was voted in at No. 45 in the 2006 poll "100 Players Who Shook The Kop". He also played for Brighton, Southampton, Bournemouth, Halifax Town and Wrexham.  He appeared once for England in 1976.

CM: Alan Ball  (England)
Alan Ball was the youngest member of the World Cup winning team in 1966. He started his career with Blackpool.  He also played with Everton, Arsenal, Southampton and various clubs in North America and Hong Kong.  He played 72 times for England and was a key player at the World Cup finals in 1966 and 1970. He missed the ill-fated match vs Poland in 1973 due a suspension that eliminated England from the 1974 World Cup Finals in West Germany.

CM/LM: David Armstrong (England)
Armstrong played with Middlesbrough from 1972 to 1981, before moving to Southampton in 1981 where he played for a further six seasons. He was a part of the Saints' great team in the 1980's. He was Southampton's Player of the Season (1983-1984). He played for Bournemouth in 1987–88. Between 1980 and 1984, he played 3 times for England.

RW/LW: Terry Paine (England)
Paine is best known for his career with Southampton, for whom he made over 800 appearances (a club record) in 18 seasons with the club between 1957 and 1974. He was known for his partnership with John Sydenham, Ron Davies and Martin Chivers.  He later played for Hereford United, and briefly worked at Cheltenham Town as a player-manager.  For England, he played 19 times and was a member of the 1966 World Cup team.

Terry Paine

LM/LB: Nick Holmes (England)
Between 1972 and 1987, Holmes played for Southampton. He was a part of their 1976 FA Cup winning team as well as a part of their great team in the 1980's finishing second in the league in the 1983-1984 season.  After leaving Saints he spent the 1987–88 season with East Cowes Vics. Except for that stint, he is considered to be a one club player.

LW/FW: Danny Wallace (England)
From 1980 to 1989, Wallace played for Southampton. His debut in 1980 at the time was the youngest ever for the club. He also played with his brothers Rod and Ray, where it was the first time three brothers had played in the same team in English professional top-flight football since 1920.  He also played for Manchester United, Millwall, Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers. He won one full cap for England.

AM: Matt Le Tissier (England)
Le Tissier spent his entire club career from 1986 to 2002 with Southampton before turning to non-League football in 2002; his loyalty garnered special affection from Southampton's fans who nicknamed him "Le God".   Born in Guernsey, he is one of the few English internationals not born in England. Between 1994 and 1997, he only earned 8 caps, despite being one of the most gifted players of his generation.

Matt Le Tissier 

FW: Ron Davies (Wales)
Born in Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, he went to the same school as the Spurs defender Mike England, whom he played alongside in internationals for Wales.  He was known for his career with Southampton, whom he played between 1966 and 1973. He was the league top scorer twice between 1966 and 1968.  He also had a lengthy career with Norwich before that.  He also played for Chester, Luton, Manchester United, etc.  For Wales, he had 29 caps.

CF: Bill Rawlings (England)
Rawlings began his career with Southampton in 1918. He finished as the club's top-scorer eight times in nine seasons from 1920–21 to 1927–28, helping the "Saints" to win the Third Division South title in 1921–22 and to reach the FA Cup semi-finals in 1925 and 1927. He also won himself two England caps in 1922, both of which were from British Home Championship games.

ST: Rickie Lambert (England)
Lambert is one of the few players who had scored in the top four divisions in England, the Champions League and for the national team.  He was known for his career with Southampton, he helped the club to move from the League One to Premiership.  He also played with Liverpool FC, West Bromwich Albion, etc.  He earned 11 caps between 2013 and 2014.  He went to the 2014 World Cup Finals.

ST: Mick Channon (England)
Mick Channon played notably for Southampton from 1965 and 1977, and then from 1979 and 1982.  He is considered one of the greatest ever players from the club. He was the league top scorer in 1974. Between the two stints, he played for Manchester City. At the age of 34, he joined Norwich, where he played form 1982 and 1985. He was capped 46 times, but England failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals during his career.

Mick Channon

ST: Alan Shearer (England)
Shearer is the all-time leading top-scorer for the Premiership.  In 1992, he joined Blackburn Rovers from Southampton in a record transfer. He won the Premiership for 1994-1995 season.  In 1996, he joined his home town club, Newcastle United for a world record transfer fees. He was FWA Player of the Year in 1994, and PFA Player of the Year in 1995 and 1997.  For England, he earned 63 caps. In 1996, he led England to the semi-final of Euro 1996 at home, himself winning the Golden boot award. 

 

ST/SS: Kevin Keegan (England)
Kevin Keegan was two-time European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. He won the European Cup in 1977 with Liverpool. He also found successes in the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV.  He later played for Southampton and Newcastle United. He had 63 caps for England. However, his World Cup appearance was limited to 20 minutes against Spain at the World Cup Finals in 1982.

