Ex Saints striker and all time legend Rickie Lambert is set to end his Liverpool misery by joining West Bromwich Albion.
Just over a year after joining bohood club Liverpool from Saints, Rickie Lambert is set to leave Anfield and join Premier League West Brom, thus ending what has been a less than average time under Brendan Rodgers.
Almost as soon ar Lambert had signed Liverpool were signing other strikers and it was hard to see just how he would fit in to the Liverpool way of playing which did not suit his style at all.
His game time at Liverpool was extremely limited and he started just 7 games in the Premier League plus another 18 as sub, scoring just twice to add to the only other goal he managed away to Ludogrets in the Champions league, this meant that he will leave Anfield without scoring on its hallowed turf let alone in front of the Kop.
Indeed even in the three cup competitions Liverpool were in his time was limited, he started 5 games in those competitions plus 6 as sub but this would have been barely half of those he could have appeared in.
I felt a year ago that Rickie was committing career suicide in joining Liverpool and that he would struggle to get a game, sadly I have been proved right and it gives me no pleasure to say that.
If he had stayed at Saints he probably would have struggled to get a start in the team but he would have got a lot more game time in terms of off the bench and its possible that an extra goal from him might have changed the course of the season, which is something none of his three Liverpool goals did, neither Premier goal changing the result of the game.
He could well have kept his place in the England squad, his lack of game time at Liverpool effectively ending any hope he had of being able to play in the European Championships next summer.
Ironically he turned down a move to Aston Villa back in January which in hindsight may have kick started his season and perhaps kept him in the International frame. But he preferred to try and succeed at Anfield which in hindsight has been a mistake and he becomes another victim of Brendan Rodgers scattergun approach to building a team.
Hopefully he will get a better chance at The Hawthorns should he go there, certainly Tony Pulis will know how to get the best out of him, turning 34 in February time is now against him, but perhaps he can have one last season where he can turn back the clock to the five great seasons he enjoyed at St Mary's