‘I’m told…’ – Matt Le Tissier’s verdict on Southampton appointing Tonda Eckert permanently
Tonda Eckert is set to be given more time to prove himself as Southampton manager after a successful start to his interim spell.
That is the verdict of Southampton icon Matt Le Tissier, who has exclusively told Football Insider that he does not want the board’s view to be swung too heavily by the two successive wins during his short period in charge so far.
Eckert has led Southampton to three successive victories since he took charge of the team following Will Still’s departure, and that culminated in Saturday’s eye-catching 5-1 victory away at Charlton.
The 32-year-old has had a perfect start to life in the first-team dugout at St Mary’s, and that could heavily impact the board’s search for a new permanent boss to take the reins.
Eckert has done well as interim boss with no permanent appointment imminent
Football Insider exclusively revealed in early November that Eckert may be considered to become the next permanent Southampton boss if he produced strong results during his interim tenure.
The German has certainly done himself justice in that regard so far, as the trio of victories that he has overseen has lifted Saints up to 16th in the Championship table.
Eckert has been leading the club’s U21 team since his arrival in the summer, but the former Barnsley assistant now looks set to stay in charge of the first team for the time being, with a permanent appointment seemingly not imminent on the South Coast.
Southampton are currently sitting in 8th in the Championship form table over the last five games, and the unmistakably positive impact that Eckert has brought will certainly remain in the mind of the board in the coming weeks.
Le Tissier unsure on Eckert but can see him being given more time
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Saints and Premier League legend Le Tissier previously suggested that Southampton would be taking a major gamble by appointing Eckert on a full-time basis.
However, he now feels that it is likely that the stand-in manager will be given further opportunity to showcase his credentials.
He said: “I mean, the fact that he’s won the games that we’ve had under his stewardship obviously goes in his favour.
“On the flip side of that, in the game against QPR we were hanging on a little bit, and then we beat a fairly average Sheffield Wednesday team at home, so I don’t think you can get too carried away by those two results.
“The fact that we haven’t appointed a manager at this stage tells me that maybe they’re going to give him a little bit longer as an interim to try to prove that he’s up for the job.”