Matthew Le Tissier - A Shot At Management

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It was Pellè's day! He actually didn't start as I decided to give Juanmi his debut and to be fair to the Spaniard he looked sharp with some tidy passes and direct runs. Unfortunately for him though he got taken down and was forced off injured, so Pellè came off the bench, and it seemed to have been a blessing in disguise as he notched two goals in as many minutes.

We controlled the game really well, moving the ball from side to side, playing the way I want us to play. It's quite similar to how we played back in the 90's and I'm glad the lads are replicating what gave me so much success as a player. It's early days, but the signs are good.​
 
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We blew Vaduz away. They had one shot, which was the insane free kick they scored, but after that we totally destroyed them. Mané in particular impressed with 2 goals and 2 assists. We are all but qualified for the group stage, but the job still isn't totally complete yet.​
 
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I've played in better team performances for Eastleigh in the twilight years of my playing career. We were atrocious. Victor's straight red card inside the opening ten minutes pretty much made the tie impossible for us, and it was all Spurs from then on in. I tried multiple tactical changes, I made substitutions but having been on for 5 minutes, Ramírez was forced off with an injury. It just wasn't our day. We need to forget about this, and fast.

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An up and down start to the season sees us in 13th place. I know that the lads can play better than they did against Spurs, so I know for a fact that we will improve our league position in the coming weeks. If all else fails, I may have to come out of retirement and bag us a few goals!

​
 
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Our amazing first leg performance allowed us to be a bit more casual in this game. It took us a while to get into things however, and Vaduz did score an early goal, but it was ruled correctly offside. It's a good way to bounce back from the humiliation at White Hart Lane though, and we are in the Europa League Group Stages now!
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1st Seeds

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Schalke[/TD]
[TD]Dortmund[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Shakhtar[/TD]
[TD]Tottenham[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Marseille[/TD]
[TD]Leverkusen[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rubin Kazan[/TD]
[TD]CSKA Moscow[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Napoli[/TD]
[TD]Liverpool[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sporting Lisbon[/TD]
[TD]AZ[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Some top sides are in Pot 1 this season. Obviously we cannot be drawn in the same group as Spurs or Liverpool, but all of the teams are strong. I'd prefer to be drawn with AZ, without being disrespectful.

2nd Seeds

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Bilbao[/TD]
[TD]Villarreal[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Braga[/TD]
[TD]Lazio[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bordeaux[/TD]
[TD]Fiorentina[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Metalist[/TD]
[TD]Copenhagen[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Viktoria Plzen[/TD]
[TD]PAOK[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dnipro[/TD]
[TD]Panathinaikos[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Pot 2 scares me almost as much as Pot 1 does. There are some huge sides there. My preference is probably Metalist.

3rd Seeds

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Sparta Prague[/TD]
[TD]CFR Cluj[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Young Boys[/TD]
[TD]SK Rapid Wien[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zurich[/TD]
[TD]Vit. Guimaraes[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]M. Tel-Aviv[/TD]
[TD]Sampdoria[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Southampton[/TD]
[TD]West Ham[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Augsburg[/TD]
[TD]Maribor[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

This is where we come into things. There are some pretty big clubs in Pot 3 as well though, with Sampdoria and Young Boys springing to mind.

4th Seeds

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Legia[/TD]
[TD]Partizan[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Saint-Etienne[/TD]
[TD]Krasnodar[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Molde[/TD]
[TD]Rijeka[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Zorya[/TD]
[TD]Videoton[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]AEL[/TD]
[TD]Qarabag Agdam[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Petrolul[/TD]
[TD]FC Midtjylland[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Most of these clubs I haven't heard too much about, but that doesn't mean they aren't strong sides. If they've made it to the group stages, you shouldn't underestimate them.


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Southampton Drawn in Group J

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The Saints have been handed a fairly tough group in the Europa League, and face trips to Ukraine, Spain and Hungary.

When asked his opinion on the group, Le Tissier said: "Any Europa League Group is difficult. All of the sides in the competition have done tremendously well to qualify, so each game is tough. Shakhtar, Villarreal and Videoton are all top sides, but do you know what? Southampton FC is a top side. I bet all of their fans are worried about the games against us."

Southampton's kick of their group stage campaign with a home tie against Hungarian outfit Videoton on Thursday 18th September.

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Here is a list of the following Europa League group fixtures for the Saints.

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Totally rubbish. The boys haven't looked the same since the thrashing we took against Spurs. I don't know how to get them out of this. I've only been a manager for a few months, I've not got that much experience! Aquilani has a terrible attitude. I knew he struggled at Liverpool back in 2009 but I thought he had perhaps matured a bit. It turns out, he sulks if things don't go his way, and that's not what I want in my players. Tadic was the only player who could leave the pitch today knowing he actually played well. Things seriously need to improve, or I could be facing some harsh words from the board.
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I felt like I needed some advice. Someone who's been in the management game long enough to know what to do in these situations. I scrolled through my phone contacts, hoping to come across the right man. Luckily for me, I found him almost straight away.

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Steve Clarke. He's currently managing Reading, but he's gained a lot of experience in the Premier League.

His phone rang.

"Well well well, it's Matthew Le Tissier! What can I do for you fella?"

"Steve! Thanks for picking up! Look, I'm struggling. How can I get the squad out of this negative state of mind?"

"Matt, you picked the squad up off the floor many times in 1995/96. We survived relegation thanks to you."

"Times have changed though Steve, I don't seem to be able to get my message across to the whole squad."

"Talk to your captain. Let him know that you need his help. It's what he is there for. Then, you need to encourage the side, not rip into them. They'll know they haven't been performing great so far, trust me."

"I'll talk to José. Thanks a lot Steve! Good luck with the season, I'll catch you again soon!"

