'Oh my goodness' - Matt Le Tissier reacts to Southampton FC shocker v Middlesbrough | OneFootball

Matt Le Tissier has responded to Southampton's poor showing at the Riverside

The South Coast outfit have experienced an extremely disappointing 2025/26 campaign, which started with them tipped to be one of the teams fighting for promotion.

Under the guidance of Will Still, Southampton would win just two of their opening 13 league matches, form which led to a managerial change. In came U21s coach Tonda Eckert to replace him, initially on a temporary basis.

Results immediately picked up, with Eckert winning his first four matches in charge. After tasting victory in two of his next three fixtures, the German was handed the Southampton job on a permanent basis.

However, Eckert hasn’t been able to maintain that strong form. Southampton are without a win since early December, with performances slowly beginning to match those that were apparent under Still.

Matt Le Tissier gives pure reaction to Southampton’s Middlesbrough defeat

Included in the Saints’ barren run have been closely fought contests with Coventry City and Millwall, as well as concerning defeats against Norwich City and Oxford United.

This form recently culminated in a 4-0 battering at the hands of Middlesbrough, the lowest point thus far in Eckert’s reign.

Southampton managed to head into the break level with Boro, who only trail league leaders Coventry City by six points, which would’ve been a promising result to hang onto after 90 minutes.

However, the South Coast outfit capitulated in the second 45, conceding four times in the space of 22 minutes to suffer an embarrassing defeat.

This performance didn’t go down well with one of Southampton’s greatest ever operators, Matt Le Tissier.

Taking to X after the contest, the former Saints striker stated: “Oh my goodness what is going on at The Riverside stadium.”

Clearly, the 57-year-old couldn’t believe how quickly Southampton fell apart against Boro, which may be a feeling shared by a large majority of the St. Mary’s faithful.

Middlesbrough defeat may add to any Tonda Eckert concerns

Not too long ago, Eckert looked to be a miracle worker, who had managed to turn around Southampton’s fortunes after such a disappointing start to the campaign under Still.

However, the Saints are now six Championship matches without a win and have subsequently seen their charge up the table come to a halt.

If such form continues, questions may start being asked about whether the club were too quick to appoint Eckert, who had no previous experience of managing at first-team level before.

Only time will tell how this partnership plays out, but Southampton’s Middlesbrough hammering won’t have done anything to ease any concerns about their manager’s credentials.