Southampton's Gray area

Gray has emerged from the shadows at Southampton

The Saints go marching into the season with a new stadium and a new manager. BBC Sport Online looks at their Premiership propects.

Southampton boss Stuart Gray can hardly wait to begin his first full season in management after serving an impressive apprenticeship.

Gray began his football career under the tutelage of Brian Clough and then served under two former England managers - Graham Taylor at Aston Villa and Glenn Hoddle at The Dell.

When Hoddle walked out on Saints last season to take up the vacant job at Tottenham, Gray was installed as caretaker manager, a position which became permanent in the summer.

Despite an external search for Hoddle's replacement, Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe eventually put his faith in Gray, just reward for his 10 years of service to the club.

  Saints ins and outs

In: Rory Delap (Derby) £4m; Anders Svensson (Elfsborg) £750,000; Jacinta Ela Eyene (Espanyol) free. Out: Hassan Kachloul (Aston Villa) free; Phil Warner (Cambridge) free; Luis Boa-Morte (Fulham) £1.7m.

"Stuart is part of a new breed of managers in the Premiership and we will give him and his staff all our support," Lowe said.

"He is well respected by the players and popular with the fans and is a very talented manager."

That popularity with the fans blossomed when Southampton, having failed to win any of their first seven games under Gray, ended the campaign with back-to-back victories over Manchester United and Arsenal.

Southampton have built a new home at St Mary's

The victory over the Gunners was a fitting send-off to The Dell, with Saints' folk hero Matt Le Tissier scoring a late winner, and this season sees Southampton move into a brand new home, the 32,500-capacity St Mary's Stadium.

I have been here for 10 years and feel very loyal to Southampton

Stuart Gray

Gray has already smashed the Saints transfer record by capturing defender Rory Delap for £4m from Derby.

That doubled the club's previous highest fee - for striker David Hirst - and Lowe's backing of his new manager has also extended to signing Swedish international midfielder Anders Svensson after losing Hassan Kachloul to Gray's former club Villa.

"Fans come to watch the football and not the manager. If the team are playing attractive football and winning games, then the supporters will be happy.

"Glenn leaving left a big hole in the club, but I don't think it affected the team spirit."