RALPH Hasenhuttl first addressed the assembled media at Saints in December 2018.
He had joined after a successful spell at RB Leipzig, with Saints having sacked Mark Hughes and struggled in the bottom three of the Premier League.
Dismissed by the St Mary's side on Monday after almost four years in the job, we took a look back at when Hasenhuttl first became boss on the south coast.
Looking back at his arrival, here is part of what the Austrian said during his first press conference at Staplewood…
On how he felt to be appointed
“First of all from my side it is a pleasure for me to sit here in front of these 10 cameras and a lot of media.
“It is a pleasure for me to sit here and I am very proud of the club’s decision for me.
“It is a big challenge for me but it is the next step in my career. It is my goal to get my name known here in the Premier League.
“I had a few successful years in Germany and when I left Leipzig in the summer I was thinking about my next step and I wanted to stand in front of a new team in a new language and get developed personally and in my view of football.
“That’s the reason I made this decision to come here, to come to Southampton.
“I had very good meetings with Ralph Krueger and it was not a disadvantage that he can speak German also so for me it was relatively clear that I can help him in the situation the club is in at the moment.
“We find a good solution I think and the history and the philosophy of this team fits nearly perfect to my philosophy of how to work in football.
“It was a good decision for me and I am sure it is a good one.”
On what Saints fans could expect from his side
“You can expect a very passionate kind of football with 11 characters on the field who know exactly what to do, what they have to show the crowd.
“After the match even if we don’t win, I am 100 per cent sure they will help us and appreciate what they have seen.
“I know there are no guarantees of winning and the only thing we have is to work on chances. If you want guarantees buy a washing machine. In football there are no guarantees.
“If we win they will follow us and appreciate what we do on the pitch and if this relationship works I don’t know the limits for us.”
With almost four years and a record of 173 games and 59 wins later, Hasenhuttl may not have guaranteed anything during his time at St Mary’s – he did however keep them in the top flight for the entirety of his tenure.
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