Southampton caretaker boss reveals what he will tell players ahead of Spurs clash

Southampton caretaker boss Kelvin Davis has spoken ahead of leading his side into tomorrow night’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Davis finds himself in charge of the Saints after they decided to sack Mark Hughes yesterday after eight months in charge.

Southampton drew with Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday and currently find themselves in 18th place in the table.

Hughes has struggled at Southampton across his spell on the south coast having just won three of their 22 league matches.

Tottenham will be looking to bounce back with a win after the North London derby disappointment at Arsenal but will know the risks of facing a side who have just parted company with their manager.

Davis, who previously played in goal for the Saints during his career was first-team coach under Hughes has stressed the importance of trying to get his players focused for the match at Wembley.

Spurs will be without Jan Vertonghen for the match, who will now serve a suspension for the two yellow cards he picked up at the Emirates.

Davis told Southampton’s official website: “If I’m honest, my feeling right now is not one of pride,”

“If I put my mind forward and imagine myself standing on the sideline being a coach or a manager for Southampton Football Club, everything in my body would tell me that’s a lovely feeling and one I would obviously always cherish.

“But my feelings right now are more about focus and preparing the team and the lads to put a strong performance in and do what everyone connected with the club wants to see.”

“The messages will be very simple, very clear,” added Davis.

“My role is to take the team on Wednesday. I don’t see the point in trying to get too much into their heads. They’re good players and I think we’ll get everything we can get into them before the game.

“They’re professional boys, and I like to think with their abilities there’s nothing stopping them putting in a positive performance and hopefully putting a display that puts us in a position to come away with something.”

Davis added: “I would be silly to think I could make big changes. It’s about now just keeping them focused on football, keeping them focused on Tottenham, keeping them focused on winning and trying to get the club moving forward again.

“We are where we are, and I think if you sat every one of the lads down they believe, and we believe, that we should be in a stronger position, and I just want, in the little bit of time I’ve got, is get them to realise that putting on a Southampton shirt is something to be proud of and if I can just get that one thing across or at least get them to emphasise that more in their play then that might be the difference in turning draws into wins.”

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