Kevin Keegan 

Honorable Mention 
Steve Moran (England), James Beattie (England), Alan Shearer (England), John Sydenham (England), Eric Martin (Scotland), Antti Niemi (Finland), Ian Turner (England), George Clawley (England), Kelvin Davis (England), Paul Jones (Wales), Francis Benali (England), Martin Chivers (England), Peter Osgood (England), José Fonte (Portugal), Luke Shaw (England), David Peach, Marian Pahars (Latvia), Bobby Stokes (England), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands), Gareth Bale (Wales), Adam Lallana (England), Ron Davis (Wales), Ted Bates (England), Marian Pahars (Latvia).

Squad Explanation
-- Southampton spent over half of its history in the lower division.  Many players selected here starred for the club while they played in the lower division.
-- Mick Channon, Matt Le Tissier and perhaps Terry Paine are the greatest footballers for the club.
-- In 2018, the fans of Southampton voted for its greatest starting eleven.  They are Perer, Shilton, Jason Dodd, Claus Lundekvam, José Fonte, Wayne Bridge, Alan Ball, Matt Le Tissier, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, Mick Channon and Alan Shearer. As in most modern polls, the players are geared toward the modern era. I did not select some of them to this all-time team.
-- In the early 1980's, Southampton probably had its greatest team.  Kevin Keegan, Peter Shilton, David Armstrong, Mick Channon, Danny Wallace, Nick Holmes, Ivan Golac  and Alan Ball were all a part of that generation.
-- Peter Shilton is probably England's greatest goalkeeper.  The prime of his career was spent with Southampton. Tim Flowers also had a wonderful career as a young player that led to a even greater career elsewhere.  The third goalkeeper is a question mark. Eric Martin, Tommy Allen, Antti Niemi, Ian Turner, George Clawley, Kelvin Davis and Paul Jones are considered.  In the end, I chose Tommy Allen who had the most appearance for the club.
-- Ivan Golac is Southampton's first ever foreign player.  He is also considered among their best ever defender.
-- Leftback Tommy Traynor is Southampton record appearance holder. He played mainly in the lower division. Wayne Bridge edged out Francis Benali because Bridge had a better international reputation. Luke Shaw also made his name here as a left back, but I preferred someone with a longer career here.
-- Nick Holmes can also play in the left back position. He won the FA Cup with them.  He was an unsung hero of the club. 
-- Alan Ball had two spells with the club.  Later, he coached the team.
-- Matt Le Tissier is one of the most technically gifted English players of his time.  He was often overlooked by the English national team, including by manager Glenn Hoddle who was also not appreciated by England for his technically gifted ability.  He also played in the same generation as Paul Gascoigne.  
-- John Sydenham, Terry Paine and Ron Davies formed a dangerous trio.  However, I only have spaces for Davies and Paine.
-- Kevin Keegan seldom got a mention among the greatest player ever played for Southampton.  He only played two seasons there, but Southampton had their best ever finishes in the league during his time there. He was also awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 1981–82 season. I do not understand why he was being ignored.  I do believe that he is a very serious candidate.  
-- Theo Walcott made his professional debut as a 16 years old. Gareth Bale also played a single season here.  He is their second youngest debutant.  They made honorable mention.
-- Martin Chivers helped the club to grain promotion in 1966, but he spent most of his career in the 2nd division.  He was often viewed as a second fiddle to Ron Davies and Mick Channon. I do not have space for him.
-- George O'Brien also played mainly in the lower division for Southampton.
-- Steve Moran missed out because of Channon, Keegan, Davies and Shearer.  Then, I decided to select an older player, Bill Rawlings and a younger player Rickie Lambert. Lambert actually scored over 100 goals for the club. Ted Bates, Marian Pahars and James Beattie were some of their other great strikers.

-- In 2021, I updated the team.  I decided to add Allan Shearer and took Derek Reeves to honorable mention.

-- Alan Shearer left the club at the age of 21.  He only scored 29 goals for the club in total, but was selected into England national team.  Sometimes, I selected home grown players who made it to the very top with a different club to their mother team.  For example, Roberto Baggio was on my Fiorentina All-time team even through his time there was very limited.  However, I still do not think Gareth Bale should be considered.  He only played a single full season with the club as compared to Alan Shearer's five seasons here (three as a major player).
-- Derek Reeves joined Southampton FC in December 1954 having been demobbed from National Service. He scored on his debut against his home town club, Bournemouth. He was known for his performance in the upset win over Manchester City in 1960 during a FA Cup match.  He was also known for his partnership with wingers John Sydenham and Terry Paine.  He also scored 40 goals in a single season. He later played with  Bournemouth and Worchester City.   

 
Formation