Ronald Koeman declared his pride in Southampton despite a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City on the final day of the 2014-15 Premier League season.
Frank Lampard opened the scoring for City in his last game in the English top flight before departing for New York City FC, while Sergio Aguero netted his 26th of the campaign to land the Premier League Golden Boot award.
The Saints were tipped by many for a relegation battle this season after losing a host of key players last summer, but Koeman praised his squad for their performances despite missing out on a top-six finish.
"After the last game you have to think about the whole season," Koeman told the club's official website. "I think the expectation for next season will be totally different.
"I think we can be proud about our season this year. We like to continue. We had some great games in the season and the final position of seventh in the table is very good."
Of the defeat at the Etihad Stadium, Koeman said: "It's all about one or two moments to score or not score. The level we showed was very good and I'm proud about that.
"We had the first good chance from Shane [Long] in the beginning of the game, but those kind of chances you have to score if you like to win the game against a big team.
"In the second half we had a little bit more domination in the game, but not clinical enough because we had some good chances in the second half."
The Saints finished seventh but will qualify for the Europa League if Arsenal win the FA Cup, though Koeman feels his side lagged behind Tottenham (fifth) and Liverpool (sixth) due to their indifferent away form.
"I think it's not about this one game. Maybe in the last four defeats away we lost a little bit of quality," he continued. "That's the reason we are behind Tottenham and Liverpool.
"If we get that chance to play in Europe, I would like that. It means a lot for the club and a lot for the players. It was an amazing season. We did a great job. The players showed their qualities and the spirit was amazing.
"We had a difficult preseason but we showed our qualities and have always tried to play attractive, offensive football. If you finish seventh, that is our title, behind the big six."
The Dutch coach was praised by the Saints' travelling supporters at full-time, and added: "It was great support. The whole season has been like that. That's a great feeling for the players and for the team. We admire that support."
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.