The 2000–01 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 100th season of competitive football, their 31st (and 23rd consecutive) in the top flight of English football, and their ninth in the FA Premier League. Having achieved a relatively comfortable 15th-place finish the previous season, the club built on this to finish in the top half of the league for the first time in six years, ending the season 10th in the table just as they had done in 1994–95. After leading the club for the second half of the 1999–2000 season, Glenn Hoddle remained Southampton manager for most of the 2000–01 campaign, although he left in March 2001 and was replaced by Stuart Gray, who saw out the year. This was also the last season the club played at The Dell before moving to St Mary's Stadium.
Having made numerous changes to the squad after his arrival in January 2000, Hoddle signed only three new players in the summer transfer window: German striker Uwe Rösler, midfielder Mark Draper, and Ivory Coast striker Patrice Tano. Later in the season, Argentine winger Adrian Caceres and Romanian right-back Dan Petrescu also joined the club. Outgoings included left-back Patrick Colleter, centre-back Richard Dryden, and attacking midfielder Trond Egil Soltvedt. The Saints struggled in the league early on, spending a few weeks in the relegation zone; by the new year, however, they had made it up to the mid-table region, with a string of five wins ahead of Hoddle's departure taking them as high as 8th. Form dipped somewhat under temporary manager Gray.
Outside the league, Southampton reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in five seasons, but only reached the third round of the League Cup. In the FA Cup, the Saints beat First Division clubs Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday in the third and fourth rounds, respectively, edging past United with a 1–0 win and eliminating Wednesday with a 3–1 victory. In the fifth round they faced another second-flight side, Tranmere Rovers, who beat the Saints 4–3 in a replay (after a goalless draw at The Dell) by overcoming a 0–3 half-time deficit with four second-half goals. In the League Cup, the club made it past Third Division side Mansfield Town 5–1 on aggregate over two legs, before losing 0–1 to Premier League strugglers Coventry City in the third round.
Southampton used 25 players during the 2000–01 season and had 14 different goalscorers. James Beattie finished as the club's top goalscorer for the first time with 12 goals – 11 in the league and one in the FA Cup. Wayne Bridge and Claus Lundekvam made the most appearances for the club during the campaign, both playing in all but one of the team's 45 games across all three competitions. Bridge won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award at the end of the season. The average league attendance at The Dell during 2000–01 was 15,115. The highest attendance was 15,252 against Arsenal in the final competitive game at the stadium on the closing day of the league in May; the lowest was 8,802 against Mansfield Town in the League Cup in September.
Background and transfers
Southampton's first signing of the 2000–01 season was German striker Uwe Rösler, who joined on a free transfer in July.Luís Boa Morte spent the whole 2000–01 season out on loan at Fulham, who he would join on a permanent basis the following summer.After initially snubbing the club in the summer, Romanian right-back Dan Petrescu joined the Saints in January 2001.Trond Egil Soltvedt left Southampton in March 2001, having completed just shy of two full seasons at the club.
