Peter Osgood could perhaps claim to be the greatest ever centre forward to have played for Saints, but that doesn't make him Saints greatest centre forward, confused then read on.
Saints fans remember the career of Peter Osgood at the Dell very fondly, he was a member of the Saints 1976 FA Cup winning side and therefore his place in Saints history is assured, but Ossie's heart belongs to Chelsea and that is who his greatest games were for, that being said though, if Chelsea would always be his first love, then Saints would be a close second and right up to his tragic death tragically early having only just turned 59, he retained close links with both the Club and the area.
Osie arrived at the Dell in March 1974 for a club record fee of £275,000 in a bid to arrest the side's decline and save them from relegation, sadly it was all to no avail and although we were relegated, Ossie remained loyal and we had the distinction of having two of the best strikers in England playing for us in the second division.
1974/75 would be disappointing for both the club and Ossie however he did manage to hit 13 goals in his 40 league games, including two in a 2-1 win over Pompey at the Dell, as well as the first when the scoreline was repeated at Fratton Park on Boxing Day .
197/76 would of course be a classic for Ossie, in the league he would suffer with injury and club suspension (more of that later) but he still played a pivotal role in the side turning creator as much as scorer. Strangely he would not score in the cup run, but famously he helped win the game for Saints in the quarter final when from a free kick he deftly flicked the ball up for Jim McCalliog to volley home.
After the semi final win over Palace, Ossie along with a couple of other players in the squad celebrated a little too much and were suspended by Lawrie McMenemy for the trip to Pompey midweek, Ossie was roundly booed by the Pompey fans who delighted in giving him stick throughout the game, or at least they thought they were booing him, it was actually Pat Earles wearing the number 9 shirt and they couldn't tell the difference, perhaps it was justice that Mick Channons last minute goal condemned them to relegation.
In the final he played a part in the build up to the goal although its arguable whether he got a touch to flick it on to Mick Channon or missed it, either way it wrong footed Man Utd and the rest is history.
1976/77 saw him play regularly as Lawrie McMenemy revamped the side, but as he approached 30 he had to adapt his style of play and it was his creativity rather than goals that made him the asset he was.
1977/78 would see Saints promoted and both Saints and Ossie started the season well, by the start of November he had played a dozen league games and scored 3 times as the team chased promotion and were well placed as they travelled to rivals Blackburn Rovers on bonfire night, it would be unlucky 13 for Ossie though in terms of games, it would be his last for the club and a figure of hate for Saints fans came into play.
John Bailey was virtually unknown to Saints supporters before this game, but after he had dished out terrible treatment to youngster Steve Williams culminating with Williams being sent off for retaliation, not to mention off the ball incidents with other Saints players as well as downright nasty tackles, Ossie took matters into his own hands or rather head, his last act in a Saints shirt being to head butt Bailey and get sent off.
So much was Ossie disgusted by the way the game was being taken over by the likes of Bailey he retired from the English game and joined Philadelphia Fury in the USA, Saints fans would never forget John Bailey though and his future visits to the Dell saw the entire ground roundly abuse him and this would continue for the rest of his career whenever he played Saints.
To most Peter Osgood will always be associated with Chelsea, but the fact is he enjoyed a 3 1/2 year stay at the Dell and was loved by Saints fans throughout, he played 122(4) league games scoring 28 goals plus 12 in the FA Cup scoring once, 9 in the League cup for 2 goals and 6 in Europe hitting another 2, in other matches including the Charity shield and Tennant Caledonian Cup he played 8 games for 3 goals.
Peter Osgood was a larger than life character who when he died in March 2006 was lamented not only be Chelsea fans but Saints fans as well, he had continued to live in the Southampton area long after his departure and Saints remained close to his heart to the end, it is fitting that his ashes are buried under the Shed End penalty spot at Stamford Bridge.
Ossie was perhaps the greatest centre forward ever to play for Saints in terms of his stature in the game, however his best times were at Chelsea and not the Dell, however he won an F Cup winners medal at Saints and that means he deserves to be included in this hall of fame.