Taking le Tiss

by Matt Le Tissier

  If I went to a game and he got injured, I felt like going home. I only ever used to watch him. He has given me more pleasure than anyone else on earth—in a manly way. I would pay anything to see him play again now. He consistently kept Saints in the Premier League playing in what was often an average team. And you wouldn’t get his kind of loyalty now—it was unusual even then. I was with him on several occasions when he was offered big money to leave but he turned it down, time after time, to stay with Southampton.

  As a business partner he was a mathematical genius. Unfortunately I always came bottom at maths which is why the nightclub went down the pan. Quite genuinely, he has said if he hadn’t been a footballer then he would probably have been an accountant. Maybe he should have been keeping an eye on the books at St Mary’s?’

  Richard Dryden

  Centre-back, Aug 1996-Feb 2001

  ‘He calls me thick? Well, how’s this? I had a big white Mitsubishi car which he nicknamed “The Ambulance” because that is what it looked like. I used to drive him from The Dell to the bookies at Bedford Place where we would place our bets. One day I had finished putting my bets on so I went to wait in the car. He came out and jumped in only to find it was the wrong one, and he was sitting alongside a very startled man with his wife and baby.

  But he was an unbelievable player. Before I signed for Southampton I used to watch him on television and wonder if his goals were flukes—until I saw him do it day after day in training. He was a great player and a great character. He wasn’t big-time in any way. When I signed, he was the first one to come up and introduce himself and look after me.’

  Francis Benali

  Full-back, Jan 1987-June 2003

  ‘Goal-scoring was not my strong point so Heaven knows what possessed Matt to pick me out with that cross [against Leicester, in December 1997, for my only league goal]. Maybe he thought on the law of averages I had to score sooner or later. But it was really nice that he was the one to set up my one and only goal because we had come through the ranks together.

  He was an inspiration to the rest of the youth team because he pretty much leapfrogged the Reserves and went straight to the first team which showed that it could be done. We had a strong youth setup at the time and he paved the way for others to follow. You could see even then that he was a bit special. He could do things which none of us could get near, no matter how hard we practised. He was an awesome player and I felt very privileged to be his teammate over many years and to see up close his special talent. He was a massive part of the club’s success in staying in the Premier League for so long. As the title of his DVD says, he was Unbelievable. He never used to score tap-ins—just spectacular strikes.

  I cannot speak highly enough of him as a player or as a person because he had no airs and graces. He really mucked in and did his bit for the community and was always the first one to put himself forward when a presentation needed doing. He is a fantastic person and someone I have an awful lot of time for. He was a top player with wonderful ability—and a good friend.’

  James Beattie

  Striker, July 1998-Jan 2005

  ‘I grew up in Blackburn and supported them as a kid so I was in the stands the day Matt beat Tim Flowers from 35 yards. The goal might have been against my team but I couldn’t help applauding—along with the rest of the crowd. It was that good.

  His DVD was called Unbelievable and rightly so because that’s what he was. His skill, touch and finishing were second to none in games and in training. It was ridiculous what he could do with a ball. I was delighted when I found out I was going to be playing alongside him, even though he was just starting to dip past his prime. He had pigeon-vision because he saw things so quickly. I knew if I made a run then he’d spot it and find me because he had the ability to put the ball wherever he wanted. I would love to have had more time alongside him, and I am proud to have played a part in him scoring the last ever goal at The Dell.

  Matt was different class not just as a teammate but as a friend. He has that great ability to laugh at himself and not care what anyone else thinks of him.’

  Dave Jones

  Southampton manager, June 1997-Jan 2000

  ‘Matt is the most gifted player I have ever worked with. He did things in training that left you wondering how on earth he did it. If he had worked a bit harder on his fitness then he might have been an even better player.

  People say he might not have been the same if he didn’t have that laid-back, devil-may-care approach. That might be true—but he might also have gone on to become one of the all-time greats. We’ll never know.

  I remember we had a cup-tie at Brentford and it came in the middle of a very crowded fixture programme so I told him if he scored me a couple of goals, I would take him off for a rest. He promptly banged in two in the first 20 minutes—and asked to come off!

  He didn’t look like your typical footballer—and I did ask for the stripes on our new kit to be made narrower so they suited him better. He could never have played for a team which wore hoops—especially if they were sponsored by Dunlop.

  I perhaps didn’t pick him as much as some people would have liked because he was coming towards the end of his career and was starting to pick up a few knocks and, unfortunately, I was the manager who perhaps pushed him towards the end of his career.

  I’d love to have managed him at his peak because he was an icon to the club. I enjoyed having him around the place because he is a great character and now a good friend.’

  Stuart Gray

  Full-back, Sept 1991-Nov 1993; Manager, Mar 2001-Nov 2001

  ‘Only Matt could have scored that last goal at The Dell. I don’t think any of the other players would have been capable of finishing that chance the way he did. And it was so fitting that he got it. But it wasn’t sentiment that made me put him on. It was for a very specific purpose. I told him I wanted him to play as far forward as possible—and told him if he came back over the half-way line, I’d take him off. That must have been music to his ears.

