I suppose the biggest topic of conversation for not just this week but many before has been the election and, with due respect to whoever wins, this weekend most people will be delighted to turn on the television and not be looking at panels telling us who to vote for.

Elections come along every five years nowadays but other occasions which have been celebrated this week have been one very sad with the anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania but a more joyful memory was the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

I recently enjoyed a little gathering where I met up with some of my old staff for a cup of coffee, which went on for nearly three hours.

Historically again we met up in the Potter’s Heron hotel in Ampfield, which the owners themselves say was put on the map when I announced to the assembled media the signing of Kevin Keegan.

My staff were Dave Merrington, still heard every week on Radio Solent co-commentating on Saints games, Lew Chatterley who played, left and came back to join my staff as first team trainer, Don Taylor, who was the physio under both Ted Bates and myself for 31 years at the club and John Mortimer, who had worked with Ted, left to go abroad and came back to work with me.

John was ahead of his time when he worked abroad in places like Greece and most famously at Benfica where he is still a legend after winning all sorts of things with that famous club.

In the same week there was also another gathering when Mike Osman got myself and four of the winning FA Cup team together, Jim Steele, man of the match on the big day in 1976, along with Nick Holmes, Hughie Fisher and Paul Bennett.

We were assembled in the Mayor’s Parlour looking ahead to next year’s 40th anniversary of probably the most memorable day in the club’s history.

It’s always good to meet up and as far as the Cup team is concerned I think it has only happened on a couple of occasions so it will be great to see the remaining players next year.

One of the topics of conversation was the comparison between the game as it was then and now.

The Cup team was one thing, but probably from a manager’s point of view the most satisfying season of all was to finish second in the league, only three points behind Liverpool.

In those days we played 42 games and whilst we all hope Saints can win their remaining three games, the point was made that when 42 games were played we got 77 points. If that was reduced to 38 games and 12 points were deducted it would say we had reached 65 points, which is obviously the most in the club’s history at the top level.

The Premier League we all agree has been an amazing change. It is probably one of the wealthiest if not the wealthiest in the world and let’s face that is one of the main reasons it is attracting the best players from around the world. That has made a dramatic change.

Another event this week showed Barcelona winning their semi-final first leg 3-0 but the main topic of conversation since the game has been the wonderful performance by Lionel Messi as he changed what was looking like a draw until about 15 minutes left when he produced two fantastic goals.

Radio phone-ins have been comparing him with other players from the past.

Getting back to the point I’ve been making about Saints, people of an age have been ringing in and it was interesting to hear their comments such as Stanley Matthews and Ton Finney should never be forgotten, Bobby Charlton, George Best, Denis Law.

Whilst most of the names were from decades ago it was good to hear one voice from Southampton say Matt Le Tissier could match any of them.

Another point of course was that Mr Messi and company are all playing on what one caller called bowling greens compared to when George Best had often to plough through pools of water and thick mud and yet produced the same sort of quality that Messi showed this week.

All in all I am often asked how would the great names of the past, particularly those that we had in our team, perform now?

The game is obviously quicker, it is played on better surfaces and all I can say is they would all adapt.

You cannot lose a natural ability, which most of the big names mentioned had.

Also it should never be forgotten that as Don Revie once said to me as he celebrated winning the First Division while I was quietly pleased with my Fourth Division trophy, you can only win the league you are in.

For our club to finish as high as we did in 1984 with that points total should be remembered.