This article needs additional citations for
verification. (October 2011) |
1996β97 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | Rupert Lowe |
Manager | Graeme Souness |
Stadium | The Dell |
Premiership | 16th |
FA Cup | Third round |
League Cup | Quarter-finals |
Top goalscorer | League: Matt Le Tissier (13) All: Matt Le Tissier (16) |
Highest home attendance | 15,253 vs
Manchester United (26 Oct 1996, Premier League) |
Lowest home attendance | 10,737 vs
Oxford United (18 Dec 1996, League Cup) |
Average home league attendance | 15,099 |
In the 1996β97 season, Southampton Football Club competed in the FA Premier League.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Southampton managed to avoid relegation. Manager Dave Merrington had been dismissed at the end of the previous season to be succeeded by Graeme Souness, who brought in quality new players including Claus Lundekvam, Eyal Berkovic and Egil Γstenstad. A 6β3 win over Manchester United in late October, which saw Ostenstad scoring a brace, was the highlight of the season, and Southampton entered the final game of the season only needing a draw to confirm their survival. Survival was achieved, but it did not prevent Souness from quitting the club after just one season, handing over the reins to Stockport's Dave Jones.
After receiving a phone call purporting to be from Liberian international and former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah, Graeme Souness signed Senegalese "international" striker Ali Dia. "Weah" had told Souness that Dia was his cousin, had played for Paris Saint-Germain and had played 13 times for his country. None of this was true: the phone call was made by a fellow university student of Dia's to Souness, suggesting that he should give Dia a chance with the Saints. [1] Nonetheless, Souness was convinced, and signed Dia on a one-month contract.
Dia played just one game for Southampton, against Leeds United on 23 November 1996; he had originally been scheduled to play in a reserve friendly against Arsenal, but the match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. In the match against Leeds, he came on as a substitute for Matt Le Tissier after 32 minutes but his performance was spectacularly below Premier League quality. He was later substituted for Ken Monkou after playing for 53 minutes; [2] Leeds won the match 2β0.
Le Tissier himself recalled the story in a television interview, telling that Dia spent only a weekend at the club. He first came down to train with the team on Friday morning; according to Le Tissier he "didn't look very good" and the players thought that they would "never see him again", but the next day Dia was surprisingly named on the bench. His performance on the field after he came on to replace Le Tissier "was unbelievable. He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice, it was very very embarrassing to watch." Yet, according to the team's physiotherapist, on Sunday morning Dia "turned up for treatment of an injury" and "then he left, and we never saw him again . . . nobody knows where he went." [3] Dia was released by Southampton two weeks later.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | West Ham United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 42 | |
15 | Everton | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 42 | |
16 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 41 | |
17 | Coventry City | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 54 | −16 | 41 | |
18 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | β6 | 41 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 32 | β14 |
Source:
Statto
Southampton's score comes first [4]
Win | Draw | Loss |
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 August 1996 | Chelsea | H | 0β0 | 15,186 | |
21 August 1996 | Leicester City | A | 1β2 | 17,562 | Le Tissier (pen) |
24 August 1996 | West Ham United | A | 1β2 | 21,227 | Heaney |
4 September 1996 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2β2 | 14,450 | Dryden, Le Tissier |
7 September 1996 | Liverpool | A | 1β2 | 39,189 | Magilton |
14 September 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0β1 | 15,251 | |
23 September 1996 | Wimbledon | A | 1β3 | 8,572 | Oakley |
28 September 1996 | Middlesbrough | H | 4β0 | 15,230 | Oakley, Le Tissier (2), Watson |
13 October 1996 | Coventry City | A | 1β1 | 15,485 | Le Tissier |
19 October 1996 | Sunderland | H | 3β0 | 15,225 | Dodd, Le Tissier (pen), Shipperley |
26 October 1996 | Manchester United | H | 6β3 | 15,253 | Berkovic (2), Le Tissier, Γstenstad (2), P. Neville (own goal) |
2 November 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1β1 | 20,106 | Le Tissier (pen) |
16 November 1996 | Everton | A | 1β7 | 35,669 | Γstenstad |
23 November 1996 | Leeds United | H | 0β2 | 15,241 | |
30 November 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1β2 | 23,018 | Γstenstad |
4 December 1996 | Arsenal | A | 1β3 | 38,033 | Berkovic |
7 December 1996 | Aston Villa | H | 0β1 | 15,232 | |
21 December 1996 | Derby County | H | 3β1 | 14,901 | Watson, Oakley, Magilton (pen) |
26 December 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1β3 | 30,549 | Le Tissier |
29 December 1996 | Liverpool | H | 0β1 | 15,222 | |