With their new stadium St Mary's Stadium now being built, Southampton had a relatively quiet summer transfer period ahead of the 2000–01 season. At the beginning of July, they signed German striker Uwe Rösler on a free transfer from Tennis Borussia Berlin, after the club had gone into bankruptcy.[1] In an interview with BBC Radio Solent, Rösler credited manager Glenn Hoddle's "big plans for the club" as an important factor in his decision to move back to England after two years back playing in Germany.[2] Two days later, the club signed another striker on a free transfer, bringing in 18-year-old Ivory Coast forward Patrice Tano from French side Monaco after he spent a few days with the club during their pre-season preparations.[3] The final signing prior to the season's start was midfielder Mark Draper, who joined from Aston Villa for a fee of £1.5 million.[4] Initially priced at £2 million, Draper eventually moved for a reduced price of £1.25 million raising to £1.5 million based on appearances.[5] Portuguese winger Luís Boa Morte was loaned out for the whole season to Fulham.[6]
Shortly after the start of the league campaign, young striker Shayne Bradley moved to Third Division club Mansfield Town for a club record fee of £100,000, having failed to break into the top-flight side's first team.[7] August also saw the retirement of three Saints players from professional football – left-back John Beresford was forced to leave due to a cruciate ligament injury suffered in the opening game of the 1998–99 season, since which he had only managed to make three substitute appearances for the club;[8] attacking midfielder David Hughes was forced to step down after failing to recover from a knee injury suffered in a pre-season match ahead of the 1999–2000 season;[9] and defensive midfielder David Howells left after nearly 18 months without an appearance, due to the recurrence of an old knee injury suffered prior to joining Southampton.[10] In September, Argentine winger Adrian Caceres joined from Australian side Perth for £25,000,[11] while centre-back Richard Dryden moved to Northampton Town for two months in the first of two loan spells during the season.[12]
During October, Portuguese winger Dani Rodrigues spent a few weeks on loan at Bristol City in the Second Division, before breaking his ankle and being forced to return to Southampton for rehabilitation.[13] The next month, French left-back Patrick Colleter left Southampton on a free transfer, having failed to establish himself in the first team.[14] He moved to Cannes after a short trial, having been "openly critical" of Hoddle and being prevented from playing even for the reserve side as a result.[15] Around the same time, new signing Patrice Tano was released due to issues with his passport and work permit, which forced him to move back to France.[16]Stuart Ripley was loaned out to First Division side Barnsley until January,[17] while Dryden started his second loan spell – this time at Swindon Town in the Second Division.[12] Trainee Daniel Webb was sold to Southend United in December.[18]
After Christmas, the club signed Romanian right-back Dan Petrescu from Premier League strugglers Bradford City, paying a "nominal fee" for the defender.[19] Petrescu had originally planned to sign for the Saints from Chelsea at the beginning of the season after falling out with manager Gianluca Vialli,[20] however an £800,000 deal fell through after the defender could not agree to personal terms.[21] The eventual move reunited Petrescu with Hoddle, under whom he had played at Chelsea a few years earlier.[20] In February, Richard Dryden finally made a permanent move away from Southampton, sold to Luton Town in the Second Division for free.[12] Later that month, out-of-favour midfielder Trond Egil Soltvedt was sent out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for a month, before he was signed permanently in March alongside loanee Stuart Ripley, who joined until the end of the season.[22][23][17]
Ahead of the 2000–01 season, Southampton played seven pre-season friendlies. The first saw the Saints travel to Huish Park to face Conference side Yeovil Town in a testimonial for goalkeeper Tony Pennock.[25] The top-flight visitors won the match 2–0, with Marians Pahars opening the scoring after 11 minutes with a header from a Matt Le Tissier cross, before James Beattie made it two just after the half-time break with a header from a Hassan Kachloul corner.[26] Four days later, the club played another testimonial, for Bournemouth midfielder Russell Beardsmore.[25] The Second Division hosts opened the scoring after just two minutes through guest player Ryan Giggs, before going 2–0 up within nine minutes through Chukki Eribenne.[27] Ten minutes before the break, Beattie pulled one back for the Saints, before Kevin Gibbens scored after just five minutes on as a substitute to make it 2–2; the score remained level, although it was reported by the Southern Daily Echo that the Premier League side "could have had six in the second half".[27]
