Show/hide article…
CLAUDE Puel stands on the brink of joining an exclusive club.
In Southampton FC’s history, only two managers have ever led them to a major cup final.
Lawrie McMenemy famously lifted the FA Cup in 1976 and guided Saints to their only League Cup final three years later.
Gordon Strachan masterminded Saints’ appearance in the 2003 FA Cup final in Cardiff.
Of course, there have been two others who have managed Saints in Wembley finals.
Ian Branfoot, in his first season at The Dell, took the club to the 1991/92 Zenith Data Systems Cup final.
And Alan Pardew, in his first season at St Mary’s, won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in 2009/10.
With respect, though, the ZDS and the JPT are not major tournaments.
Though it was nice to win the JPT in front of 50,000 Saints fans seven years ago, the fact Saints were in it in the first place was symptomatic of how far the club had fallen.
It was, lest we forget, a tournament for third and fourth tier clubs only.
The League Cup is the second highest domestic cup tournament in English football, and Saints are 90 minutes from reaching the final for only the second time in almost 60 years.
Only Branfoot has ever been in the situation Puel finds himself, though.
The situation of having to negotiate an away tie in the second leg of a cup semi final.
Back in 1991/92, Saints were second bottom of the First Division when they beat eighth-placed Chelsea 2-0 at The Dell in the first leg.
That was a good lead to take to Stamford Bridge - double that which Saints take to Anfield tomorrow night.
It was also more than enough, as Saints won 3-1 in west London to book their Wembley final.
Continued on facing page Despite that ‘showpiece occasion’, Branfoot’s time in charge at Saints is not fondly remembered.
History has yet to judge how Claude Puel’s Saints managerial career will work out.
For sure, he has yet to endear himself to all the fans.
His tactics, his rotation, his failure to bring in a striker last summer, his falling-out with Jose Fonte, the club’s anti-climatic Europa League exit - all of those, rightly or wrongly, have been used as sticks to beat him with on social media.
Therefore, it goes without saying that a Wembley final appearance will help bag him a stack of Brownie Points.
Lest we forget, Wembley finals do not come around too often for Saints.
The stadium has been in place since 1923 (minus seven years for rebuilding in the noughties) and Saints have only ever played there five times.
One FA Cup final, one League Cup final, one Charity Shield, one ZDS Cup and one JPT Cup.
That is not much of a roll call for a club with a history such as Saints’.
That is why Claude Puel - whether you think he is the right man for the Saints job or not - can tomorrow write his own name into Saints’ folklore.
Go to the original article…
...abrasively instantiated by Optimus trousers...beta v1.9 - now with EXTRA pictures!
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 