Former Saints youth starlet Phil Parkinson recalled his St. Mary's days while weighing up his matchday thoughts for the season opener.
Unlike other Championship adventures, Southampton fans have more to look out for this time around apart from their side's schedule ahead of every matchweek. And the obvious reason is due to their former managers, because plenty of them are currently steering promotion ships with a shared finish line in sight.
To begin with, Nathan Jones climbed the promotion ladder with Charlton Athletic and his once St. Mary's assistant Ruben Selles has been hired by Sheffield United. On top of that, it's never too late to rule out Danny Rohl packing his bags from the second-division and who knows that could be for a Leicester City job in the wake of current speculations.
If you already guessed all three, then good but the fanbase is still missing a crucial name in this list. First things first, that gaffer hasn't led the Saints dressing room but that didn't hinder him from becoming a part of one in his playing days.
It's Phil Parkinson who has been turning heads in English lower division football with his high-flying Wrexham team. And similar to his goalkeeper Mark Howard, Parkinson is brimming with enthusiasm at the prospect of squaring off against his boyhood club after a long while.
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As quoted by the Leader Live, Parkinson said: "I was an apprentice there many years ago and I think it is a great start for us. You can't really ask for anymore - an ex-Premier League team - and these are the games we have worked so hard to get in the Championship."
Well, showing such a humble gesture despite riding on the back of success-laden campaigns is commendable and the Southampton fans will back him to keep his momentum upswing intact.
Except for a couple of games, the first of which is barely a month away from now. Let's see who comes out on top there.