FEATURE: When Saints were the Great Entertainers of English football

... and, in terms of goals scored at both ends of their matches, Saints were also the great entertainers of the late 80s and early 1990s.

They are anything but since returning to the Premier League in 2012.

Two years ago, in Ronald Koeman’s first season in charge, Saints’ 38 league games produced only 94 goals - at an average of just 2.29 per game.

This season, under Claude Puel, the average is marginally better at 2.36 - the joint second lowest in the top flight (alongside their League Cup final opponents Manchester United).

And that is a big improvement on early December, when the average was a paltry 1.93.

While Swansea’s 25 games have produced 85 goals - one more than the games involving Cherries and Liverpool - Saints’ 25 matches have only produced 59.

Middlesbrough are bottom of the ‘entertainers’ league with just 46.

Here, the Daily Echo looks back at some of Saints’ most entertaining top flight seasons.

1979/80

A remarkable set of home and away goalscoring figures helped Saints finish third in the entertainers list with 118 goals at an average of 2.81 per game.

In 21 home matches, Lawrie McMenemy’s side netted 53 times - the highest in the top flight. Yet away from home, they only scored 12 (the second lowest behind relegated Bolton).

There was virtual non stop entertainment at The Dell, with early season wins against champions Liverpool (3-2) and Tottenham (5-2, after Saints had trailed 1-0 at half-time).

Phil Boyer scored hat-tricks in successive home wins over Derby (4-0) and Crystal Palace (3-1) and added two more goals in a 4-1 destruction of European champs Nottingham Forest in November.

The near year brought nine more goals in successive home wins against Manchester City (4-1) and Brighton (5-1), before Boyer claimed a third treble in a 5-2 caning of relegated Bristol City.

Saints brought the curtain down on their Dell campaign with a 4-1 beating of Middlesbrough.

The nearest Saints have got to equalling that 53-goal home haul since was netting 49 times in 2011/12 - but there were two more games that season than in 1979/80.

1980/81

Lawrie McMenemy’s side climbed to second in the entertainers list - their 42 games producing 132 goals at an average of 3.14.

Only Tottenham, with 138 goals at 3.29, had more in the top flight.

Two early season Dell clashes provided 12 goals - a 4-2 win against Wolves and a 3-3 draw against Bobby Robson’s Ipswich.

Saints beat rock bottom Crystal Palace 4-2 at The Dell just before Christmas before a remarkable 4-4 draw at White Hart Lane on Boxing Day - Saints twice coming from two goals down to draw.

The following day Saints trounced Leicester 4-0 at The Dell, to make it 12 goals in just eight days - bit of a difference to Claude Puel’s Saints!

The season ended with Saints in a then best ever sixth place finish, thanks to a 3-2 win at runners-up Ipswich in their last match.

1981-82

For the first time, Saints were the great entertainers of the old First Division.

Their 42 games produced 139 goals at an average of 3.31 - nine more goals than were in Notts County’s matches.

There was an early season goal glut with four successive matches in late September and early October producing 23 goals.

Sadly for Saints, most of them were in their net.

Successive 4-2 losses at West Ham and Coventry was followed by a 4-3 Dell win over Ipswich, and that was followed by a 4-0 thrashing at Birmingham.

Leeds were battered 4-0 at The Dell before Alan Brazil scored all five goals in Ipswich’s 5-2 success in Suffolk in February.

Mark Whitlock scored an 86th minute winner in a 4-3 Dell victory over Stoke before Saints came from behind three times in a bizarre 5-5 Dell draw with Coventry.

Saints levelled after trailing 1-0 and 2-1, but found themselves 4-2 down after an hour.

Alan Ball, Keith Cassells and Kevin Keegan turned the game on its head, taking Saints into a 5-4 lead - only for Mark Hateley to level in the 89th minute.

1986/87

Saints finished top of the entertainers list again - their 42 games producing 137 goals at an average of 3.26.

The first few weeks gave an indication of the fun that lay in store.

Colin Clarke fired a debut hat-trick in an opening day 5-1 caning of QPR, before Saints conceded an 82nd minute winner to Steve Bruce in a 4-3 loss at Norwich two games later.

Saints crashed 5-1 at Old Trafford before Clarke bagged another treble in a 4-1 home win over Newcastle.

