Le Tissier Talks To The Sun

Matt being interviewed by the Sun was always likely to throw something awkward at the club but I think the interview is a good one.

Matt though, while he may not exactly see eye to eye with executive chairman Nicola Cortese, the 44-year-old Guernsey-born England international remains as passionate as ever about the Saints.

The first question was, What have you made of the season so far?

‘We had a tricky start with a tough fixture list, but I think the players recovered from it pretty well. The team got themselves into a decent position and then the club parted with the manager.’

‘The new manager has also had a difficult start: Everton at home, Manchester United and Wigan away, and now Manchester City coming up at St Mary`s. It`s been a tough start for him but he`s managed a couple of draws and a good performance at Old Trafford, so hopefully we`re still going in the right direction.’

The new manager has also had a difficult start: Everton at home, Manchester United and Wigan away, and now Manchester City coming up at St Mary`s. It`s been a tough start for him but he`s managed a couple of draws and a good performance at Old Trafford, so hopefully we`re still going in the right direction.

Another question, When you go into training and know your manager`s just been sacked, how does that make you feel as a player?
It was an odd feeling sometimes. Obviously if you didn`t get on with the manager and he didn`t pick you all the time, you were quite pleased and buzzing to go into work the next day. When somebody like Alan Ball left, it was a little bit disappointing. I got on with him brilliantly and we understood each other really well, so it was a tough time.
When that happened they brought in Dave Merrington, who was my youth team coach at Southampton, and I wanted to do well for him. I didn`t want to let him down because I had massive respect for him and he had been a big influence on my football career.

As a Soccer Saturday pundit, how hard is it to concentrate on a game when you know Southampton are playing?
It is very difficult, I must admit. Sometimes when my game is quite close and tight it`s OK. But when Jeff Stelling is talking to me and I can see out of the corner of my eye that something has happened with Southampton, such as Wigan`s late equaliser, I just have to admit it and say my focus is elsewhere.

Other questions were:-
When Nigel Adkins was sacked, what was your initial reaction?
Do you think the fans knew it was coming?
Considering the manner in which Adkins was replaced with Mauricio Pochettino, what would you say to the Saints fans?
Were you surpised by the club`s choice of Pochettino?
Do you think the players will still have the mentality of wanting to win for Adkins rather than the new manager?
At the minute, do you think Southampton have got enough to stay up?
In the worst-case scenario and the Saints do go down, where does that leave them? Do they sack the manager and start again?
Looking back now, do you ever regret not leaving Southampton?
Do you ever get muddled up in those situations?
Does Paul Merson`s pronunciation of names, which is pretty awful, make it difficult to work with him?

All in all a good read with nothing that the media can use against our chairman or the club.


To read the whole interview click here