Over on ohwhenthesaints forum, there has been a Q&A with Simon Gillett on his time at Saints, thought I'd share a transcript - sorry its a bit long ! ! ! Would just like to say that my time down at Southampton will always looked back on fondly, I loved (almost) every minute of it and I owe some of the coaching, medical and administrative staff down there a lot as they were very good with me, as they were with a lot of the young lads who came through the youth set up. As for the fans it goes without saying how good they are and every single time I played for Southampton was an honor, although I'm from Oxford I look at Southampton as my home town club really as I was connected to it from a young age and ultimately gave me the chance to do what every boy dreams of, playing professional football. Anyway nice to meet you all and any questions feel free and I shall try my best to answer them How are things going at Doncaster? Do you get regular first team games there? Not a problem. Things have been a bit up and down here since i joined. I started the 1st 12 games of last season then got a medial tear in my left knee, this led to me being out till late feb due to a set back which was very frustrating. I was involved in the last 12 games of the season starting the majority of them. Currently up untill now i have started every game of this season. Things have been tough as we have had a large amount of our squad out injured starting around the time I got injured last year right up untill now some are not yet back so its been difficult, slowly and surely people are getting back fit which is good and i hope thathaving a full fit squad again will reinvigorate us and certainly give us more of a chance of doing something in this division. Any team with 14+ injuries at anyone time would struggle but unfortunately that has been our situation. I thought you were unlucky at Southampton and deserved to get more games. Was it frustrating that you were not given a more regular first-team place? How did you feel about it? Thank you. Personally i was left feeling very frustrated by the whole situation, I was desperate to make it at Southampton and ultimately got my time in the team but with 11 or maybe more managers in my 8 years at Southampton the odds were always stacked against me. We had huge numbers of players from Sturrock, Redknapp and Burley era and was difficult to get into the squad because of so many "senior" players, the managers having to deal with them made me and others fall further down the pecking order. It did allow me to go on loan which was great especially with Blackpool with whom I won a promotion with playing 31 games for them that season. I thought i may have a chance after going out and "proving" myself to come back to Burley who never gave me a chance, this time was by far the most frustrating of my time on the South coast. You played under several managers at Southampton. Can you tell us how they varied in their methods? Which managers do you feel got the best out of you? Yeah 11 or maybe 12 I think it was. They all varied massively as you can imagine, I came in under Strachen who I was scared to death of at 16 but soon found my feet and I found he liked me including me in pre season games in my 1st season which was great. Under him was Steve Wigley the reserve coach who Is a fantastic coach and felt he taught me a lot and helped me grow as a player along with Stuart Henderson whom i owe my career as a professional footballer too, he taught me so much and helped me carve out a career,something I will always be grateful for and will never let a bad word be said about. How they got rid of him and replaced him I shall never know the reason, just look at the list of players playing in the league now that he has had through his youth teams-astonishing. Wiggs went to 1st team manager and wasnt their for long was a bit of a blur that, I think it was difficult coming from within the club perhaps going to be 1st team manager in terms of the 1st team players and the divide between coach and manager. Sturrock started to bring in new players and youth/reserve team didnt really get a look in only Yoann Folly and Leandre Griffit later who both did really well from what i remember. Redknapp as we all know brought in many players although a few started to get introduced also,aminly the pacey ones Nathan Dyer and Theo of course, Harry help with my 1st loan move to Walsall, with his friend Paul Merson as manager.....interesting! Burley didnt give me a chance at all and was obstructive in my career I feel something I feel very disappointed by. Nigel Pearson was a breathe of fresh air for me personally, he saw and coaxed out my qualities involving me more although still not regularly I was grateful for the chance as I had expected to be leaving had Burley stayed. I think he was very unfortunate not to be kept on as manager and found he was a very good man manager, tough but fair. Jan and Mark were brought in this where i got a chance to play more regularly and loved every second of it, injury during meant i was out for a while. Relegation and turmoil upstairs...which had been ongoing for years led to another new manager in Pardew, who again I didnt get much of a look in,the odd game or few minutes,which was what I didnt want or need at that stage in my career, the new board had given him money and backing and he found specific players he wanted in which is fair enough and I moved on. When you were a boy was it your dream to be a footballer? Who were your heroes? Who did you want to be? It was definitely my dream to be a professional footballer, as many lads its pretty much all I was interested in till a girl called...anyway thats a different story!!! My hero's I'd have to say early on were Ian Wright, scored for fun and his charisma and wild style I just loved. R9 "The phenomenon" Ronaldo is probably my joint favourite player along with Paul Scholes who in my eyes is the best English Player of all time, for a midfielder he had everything and someone I aspire to be like.
