What Will Still has said after Southampton FC exit - 'I didn't do well enough' | OneFootball

Will Still has broken his silence on his sacking from Southampton after just 16 games in charge at St Mary's.

Former Southampton manager Will Still insists he has no complaints about being sacked by the club after just 16 games in charge.

Still only took over at Southampton in the summer following their relegation from the Premier League, and he arrived at St Mary's with a reputation as one of the brightest young managers in Europe after his impressive work in France with Reims and Lens, with the latter finishing eighth in Ligue 1 under his guidance last season.

The 33-year-old was given strong backing in the transfer market this summer as 10 new players arrived at the club, including big-money additions such as Casper Jander, Finn Azaz, Tom Fellows, Leo Scienza and Damion Downs, and the Saints were widely billed as one of the promotion favourites in the Championship this season.

However, Southampton struggled to live up to those expectations as they made a poor start to the season, and Still was sacked earlier this month after a five-game winless run left the South Coast outfit sitting just one place above the relegation zone, with the 2-0 home defeat to Preston North End proving to be the final straw for the club's hierarchy.

In total, Still won only four of his 16 games in charge of the Saints in all competitions during his five-month tenure, drawing six and losing six, and he departed with a win percentage of just 25%.

Southamptonare yet to appoint a permanent replacement for Still, but they have won back-to-back games since his departure, with caretaker manager Tonda Eckert leading his side to victories over Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield Wednesday to move them to within just seven points of the play-off places.

Eckert is believed to be under consideration for the permanent job, while the likes of Gary O'Neil, Tony Mowbray, Russell Martin, Frank Lampard, Brendan Rodgers, Michael Carrick, Lee Carsley and Mark Robins have all been linked with the Saints as their hunt for Still's successor continues.

Will Still breaks silence on Southampton sacking after St Mary's departure

In a candid interview, Still revealed that he has coped well with his sacking by Southampton, admitting he did not perform well enough during his brief spell at St Mary's, and he confirmed that he is planning to take some time out of management before his next challenge.

"I’m taking it well. It’s the first time I’ve been fired, so it’s new to me," he told DAZN België, quoted by the Southern Daily Echo.

"I didn’t do well enough; I know that’s how it works in the world of football, and you pay the price quickly.

"Many clubs have called me. But I want to take time to do things right. In football, we don't often have the time to take the time.

"I've done wonderful things over the past few years, but they've demanded a lot of energy from me. We're going to take the time to do things right for the next step and enjoy my family."

Frustrating Will Still situation will be baffling for Southampton after France success

Given his impressive work in France, Still looked to be an excellent appointment for Southampton, and with one of the best squads in the league at his disposal, he should have been more than capable of overseeing a promotion push this season.

However, it never really got going for Still at St Mary's, and after being given more than enough time to turn his side's fortunes around, it would be difficult for him to argue against his sacking as there was little evidence in the performances to suggest an upturn in results was imminent.

While a bounce under a caretaker manager is a common occurrence in football, the Saints' immediate improvement under Eckert does not reflect well on Still, and everyone connected to the club will be questioning why it went so wrong for the former Reims and Lens boss.