Match Preview – Brighton v Southampton

Southampton – the team
Sky Sports are again using their hype machine to play up some sort of rivalry between ourselves and Southampton ahead of Sundays ‘South Coast Derby’ (68 miles apart). Southampton are a club we have given little toss about down the years bar our mini-battle in League One during the 2010-11 season. And even that rivalry was largely fuelled by Nigel Adkins becoming a David Brent tribute act with quotes about Brighton being able to get promoted if they could keep up with Southampton despite the fact we were seven points clear at the top of the table at the time and, a personal favourite, comparing Southampton to Red Rum and coming from behind to pip the Albion to the title. We of course won the league with four games to spare but the Saints went onto secure back-to-back promotions, after which they have become a staple of the Premier League’s top 10, taking rough gems and youth players, turning them into polished performers and selling them for big money to the big six. Something to aspire to?

Southampton – the place
Southampton is a port city of great historical importance. Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, it became the major port of transport between the capital Winchester and Normandy in France. It was the port through which the plague arrived in the country and was the point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower. With all that history, makes you wonder why it is a bit rubbish now really, doesn’t it?

Southampton – the people
Jane Austen lived in Southampton for a number of years while the most famous man to have two first names in the world Craig David also hails from the city. It is also a hotbed of reality television starts with both Matt Cardle and Shelina Permalloo coming from Southampton.

A good WeAreBrighton.com memory of Southampton at home
Our last home game against the Saints wasn’t too shabby. Just three days earlier we’d lost 2-0 away at Coventry City without having a shot on target against the side bottom of the Championship. Taking on title chasing Southampton, the majority of the Amex crowd were expecting an absolute battering but Gus Poyet rang the changes with Sexy Pete Brezovan and Jake Forster-Caskey being the main beneficiaries and the Albion pulled off a shock 3-0 win with Rickie Lambert being sent off.

A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Southampton at home
Southampton at home in the League Cup on September 11th 2001. What should have been a real opportunity for Micky Adams side to test themselves against Premier League opponents ended up with virtually the whole Withdean crowd wondering just how pointless a game of football could be when hi jacked planes were flying into buildings all over the USA.

Played for both?
Southampton have taken a number of former Albion players down the years. Dan Harding’s annual roasting at the hands of either Elliott Bennett or Will Buckley was always highly enjoyable; less so former Brighton captain Dean Hammond scoring for the Saints at Withdean and running the length of the South Stand to celebrate. Southampton also took cult hero Sergey Gotsmanov off our hands after he’d been so impressive and they tried the same trick with Inigo Calderón, Calderón agreeing to move to St Mary’s on a free in the summer of 2010 only to change his mind and stay at the Albion.

Dangermen
He may not be in the starting line up very much currently, but Charlie Austin loves a goal against the Albion having scored five times in seven appearances for Swindon Town, Burnley and QPR down the years. One-time Albion target Virgil van Dijk is Southampton’s key player and could well become the most expensive defender in the world once the transfer window reopens – just imagine if Gus Poyet had of been able to sign him – and Nathan Redmond could be the latest young English player to move from St Marys for bigger and better things.

Betting
Austin to score is available at 5/2 while Glenn Murray’s goals tend to come in bursts and you can bet on him to continue where he left off at the London Stadium last Friday at 11/4.

For our full OLBG Brighton v Southampton betting blog, click here

Prediction
Blame us if it all goes wrong, but for once we are predicting an Albion success – 2-1 to the Seagulls.