Have you any thoughts yet about when your playing days are over? Do you want to go into the management side or have you other plans? Its something i've thought about all my career and something my parents were clear to point out to me from early on that football doesn't last forever and I need a back up. I did my gcse's getting good marks and 2 A levels at college during my YT days but all i've ever wanted is to make it as a professional. I'm keen to go into being an Agent I think as from my past experiences good and bad I hope I can help in the situations I've been in. I do also think ill finish coaching badges at some stage to give myself that option aswell. Is there any team you dread playing against? Any players you know will give you a rough time? There's someone that sticks out to me when I was younger I didnt look forward to playing against because he absolutely smashed me one game when I was a young lad in the reserves, being Shaun Derry now at QPR but have since got my own back! There's not a team or person I fear playing really, I see it as a challenge and it's something in my nature to like to take on challenges in football. Being small I've always had to prove I'm no push over because people wont give you the time of day if you are. Did you ever feel a penalty or free kick (or yellow card) was awarded against you unjustly..................and were there any times you felt you were lucky a penalty was not given to the other team? Yes I unjustly got a yellow in the 1st game of the season last year when Callum Davidson decided to try and volley through my leg so I told him what I thought of him, ending up with being yellow carded!!! With regards to a penalty I can think of a time really that stands out......I will add to this day I still feel my friend Olly Lancashire's red was harsh QPR away!!!! (i am joking...he still claims to this day it was harsh Do you do anything or wear anything for good luck? dont really have any superstitions before games, I like to eat the same thing before games, spaghetti hoops on toast with butter and marmite on!!! and maybe a banana after! Can you please tell us about any matchday superstitions of yourself and the other boys The weirdest superstition i've ever known was when a lad in the youth team had to walk back over the line that runs between the door frame 10 times before he could go out!!! strange In your time with Saints who were the characters in the team? Can you tell us one or two amusing stories about some of them? HAHAHAHA...by far the funniest man I've met in football is Leon Best, half the time he doesn't even mean to be! A story about him that stands out would be he once shared a room with Matthew Mills, Matt went to bed,Besty stayed up a bit chatting or whatever and was gonna go to bed later,fair enough. So its pitch black Matt's asleep by now, Besty waltzes into the room not a care in the world, puts on a CD,His fav Notorious BIG, It was all a dream...(how appropriated) strips naked and starts dancing with his bare arse facing towards Matt, Matt craps himself switches on the bedside light to awken to this big hairy arse in his face shaking like something like beyonce would do!!!! Hilarious, thats a typical thing Besty would do, great guy and a good friend.. How do you find the atmosphere among the players varies at Southampton Doncaster and the other teams you have played for? Are training programmes similar? Atmosphere is similar everyone gets along and will socialise with one another outside of football aswell as working together which is nice because at some clubs that definitely doesn't happen. Training is a little different, we train longer up at Doncaster and Generally as a whole squad due to numbers, at Southampton often they'd be numbers big enough to have 2 maybe 3 different sessions going on at times. You did a good job for Saints. Can you tell us about a match or 2 that you are especially proud of? (And if you are willing, could you tell us about an embarrassing moment you wish had never happened?) Obviously I was very proud of making my debut, coming on for an injured David Prutton after half an hour in the F.A cup away at Leicester and us winning 1-0 was great. A game that sticks in my mind was when we won away at pride park under Jan Poortvliet, our 1st win with a predominantly young team against a good derby side was brilliant. Ive got a funny picture ill try and upload from that game if I can work out how! Embarrassing moment, hmmm, I cant really think of one off the top of my head apart from obviously no one wants to be relegated and something I wish wasn't on my record If you had not become a footballer what job would you have liked to do? Ive honestly not got a clue, perhaps a physio! Do you have a wife/girlfriend and children? What are their names? Yes I have a girlfriend called Holly. No children i know of!!!
