Chris Nicholl looks back at last LC Semi- Pretty Sad Article

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4107106/Chris-Nicholl-won-two-League-Cups-paid-high-price-used-head-100-balls-day-don-t-remember-good-times-well.html

Sad to see someone who was a great player and manager for us, down on his luck a bit. There will be many players who've played for us in the last 20 years, who didn't have anywhere near the impact as Nicholl, yet will have their feet up on easy street - financially. It seems unfair, but comes with the era.

My first Saints manager, how is he now 70! Sad to see him so old.

My first manager on Milton Road.

My first chant as a 14 year old .. we want Nichols out say we want nicholl out

Now some of my fondest memories are of his teams.. we could be 2-0 down at half time and know we would win.

So many great memories.

He sat with Sportsmail's Sam Cunningham to go through the second leg of Southampton's Cup semi with Liverpool

 

perhaps he could let us know what happens in the first leg

 

 

edit: Makes more sense now I've read the full article

I was at that semi-final and the 'penalty' was right in front of me. Not only did Lawrenson pull Wallace down on the ground he batted the ball away with his hand in disgust at having given the penalty away. Neither of course was given. I met Nicholl a couple of times and he was a true gentleman.

Great player decent manager and a real gentleman. Sad to read.

What a sad article to read.

When you see the behaviour of Fonte, Berahino et al and then read an article like this it makes for very sad reading. Would also be nice if maybe his old clubs especially Villa and Saints could do something for him.

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

Have to agree.

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

Ditto that

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

Undoubtedly

 

4-1 v Liverpool sticks out

A very under rated and often forgotten manager. He was a great servant to the Club and the team played good football. Never should have been sacked at the time IMO.

God how depressing to see him end up that way.

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

I'm always surprised how few games we played 4-2-4. Half a season in 88-89 and less than that the following year.

Met Ray Graydon in my local pub a few months ago.

Ray still visits Chris and they are close friends.

He said Chris was always tight with his money!

Sad it said he was divorced and living in one bedroom flat.

He was a proper centre half. They don't make em like that any more. A gent also, met him the once many years back

My first manager on Milton Road.

My first chant as a 14 year old .. we want Nichols out say we want nicholl out

Now some of my fondest memories are of his teams.. we could be 2-0 down at half time and know we would win.

So many great memories.

Yes, a classic example of be careful what you wish for.

The current Puel-out mob could learn a lesson there.

Absolute legend. Met him at the Saints fun days at The Dell, went back the next year to get it signed.

 

(I am the 10 year old being strangled)

 

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

Agreed. 89/90 season was class.

89/90 Season, how great was that. Went to every game, home and away that year (and the following, think i got to 110). Shame we lost the last two in North London or i think we could have finished third.

Great games, Liverpool 4-1, still the best result I have ever been at (yes, better than the 6-3), QPR away, Spurs in the cup at WHL. Charlton away and Donny's free kick.

What a front line, what a team full of characters.

Always like Chris Nicholl as a player, big no nonsense centre half, gave 100%, totally honest player in every sense. When partnered with Dave Watson we had a rockface in the middle of the park. I also liked him as a manager, his Saints sides played some great football with some very good footballers (Case should have won England caps during this period), experience mixed with youth. Nicholl suffered primarily because he followed McMenemy. With Saints fans still sore at his defection to Sunderland and having been spoilt during his tenure - a hard act to follow and then some. I think many of us realised how capable Nicholl had been in the decade that followed his departure.

Rated him as a player and a boss - great man. Sad to see his circumstances - wonder if the FA have a scheme in place to help ex=players affected by the long-term brain-damaged caused by heading heavy footballs?

His 4-2-4 side is still the best Saints team I have ever watched.

 

Completely agree. Legendary team.

A real nice guy, got to know him and his dad when the team travelled on same train as fans on way back from away games up front, always had time to talk irrespective of how drunk you were

cannot agreed they were the best saints team , most exiting, but the 84 side has to go down as best team

Absolute legend. Met him at the Saints fun days at The Dell, went back the next year to get it signed.

 

(I am the 10 year old being strangled)

 

 

I was there that day. Chris was a very good centre half, we were blessed with defenders in those days. He didn't see eye to eye with Mark Dennis tho !!! Eastleigh snooker centre rings a bell if anyone remembers :

89/90 Season, how great was that. Went to every game, home and away that year (and the following, think i got to 110). Shame we lost the last two in North London or i think we could have finished third.

Great games, Liverpool 4-1, still the best result I have ever been at (yes, better than the 6-3), QPR away, Spurs in the cup at WHL. Charlton away and Donny's free kick.

What a front line, what a team full of characters.

 

If I ever find myself on mastermind the Southampton season 1989/90 will definitely be my specialist subject, a wonderful season which I watched many teams since on the CBS FOX goals of the season video.

Another game worth a mention was the 4-1 home win against Norwich when they great Kevin Moore scored along with a Le Tissier hat trick (one of the best you'll ever see) the 4-4 draw at Carrow road was quite special as well.

Forward line including Le Tissier, Rod Wallace, Shearer, Rideout was great to watch.

 

Great memories and always remember Chris Nicholl fondly because of that. Signing USSR international players Alexi Chrednik and Gotsmanov a highlight as well. I remember being in Dnipro for the England game in 2009 and our cab driver claimed to be a saints the fan as his best mate was Chrednik.

Fond memories of Chris Nicholl and his team's. He was the gaffer when I started watching Saints as a 9 y.o.

 

1st game beating Liverpool 4-1 got me instantly addicted.

 

Can anyone fill me in why he left? Did we not finish 13th or something in 90/91 and fan's were on his back? Mistake in hindsight?

I was there that day. Chris was a very good centre half, we were blessed with defenders in those days. He didn't see eye to eye with Mark Dennis tho !!! Eastleigh snooker centre rings a bell if anyone remembers :

 

Love this photo. So miss that view acroos the pitch towards the Archers Road and that block of flats. Life was so simple then...

Played golf with him at Meon Valley over 10 years ago in Alan Balls Golf Day, fantastic host who had some good stories. Told me he was working for the stats people, basically he went to a match on the end of a phone literally telling who was on the other end that Charlton's no 3 had passed ball to Charlton's no 11etc. He said his daughter lived in a property in Southampton which he kept on from his days here. Loved Saints never said a bad word about the treatment he got from some down here. Really good golfer and a true gentleman.

Great memories from his reign but as I remember he had a charisma similar to Puell. Not that good in front of the camera, monotone almost. Great games and Matt le Tiss won the PFA young player of the year 1990 either when he was the manager or the season after.

Fond memories of Chris Nicholl and his team's. He was the gaffer when I started watching Saints as a 9 y.o.

 

1st game beating Liverpool 4-1 got me instantly addicted.

 

Can anyone fill me in why he left? Did we not finish 13th or something in 90/91 and fan's were on his back? Mistake in hindsight?

He followed after Lawrie I think you will find and the fans had been spoilt. We were too impatient waiting for the young players to develop. Had he followed Branfoot who knos how long he would have stayed