Will Still, the former Saints manager, has spoken of his delight at seeing the club thriving in the Championship as they push for promotion. Still reflected on his own time in charge, admitting to mistakes made during his short spell.
Still Reflects on Short Saints Tenure
Still, 33, was sacked after just 13 league games this season, with the club sitting 21st in the division. He has taken responsibility for errors he made during his tenure.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Belgian-born Still suggested that cultural differences made his job more difficult. He felt like a foreigner at times, having never managed in England before.
“There was such a massive difference culturally in the style of football, the way a team is managed, the way the players behave, the way training is set up,” he said.
He added: “I was in an accelerated top-up course of English. Ultimately, I ran out of time. I’m delighted they are where they are because the supporters deserve to go back up.”
Still also believes the size of the Saints squad did not help, and felt that many areas of the club were not ‘in sync’ when he arrived.
- The playing squad was massive.
- Not everyone was in sync.
- It needed time.
Still also admitted he should have made better use of captain Jack Stephens, who dropped to the bench at the end of his tenure in charge.
“That’s life, and football moves on. There are things that I did wrong, I made mistakes, and I hold my hands up every day to that. But I also knew there were so many things we had to get through to get it right. There were still good performances in there.”
Saints’ Championship Push
Saints, now managed by Tonda Eckert, are competing for automatic promotion and are at least guaranteed a play-off place.
Southampton addressed their bulky squad in the winter window, offloading six and adding two new faces in addition to James Bree’s return.
Still said: “They finally got to a place where they had a squad they needed and want. There was stuff that had gone on in the years before that, and not everyone was in sync. That was the conversation we had with Johannes. We said that it needed time, and ultimately, they have got it right. They have the result they wanted.”
Still added: “Over here in England, I came across as a nice guy. I think Johannes [Spors] even says it in an interview after I got sacked. Maybe I was too nice – in France, I was considered someone who was very honest. Now, on reflection, it was the language that I used, my body language, what I said to the press and when I said it. It was a great learning curve.”
Still said he will always have some regret that he “didn’t get it right, and I ran out of time”.