There was an unexpected name topping the
‘Completed Passes’ leader board at the close of the opening weekend in the
Premier League. Bettering the efforts of Yaya Touré and David Silva, Andrew Surman
found a team-mate 99 times in Bournemouth’s home defeat to Aston Villa. Remarkably,
Surman has not reappeared at St Mary’s since his departure from the club in the
summer of 2009. In contrast with Southampton’s constant upwards trajectory, the
Bitterne boy has taken a rather different path to the top table of English
football. As Surman hits the best form of his career with the Cherries, it
seems an opportune moment to review the erstwhile Saints starlet’s journey on
his way to becoming an established Premier League player.
In 2005, Southampton suffered the harsh pain that comes with relegation
after a 27 year long stay in the top tier. Yet Surman avoided the melancholy at
St Mary’s where Manchester United extinguished any hopes of a Houdini-esque
escape. The youngster was being blooded at Walsall, and gained valuable first-team
experience in League One before returning to Staplewood, where Harry Redknapp
included him in his pre-season plans. He managed to impress in friendlies
against Scottish opposition, but was shipped out on loan to a club Redknapp
knew well – Bournemouth. Saints struggled in their maiden Championship
campaign, yet Surman was having no such difficulties at Dean Court. Under the
leadership of Sean O’Driscoll, he blossomed into an integral part of the team,
which prompted new Southampton boss George Burley to recall him that January.
After making a notable debut against Crystal Palace, Surman retained his place
on the left side of midfield for the remainder of the season. Burley steered
Saints to safety after a difficult run of games in the New Year, and Surman
notched up 12 appearances and two goals.
That summer brought much excitement to the South Coast as fans warmly welcomed
the arrival of Michael Wilde. The new board gave Burley license to spend, and
Surman became a regular in a team boasting the talents of Rudi Skácel and
Grzegorz Rasiak. This did signify that Surman’s ability to act as a utility
player was put to the test though. Despite Skácel’s sporadic form, the hype
surrounding his signing meant that when fit; he was automatically selected on
the left side of midfield. Therefore, Surman was deployed on the other wing and
was often nullified. This was undoubtedly a less favoured position for him,
although he did put in one particularly memorable display on the right wing
when he netted a hat-trick against Barnsley. Southampton and Surman gathered
momentum as the season reached its climax, and they secured a play-off berth
after a final day triumph over Southend. In the first leg, the Bitterne boy put
his team ahead with a scintillating curling shot against Derby to send St
Mary’s into raptures, but Saints succumbed to a penalty defeat at Pride Park.
The following season was more of a hardship for Saints but fans expected
a repeat promotion charge. Placed on either side of the midfield or at
left-back, Surman was a rare bright light who consistently performed as
Southampton struggled. His controlled passing and intelligent link-up play was
in contrast with nervous performances from some of his team-mates, who found it
difficult to recapture their form from the previous season. In February, Burley
jumped ship and Nigel Pearson entered the fray. Surman was a central figure for
his manager and acted as an example for his fellow players to follow, as
Southampton desperately attempted to avoid slipping through the trapdoor into
the third tier. Now an England Under-21 international, he displayed maturity
and quality in the heat of a relegation battle: this was epitomised by his performance
in the left-back position during the final day victory against Sheffield
United. Out of his natural position, Surman remained calm to help his team to
stave off relegation.
He was powerless to prevent that fate a year later though. Saints’
youngsters honourably battled to preserve the club’s Championship status, but
it was to no avail as off-field matters came to a head. Jan Poortvliet and Mark
Wotte were tasked with keeping Saints up while implementing an attractive style
of play, but they were to have no budget. Surman was a senior figure in a crop
of young players who were often bullied out of matches. Frequently playing at
left-back with the squad being stretched, he provided genuine width as
Southampton adopted an expansive game, however he was often exposed as those in
front of him did not track back sufficiently. Still, at the end of that season,
Surman had impressed once more, and as a result was one of Southampton’s most
valuable assets. Therefore, administrator Mark Fry decreed that his sale was
necessary in order to bide time to save the club. Unfortunately, as a result,
he narrowly missed out on the halcyon days at St Mary’s when the Markus
Liebherr revolution came to pass. Inevitably, he would have been an image of
the revival and added real quality in League One, yet in the moment that he
moved to Wolves for £1.2 million, he became the slightly forgotten starlet.
If his final season at St Mary’s had been disappointing for Surman in
terms of the team’s performance, he was to find his time at Molineux
challenging for another reason. He only made seven Premier League appearances
as he could not forge his way into Mick McCarthy’s plans. Doubters declared
that a lack of pace and a real cutting edge to his play meant that he was
unable to compete at the highest level. Surman made the decision to drop down
to the Championship once more in search of first-team action, and moved to
newly promoted Norwich. Under the stewardship of Paul Lambert, the Canaries
played an exciting brand of football and Surman fitted in immediately at Carrow
Road. For the first time in his career, he seemed to have found his favoured
position in the middle of the park as he hit the ground running. Despite being
somewhat stifled by niggling injuries from September, Surman played a starring
role in the latter stages of the season as Norwich secured promotion. Unlike
McCarthy, Lambert allowed him more of an opportunity to demonstrate his
expertise in the top tier. Under the guidance of the Scot, the Canaries
retained their Premier League status with Surman at the heart of the team.
Comfortable and neat on the ball, the England Under-21 international helped his
team to remain composed, while carving out openings for the attacking players.
Surman’s presence in the Norwich line-up was not to continue though.
Riddled by injury, he endured a frustrating third season with the club – only
featuring four times in the Premier League. In the summer of 2013, he sought
pastures new and returned to Bournemouth for a season-long loan. It was
necessary that Surman revitalised his career, and he answered his critics once
more. Thriving under Eddie Howe, Surman quickly struck up an understanding with
Harry Arter. The central midfield duo were pivotal to the success that the
Cherries enjoyed, and his form (unperturbed by injury) persuaded the
Bournemouth hierarchy to make the deal permanent. Surman repaid that fee with
interest as he became an indispensable component of Howe’s team. Pundits waxed
lyrical about Bournemouth’s attacking flair, and Surman was central in their
fluid play propelling them to the Premier League.
In the early part of this season, Surman has started every Premier
League fixture and has already exhibited his passing ability. A cultured player
on the pitch, while mature off it, Surman is now at the height of his powers
and finally has his St Mary’s return pencilled in. Simply put, misfortune has
delayed his journey. Under Burley, he was a victim of his versatility as he was
shunted out to the right side of midfield, while it was necessity that saw him often
play at left-back during his last season at the club. At Wolves, Surman was
undervalued by McCarthy while injury curtailed his stay in East Anglia.
Finally, under Howe’s tutorship, Surman is fulfilling his potential. Had he
remained at St Mary’s, he may well have been the emblem of the club’s revival,
yet he has had a harder education of the brutal realities of football. He will
be keen to demonstrate what he has learnt when Southampton meet Bournemouth in
November.
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