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The 2011–12 season was Southampton F.C.'s 72nd and seventh consecutive season in The Football League, and their first in the Championship since 2009. Having achieved promotion the previous season, the club were looking to retain their place in the second tier of English football and make progress towards their long-term aim of returning to the Premier League. The 2011–12 season was the first with new sponsor aap3, a Southampton-based company providing "business and IT solutions". Southampton began their pre-season preparations in July with a two-game tour of Switzerland, in a similar fashion to the 2010–11 season. Later in the month, the club held the first edition of the Memorial Cup, inviting European teams to compete in a tournament in honour of former owner Markus Liebherr. Additional friendlies followed before the league began on 6 August 2011. Southampton were relatively active in the summer transfer window, purchasing three new players, selling three and releasing five: midfielder Jack Cork, winger Steve De Ridder and defender Danny Fox made the move to St Mary's for undisclosed fees, while midfielder Oscar Gobern and defender Joseph Mills departed the club, and winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was sold to Arsenal for a club record £15 million in August. In the winter 2012 window, the Saints purchased strikers Tadanari Lee (the club's first Japanese player ever) and Billy Sharp, and made defender Jack Saville's loan move to Barnet final. In April 2012, three Southampton players – goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, midfielder Adam Lallana, and striker Rickie Lambert – were named in the PFA Team of the Year for the Championship. After the last game of the season on 28 April 2012, Southampton were promoted to the Premier League as the runners-up of the Championship, just one point behind champions Reading. ==Pre-season== Southampton's first pre-season game was at Swiss club Biel-Bienne on 13 July. The visitors quickly built a two-goal advantage following a pair of David Connolly headers, but the home side drew level shortly after half-time and took the lead in the last ten minutes. The Saints managed to equalise a minute later though, with winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scoring the final goal of the match to make the score 3–3.〔 In the second match of their Swiss tour, Southampton lost 1–0 to St. Gallen, following a second half goal from Kristian Nushi. On 23 July 2011, Southampton competed in the inaugural Memorial Cup, a friendly tournament established in honour of former club owner Markus Liebherr.〔 The other participants in the Memorial Cup were Spanish club Athletic Bilbao and German club Werder Bremen.〔 Described as a "unique triangular cup competition", each club played one another and points determined the winners of the tournament.〔 Southampton won their first match conclusively, beating Bremen 3–0 with goals from David Connolly, Guly do Prado and Adam Lallana in the first half. Bilbao also beat Bremen, with a 2–1 scoreline, and managed to beat the host club in the deciding match by two goals, preventing the Saints from winning the first edition of the Memorial Cup.〔 Back in England, the Saints played their first full friendly of the season at St Mary's against Premier League club West Bromwich Albion. The game ended in a 2–2 draw, after a double from Albion striker Simon Cox was matched by goals from midfielder Jack Cork and striker Rickie Lambert in the second half. Southampton's final pre-season game of the season three days later ended in the same scoreline, with the Saints and Yeovil Town sharing four goals equally. David Connolly put the visitors 1–0 up just before half-time, but in the second period Yeovil equalised with a penalty from former Southampton player Paul Wotton. Saints striker Jonathan Forte scored an impressive solo goal later on, but this was again cancelled out by the home side thanks to a goal from Andy Williams.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「2011–12 Southampton F.C. season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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