11 January 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 1β0 | 29,509 | Magilton (pen) |
18 January 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 2β2 | 15,251 | Maddison, Le Tissier |
1 February 1997 | Manchester United | A | 1β2 | 55,269 | Γstenstad |
22 February 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2β3 | 15,062 | Γstenstad, Le Tissier |
26 February 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 0β0 | 14,418 | |
1 March 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1β0 | 36,446 | Le Tissier |
5 March 1997 | Everton | H | 2β2 | 15,134 | Slater, Short (own goal) |
12 March 1997 | Leeds United | A | 0β0 | 25,913 | |
15 March 1997 | Arsenal | H | 0β2 | 15,144 | |
19 March 1997 | Chelsea | A | 0β1 | 28,079 | |
22 March 1997 | Leicester City | H | 2β2 | 15,044 | Γstenstad, van Gobbel |
5 April 1997 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3β1 | 25,134 | Magilton, Evans |
9 April 1997 | Derby County | A | 1β1 | 17,839 | Powell (own goal) |
12 April 1997 | West Ham United | H | 2β0 | 15,244 | Evans, Berkovic |
19 April 1997 | Coventry City | H | 2β2 | 15,251 | Evans, Γstenstad |
22 April 1997 | Sunderland | A | 1β0 | 21,521 | Γstenstad |
3 May 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2β0 | 15,247 | Slater, Le Tissier |
11 May 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 0β1 | 39,339 |
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R3 | 4 January 1997 | Reading | A | 1β3 | 11,537 | Γstenstad |
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R2 1st Leg | 18 September 1996 | Peterborough United | H | 2β0 | 14,467 | Le Tissier, Watson |
R2 2nd Leg | 25 September 1996 | Peterborough United | A | 4β1 | 8,220 | Watson, Charlton, Magilton, Dryden |
R3 | 23 October 1996 | Lincoln City | H | 2β2 | 14,516 | Le Tissier, van Gobbel |
R3R | 12 November 1996 | Lincoln City | A | 3β1 | 10,523 | Magilton (pen), Watson, Berkovic |
R4 | 26 November 1996 | Oxford United | A | 1β1 | 9,473 | Dryden |
R4R | 18 December 1996 | Oxford United | H | 3β2 | 10,737 | Berkovic, Dryden, Γstenstad |
QF | 22 January 1997 | Stockport County | A | 2β2 | 9,840 | Γstenstad (2) |
QFR | 29 January 1997 | Stockport County | H | 1β2 | 13,428 | Le Tissier |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (October 2011) |
1996β97 season | |
---|---|
Chairman | Rupert Lowe |
Manager | Graeme Souness |
Stadium | The Dell |
Premiership | 16th |
FA Cup | Third round |
League Cup | Quarter-finals |
Top goalscorer | League: Matt Le Tissier (13) All: Matt Le Tissier (16) |
Highest home attendance | 15,253 vs
Manchester United (26 Oct 1996, Premier League) |
Lowest home attendance | 10,737 vs
Oxford United (18 Dec 1996, League Cup) |
Average home league attendance | 15,099 |
In the 1996β97 season, Southampton Football Club competed in the FA Premier League.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Southampton managed to avoid relegation. Manager Dave Merrington had been dismissed at the end of the previous season to be succeeded by Graeme Souness, who brought in quality new players including Claus Lundekvam, Eyal Berkovic and Egil Γstenstad. A 6β3 win over Manchester United in late October, which saw Ostenstad scoring a brace, was the highlight of the season, and Southampton entered the final game of the season only needing a draw to confirm their survival. Survival was achieved, but it did not prevent Souness from quitting the club after just one season, handing over the reins to Stockport's Dave Jones.
After receiving a phone call purporting to be from Liberian international and former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah, Graeme Souness signed Senegalese "international" striker Ali Dia. "Weah" had told Souness that Dia was his cousin, had played for Paris Saint-Germain and had played 13 times for his country. None of this was true: the phone call was made by a fellow university student of Dia's to Souness, suggesting that he should give Dia a chance with the Saints. [1] Nonetheless, Souness was convinced, and signed Dia on a one-month contract.
Dia played just one game for Southampton, against Leeds United on 23 November 1996; he had originally been scheduled to play in a reserve friendly against Arsenal, but the match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. In the match against Leeds, he came on as a substitute for Matt Le Tissier after 32 minutes but his performance was spectacularly below Premier League quality. He was later substituted for Ken Monkou after playing for 53 minutes; [2] Leeds won the match 2β0.
Le Tissier himself recalled the story in a television interview, telling that Dia spent only a weekend at the club. He first came down to train with the team on Friday morning; according to Le Tissier he "didn't look very good" and the players thought that they would "never see him again", but the next day Dia was surprisingly named on the bench. His performance on the field after he came on to replace Le Tissier "was unbelievable. He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice, it was very very embarrassing to watch." Yet, according to the team's physiotherapist, on Sunday morning Dia "turned up for treatment of an injury" and "then he left, and we never saw him again . . . nobody knows where he went." [3] Dia was released by Southampton two weeks later.
