TRUE GRIT

A story has emerged which has gone some small way to ease my disenchantment with Southampton Football Club. I have still not renewed my season ticket, those two `offending articles,` Bradley Wright-Phillips and Nathan Dyer, are still in the Club`s employ and the duck shooting bufoon that is Rupert Lowe is still Chairman of the PLC, of which I am a shareholder.

So why has my foot been eased from the pedal of despair? Well, my picture shows Michael Svensson, who arrived at Southampton in June 2002 from French club Troyes for £2million. As a Swedish international centre back, he slotted in well alongside recently retired Norwegian Claus Lundekvam and together they made a formidable partnership at the heart of Saints` defence during our final Premiership years.

I have fond memories of Svensson`s early years with Saints; the towering header at Anfield to secure the double over Liverpool; his goal against Spurs which sent us on our way to a 4-0 win in the early rounds of the 2003 Cup run which ended with a narrow defeat by Arsenal in the final; and Michael having the distinction of scoring the very last competitive goal at Maine Road, where Saints` 1-0 win over Manchester City propelled us to finishing in eighth place in the Premiership.

And then tragedy struck. Due to a serious knee injury sustained at the end of the 2003-04 season, he missed the entire 2004-05 season. He returned to action in October 2005 but, after only seven games, he broke down again and remained out of action for the remainder of the 2005-06 season. Michael failed to return to full fitness in time for the start of the 2006-07 Championship season due to a kick in the knee during a reserves game at Aldershot in the 2006 pre-season.

After that, he flew to Germany to continue treatment with Bayern Munich doctor Hans-Muller Wolfhart and in May, 2007, it was announced that Svensson would undergo further surgery in an attempt to save his career. That procedure put him out of action for almost another year, throwing a major question mark over his future. By then it was the best part of four years since he had played at all regularly. His contract with the Saints expired at the end of June 2007, and was not renewed as Southampton faced up to the financial realities of a third season outside the Premiership.

Southampton hoped that Svensson would return in the Summer of 2008 - Michael himself stating that he wouldn't want to play for any other club. He further underwent what was described as `last resort' surgery on his knee at his own expense and, following a visit to a specialist rehabilitation centre in Italy earlier this summer, Svensson was again in training with Southampton. He completed a pre-season friendly against Winchester City on 13th July and followed this up with other appearances against Celtic and Cheltenham. Last Friday evening, he captained the Southampton side which drew 2-2 with West Ham United in another pre-season friendly and shows every sign of maintaining a remarkable come-back from his long term injuries.

His seemingly endless patience, his dogged determination and his loyalty to the Saints cause have earned him not only enormous respect but also a contract on a pay as you play basis, which seems fair enough. But already he seems to be recapturing something of his old form and huge presence at the heart of the defence which bodes well for his own future as well as that of Southampton FC. There are loads of reasons for me to stay away from St. Mary`s Stadium with all that has happened at the club in recent times, but the chance to see Michael Svensson playing once more will be worth the admission money alone. I hope for his sake that he makes it this time.