In their third pre-season game, Southampton lost 1–3 at Second Division side Swindon Town.[25] Beattie scored the only goal of the game for the visitors, taking his tally to three in three during pre-season.[28] Against another third-flight side two days later, the Saints drew 1–1 with Reading at the Madejski Stadium.[25] Home debutant Keith Jones opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a "spectacular volley", and it took the visitors until "virtually the last kick of the game" to equalise, with substitute Garry Monk tapping in from close range.[29] Another draw followed in the next game against First Division side Gillingham, with goalkeeper Neil Moss making numerous saves – including a penalty – to keep a clean sheet in the goalless draw.[30] The Saints picked up their first win over league opponents a few days later, beating First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 at Molineux Stadium.[25] After going behind within three minutes, the Saints responded in the 18th minute when Kachloul set up Pahars, before the Latvian returned the favour and set up the Moroccan just after the break for a second goal.[31] The final pre-season game, and only one at The Dell, saw the Saints lose 1–2 to Spanish side Real Sociedad, with Pahars scoring the consolation for the hosts.[25]
Southampton's 2000–01 season started poorly, as they picked up just three points from their first five fixtures, starting second from bottom of the Premier League table.[32] On the opening day, the club lost an early two-goal lead gained by a Hassan Kachloul brace to draw 2–2 with Derby County, with Kachloul coming close to completing a hat-trick in injury time.[33] After losing 1–2 at home to Coventry City the next week, the Saints overcame a three-goal deficit against Liverpool to gain a point in a 3–3 draw, with goals from Tahar El Khalej and Marians Pahars in the last five minutes securing the point.[33] A draw and a loss at Charlton Athletic and Leicester City, respectively, were followed by the side's first two victories, as they beat 3rd-place Newcastle United 2–0 at home (courtesy of a Pahars double) and Bradford City 1–0 at Valley Parade (courtesy of an own goal).[34]
Despite climbing up to 8th in the table on the back of their first two wins of the campaign,[35] Southampton quickly dropped in form again, picking up just one point from their next four games, in a 1–1 draw with Everton.[34] The run culminated in the club's heaviest defeat of the season, as they lost 0–5 to reigning champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Andy Cole scoring twice and Teddy Sheringham completing a hat-trick.[34] Now back in the relegation zone, the Saints beat top six side Chelsea 3–2 the next week, with James Beattie securing all three points with a "thunderous" free-kick in injury time, after Chelsea had fought back from a two-goal deficit late on.[34] Beattie scored again in a 2–2 draw at Sunderland, then added another two in a two-minute spell against Aston Villa, which decided the game.[34] In December, all charges against former manager Dave Jones, which had led to his initially temporary leave of absence, were dropped.[36] He did not return to Southampton, however, as Glenn Hoddle had been given a permanent contract.[33]
After winning both of their games with clean sheets between Christmas and new year (2–0 against Tottenham Hotspur and 1–0 against Derby County), Southampton sat 12th in the Premier League table.[37] They started 2001 with a loss at Anfield, however, with a late Markus Babbel header breaking a deadlock for a 2–1 Liverpool win.[38] Two goalless draws followed, before a 1–0 win at home to Leicester City in which Dan Petrescu scored the only goal of the game in his full debut since joining a few weeks earlier.[38] The victory marked the start of Southampton's best run of form all season, as they won five games in a row without conceding a single goal – after Leicester, the Saints beat four teams in the bottom six of the table: 2–0 against Bradford City (Pahars and Beattie scored), 1–0 away at both Middlesbrough (Mark Draper with his only goal of the season) and Manchester City (Petrescu scoring again), and 1–0 at home to Everton (thanks to a Jo Tessem strike).[38] After the run, the club had climbed to 8th in the table, three points off the top five.[39]
