September 2 - It Started With Le Tiss

THE word ‘legend’ gets bandied around a lot these days, often unjustly. But today’s subject surely qualifies on more than one count.

It was on this day in 1986 that Matt Le Tissier made his Southampton debut at the Dell against a Tottenham side that included Matt’s own boyhood hero Glenn Hoddle - not the first time their paths would cross. Saints won the match 2-0 and although Matt himself didn’t score, it was not long before he was off the mark, scoring against Manchester United later in the year.

Le Tissier, nicknamed Le God by Saints fans soon established himself in the side and in 1990 he picked up both the Southampton Player of the Year and the PFA Young Player of the Year awards, as his quality began to show.

By the mid-nineties Le Tiss was not only scoring lots of goals, but scoring spectacular goals as well. In the 1993/4 season he bagged 30 goals, and the following season he won the Match of the Day Goal of the Season for his 40 yarder against Blackburn Rovers.

In over 500 club appearances Le Tissier scored 209 goals from midfield - remarkable given the Saints team he played in was often struggling at the wrong end of the table.

He also famously scored 48 out of 49 penalties (the one save came from Mark Crossley since you ask), and he is so far the only midfielder to have scored 100 Premiership goals (although Scholes and Giggs will surely join this exclusive club sometime this season).

For all his brilliance, for all his breathtaking goals and supreme talent, perhaps the most remarkable thing about Le Tiss is that he was that rarest of beasts - a one club man.

All very well if you come through the ranks at Manchester United, but Le Tiss was an exceptionally gifted player, playing for a small club which was often fighting relegation - indeed it is hardly stretching the truth to say Le Tiss almost single-handedly saved the club from the drop at times.

It is unthinkable now that such a player would resist the overtures of AC Milan, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, as Le Tissier did, to remain with the Saints.

Matt reportedly did sign a contract with Spurs in 1991 but after further consideration tore it up to stay on the South coast.

During the 1990s, Matt made Match of the Day compulsive viewing as seemingly every other week he scored a wonder goal, and it was not just Southampton fans that were keen to see him wearing the Three Lions of England.

The men in charge were not so sure, and in his entire career Matt only ever earned eight full caps as he was overlooked by Graham Taylor, Terry Venebles and even his hero Glenn Hoddle.

Hoddle did organise an England B match prior to the 1998 World Cup, supposedly to give Matt a chance to prove himself. Playing as captain, Matt scored a hat-trick and hit the cross bar twice as Russia were well beaten, but even this was not enough for a place in the world cup squad.

Often branded a luxury player, overweight or even lazy by critics, Le Tiss was worshipped by Saints fans and he certainly had an aura of fairytale around him, as his final game proved.

Playing Arsenal in the last ever match at The Dell, the score was 2-2 going into the final minutes. Le Tiss was brought on and with virtually the last kick of the game, scored a left-footed volley to give Saints the win and send the crowd totally radio rental. It proved to be Matt’s last goal for Saints as injuries forced him to retire in 2002.

As with all sublime players, it’s best to let their skills have the final word, so enjoy some of Matt’s best efforts below, including the wonder goal he scored against Newcastle which is second in the compilation.

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