TIBS EXCLUSIVE – Matt Le Tissier: “Glad to see Southampton have dropped their Mark Clattenburg complaint.”

I’m really glad Southampton dropped their complaint against referee Mark Clattenburg because it must have been embarrassing for Adam Lallana.

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As a Southampton supporter I found it a little embarrassing myself reading that kind of stuff about our club in the newspapers and for the way we behaved.

And it should never have got to this position in the first place. It was all unnecessary in my opinion.

To be honest I wouldn’t have complained in the first place – the sort of stick referees have to take from players I think they are entitled to give a little bit back, in a mickey-taking sort of way of course.

I was always having a go at refs – some 95 per cent of my yellow cards were for dissent.

That was the kind of competitive streak I had in me – I didn’t like to lose so I challenged decisions when I felt a huge sense of injustice and wanted to fight my corner.

The referees that got the most respect from me were always the ones that were willing to have a little dig back.

I remember once when we played Everton at The Dell I was getting really fed up with referee Paul Durkin after about 20 minutes when every decision was going in the visiting team’s favour.

After another 50-50 decision went against us I looked at the ref and asked: “For F*** sake Paul are you going to give us anything today?”

And he looked back at me straight faced and just said: “Have you touched the ball yet?”

I went back at him: “F*** it! Don’t think I have actually,” and we had a chuckle about it and we’ve got on ever since.

It’s those little things like that are missing in today’s game – a bit of crack between the players and officials and referees who are allowed to have a personality.

It was all good fun and wasn’t taken as seriously as it is now-it’s a shame that it has gone that way.

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This photograph was provided by Goalden Goals.