"All the best Matt. Hope it works out!"

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I really hope this will work. ​
 
View attachment 241824Spaniard Canales Moves to Southampton

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He was strangely available for as little as £9,000,000. He's got quality in abundance, and will be a key player for us. Ward-Prowse has been playing in the attacking midfield slot in our 4-2-3-1 formation, but I prefer him playing in CM, so this move gives us versatility in the middle of the park.​
 
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Ramírez completes Hoffenheim Move

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He's done nothing to impress me so far, and with Canales coming in I just don't see a place for him in the side. His attitude isn't what I expect either, and to effectively pay for Canales with this transfer, I feel the club has done some great business.
​
 
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What a huge result! Doing what my old friend Steve Clarke recommended must have worked, because every single player put in 110% effort, and that's all I can ask for. I know the lads have the quality. When you have players like Tadic, Canales and Mané behind Pellè, you're always going to be threatening, but the players still have to work hard for each other which is exactly what happened at Anfield today.

Tadic has been superb so far this season and with Canales showing a few glimpses of flair and quality, I feel they could work well together. Virgil van Dijk has come up with the goods when I've played him, as have all of the defenders to be fair to them. Things are looking up again, although we need to keep our feet on the ground. It's just one game at the end of the day!

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As I sat down to watch Match of the Day 2, I kept reliving our three magnificent goals against Liverpool. I remember playing at Anfield back in the day, and it's still as magical now as it was back then. I know how it feels to score at the Kop end, so I'm delighted for the lads who managed to score today.

Of course our game was shown first. Not many teams can say they took three points away from Liverpool at Anfield, even though they have fallen away slightly over the past 5 years. As Martin Keown and Danny Murphy analysed our performance, my phone bleeped. Curiously I checked what it was, to find out it was a text from Steve Clarke.

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"Matt! Congratulations on today's win! Your boys showed amazing spirit and quality! Well done. I know you'll get the best out of them this season, and if you need anything else, you know how to get hold of me."

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I'm so glad I've got a friend like Steve. Reading have enjoyed a successful start to the Championship campaign, and I have no doubt that they'll at least come close to promotion this season. It would be brilliant to play against him next season, if all goes well for both of us.

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​I replied to Steve, switched off the TV, got into bed, and kissed the mrs good night.
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A solid win puts us back into some good form, I feel. Rodriguez was fantastic today, and he is going to give me a selection headache as Mané is also proving to be a quality winger.

Pellè has impressed me a lot in training recently. He's obviously not the most agile player, and he's used to playing up front with another striker (as he did at his previous club), but he's working hard to offer us more than just a target man option. He comes deep to pick up the ball and bring others into play now, he's also worked on gaining half a yard on defenders to give us an option of playing the ball behind the defence, and of course, we know if we cross the ball in he'll get his head on it. He's improving a lot, despite the fact he's reaching his twilight years. There's a lot more to come from him this season, I know it.​
 
Now well into the my first season in management, things were shaping up quite nicely. We were looking solid defensively and rather menacing in attack. All the players got along well, and my staff were all doing brilliant work. It seemed almost "too good".

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The team's brilliant performances saw us rise up to 3rd in the table! Not so long ago, we were sat in 16th after an average (at best) start to the season.

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Not only that, but I've been handed the Manager of the Month Award for September. An absolute honour.

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My two children were absolutely loving life back in Southampton! They've come to every single match along with my wife, and I've got them to meet the players. Maybe one day they'll make their first steps into the world of football.​
 
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Things are simply going so well at the moment. The lads are putting in some top drawer performances. Week in, week out, they improve their game and it's fantastic for me to see. It was a first trip to Spain for some of the players and they really enjoyed it. Target and Ward-Prowse were mentored by Jose Fonte who is obviously used to the heat of the area.

Two wins from two in the group stage - I couldn't have asked for a better start.



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Well Shane missed not one, but two spot kicks today, and Yoshida saved our *** with a last gasp equaliser. Long hasn't impressed me so far. It's not his work ethic, he works his socks off! He always tries and it's great to see so I simply cannot fault him on that aspect, but he's not scored or assisted yet. He had two golden opportunities today to net a goal but he couldn't take them. He's a good player, he just needs to relax and the goals will come. ​
 
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Wilshere Woes

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere was seen wheeled into hospital out of ambulance late last night. The midfielder has reportedly been attacked by a group of teenagers who have already turned themselves in, explaining; "alcohol got the better of us, but Jack has been dreadful this season".

It is currently unclear as to what extent the culprits will be punished and it is being reported from London Bridge Hospital that Wilshere is stable but is suffering from concussion and multiple bruises.

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The England international posted this photo on his Instagram page this morning.

Unfortunately for Jack, he is likely to be fined by his club, Arsenal, due to going out clubbing on a week night. Both Wenger and the club chairman have refused to comment on the situation. It seems they are hoping it slips under the radar.

Everyone at Sky Sports wishes Jack well in his recovery.​
 
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We barely touched the ball in an uninspiring defeat in South Wales. Not one player really did anything of note for us as we just seemed to take the defeat without much of a fight. No-one had a terrible game, but equally no-one played good. It was average at best! I know we can't win every game; I've been in a fair few relegation scraps in my playing days so I really do know that, but I feel we are a better side than Swansea.

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I spoke to the players in the dressing room after the game.

"Lads. I think we all know that today was just a bad day at the office. It happens, trust me, I know. We're better than this though, so we're going to bounce straight back in our next game, okay?"

They all seemed a bit more confident about things now. It seems that I'm beginning to get through to them a lot more now.

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This is the first time I've managed to read this, I have to say mate it's a brilliant start! If I had of known you'd done a story I would have checked it out earlier.

Keep up the good work mate, this will get big if you stick at it!
 
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