I regularly have a little wander around my local town Romsey, especially in the good weather we have been having recently.

I often bump into the same faces sitting outside with two coffee shops there now, and two fellas in particular I see regularly are both senior citizens who have been football supporters since they were at school.

They often tell me what I did wrong and who I should have picked and signed or got rid of.

I suspect, although one is an avid Saints supporter, the other might have won a blue shirt at some stage.

He tried to have a little go at me recently by saying: “I don’t think you were ever second top of the league this stage of the season, were you Lawrie?”

I replied: “You are right there, I waited until the last day of the season.”

The Saints man had a good laugh at that and started to tell his friend how in 1984 we finished only three points behind Liverpool, who at that time were one of the best teams in Europe.

When the conversation carried on in a more serious manner about how well the club is doing at present, I pointed out that if we can beat Queens Park Rangers, today’s visitors, in the same way and with as many goals as the last home game against Newcastle – who I have to say coming from that area myself produced probably the worst display I have ever seen from a Magpies team – and if Chelsea lost at Aston Villa, which is not impossible as Villa have certainly perked up this season, Saints could go top of the Premier League.

The conversation then related to the last time we were in that position, and my historian Saints fan reminded us it was after we had won an away game but it was back in 1982.

He then went on to regale both of us with stories of that team and, of course, the big name in that period was Kevin Keegan.

I certainly remember the fixture that sent us top was at Middles-brough.

We had won 1-0, everyone in the dressing room was naturally happy and there was a knock on the door and one of the stewards put his head in and said: “Well done, Lawrie.”

I asked what he meant as we had just beaten his team. He said: “I don’t mean that, you’ve gone top of the league.”

It was much to the surprise of the dressing room, but other results had gone in our favour and it made the long journey home that much more enjoyable.

We actually stayed in that position for a few weeks, and it certainly gave everybody, both on the pitch and behind the scenes, a lift as it was the first time in the club’s history it had happened.

I’m not saying this can happen this season, but I think everyone has to admire the way Ronald Koeman has set about the job.

He has welded together a group of players who, let’s face it, had never met each other back in July, and has now quietly produced an attractive team without making any fuss or headlines.

The huge names who exited the club will never, ever be forgotten, but they certainly are not missed at present.

Compared to his fellow Dutchman at Old Trafford, Louis van Gaal, who is suffering a little more because of his prolific press statements, though having said that it’s very difficult to keep quiet when you manage Manchester United, Koeman is doing superbly.

Certainly any talk of us equalling last year’s lofty position, which was laughed at by many beforehand, does not sound so unrealistic now.

I would remind everyone, as I have always said, there are much bigger clubs financially and gate wise than us and they expect to be fighting for Champions League positions next year.

There is still a long way to go and some of those big clubs are due to come to St Mary’s, but I think the start we have had has given us a good opportunity to upset the odds and one thing is for sure, the crowd is already behind the manager, his staff and the team.