'Could Southampton breeze the Championship and waltz back up?'

For Southampton fans, the latter of that three might be the least palatable and yet with it comes a breadth of emotions and stories that no writer could ever imagine.

That half-walk, half-jog through the masses milling outside the stadium, the familiar smell of the burger van, the boisterous call of the programme vendor. All match day staples. All traditions scarcely changed in a hundred years.

A rowdy rendition of “Oh when the Saints” stirs the heart, whilst the team news trickling through sets the terraces abuzz.

The portly gentleman by the bar laments that his accumulator has been prematurely let down by the lunchtime kick-off, whilst a group of seventeen-year-olds discuss in muffled voices the likelihood of getting served by an attendant who looks younger than them.

An elderly lady, dressed impeccably, smiles as she walks up those sacred steps with her granddaughter for the first time, privately treasuring those precious seconds.

She’s seen it all before in her sixty years of following the club; she has felt heartache and joy in equal measure, but never a moment like this.

A sea of red and white brings colour to proceedings, with this season’s kit being proudly worn by those fortunate enough to afford it.

A chap with a bald head, sweating profusely from the efforts involved in shovelling copious amounts of uninspiring chips into his mouth, complains to his bored-looking companions that the kit looked much better in the 80s.

For the third time that day, Kevin Keegan and The Potters Heron are mentioned to collective grimaces.

Hope springs eternal in a Saints fan. Hope, that unlikely bedfellow of despair, resets anew at the commencement of the season, often dashed by an early goal but on those rarest of occasions, its flames are stoked by an improbable opening-day triumph.

From the little boy or girl, eyes agog as they soak up the rapture of their first home game, to the seasoned veteran of many a campaign, publicly playing the old cynic but secretly at heart holding hope without reason or rationale, that this might at long last be our season.

Saints began their quest to regain Premier League status last Friday night at Hillsborough against a Sheffield Wednesday side well versed in the struggle and mental fortitude required on the path to redemption.

Scoreline aside, it felt a convincing validation of the type of possession-based football that new manager Russell Martin is trying to instil at St Mary’s.

It’s been an odd close season for Saints fans, with the crushing disappointment of relegation quietly giving way to subdued anticipation of the first season in the Championship in over ten years.

Just two first-team signings have arrived at Staplewood since the window opened; Swansea’s Ryan Manning and Manchester City youngster Shea Charles, both sensible and intelligent signings.

There is some tentative cause for optimism – both Che Adams and Adam Armstrong have proven track records in England’s second tier, whilst Nathan Tella returns fresh from a fruitful loan stint at Vincent Kompany’s all-conquering Burnley.

If all three remain at St Mary’s, then Martin and Southampton’s new recruitment Svengali, Jason Wilcox, may resist the urge to dip into the market but with the likes of Swansea hitman Joel Piroe potentially available, Saints should consider acting quickly to avoid the mistakes of last season.

Understandably, there must be outgoings before Saints can replenish and reinforce their decidedly bloated squad.

Since Theo Walcott and Moi Elyounoussi departed at the start of the window, lucrative moves for Mohammed Salisu and Tino Livramento have also been sanctioned, whilst it is unclear whether the likes of Romeo Lavia, Armel Bella-Kotchap and Kyle Walker-Peters will stay.

A special mention for stalwart James Ward-Prowse, whose departure seems imminent; there have been few players who have given more to the club in recent history and whilst the decision to leave is understandable, it will be tinged with sadness for most fans.

On that note, a pleasing aspect of the window thus far from a supporter perspective, has been the club hierarchy’s unwillingness to sell players unless the club’s valuation is met.

Sentiment has been put to one side and there appears to be a steely determination to extract maximum value from the club’s most valuable assets. With no apparent need to sell, Saints have the stronger hand at a poker table at which they are more used to losing to high rollers.

Could Saints breeze the Championship and waltz back up at the first attempt? It seems a daunting task.

Especially when one considers the likes of Leeds, Leicester, Sunderland, Middlesborough, Millwall and Coventry are likely to be competitive, whilst Norwich, West Brom and Watford, all relatively recent guests at the top-flight party, will want to further their own ambitions.

Should Charly Alcaraz, Kamaldeen Sulemana or Lavia stay, then there can be hope for a strong showing but it would be desperately naïve to suggest this will be a procession back to the Premier League.

A much-needed focus on the youth pathway has seen Samuel Edozie re-enter the fold, whilst the likes of Juan Larios, Dom Ballard, Kami Doyle and the promising Sam Amo-Ameyaw look set to feature over the campaign.

In doing so, Southampton can restore its reputation as being one of the best academies for granting passage to first-team football.

A tentative prediction of fourth assumes that we retain a couple of the stronger players within the squad, whilst being mindful that we may not be able to compete in games where keeping a clean sheet is imperative.

However, with a couple more signings brought in, where we prioritise quality and experience over quantity, there is no reason to suggest the playoffs are an unrealistic ambition.

Finally, and on a personal note, it’s been a great privilege becoming a first-time father in the last twelve months and whilst my son Cillian might still be too young to be exposed to how infantile his dad can be at the football, it remains a dream to take him to his first Saints game.

As Bobby Robson once put it when asked what is a club, “It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.”

THIS FAN COLUMN WAS WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY LONG-TIME SAINTS SUPPORTER ALASTAIR CASE, WITH THANKS FROM THE DAILY ECHO.