What hobbies do you pursue? I like Golf, eating out and trying new foods of the world, cinema and films and seeing my family and friends as much as possible What car do you drive? BMW X6 What sort of music do you listen to? Mainly RnB Hip Hop but I like a lot of different music just bad with names Who are your favourite singers/groups (past or present)? Favourite would have to be Usher who I saw live in concert not so long ago,front row screaming like a girl!! amazing What are or were your favourite TV programmes? Luther on BBC, Mount Pleasant on Sky One currently and I loved all the Nip/Tuck series What are your favourtie films? Donny Brasco, Anchorman, John Q, Catch me if you can, Inception Who is your favourite actor? Johnny Depp, Leonardo Dicaprio, Denzel Washington Who is your favourite actress? Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Who is your favourite comedian /funnyman? Will Ferrell Do you have any pets? Milly and Dotty 2 mini jack russels What is your favourite meal? My Mum's Sunday Roast Dinner What is your favourite drink? Ribena, in a carton or Nesquick-strawberry Where did you go for your favourite holiday? Miami What do you hope to do after your playing career is over? Be an Agent or coach probably What aftershave or cologne do you like? Chanel Bleu What is your favourite colour to wear? A deep Blood Red Were you gutted not to score at Wembley when you came on in the JPT final? I remember you came close to hitting the net when you cut inside and forced a good save. Definitely,I thought id done enough but keper made a good save unfortunately! Who's your favorite Footballer in the Championship right now? hmmm, I think till recently it would have been Scott Parker, not too sure now! As you're quite little (no offence!) - did you ever find it hard at youth level to progress to the next level or compete in CM with some quite 'butch(?)' lads? None taken, No never found it hard to compete,ive always more than held my own and im strong and quite nippy so used them to my advantage BUT i have found it hinder my career a little with certain managers prefering a bigger "stature" of player but not a lot I can do about that!
Although the 'Dutch duo' of Poortvliet & Wotte were known for their youth development, did you feel you improved as a player under them and who would you say was the best player in the team at the time? Surman? A much younger Lallana? I feel i did improve with help from Mark certainly,he was a help in areas of my game. At the time i'd agree with Drew he's a great player someone with a lot of quality helped crafted and shaped by Stuart Henderson in large part When George Burley was in charge there were rumours that he had drink problems that affected the way he did the job? What did the players think about it? Im not too sure, you would have to ask him. I think a few players in the game may well think many a manager must be p*ssed not to pick them!! Could you give us an insight into how Nicola Cortese runs the club? We've seen all sorts in the press (with the photography ban and the alleged feud with Matt Le Tiss), but do you feel he's heading the right way? With regards To Nicola Cortese I am well out of the loop of things, but what I do know is he seemed to be a very astute and perhaps ruthless business man at times. I believe that the stability of the club as things stand can only be great for the club after years and years of wrangling for power for no obvious reason other than prestige in my opinion! Also, with Ben Reeves signing pro terms and young Luke Shaw getting an England Under 16 call up, just how good is the academy and the future for Saints?" I think the record speaks for its self when it comes to the academy, the number of players currently playing that have come out of the Saints Youth set up in the last 5-10 years alone is amazing and i'm sure it will continue,although recently I had thought it had taken a downward turn but hopefully that is behind and now people like Reevo can go on and play in the 1st team regularly What did you think of Pardew? Pardew I feel didn't really much of a chance,I think he wanted someone of a "bigger" stature, therefore ruling me out before even giving me a chance,unfortunately for me,many managers are like that but it's one thing I cant do a lot about....apart from blame my parents!!! Did you ever meet Markus Liebherr, if so, what was he like? I did meet Markus Liebherr,very briefly on two occassions,once before a team photo and once before our JPT final How did you feel about Liebherr's death? I think it was a terrible shame he died because I believe he would have seen his vision and dreams of Southampton Football club being back where it belongs in the premiership very much sooner rather than later,a great shame he didn't get the chance to see it for himself after saving the club. How did you feel about Pardew's sacking? Pardew's sacking didn't really surprise me,there had been murmurs of it for a while and he didn't get the club promoted which I know was the aim of the board. What can you tell us about your final year here? (Under Pardew) My final year involved going out on loan,traini with the scholars,playing in the JPT final and being released so was a massively up and down time,I knew I was on my way out while under parses so wasn't a real surprise but it was disappointing because I felt had I been given a fair chance I perhaps would have won him round. What do you think of the Club now, and the way its heading? The club now is in good hands,it's the most stable it's been in years with regards to the board and that can only be good. I don't know Nigel Adkins but my mate here Billy Sharp speak very highly of him as does friends I have still at saints,as I said before,I firmly believe saints will be back in the premiership before very long Simon seems a top, and honest bloke after reading this (Y)
I was so pleased for him when he finally found a club that would give him a chance. Without a doubt, I have seen him in many more Reserve games than 1st team ones. If he was still at Saints he'd still be in the reserves. A bit like Joseph Mills in that he was always going to miss out somewhere within our set up. Best elsewhere, and the best of luck to him.
