SWALLOWS AND SUMMERS

It`s said that one swallow does not a summer make. But what happens when three come along at once? A week or so ago, Southampton FC were cast adrift at the wrong end of the Championship league table with, seemingly, little hope of reaching safety. But, three wins out of three has perhaps given them a chance of survival.

Last night there was yet more dancing in the streets at the news that Saints had beaten Ipswich Town 3-0 away at Portman Road. This came on top of successive victories over Preston and Cardiff and it has given rise to an outbreak of hysteria among the more easily pleased in the ranks of fanatical Saints fans, who now seem convinced that summer, along with salvation, has surely arrived.

Now, whilst I don`t want to dampen anyone`s enthusiasm, I feel compelled to point out a couple of things. The first and most obvious is that despite this return of form, Saints are still stuck in the relegation zone and there is still a long way to go in the season. The second is arguably even more worrying and it`s this. If Saints do survive to retain their place in the second tier of English football, the chances are that the `stewardship` of chairman Rupert Lowe will remain. Perish the thought. He will doubtless claim that the team`s survival will have been down to his prudent management of club affairs and that we can all look forward to a brighter future. The reality is that it was Lowe who has brought us to the current parlous state of affairs in the first place.

So we may be left with an unpalateable choice. If we go down, Lowe must surely go. If we stay up, he will surely stay. I think, on balance, the first might just be preferable.