  When he put the ball in the net to give us a 3-2 win, I have never heard a noise like it. Dennis Rofe and I were half-way to the centre circle celebrating. It was a privilege just to be there for such a special moment. It still makes the hairs stand up on the back of the neck just thinking about it.

  I had the privilege of playing alongside him and managing him, and he was an incredible talent, the most gifted player I ever worked or played with. I would stand looking in wonder at some of the things he did in training. He didn’t like the physical side but he knew he had to do it because he couldn’t rely solely on his amazing skill. To be fair, he was never one to miss training and often would embarrass his teammates with a finishing session. It might take them six or seven attempts to hit the target while he would do it every time. What he did for the club was fantastic, not just on the field but with his great loyalty. Even now, you can still see his passion for the club on Sky.

  I felt for him when he was left out of the World Cup squad after he had got that hat-trick for the England B team. You see Fabio Capello picking David Beckham because of the quality of his set-plays and Matt is very much in the same vein. If you got a free kick anywhere near the 18 yard box, you knew it would go in or, at worst, hit the woodwork.

  As a teammate, I was happy to be one of those who did his running for him because we knew if we could get the ball to him, he’d win the game for us—as he proved in that last match at The Dell.’

  Paul Telfer

  Full-back, Nov 2001-Aug 2005

  ‘My goal [in Saints’ last home match against Newcastle, in Matt’s final season] was probably the sort Matt would have scored, only he’d have done it 10 times better and with more style. And people would have known he meant it. That probably should have been his moment because the plan was for him to come off the bench and it would have been a great way to finish his career.

  I wish I had met and played with Tiss when he was in his prime because he was a fantastic player. He was
in his last season when I joined Southampton but, even then, the things he did in training took the breath away. I have played a lot of golf with him and he is a top man off the field too. My only disappointment is that I didn’t see him at his best.’

  Jeff Stelling

  Sky Sports colleague, Jan 2005-present

  ‘Matt is a joy to work with in every respect. Being a football pundit may look easy but it is bloody difficult to find someone who has all the right qualities, but he fits the bill perfectly.

  He came in as a direct replacement for Rodney Marsh who had been the kingpin of the show—spiky, opinionated and full of himself, which was just what we wanted. Matt had to fill his boots which was a tall order—but he did it just by being himself. He was still opinionated and still funny, but his humour was much more subtle. We had a few teething troubles in terms of his appearance. He came in looking like Worzel Gummidge dressed by a charity shop. The managing director personally went into Richmond to buy him some new shirts and ties—and after a couple of weeks Matt discarded them because he looked even worse dressed like that.

  But the great thing about Tiss is that he can laugh at himself and he does not mind people poking fun at him about his work-rate as a player, his dress sense and his taste in music. He doesn’t care what people think about him. He’s very stubborn and refuses to change. We have a cast-iron rule that mobile phones are completely banned in the studio, even if they are on silent. But he always has his on. On one occasion there had been a lot of transfer speculation about James Beattie and Matt was fiddling under the desk as I got to him. I asked what he was doing and he said he was texting Beatts to see what he should say. I asked what the reply was and he said, “Tell them Eff all.”

  But Matt gets away with it because of the character he is. He slots perfectly into the panel because he does not mind setting himself up to be mocked. It was the same when he revealed that he likes Shakin’ Stevens—that’s the singer not a hobby, by the way! I once said that West Brom hadn’t won old Trafford since 1984 when Shakin’ Stevens was Number One with ‘This Ol’ House’. Matt said, “I think you’ll find it was 1981.” I checked and, of course, he was right so I asked how he knew and he admitted that it was the first record he ever bought, and that he had seen Shaky in concert several times. He knew we’d give him merciless stick for that but he was up for it because he knew it would make good television.

  The chemistry of the panel is so important and the others regard him as a mate. If they don’t like you then you won’t be coming back too often, but they all get on well with him. They like him as a person, respect his opinions and, of course, they admired him as a player. We have tried a lot of ex-pros on the panel but not too many can slot in, and certainly not as comfortably as Matt.

  It isn’t as simple as just sitting there talking about the match. Yes, you’ve got to know the game but you need a quick wit, a good sense of humour, clarity of thought and the self-belief to stand up to three grizzled pros who jump on your every mistake. He has to be able to watch a match on a screen and talk to me and listen to the producer all at the same time, but he is as sharp on screen as he was on the field.

  He was a terrific player who was admired by fans of all clubs. He wasn’t at a club that a lot of people hated, and he was the sort of player most fans wanted to be. He scored brilliant goals but he felt like one of them—very ordinary, a bit lazy and overweight but tremendously loyal. That counted for a lot in the game. Fans get very resentful if they see their best players leave for the sake of a few more quid when they are already very well paid. But Matt had an old-fashioned sense of allegiance to a small club. Southampton were never a threat to the big boys so opposition fans never hated him; they just enjoyed watching him play. And they enjoy watching him just as much now because he says what he thinks. A lot of ex-pros can be loathe to criticise while others can do it just for effect. Matt gets the balance just right. He is always willing to have a dig if it is required, and he has been very outspoken on Steve McClaren, Emile Heskey and (surprise, surprise) referees. But he never overdoes it, showing the same balance, composure and entertainment factor as he did as a player.’

