The last visit to St Mary's was a Rangers win - even if neither scorer is still at the club.
Loic Remy’s third shot on target produced his second Premier League goal - and he was destined never to leave the Premier League even if Rangers did at the end of the season.
Newcastle on loan followed; one game for Rs this campaign, and a £10.5m release clause sent the Frenchman to the dreaded enemy at Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closed in August.
And what of the other in Hoops to hit the back of the Southampton net?
Jay Bothroyd now plays for Muangthong United, who as you know are a Thai Premier League side based in Nonthaburi Province, a short hop to the north-west of Bangkok.
Bit of a contrast, eh?
Actually, his boss never did learn to pronounce the England international’s name properly. He was always ‘Jay Boothroyd’ until let go at the end of that season.
But Harry Redknapp got it right on the day and celebrated his 66th birthday by ramming the morning’s newspaper headlines back down throats.
Apart from gifts and cards, the manager arose to read that his players had been on a spree in Dubai when they should have been training the previous week.
Redknapp also took quiet satisfaction from a rare win in the face of abuse from Saints fans who remembered he was in charge when Southampton were relegated, and recalled his success with the dreaded enemy down the coast at Portsmouth.
Rangers took the lead against the run of play when Remy finished clinically from Junior Hoilett's lofted pass.
Southampton equalised through Gaston Ramirez, who followed up Julio Cesar's fumble to chip the keeper.
But Rs grabbed only their third win of the season as Bothroyd turned in a low cross from Park Ji-sung.
Cesar then picked up a thigh injury; was replaced by Rob Green - it reads almost as a sign of things to come - and everyone watched the England keeper pull off a fabulous save from Maya Yoshida's header.
The Mirror afterward reckoned sub Adel Taraabt was halfway out the door of Loftus Road.’ Redknapp ominously added: “He’s not been doing that well lately.”
Some things never change, it seems.
Julio Cesar (Green - 74’); Traore, Samba, Hill, Bosingwa, Park Ji-sung, Granero (Jenas - 53'), M’bia, Remy, Hoilett, Bothroyd Booked (Fabio - 90’) subs not used: Onuoha, Taarabt, Townsend, Mackie
Keep up to date with all the build-up, matchday and post-game reaction to Southampton v QPR right here on GetWestLondon.
