Chris Baird will always be grateful to the man he is about to greatly disappoint - George Burley.

The Saints player of the season spent the weekend mulling over a possible £3m departure to Premiership newcomers Sunderland.

The Northern Ireland international rocked Saints boss Burley by handing in a transfer request last month on the back of interest from Fulham.

Yet he admits the huge debt he owes the man who has kickstarted his professional club career.

Back in 2003, Baird, then 21, made only his second competitive start as a shock inclusion in the Saints starting line-up for the FA Cup Final against Arsenal, where his man of the match performance belied his limited experience.

But that eye-catching start proved to be a false dawn for the Ballymena-born defender.

He made just four appearances in 2003/04 around loan spells at Walsall and Watford.

The following season, 2004/05, Baird didn't play for Saints at all under three different managers as they were relegated.

And it wasn't until 2005/06, when Baird made 20 first team appearances, and then last season - 51 outings in all - that he established himself.

Baird believes his previous managers' preference for experience over youth - the likes of Gordon Strachan and Harry Redknapp - was the reason why he struggled to build on his Millennium Stadium stunner.

And that is why he is so grateful to Burley.

"It's been a long time coming," Baird said of establishing himself as a first team player.

"There have been a few ups and downs along the way, which everybody gets.

"A few managers that have been here haven't given me the chance to play for the first team but George Burley has given me that opportunity to play games.

"I did that last season and the year before that.

"Now things have turned for me hopefully they can get even better and I can look forward to the future.

"George Burley has been magnificent to me. He is the manager who has had a look at everyone, given them all the chance to play and I really appreciate it and really thank him for it.

"The other managers have come in and they have had a look at some of the players who were here and stuck with the experienced ones to get them out of trouble.

"That was a case with a lot of the managers but George was different. I am grateful for that."

The admiration is clearly mutual.

Burley said: "I think the world of the boy so I was disappointed when he handed in a transfer request.

"But sometimes when you hear from other Premiership clubs that they want to take you it turns your head a little bit."