The Will Still era at Southampton just feels like a bad dream now when weighed up next to the unbelievable reign currently unfolding of Tonda Eckert.
Eckert has secured the Championship playoffs for the Saints, with the potential of automatic promotion even in their grasp heading into the final matches of the season, only to draw 2-2 with Ipswich Town mid-week.
Under Still, a far grimmer reality was on the menu, with the Belgian completely out of his depth.
Still was completely out of his depth at Southampton
When Still arrived on English shores last summer, there would have been a lot of excitement in the air.
Indeed, he had garnered quite the reputation in Ligue 1 as manager of both Reims and Lens, with a healthy 37 wins in the French top division in his back pocket, before relocating to St Mary’s.
Unfortunately, though, the 33-year-old would prove to be too much of a drastic change, with the promising young manager completely flopping, when only steering Southampton to two sorry Championship victories.
Still has given his own thoughts on his sobering stint at Southampton in a tell-all interview with The Overlap Breakdown, with the unemployed head coach stating that it “never quite” clicked for him in the hot seat, despite some encouraging performances.
Trying to leave too much of his own unique mark on proceedings, it’s clear that, while the one-time Lens boss was a failure, Eckert was just the perfect fit, in stark contrast.
He has a staggering 19 Championship wins next to his name, next to Still’s paltry two, with the German instantly turning around the downbeat side’s fortunes when collecting two wins from his opening two matches.
Still will hope he can pick up a brand-new job soon, to prove his doubters wrong and reignite his once promising career from the dug-out, but he didn’t come across as bitter or biting when also commenting on Southampton’s drastic turnaround, since he was handed the boot.
Still’s thoughts on Southampton’s insane promotion push
Ultimately, the 33-year-old won’t be the first or the last manager to be swallowed whole by the pressures of a Championship job.
For every Russell Martin, and Eckert, there is also a manager like Mark Wotte, who took the Saints down to League One in 2008, when only managing to collect a measly four wins from 18 games in charge.
Still will fall into this failed bracket, alongside the long-forgotten Dutchman, while Eckert is in line to be a legendary cult figure, on the contrary, if he can win promotion during his first-ever season as a main manager.
With the Belgian the exact same age as Eckert, there could be some resentment in his comments when discussing Southampton’s insane transformation.
Instead, the bruised head coach seemed genuinely happy that promotion could be on the cards.
He further said on The Overlap Breakdown: “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.
“But I will always have this part of regret that I didn’t get it right, and I ran out of time.”
While he does mention having regrets, he comes across as a pleasant character, when he could be filled to the brim with envy, as he tries to repair his fractured reputation in time.
Eckert, on the other hand, will be aiming to be a Premier League head coach, when the chaos of the playoffs begin next month.
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