1997–98 Southampton F.C. season
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| Fourth round | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Le Tissier/Østenstad (11) All: Le Tissier (14) |
|---|---|
| Highest home attendance | 15,255 vs. Tottenham Hotspur (25 October 1997) |
| Lowest home attendance | 14,815 vs. Wimbledon (11 April 1998) |
| Average home league attendance | 15,159 |
→ | |
During the 1997–98 English football season, FA Premier League.
Season summary
Under the management of
Dave Jones, with no managerial experience beyond Division Two
, Southampton were most people's favourites for relegation to Division One. After all, they had endured close brushes with relegation on no less than five occasions in the previous seven seasons, and most of the club's new signings were drafted in from the lower leagues.
But the Saints were more convincing than they had been in a long time, and most bookmakers had stopped placing bets on them being relegated before Christmas. In the end, a 12th-place finish gave the players and fans alike something to be proud of.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Leicester City | 38 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 51 | 41 | +10 | 53 | |
| 11 | Coventry City | 38 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 52 | |
| 12 | Southampton | 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 48 | |
| 13 | Newcastle United | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 35 | 44 | −9 | 44 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup first round[a] |
| 14 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 56 | −12 | 44 |
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
- ^ As Arsenal qualified for the Champions League, their Cup Winners' Cup place as FA Cup winners defaulted to Newcastle United, the runners-up.
- Results summary
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 38 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 50 | 55 | −5 | 48 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 28 | 23 | +5 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 32 | −10 |
Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table
- Results by round
Results
Southampton's score comes first[1]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
FA Premier League
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 August 1997 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 0–1 | 15,206 | |
| 13 August 1997 | Manchester United | A | 0–1 | 55,008 | |
| 23 August 1997 | Arsenal | H | 1–3 | 15,246 | Maddison |
| 27 August 1997 | Crystal Palace | H | 1–0 | 15,032 | Davies |
| 30 August 1997 | Chelsea | A | 2–4 | 30,008 | Davies, Monkou |
| 13 September 1997 | Coventry City | A | 0–1 | 18,659 | |
| 20 September 1997 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | 15,252 | Davies |
| 24 September 1997 | Leeds United |
H | 0–2 | 15,102 | |
| 27 September 1997 | Derby County | A | 0–4 | 25,625 | |
| 4 October 1997 | West Ham United | H | 3–0 | 15,212 | Østenstad, Davies, Dodd |
| 18 October 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0–1 | 24,130 | |
| 25 October 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 3–2 | 15,255 | Vega (own goal), Hirst |
| 2 November 1997 | Everton | A | 2–0 | 29,565 | Le Tissier, Davies |
| 8 November 1997 | Barnsley | H | 4–1 | 15,018 | Le Tissier (pen), Palmer, Davies, Hirst |
| 22 November 1997 | Newcastle United | A | 1–2 | 36,759 | Davies |
| 29 November 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2–3 | 15,244 | Hirst, Palmer |
| 7 December 1997 | Wimbledon | A | 0–1 | 12,009 | |
| 13 December 1997 | Leicester City | H | 2–1 | 15,121 | Le Tissier, Benali |
| 20 December 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 1–1 | 29,343 | Østenstad |
| 26 December 1997 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–1 | 22,853 | Oakley |
| 29 December 1997 | Chelsea | H | 1–0 | 15,231 | Davies |
| 10 January 1998 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | 23,333 | |
| 19 January 1998 | Manchester United | H | 1–0 | 15,241 | Davies |
| 31 January 1998 | Arsenal | A | 0–3 | 38,056 | |
| 7 February 1998 | Liverpool | A | 3–2 | 43,550 | Hirst, Østenstad |
| 18 February 1998 | Coventry City | H | 1–2 | 15,091 | Le Tissier (pen) |
| 21 February 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 3–0 | 15,162 | Østenstad (2), Hirst |
| 28 February 1998 | Leeds United |
A | 1–0 | 28,791 | Hirst |
| 7 March 1998 | Everton | H | 2–1 | 15,102 | Le Tissier (pen), Østenstad |
| 14 March 1998 | Barnsley | A | 3–4 | 18,368 | Østenstad, Le Tissier (2) |
| 28 March 1998 | Newcastle United | H | 2–1 | 15,251 | Pearce (own goal), Le Tissier (pen) |
| 4 April 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–1 | 29,677 | |
| 11 April 1998 | Wimbledon | H | 0–1 | 14,815 | |
| 14 April 1998 | Leicester City | A | 3–3 | 20,708 | Østenstad (2), Hirst |
| 18 April 1998 | Aston Villa | H | 1–2 | 15,238 | Le Tissier |
| 25 April 1998 | West Ham United | A | 4–2 | 25,878 | Le Tissier, Østenstad (2), Palmer |
| 2 May 1998 | Derby County | H | 0–2 | 15,202 | |
| 10 May 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 1–1 | 35,995 | Le Tissier |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Derby County | A | 0–2 | 27,992 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1997 | Brentford | H | 3–1 | 8,004 | Evans
|
| R2 2nd Leg | 30 September 1997 | Brentford | A | 2–0 (won 5–1 on agg) | 3,957 | Le Tissier (2) |
| R3 | 15 October 1997 | Barnsley | A | 2–1 | 9,019 | Le Tissier, Davies |
| R4 | 19 November 1997 | Chelsea | A | 1–2 | 20,968 | Davies |
Squad
[2][3] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Reserve squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Transfers
In
| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July 1997 | GK | Paul Jones | Stockport County | £900,000 |
| 1 July 1997 | DF | Lee Todd | Stockport County | £850,000 |
| 6 August 1997 | FW | Stig Johansen | FK Bodø/Glimt | £600,000 |
| 9 September 1997 | MF | Kevin Richardson | Coventry City | Transfer |
| 23 September 1997 | MF | Carlton Palmer | Leeds United
|
£1,000,000 |
| 17 October 1997 | FW | David Hirst | Sheffield Wednesday | £2,000,000 |
| 6 February 1998 | DF | John Beresford | Newcastle United | £1,500,000 |
Out
| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August 1997 | MF | Andy Sullivan | Farnborough | Free transfer |
| 14 August 1997 | DF | Ulrich van Gobbel | Feyenoord | £800,000 |
| 9 September 1997 | DF | Jim Magilton | Sheffield Wednesday | £1,600,000 |
| 10 October 1997 | MF | Christer Warren | Bournemouth
|
£50,000 |
| 24 October 1997 | FW | Mickey Evans
|
West Bromwich Albion | £750,000 |
| 28 October 1997 | MF | Neil Maddison | Middlesbrough | £250,000 |
| 3 November 1997 | GK | Dave Beasant | Nottingham Forest | Free transfer |
| 14 November 1997 | GK | Maik Taylor | Fulham | £700,000 |
| 26 November 1997 | DF | Alan Neilson | Fulham | £250,000 |
| 8 January 1998 | DF | Simon Charlton | Birmingham City | £200,000 |
| 1 February 1998 | DF | David Piper | Yeovil Town | Signed |
| 20 February 1998 | DF | Matthew Robinson | Portsmouth | £50,000 |
| 26 March 1998 | MF | Robbie Slater | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Signed |
- Transfers in:
£7,050,000 - Transfers out:
£4,650,000 - Total spending: £2,400,000
References
- ^ Ltd, Statto Organisation. "Southampton results for the 1997-1998 season - Statto.com".
- ^ "FootballSquads - Southampton - 1997/98".
- ^ "All Southampton players: 1998".