Without a doubt, David Connolly's Southampton exit left a bad taste among the Saints. Thankfully, it didn't turn much worse than that as Connolly resisted overseeing the Portsmouth roster.
As a Southampton fan, the previous days were a proper derby weekend. Though the men's team weren't playing, a Portsmouth derby is always worth tuning in to watch.
Honestly, Southampton dominated their neighbours for a good chunk of the match but a stalemate made for a dull evening. Sticking to this theme, have you wondered what was the most irritating moment of this rivalry as a Southampton fan?
I know Adam Webster's stinging comments makes into that list, but iconic Saint David Connolly shaking hands with Portsmouth was definitely awful to witness. Now, criticise him all you want but he could've cut-off his leftover ties with Southampton even further.
Connolly developed a profound dressing-room bond at Portsmouth
The reason being that Connolly was on the brink of becoming Portsmouth's new coach as well if not for his respectable gesture.
First of all, don't get excited just yet because that admiration was not for his Southampton days.
Instead, Connolly's ethics didn't back him to replace his respected boss. Recollecting this anecdote, Connolly was quoted by the Sunderland Echo: "Despite writing about wanting to be a coach for 20 years or whatever, I said to them, no, I'm not going to be the first-in-coach because you've got Alan McLaughlin. And that's not being – what's the word – virtuous or anything. It was just wrong."
Clearly, Connolly's opinions denote that he remained loyal to his coaches even though he lacked the same level of commitment when it came to derbies.
Further, it can also be possible that his resemblance towards Alan McLaughlin's playing style made him cross the South-coast divide in the first place.
Nonetheless, Southampton fans still acknowledge his attacking talent even now but it's wise to admit that Connolly's off-field actions kept him from receiving more recognition.