In late-March, shortly after George Graham was sacked as Tottenham Hotspur manager,[40] Hoddle left Southampton after holding talks to take over the vacated role at his former club.[41] He was confirmed as the new Tottenham boss on 30 March, claiming that "It wasn't an easy decision to leave Southampton because I have put in a lot of hard work".[42] Former Saints midfielder Stuart Gray, who had worked as first-team coach under Hoddle, took over the same day as caretaker manager for the remainder of the season.[43]
Gray's tenure as Southampton manager started poorly, as the club lost their first three games under his management and dropped back down into the bottom half of the Premier League table. After not conceding a goal since New Year's Day, they lost 0–3 at home to Ipswich Town, who were third in the league at the time, at the start of April.[38] All three goals were scored by Marcus Stewart, the club's top scorer, with club historians describing the Saints as being "out-passed, out-classed and manoeuvred".[38] Another defeat without scoring followed five days later, as 4th-place Leeds United beat the Saints 2–0 at Elland Road with goals from Harry Kewell and Robbie Keane either side of the break.[38] 6th-placed Chelsea followed suit the next week at Stamford Bridge, with Gus Poyet scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win just before half-time.[44] The Saints were now 12th in the league.[45]
The team picked up their first point under the new manager with a goalless draw at Aston Villa, followed after a 0–1 home loss to Sunderland (in which Beattie saw a goal "wrongly ruled offside", according to club historians) by a 1–1 draw with Newcastle United, the point saved by Marians Pahars in the last ten minutes of the game.[44] The club dropped down to 13th with a 0–3 loss at West Ham United in their final away game.[46] Their final two fixtures of the season took place at The Dell, marking the final competitive games at the stadium before it was closed down. In the first, Southampton beat Manchester United (who were winning their third consecutive Premier League title) 2–1, with a Wes Brown own goal and a Pahars goal putting the hosts 2–0 up within half an hour (Ryan Giggs scored a consolation late in the second half).[44] The win saw the club jump up to 10th in the league table.[47]
In the final game of the season and final competitive game at The Dell, the Saints faced Arsenal who were finishing the league as runners-up to United. Ashley Cole gave the Gunners a 1–0 lead at half-time, but straight after the break Hassan Kachloul pulled one back. Freddie Ljungberg soon put the visitors back in front, before Kachloul responded quickly again to make it 2–2. Despite looking like it would finish a draw, the game was decided in the penultimate minute when Matt Le Tissier – making only his 8th appearance in the league campaign – scored a left-foot volley to give the hosts all three points.[44] Fans and commentators described it as "fitting" for club captain and "legend" Le Tissier to score the last competitive goal at The Dell.[44][48] Southampton's 10th-place finish gave them their best league result since the 1994–95 season under manager Alan Ball, when they finished in the same position.[44]
Southampton entered the 2000–01 FA Cup in the third round against First Division side Sheffield United. The top-flight hosts came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, with Jo Tessem, Kevin Davies and James Beattie all failing to convert chances at various points.[49] The second half started in much the same way, which eventually resulted in the Saints winning a penalty when Beattie was brought down by goalkeeper Simon Tracey. The penalty was converted by Jason Dodd, after which Bobby Ford was sent off amongst protests by the visitors against the spot kick.[49] Southampton held on and progressed to the fourth round, where they were drawn at home again to another First Division side, Sheffield United's closest rivals Sheffield Wednesday. The Saints took the lead early on through Davies, who headed in a rebound from his own half-volley saved by Kevin Pressman.[49] Wednesday responded strongly and eventually equalised shortly after the hour mark, when Andy Booth headed in a long throw-in to make it 1–1.[50] The tide turned again late in the game, when a Booth handball led to a penalty for the Saints, which Dodd again converted for 2–1, before Beattie completed a win with a header in the last minute.[50]
