Eckert wins Manager of the Month award
Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has been named the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Month for February.
Eckert led Saints to an unbeaten month of four wins and a draw from his side’s five league matches, a run that now stands at 11 games in all competitions.
Cyle Larin’s debut goal against Watford gave Saints a winning start to February before a remarkable comeback victory at Leicester, as the club made history by winning a match from three goals down for the first time ever.
Charlton held Saints to a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s before QPR were put to the sword in a five-star display, as Saints defeated the Rs 5-0 before rounding off the month with a 3-1 win at bottom side Sheffield Wednesday.
With 13 points and 14 goals scored, Eckert saw off competition from Philippe Clement (Norwich), Frank Lampard (Coventry) and Alex Neil (Millwall) to claim the prize, becoming the first Saints boss to win Manager of the Month since Ralph Hasenhüttl in July 2020.
Eckert said: "Of course it is nice to be recognised for such a strong month, but this is not just an award for myself but for the whole club. As a staff we are a team, and everybody needs to perform, on and off the pitch, for us to win games consistently in the Championship. We hope this is just the start of a very positive end to our season – it is up to us to continue on this path. We are still far away from where we want to be."
Elsewhere, Leo Scienza was pipped for the Player of the Month award by Millwall’s Femi Azeez, as the Lions continue their pursuit of automatic promotion.
Saints will return to St Mary's after four games on the road with a home clash against Norwich on Wednesday 18th March (7.45pm GMT). Tickets start from £25 for Adults and £15 for Juniors. All previously purchased tickets for the original date remain valid.
