FOOTBALL, despite all of its problems, plays the role for so many as chief giver of joy. 

Children beam as they hold their parents' hands to walk up the terrace. It provokes old men and sons to have a meaningful conversation. 

The feeling of tumbling down the stand with your mates after spending your wage and weekend on 90 minutes winding up the home fans. 

A rare means for working-class boys, and now girls, to take generational wealth from those who need no more, to elevate their family out of the dirt. 

And in response to all of those moments where it means everything, it can crack the cruellest whip of fate. 

Stuart Armstrong should have left Saints, however soon that day would be, with his head held high and with his prospects bright. 

Daily Echo: Stuart Armstrong scored his 25th Southampton goal on TuesdayStuart Armstrong scored his 25th Southampton goal on Tuesday (Image: Stuart Martin)

Manager Russell Martin fears the worst for the 32 year old, who left Cardiff City on crutches after being stretchered off the field. 

Armstrong has made 214 appearances for Saints across six years of service, since a move from Celtic in 2018. 

His football is as fine as his hair, and that is why fans sing their songs - 'for Stuart Armstrong'. 

Armstrong will need to go in for scans before Saints can determine the true extent of the injury picked up deep into added time. 

Martin has already ruled him out of the season and fears exist over whether he will be fit to compete for Scotland at the Euros this summer.

Pressingly, Armstrong's contract is set to expire this summer with no recent negotiations over a new deal having taken place.

He probably would have had his pick of another competitive English side, a last payday in a developing league or a heroic return to Scotland.

Instead, the veteran will be left anxious over what his injury means, and it will be of considerable financial cost. 

Martin hinted towards conversations that would take place but stopped short of saying anything committal. 

"I am sure there will be a lot of fear in Stuey now but this is a proper football club and there will be discussions," he said. 

"I am sure we will all come to some sort of discussion to see how he is and how is feeling, but until then we keep our fingers crossed." 

Cases frequently occur where clubs extend the contract of an injured player to honour their service and allow them the best facilities to get fit.

For example, Saints gave youth defender Sam Bailey a new year-long contract in 2022 despite being sidelined since October 2020.

Whether this will be the outcome again, we will have to wait and see. It will be something many supporters call for.

Daily Echo: Stuart Armstrong looked set to depart St Mary's last summerStuart Armstrong looked set to depart St Mary's last summer (Image: PA)

But a Saints team for the rest of the season and beyond without Armstrong will feel incomplete, whoever steps into the breach. 

They did not win a league game without him between December 2019 and August 2022 and have only won twice since then. 

Saints failed to win the only league game he did not play this season, in the 0-0 draw away at Blackburn Rovers.

It is credit to both Armstrong and Martin that he has been so readily available this season - or that he was even available at all, for that matter. 

It looked as though the former Dundee United man was headed for the exit door last summer having become disillusioned with the club. 

Martin, a former Scotland teammate of his, sought successfully to convince him of his crucial role in the new-look team. 

Under former boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, Armstrong was regularly plagued with little muscle niggles and strains. 

The demand for the wide 10 role in Hasenhuttl's 4-2-2-2 was perhaps less suited to Armstrong's physical condition. 

Bringing him into the middle allowed Martin to get back-to-back 90 minutes out of him for the first time since the final day of the 2021-22 season. 

He has played more minutes this campaign than any other for Saints and around double what he managed in each of the last two.

And what a decision to hand him the creative reigns. His threaded ball at Ipswich deserved more than it ended up being worth. 

And Armstrong at Southampton deserved more than this end - if this is the end.