Kelvin Davis might currently be the manager of non-league side Hednesford Town, but he's an instantly recognisable face when it comes to Southampton, when looking back on his playing days.
While he did also play for the likes of Luton Town and Sunderland during his mainly EFL-contained career, he is synonymous with the Saints, having gone on to make a hefty 301 appearances for the South Coast club.
He was obviously much loved for his agile shot stopping abilites in between the sticks, which led him down the route of collecting a sizeable 94 clean sheets.
But, he was also held in very high esteem at St. Mary's as he never deserted the Saints when they experienced testing times, having stuck by the club through thick and thin, even as they fell all the way down to League One in 2009.
Davis' hero status at Southampton
Southampton will feel the pain of a points deduction next season when returning to the Championship battered and bruised by their Spygate ordeal.
Indeed, they have been docked four points for all their skulduggery, but this feels minor compared to Southampton's fate in 2009, as the Saints were deducted ten points.
This resulted in the South Coast giants falling to League One, when they were once viewed as a Premier League regular.
Davis wouldn't jump ship, despite amassing a healthy 31 clean sheets across three Championship campaigns, before their relegation fate sunk in.
Davis and Co. didn't even win promotion out of League One during their first season in the lowly division, and yet he still remained staunchly loyal.
Davis' Saints' league appearances by tier:
Tier | Division | Appearances |
|---|---|---|
First Tier | Premier League | 20 |
Second Tier | Championship | 165 |
Third Tier | League One | 86 |
Total | All League Matches | 271 |
It would work out for him in the end, as the now-retired 49-year-old would eventually win promotion to the Premier League at the close of the 2011/12 season, having kept a sublime 18 clean sheets from 45 starts.
When others would have upped and left, the Leighton Buzzard-born keeper would stick by his beloved team, leading to Nigel Adkins lauding him as the "ultimate professional."
Daniel Peretz has the opportunity now to follow in Davis' esteemed footsteps, to be another cult hero who stuck by Southampton in times of great adversity.
Peretz could be the next Davis
Peretz proved himself to be an instant hit with the Southampton fanbase this season just gone by when seamlessly fitting into Eckert's first-team plans.
Indeed, he didn't need time to acclimatise to his new surroundings, as he managed to keep nine clean sheets from only 23 Championship outings.
Davis would keep a respectable 12 clean sheets, himself, during his debut season in the Championship, before going on to be a dependable mainstay.
The Israel international seems keen to stay put at Southampton permanently past this campaign, too, even with all the fallout from Spygate bringing about new issues constantly, having instantly fallen in love with St. Mary's.
Hopefully, a deal can be struck between Bayern Munich and the Saints down the line so the number 41 call Southampton his fixed address, despite reports continuing to suggest that a mass exodus is on the cards.
It will be a tough campaign on the horizon, with a points deduction coming into effect.
But, Davis managed to become a beloved figure during choppy times for the Saints, as Peretz aims to be viewed in the same cult hero light, if he decides to stick by his loan employers.
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