Richard Chaplow has been a solid player for Saints over the past two years or so, sadly he has been blighted by bad luck.
When Richard Chaplow arrived back at St Mary's on loan in September 2010 he came into a side that needed a boost and he quickly provided it being a hard working regular that got few plaudits as other took the glory.
He looked certain to replicate that in the Championship, but early doors he was sent off at Barnsley which took a month out of his season and then just as he got back into the side and was arguably the form player, he suffered an injury at Bristol City that would keep him out of league action for almost three months. He returned though and played a vital role in the run in to promotion.
This season though was always going to be tough for Chaplow, most thought that perhaps the Premiership would be a step too far, indeed at West Brom he had played in the top flight before being loaned out to Saints mid season although perhaps his hard working type of game might be useful at times, truth was though that with plenty of midfield options, he wasnt to get much of a chance.
Most Saints fans will be pushed to remember him playing this season, thats probably because two of his three Premier appearances as sub were away from home, however he did play a part, in his final game at Chelsea he came on with 23 minutes left and Saints 2-1 down and worked hard to not only get Saints back in it but close the game out and make sure that Chelsea didnt get a late winner.
Soon after he went on loan at Millwall , but his unlucky streak continued, at Saints he always had the knack of picking up injuries at the wrong time and this proved to be the case at Millwall where after barely a month he was again out for the season, of course the biggest tragedy was yet to come with the sad death of his baby, somethng which all Saints fans sympathised with him for.
So what does the future hold for Richard, sadly I think like many at the club for the past few years, he will be on a good wage after promotion increases etc, so next season he will again be looking at a loan somwhere, sadly this is the way of life in todays game where the gulf between Championship and Premier is so wide and Richard like many before him was playing for a wage increase in the promotion year rather than a shot at the Premier.
5/10 for Richard Chaplow, no reflection on his contribution to this football club, just that his chances were limited.