My dad the Southampton legend

Us Southampton fans think we have Matthew Le Tissier - Le God to some - all figured out.

He's on our TV screens every week as part of the fantastic Gilette Soccer Saturday panel on Sky Sports and features on every single "great goals" video compilation you can find.

Le Tissier is still adored by the Southampton faithful. But, what is the man to his son? We spoke to Mitch Le Tissier to find out for ourselves.

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St. Mary's Musings: First of all, with a dad like yours, you must get asked all the time if you inherited any of your dad's footballing talent. So, I'm really sorry to do this, but did you?

Mitch Le Tissier: Not really, no. My career peaked aged 10 at Dad's testimonial and the trial at Saints that followed. Being told aged 11 that I was too small to make it put a stop to that.

SMM: I recall seeing you play at your dad's testimonial at St. Mary's. How was that experience as a kid?

MLT: It was amazing. Obviously a dream to play at the ground of the team you support and with guys like Ian Wright, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer etc. Incredible experience I'll never forget.

SMM: What was the moment which made you realise your dad didn't have a so-called "average" job and was in fact a hero to many at Southampton?

MLT: I don't know if there was a moment really, it had just always been that way and I'd never known any different. He wasn't a footballer or celebrity to me, he was just Dad.

SMM: What is your favourite goal of your dad's and why?

MLT: It was his header against Sheffield Wednesday at the Dell in 1998 from a Stuart Ripley free kick. It was the first time I saw him score.

SMM: Did you grow up with the kids of any of your dad's teammates at the time? What were your dad's teammates like?

MLT: I didn't know many of them growing up, I was in Guernsey then. Since I've come back to Southampton I've gotten to know The Benalis. Flash Gordon and Callum Watson. We all have a game of five-a-side from time to time.

SMM: My dad constantly embarrasses me. Can you bear to watch your dad on TV? I don't think I could stomach it if it were my father.

MLT: I don't think there's anything to worry about, I know he was scared of saying something he shouldn't but now he's really comfortable on there. To be honest when I'm watching Soccer Saturday I'm more interested in how my bets are getting on than who's on the panel!!

SMM: What are your feelings on the Cortese era at Southampton? The decision to ban your dad from St. Mary's was bizarre and I don't think ever properly explained from that time.

MLT: I think the former chairman did some good things, he was extremely driven and the performances on the pitch were excellent. I think that on field success meant that some fans were happy to ignore some other things. It's well known there were some 'issues' between him and former players, club staff, contractors and media.

But, I'm glad the club continued to move forward after his departure and that it's shown he wasn't the reason we performed well. I always think that chairmen are doing a good job if nobody is talking about them. Ralph Kruger is doing a really good job from what I can tell, keeping everything in order without everything the club do being in the headlines.

SMM: How has the club changed since you were the son of its biggest star?

MLT: The club's moved on leaps and bounds especially in the last 7 years. I think as heart breaking as it was at the time, going down to league one and hitting rock bottom was what the club needed. It was rotten and needed a fresh start. The training ground is the best indicator of how things have moved on. I remember going there with Dad when he was playing and when I was lucky enough to play in a charity match at Staplewood last year it was great to see just how much the club had moved on.

SMM: Who is your favourite player to don the Saints shirt (apart from Le God, of course) and why?

MLT: My answer to this will upset people, I loved Adam Lallana. He's a wonderfully gifted footballer and I've still not gotten over the fact he's left and also that he's not shown what he can do at Liverpool. I hope he can put a run together and get himself into the England squad for this summer's Euro's.

SMM: What is YOUR finest football/sporting achievement and why?

MLT: I'd have to say it was probably the testimonial, as I said playing and scoring in front of a full house at a Premier League ground was amazing. I still remind Dad I've scored more at St Mary's than he has!

SMM: Finally, what is your view on the club in its current state?

MLT: Saints are in a really good place. I must admit to being worried by the seeming lack of ambition last summer losing Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne and replacing them with some quite average players. But the return of Ryan Bertrand initially and latterly Fraser Forster from injury has really picked us up. The signing of Charlie Austin seems to have given a few players a bit of a nudge to perform and let's hope we can have a really good end to the season, get into Europe and get a bit further than we did this year.