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On This Day In History - 5th May 1996 A Last Day Nail Biter
at 14:06:21

I was very disappointed when Alan left ! He was a very enthusiast man and galvanized the supporters, after the Ian Brantfoot days, who got behind the team as they had in the 1980's.

We seemed to get our identity back and even if we were relegated it felt that we had a manager and management team we could all trust in, it felt like he was one of us and we were going to have a good future.

However, I think behind the scene's tensions were growing. I once met Lawrie McMenemy at an event and I asked him about this period in the clubs history, thinking that he would have been disappointed that Alan left , which he was to a degree; but expressed how Alan was his own man and that he couldn't stop him going to Man City and this was followed by a surprising comment that he himself wished he had returned to the club as manager - not in the role of director of football - as he had done after his England role. I was taken aback at this and then when I read sometime later that at the time of being offered the position at Man City Alan had been given a bonus from Saints for keeping the club in the top division which he felt was not very large compared to what had been achieved and that perhaps he felt undervalued by those in around him a new picture developed for me as to why he may have left.

This is just an opinion, but perhaps Alan didn't feel he had the control he wanted and perhaps he decided he wanted to be his own man. Whatever the reason we all felt disappointed because we had faith in him, football is more than a business , its personal and he was one of us! To this day he was in my opinion one of the best midfeild players I have ever seen, his vision to see a pass and his first touch of the ball was wonderful. Sadly missed. A Legend.

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