The Best and Worst Southampton Number 7’s since Le Tissier retired in 2002

BEST – Kevin Phillips

A tricky decision this one, as Shane Long has done well since joining Southampton in 2014, but I’ve gone with fellow striker Kevin Phillips as another good Saints number seven.

Phillips moved to the South Coast from Sunderland, where he was hugely prolific, following the Black Cats’ relegation from the Premier League in 2003.

Nevertheless, the Englishman continued where he left off at the Stadium of Light, and netted on his Saints debut in their 2-2 draw at Leicester City.

He went on to score 13 more times that season, including a run of six goals in seven matches, to help the Saints finish 12th in the Premier League.

Although he couldn’t prevent the Saints from relegation the season after, in what was a turbulent season at St Mary’s, Phillips struck up a good partnership with fellow forward Peter Crouch, and netted 13 times in all competitions.

Although he left the club for Aston Villa that summer, he did pretty well at Southampton, especially given the difficult situation of playing under four different managers in the space of 12 months.