A third First Division side awaited Southampton in the fifth round, as the Saints faced Tranmere Rovers at The Dell. The hosts appeared to have opened the scoring after 11 minutes when Dean Richards headed in from a corner, however it was judged to be offside and disallowed.[50] Another offside decision prevented a goal for the Saints around 20 minutes later, when Hassan Kachloul scored from a Marians Pahars pass, and the sides ultimately went into half-time goalless.[50] Southampton continued to dominate after the break, but were unable to make any of their efforts count and it ended 0–0, forcing a replay at Prenton Park three days later.[50] Southampton started the replay in much the same way as they had finished the initial tie, with Kachloul opening the scoring in the 12th minute with "the sweetest of shots into the top corner".[51] Within 15 minutes it was 2–0 through Tessem, and on the stroke of half-time Richards made it three to give the visitors a huge advantage.[51] Despite the three-goal deficit, Tranmere staged "one of the most dramatic comebacks in FA Cup history" in the second half to beat the Saints 4–3.[52] The comeback started with a hat-trick scored within a 21-minute period by former Saints striker Paul Rideout, who scored his first two from a corner and his third from a free-kick to draw level.[51] In the last ten minutes, shortly after Rideout's third goal, Tranmere secured a winner when Stuart Barlow converted a cross from Rideout.[51]
Southampton entered the 2000–01 League Cup in the second round against Mansfield Town of the Third Division. The Saints beat the Stags 5–1 on aggregate over two legs, with Jo Tessem and Matt Le Tissier securing a 2–0 win at The Dell, before Uwe Rösler and Trond Egil Soltvedt (two) added a 3–1 victory at Field Mill.[53] They faced fellow Premier League side Coventry City in the third round, losing 0–1 after a single goal from John Eustace late in extra time, despite enjoying the majority of chances on goal.[53]
Outside the league and cup competitions, Southampton played four additional matches during the 2000–01 season – two in the final stages of the campaign, two just after its conclusion.[25] The first two took place in March against French side Le Havre, reportedly as a mechanism for manager Glenn Hoddle to "look at seniors returning to fitness and youngsters hoping to press their claims" during the final stages of the season.[54] In the first tie, at Stade Jules Deschaseaux, the Saints broke the deadlock after just seven minutes when Uwe Rösler scored a "crisp drive"; however, goals either side of half-time from Thierry De Neef and Laurent Ciechelski put the hosts in front, before they secured a 3–1 win in the last minute courtesy of Patrick Revelles.[54] Southampton lost the return fixture at The Dell by the same margin, with goals either side of the break from Thomas Deniaud and Karim Kerkar giving Le Havre the 2–0 win.[55] Hoddle cancelled a plan weekend off for the players after the double loss, calling them "silly lads".[56]
Three days after the end of the Premier League campaign, the Saints hosted a testimonial for right-back Jason Dodd against a team put together by kit manager Malcolm "Woggy" Taylor dubbed Woggy's Wanderers.[25] Featuring a rotating cast of players on either side, the game ended in a 3–1 win to Taylor's side, with goals scored by former Saints players Steve Davis and Nicky Banger in the first half, followed by guest Dean Gaffney just before the end, who scored against goalkeeper Matt Le Tissier after a penalty by chairman Rupert Lowe had hit the crossbar.[57]Russell Osman, who had retired from playing in 1996, scored the sole goal for the Saints just after half-time.[57] The final game took place four days later, as Southampton hosted Brighton & Hove Albion (who had just won the Third Division title) for the final game at The Dell before its closure.[25] The hosts won the friendly 1–0, with Uwe Rösler scoring the only goal of the game in the 13th minute.[58] The game ended prematurely when home fans started a pitch invasion.[58]
Southampton used 25 players during the 2000–01 season, 14 of whom scored during the campaign.[59] Five players made their debut appearances for the club, including three of their five first team signings (Mark Draper,[4]Dan Petrescu,[20] and Uwe Rösler[1]), one player signed the previous season (Imants Bleidelis[60]), and one player making the step up from youth to the first team (Ryan Ashford[61]). One of these – Ashford[61] – also made his last appearance for the Saints during the campaign, as did mid-season departee Trond Egil Soltvedt.[23] Defenders Wayne Bridge and Claus Lundekvam made the most appearances during the season, playing in all but one of the club's 46 games.[59]James Beattie finished as the club's top goalscorer for the first time, scoring 12 goals in all competitions.[59] Bridge won the Southampton F.C. Player of the Season award.[44]
^ ab"Ryan Ashford". SaintsPlayers.co.uk. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
Bibliography
Holley, Duncan; Chalk, Gary (2003), Bull, David (ed.), In That Number: A Post-War Chronicle of Southampton FC, Bristol, England: Hagiology Publishing, ISBN0-9534474-3-X
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