Will Still admits regret after Southampton sacking as club thrives under Eckert

Key facts

• Will Still was sacked after 13 league games with Southampton 21st in the Championship.
• Still won only two Championship victories during his tenure.
• Tonda Eckert has secured 19 Championship wins and a playoff place, with automatic promotion possible.
• Still admitted he was 'too nice' and struggled with cultural differences in English football.
• Southampton offloaded six players and added two in the winter window to address squad size.
• Still regrets not making better use of captain Jack Stephens.
• Eckert won his first two matches in charge, turning the club's fortunes around.

A sobering reflection from the departed manager

Will Still, the former Southampton manager sacked after 13 league games, has broken his silence on a tenure he describes as a 'great learning curve' but also a source of deep regret. The 33-year-old Belgian, who arrived with a reputation built on 37 Ligue 1 wins with Reims and Lens, admitted he was 'delighted' to see the club now competing at the top end of the Championship table under his successor, Tonda Eckert. Still put his hands up to several mistakes, acknowledging that he 'ran out of time' to adapt to English football. '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 told Sky Sports. 'I was in an accelerated top-up course of English. Ultimately, I ran out of time.'

The cultural chasm that undermined his reign

Still, who had never managed in England before, felt like a foreigner at times, grappling with language and body language. He noted that in France he was considered 'very honest,' but in England he came across as 'too nice.' Johannes Spors, a club figure, even remarked in an interview after Still's sacking that maybe he was too nice. 'On reflection, it was the language that I used, my body language, what I said to the press and when I said it,' Still said. The cultural differences extended to player behavior and training setup, compounding the challenges of a bloated squad that he felt was not 'in sync' when he arrived.

Eckert's transformative impact in stark contrast

Tonda Eckert, the German manager who replaced Still, has engineered a remarkable turnaround. He has secured the Championship playoffs for Southampton, with automatic promotion still within reach after a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town mid-week. Under Eckert, the Saints have amassed 19 Championship wins, compared to Still's paltry two. Eckert won his first two matches in charge, instantly reversing the club's fortunes. Still, who was sacked with the club 21st in the division, watched from afar as his successor transformed a side that had only two league victories under his watch. 'I'm delighted they are where they are because the supporters deserve to go back up,' Still said, adding that he will always have a 'part of regret' that he didn't get it right.

Squad issues and tactical missteps

Still admitted that the size of the Southampton squad did not help, and that many areas of the club were not aligned when he arrived. The club addressed the bulky squad in the winter window, offloading six players and adding two new faces, along with the return of James Bree. Still also acknowledged he should have made better use of captain Jack Stephens, who dropped to the bench at the end of his tenure. Despite some encouraging performances, Still said it 'never quite' clicked for him in the hot seat. He tried to leave too much of his own mark on proceedings, a contrast to Eckert, who proved to be the perfect fit.

A learning curve and a career crossroads

Still, now unemployed, hopes to pick up a new job soon to prove his doubters wrong and reignite his once-promising career. He did not come across as bitter when commenting on Southampton's drastic turnaround, acknowledging that he won't be the first or last manager to be swallowed 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,' he reflected. Still's experience serves as a cautionary tale about the challenges of cross-cultural management in football, where even a proven track record in another league does not guarantee success.

The bottom line

• Will Still's tenure at Southampton was marked by cultural misadaptation and a bloated squad, leading to his sacking after 13 games.
• Tonda Eckert has transformed Southampton into promotion contenders with 19 wins and a playoff place secured.
• Still admitted to being 'too nice' and struggling with language and body language differences between French and English football.
• Southampton's winter window overhaul, offloading six players, addressed squad size issues that Still had flagged.
• Still's regret over not using captain Jack Stephens more effectively highlights tactical missteps during his reign.
• The contrast between Still's two wins and Eckert's 19 underscores the impact of managerial fit in the Championship.