Secrets of the soaring Saints: Extra training, a top academy and players doubling as car salesmen to help the foreigners settle... Something special is happening on the South Coast. Led by a ruthless Italian, fronted by a friendly Argentinian and with a core of young English players, Southampton have defied the odds to take an early spot in the top four. In little more than four years with chairman Nicola Cortese at the helm, the club have gone from bottom of League One, with 10 points deducted for going into administration, to dreams of Europe. The pursuit of success has cost two managers their jobs, but the latest recruit, the relatively unknown Mauricio Pochettino, is continuing the charge. Cortese aims to finish in the top six this season, but how has he turned the club around? Sportsmail reveals all. Former banker Cortese has been willing to upset the fans and is not afraid to trade in cold, hard business decisions rather than popularity. Despite that, he has forged a strong relationship with his prime assets — the players. The squad know they can phone, send a text or pay Cortese a visit if they have an issue. He regularly pays visits to the training ground and, at the club’s end-of-season dinner, he shed the harsh exterior to joke with the team. Academy product Luke Shaw’s agent tried to have a clause inserted in his contract that if Cortese were to leave, his client could, too. Former Southampton winger Jason Puncheon is one of the few players to criticise Cortese publicly but, after being called in for a meeting, revived his career at the club when it looked to be over. ‘People make out Nicola to be a stern, stubborn character, but he is a man of his word,’ Puncheon said. ‘I remember the day I signed, he said this club will be in the Premier League in five years’ time — it happened in three.’ Cortese’s vision was of a ‘more continental’ approach to running the club when he arrived in 2009. ‘There was no company culture, no plans, no ambition,’ he said. Unlike other clubs where new managers employ a whole team of their own backroom staff, causing massive upheaval when they leave, at Southampton only a small number report directly to the first-team manager. Pochettino has Jesus Perez as his assistant, his first-team coach is Miguel D’Agostino and Toni Jimenez is goalkeeping coach. The rest are accountable to the Football Development Centre, whose executive director is Les Reed. When former manager Nigel Adkins was sacked, only three staff went with him. It is still a sore point for fans that Pochettino was lined up before axing the man who won back-to-back promotions, but Cortese said: ‘I would do it the same way again.’ Pochettino is playing the same 4-2-3-1 formation with which the club had such success under Adkins. Cortese has described it as ‘the Southampton way’. It is hard-wired into the club’s DNA as a system the academy sides play. If Pochettino didn’t fit the mould, he wouldn’t have got the job. ‘The manager has an important role but is a department head like others,’ Cortese said. Let’s have breakfast If Cortese is the ruthless leader, Pochettino is the life and soul. The Argentinian has been described as charismatic, personable and effusive. Working the crowd, hugging and shaking hands, he typically takes time to greet a St Mary’s security guard. ‘He makes sure you know he’s noticed you,’ one source said. At training, he is the first person on the pitch before sessions. He may not be given credit for the system the club play, but he has intensified the pressure upfield, winning high praise from Sir Alex Ferguson. He started regular double training sessions and gets the players in for breakfast at 9am. His English remains media-shy but, with the players, he communicates perfectly, coming over as firm but fair. ‘He treats each one like a son,’ another source said. Club legend Matt Le Tissier added: ‘The players all have the utmost respect for him. They enjoy the style of play. I’ve not heard a player say a bad word about him — the sign of a good manager.’ Need a car, lads? The players, led by club captain Kelvin Davis, take it upon themselves to integrate new foreign team-mates. Defender Jos Hooiveld, a car buff, puts his experience to use in advising on best buys. Others will drive them around recommending places to live and to visit potential homes. The club provide language classes and technical coaches — for a year they hired a Japanese speaker to be with Tadanari Lee on the training pitch. The kids are alright The bone marrow of Southampton’s squad is English youth from their academy. There is Shaw, 18, James Ward-Prowse, 18, Calum Chambers, 18, and captain Adam Lallana, an older head at 25. Sweet 16: James Ward-Prowse was just 16 years old when he made his debut Sweet 16: James Ward-Prowse was just 16 years old when he made his debut Cortese always aimed for a starting XI fed by the youth development system, with around £2.5million ploughed into the academy each year. Best defence in England The biggest improvement is at the back, helped by centre half Dejan Lovren (£8.5m) and defensive midfielder Victor Wanyama (£12.5m). On the defensive Southampton have the second best defensive record in Europe this season. P Goals Per game Roma 7 1 0.14 Saints 7 2 0.29 B Munich 8 3 0.38 Lille 9 4 0.44 The two goals they have let in is the lowest number in the Football League and only bettered by Roma in the top European leagues. ‘It doesn’t compare with any team I’ve played for,’ said Le Tissier. ‘We shipped goals. ‘It is the most solid I’ve seen the club since Gordon Strachan was boss. We finished in the top half and got into Europe.’ No wonder the fans are on cloud nine An abiding image from the Premier League relegation in 2005 is of the club’s website editor Graham Hiley crying in the press box. His association with the club started as a reporter for the Southern Daily Echo in 1988. ‘Only the births of my children made me miss a game,’ said Hiley, 54. ‘When a club is relegated, hard-working people lose jobs through no fault of their own.’
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 08:28:34 +0000
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