When Steve Davis left Glasgow Rangers he did so as a free agent as the Scottish club had just been liquidated and he was under no contractual obligation to the newly-formed Rangers. He joined Southampton as the club contemplated their first season back in the Premier League for seven seasons and, in the opening fixture of the season at the Etihad, Davis came on as a sub and promptly scored. He was by then already an experienced Premier League midfielder who had made over 100 appearances with Fulham and Aston Villa. He had also won over 50 caps and captain of Northern Ireland and been SPL Player-of-the-Year in 2010. Over the next six and a half seasons he was never far from the first team playing under six different managers including one final swansong appearance at Cardiff in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first game in charge.

He was an industrious, reliable, honest, model professional who had, by the time he departed St Marys had represented his country more than 100 times and captained them to the qualification of their first European Championship, the 2016 Euros and in the New Year’s Honours list of 2017, he was awarded an MBE.

When he had left Rangers back in 2012 he said he hoped to return one day and, in recognition of his service to Saints, he was allowed to re-join Rangers, now under Steven Gerrard on loan in the January window of 2019, with the move made permanent in the summer.

In March 2021 he became the most capped UK player of all time as well as picking up a Scottish Championship winners medal with a rejuvenated Rangers.