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 | West Ham United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 48 | −9 | 42 | |
15 | Everton | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 42 | |
16 | Southampton | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 41 | |
17 | Coventry City | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 38 | 54 | −16 | 41 | |
18 | Sunderland (R) | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 56 | β6 | 41 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 32 | β14 |
Source:
Statto
Southampton's score comes first [4]
Win | Draw | Loss |
Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 August 1996 | Chelsea | H | 0β0 | 15,186 | |
21 August 1996 | Leicester City | A | 1β2 | 17,562 | Le Tissier (pen) |
24 August 1996 | West Ham United | A | 1β2 | 21,227 | Heaney |
4 September 1996 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2β2 | 14,450 | Dryden, Le Tissier |
7 September 1996 | Liverpool | A | 1β2 | 39,189 | Magilton |
14 September 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 0β1 | 15,251 | |
23 September 1996 | Wimbledon | A | 1β3 | 8,572 | Oakley |
28 September 1996 | Middlesbrough | H | 4β0 | 15,230 | Oakley, Le Tissier (2), Watson |
13 October 1996 | Coventry City | A | 1β1 | 15,485 | Le Tissier |
19 October 1996 | Sunderland | H | 3β0 | 15,225 | Dodd, Le Tissier (pen), Shipperley |
26 October 1996 | Manchester United | H | 6β3 | 15,253 | Berkovic (2), Le Tissier, Γstenstad (2), P. Neville (own goal) |
2 November 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1β1 | 20,106 | Le Tissier (pen) |
16 November 1996 | Everton | A | 1β7 | 35,669 | Γstenstad |
23 November 1996 | Leeds United | H | 0β2 | 15,241 | |
30 November 1996 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1β2 | 23,018 | Γstenstad |
4 December 1996 | Arsenal | A | 1β3 | 38,033 | Berkovic |
7 December 1996 | Aston Villa | H | 0β1 | 15,232 | |
21 December 1996 | Derby County | H | 3β1 | 14,901 | Watson, Oakley, Magilton (pen) |
26 December 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1β3 | 30,549 | Le Tissier |
29 December 1996 | Liverpool | H | 0β1 | 15,222 | |
11 January 1997 | Middlesbrough | A | 1β0 | 29,509 | Magilton (pen) |
18 January 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 2β2 | 15,251 | Maddison, Le Tissier |
1 February 1997 | Manchester United | A | 1β2 | 55,269 | Γstenstad |
22 February 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2β3 | 15,062 | Γstenstad, Le Tissier |
26 February 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 0β0 | 14,418 | |
1 March 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1β0 | 36,446 | Le Tissier |
5 March 1997 | Everton | H | 2β2 | 15,134 | Slater, Short (own goal) |
12 March 1997 | Leeds United | A | 0β0 | 25,913 | |
15 March 1997 | Arsenal | H | 0β2 | 15,144 | |
19 March 1997 | Chelsea | A | 0β1 | 28,079 | |
22 March 1997 | Leicester City | H | 2β2 | 15,044 | Γstenstad, van Gobbel |
5 April 1997 | Nottingham Forest | A | 3β1 | 25,134 | Magilton, Evans |
9 April 1997 | Derby County | A | 1β1 | 17,839 | Powell (own goal) |
12 April 1997 | West Ham United | H | 2β0 | 15,244 | Evans, Berkovic |
19 April 1997 | Coventry City | H | 2β2 | 15,251 | Evans, Γstenstad |
22 April 1997 | Sunderland | A | 1β0 | 21,521 | Γstenstad |
3 May 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2β0 | 15,247 | Slater, Le Tissier |
11 May 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 0β1 | 39,339 |
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R3 | 4 January 1997 | Reading | A | 1β3 | 11,537 | Γstenstad |
Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R2 1st Leg | 18 September 1996 | Peterborough United | H | 2β0 | 14,467 | Le Tissier, Watson |
R2 2nd Leg | 25 September 1996 | Peterborough United | A | 4β1 | 8,220 | Watson, Charlton, Magilton, Dryden |
R3 | 23 October 1996 | Lincoln City | H | 2β2 | 14,516 | Le Tissier, van Gobbel |
R3R | 12 November 1996 | Lincoln City | A | 3β1 | 10,523 | Magilton (pen), Watson, Berkovic |
R4 | 26 November 1996 | Oxford United | A | 1β1 | 9,473 | Dryden |
R4R | 18 December 1996 | Oxford United | H | 3β2 | 10,737 | Berkovic, Dryden, Γstenstad |
QF | 22 January 1997 | Stockport County | A | 2β2 | 9,840 | Γstenstad (2) |
QFR | 29 January 1997 | Stockport County | H | 1β2 | 13,428 | Le Tissier |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|