Into the new year and a Matt Le Tissier hat-trick - his first in Saints’ colours - helped trounce Leicester 4-0 before Clarke scored twice in a 5-0 caning of soon-to-be-relegated Aston Villa.

Gordon Hobson’s only Saints hat-trick came in a 4-2 win at Maine Road.

1988/89

Two seasons later, Saints were again the top entertainers - their 38 games producing 118 goals at an average of 3.11.

Paul Rideout scored twice on his debut in a 4-0 opening day win against West Ham.

Saints crashed 4-1 at Everton and drew 3-3 at Newcastle helped by a Matt Le Tissier double.

A 4-1 home loss to QPR was followed a week later by a 6-1 caning on Luton’s artificial surface - Mick Harford and Roy Wegerle both scoring twice.

Neil Ruddock’s double saw Saints open up a 3-1 lead at Middlesbrough, only for the hosts to level with two goals in the final 12 minutes.

Saints finished 13th, conceding 66 goals - the worst defensive record in the top flight.

That was no doubt the sort of entertainment boss Chris Nicholl could have done without ...

1989/90

Saints were again the great entertainers, for the third time in four seasons, with 134 goals at an average of 3.53 - the club’s highest ever top flight average.

Paul Rideout and Rod Wallace both netted twice in a September 4-4 draw at Norwich, before QPR and Liverpool were both blitzed 4-1 the following month.

There were two more goals each for Rideout and Wallace when Chris Nicholl’s Saints hammered Luton 6-3 at The Dell in November.

The new decade opened on January 1 with another Wallace brace, this time in a 4-2 win at Charlton.

Matt Le Tissier struck a hat-trick in a 4-1 home win over Norwich, but the following week Saints let slip a 2-0 lead to crash 3-2 to Chelsea at The Dell.

Another Le Tissier treble saw Saints draw 3-3 at Wimbledon, before a 3-2 loss at Anfield - after ex-Reds star Jimmy Case had fired Saints into a 2-1 lead - and a 3-2 win over Charlton.

In all, Saints netted 71 goals - the second highest in the top flight after Liverpool’s 78.

But they could only finish seventh, a whopping 24 points adrift of the champions.

1990-91

Saints were top of the entertainers list again, with 127 goals at an average of 3.34 - the same as Chelsea.

There were no 0-0s at all in what was Chris Nicholl’s last season as Dell manager.

There was a sign of things to come in September 1990 when Saints and Chelsea played out an see-saw 3-3 Dell draw - the hosts twice taking the lead but eventually having to settle for a point when ex-Saints trainee Dennis Wise rounded off the scoring from the penalty spot.

November wasn’t short of excitement - the month starting with Matt Le Tissier curling in a 25-yard free kick in a 3-1 home win over QPR.

Nicholl’s side then crashed 4-0 at Highbury before taking the lead at home to Palace the following week with a first minute own goal. It was 2-2 after 36 minutes with Mark Bright firing Palace’s winner in the second half - the visitors ending the season third in the old First Division, the highest position in the club’s history.

Ray Houghton struck an 83rd minute winner as Saints again lost 3-2, this time at Anfield just before Christmas. Rod Wallace twice replied.

Le Tissier struck twice in a 3-0 win against Tottenham at the end of December, and in early January repeated the feat in a 4-3 victory over Luton at Kenilworth Road - Rod Wallace also struck twice.

Saints conceded 69 goals in 1990/91, the second highest in the top flight after rock bottom Derby (75).

Further evidence of a porous defence was on view at Sheffield United, where Bob Booker netted twice as the Blades raced into a 4-0 lead inside the opening half hour on their way to a 4-1 loss.

A few weeks later Saints lost 4-3 at home to Everton, visiting striker Mike Newell netting at both ends.

Two games later, another 90 minutes of frantic entertainment ended with Alan McLoughlin netting a last minute leveller in a 3-3 draw with Manchester City.

In a game where all the goals were shoehorned into the second half, Le Tissier had given the visitors a 47th minute lead.

The season ended with a remarkable 6-2 thrashing at Derby, who had only won four of their first 37 games and had long been relegated.

Paul Williams, later to play for Saints as a defender, started his career at the Rams as a striker and scored a first half hat-trick.

Dean Saunders also netted twice, with Rod Wallace and Le Tissier firing consolations past ex-Dell ace Peter Shilton.