CHANNON: SAINTS CAN BE FIRST PAST POST

SOUTHAMPTON legend Mick Channon believes the Premier League will return to normal soon – just not this season.

With most teams having played eight games in the top flight, Leicester are top and Tottenham second, with racehorse trainer Channon’s beloved Saints riding high in fourth.

It’s fair to say this campaign hasn’t started the way many predicted – and former England striker Channon thinks he knows why. “The big stars in the Premier League have huge egos and they need that adrenaline rush and big crowd atmosphere to get them going,” he said.

“It’s not that they are not trying. They are just subconsciously not as up for it as they normally would be on the biggest of stages with more pressure and a greater challenge. This is why the breadand-butter players in the league are showing up more.”

Channon, who forged a successful career in racing after hanging up his boots, insists Southampton are capable of keeping their impressive run going and ‘could even do a Leicester and win the title’.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team (left) are just two points off Leicester after consecutive wins over Everton, Villa and Newcastle. Saints’ earlyseason form has rekindled the kind of excitement that was around back in their glory days of the 1970s and 80s.

Channon played in Lawrie McMenemy’s FA Cup-winning side in 1976 and was around for three consecutive top-eight finishes soon after but had left before they were runners-up in 1984.

Channon, now 71, is still Saints’ record scorer with 228 goals over his two spells at the Dell. Now he can see Leicester’s shock title win of 2016 being repeated by another unfancied club due to the pandemic and other upheavals in the game.

“So much has changed with no crowds, VAR, nobody tackles any more, it’s a world apart to when I played,” he said.

“It is a crazy time for football and I think we could do a Leicester this season. Why not?”