  Phil Thompson

  Sky Sports colleague Jan 2005-present

  ‘Matt is the same in the studio as he was on the pitch—very laid-back but very sharp. People sometimes look at Matt and think he’s disinterested in the game, but nothing could be further from the truth. As a player he would appear casual and lazy, then suddenly he’d pounce on a half-chance and conjure something out of nothing. He’s the same as a panellist. He’s a real student of the game and really watches it. That might sound obvious but not everyone does it. And he has a great way of putting his point across.

  He fits right in with the rest of us because he can laugh at himself, which is absolutely essential, and he has really added to the chemistry of the panel. We have some great banter—not least because we are both well blessed in the nose department. Matt must be delighted to have me in the studio with him. All through his career he got stick from fans for the size of his nose but he is only in the Championship compared to me. I’m in the Premier League when it comes to noses!

  We both started to be regulars around the same time and I enjoyed getting to know him. I likened him to Alan Hansen in many ways because they were both players I looked at and thought they weren’t management material. But just like Alan, Matt has found his niche. His biggest asset is that he is not scared to give an opinion. If someone isn’t pulling his weight in a game then Matt will not hesitate to say so—even though he was hardly the hardest worker himself.

  I remember when Liverpool were twice behind against Havant & Waterlooville in the FA Cup and Matt absolutely slaughtered me. Then Sky gave him the next round when Liverpool lost at home to Barnsley and he was screaming at me. Some of the Liverpool fans thought he had a down on the club but that wasn’t the case at all—it was just his way of having a dig at me. If it had been Arsenal losing to Barnsley he’d have made fun of Charlie Nicholas. It just made for good entertainment.

  Sometimes though it is too intense for mickey-taking. I remember the last day of the 2007-08 season when Southampton were in danger of being relegated from the Championship. Matt went through hell that day. He had fought so hard for so long to keep them in the Premier League. When they came from behind to beat Sheffield United 3-2 you’d think they’d won the cup. He was absolutely DELIGHTED. Even though he had hung up his boots after a great career he still loves his club, even in the bad times.’

  Charlie Nicholas

  Sky Sports colleague, Jan 2005-present

  ‘I should get danger money from Sky whenever I have to sit between Phil Thompson and Matt, with two of the biggest noses I have ever seen. They could take someone’s eye out if they suddenly turn round.

  When Matt first joined the panel, Sky tried to smarten him up. But he isn’t that type of guy. Vic Wakeling was the Managing Director of Sky Sports, a really important guy but not too busy or important to take it upon himself to go shopping on Matt’s behalf. He bought him four shirts and four jackets because he couldn’t take any more of what Matt was wearing. In all my time in television, I have never seen anyone being told what to wear. But even he gave up trying to make Matt wear a tie, and rightly so because it just looks wrong on him.

  A lot of footballers are very image conscious and spend a lot of time on their grooming but not Tiss. He is just very down to earth. He is very easy-going and seems embarrassed by any compliments he gets. And that is why he is so loved by the viewers. They know he was a terrific player and most of them loved to watch him even when he was scoring against their side. But despite his immense ability, he has never been flash or flamboyant.

  He has dreadful taste in music, he has the worst ring-tones ever and he asks for girlie drinks whenever we go on a big night out with Sky. We will be on champagne and cocktails and he will ask for Malibu and Coke and never worries what people think.

  He also scored some of the most sp
ectacular goals I’ve ever seen. He was a genius with the ball and I’d admired him from afar but the first time I ever met him was at Paul Merson’s testimonial. He was magnificent that night with his control of the ball and the way he nutmegged household name players for fun. I wondered why he had stuck with Southampton all those years but he can be very stubborn and never felt a need to move. I think his talents would have been even more widely appreciated if he had been at a bigger club but what he did for Southampton has to be applauded. People there must think he is a God.’

  Alan Ball

  —My Tribute

  Even after Alan left the club in the summer of 1995, we remained great friends and often saw each other socially. The day he died was one of the saddest of my life. It was three o’clock in the morning on April 25, 2007 when I got a phone call from Big Dave, a mutual friend who used to drive Bally to all his social functions so that he could have a drink. Dave used to look after the players lounge at The Dell when Lawrie McMenemy was manager and is one of the most loyal blokes you are likely to meet. As his nickname suggests, he is a big lad with sovereign rings, no hair and not too many teeth because they had all been knocked out in fights.

  I was at a Cornish golf festival and had put my phone on silent but, bizarrely, I heard it vibrate on the bedside table. It was a weird moment but I answered it and was knocked for six by the news that Bally had suffered a heart attack and had died. At first I thought I was in a nightmare but when I realized Alan had gone, it hit me hard. It was a massive shock because he was so full of life and seemed in really good health. He had bounced back strongly from the death of his beloved wife Lesley and had rebuilt his life.