In Profile: Will Still
“I hate watching boring games of football,” Will Still told Sky Sports last month. “I don’t want to go to a stadium or to watch on telly something that’s like…” he puffs out his cheeks, “…I don’t want to watch that. Give me something.”
At 32, Still is used to managing players his own age, sometimes older, but young bosses seem to be the future of football. Even the present.
All three promotion-winning managers from the Championship last season were born in the ‘80s, including Russell Martin, who arrived at St Mary’s in similar post-relegation circumstances.
The 1993-born Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler caused a stir when he became the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history, aged 31.
“I’m a young man but not a young coach,” the German was quoted following his appointment last summer. The same could be said for Still, who has already been working in professional football in various capacities for more than a decade.
Born in Belgium to English parents, he grew up in the Walloon region just outside Brussels, the capital city that sits in the centre of the country. Fluent in French and Dutch, Still played youth football for Sint-Truiden and for RAEC Mons, two clubs within 50 miles of Braine-l'Alleud where he was born.
At the age of 17, Still moved to England to study football coaching at Myerscough, a college in Lancashire with close ties to its local professional club, Preston North End.
As part of his degree, he assisted Preston’s Under-14s coach to gain his first hands-on experience, before his career really took off after graduating.
Back in Belgium, he took on roles in video and performance analysis at Sint-Truiden and Standard Liège, one of the country’s most successful clubs, having earned the trust of manager Yannick Ferrera, who wanted the 22-year-old as an assistant coach.
By 24, Still was a manager himself, placed in charge of Belgian second-tier side Lierse, quickly embarking on a seven-match winning streak. “The youngest head coach of a professional football club in European history,” the headlines read.
When regulations stipulated he did not have the necessary qualifications to fulfil the role beyond 60 days, Still reverted to being an assistant, but already had the bug for the top job.
With Lierse declared bankrupt at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, Still took on the role of assistant coach at Beerschot, helping the club win promotion to Belgium’s top flight before taking charge himself for 15 games through the second half of the 2020/21 season. He was replaced by a more experienced alternative upon finishing mid-table; 12 months later Beerschot were relegated.
Never shy in taking a step back to move forward, Still took on coaching roles on the backroom staff before embarking on two prominent spells in charge of Ligue 1 clubs Reims and RC Lens.
With Reims he became the youngest head coach in Europe’s top five leagues, aged 30. The club were fined €25,000 for every game that Still managed until he began studying for his UEFA Pro Licence, but they believed in his work and reaped the rewards on the pitch, as Still’s tenure began with a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions.
In March 2023 he set a Ligue 1 record by extending his unbeaten streak to 17 top-flight games. Across the top divisions in England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany, only Tito Vilanova (18) with Barcelona in 2012/13 has recorded a longer unbeaten start since the turn of the century.
Still won 25 of his 65 games in charge (38%) before departing in May 2024 with Reims 11th in the table, the same position in which they had finished in his first season.
Last June he was appointed by Lens, one of the best-supported teams in France, and started well. His team lost only three matches in the first half of the season, despite the summer departure of their record signing and top scorer from the previous campaign, Elye Wahi, to Marseille.
Whilst overcoming the sale of Wahi had proved manageable, Still’s squad was heavily compromised in January, as first-choice goalkeeper and captain Brice Samba also left, before impressive young defenders Abdukodir Khusanov (Man City) and Kevin Danso (Spurs) followed.
Only PSG boasted a superior defensive record in Ligue 1 at the time, and Lens still finished the campaign with the highest number of clean sheets in the division (13), as Still proved he could adapt to a mid-season rebuild, but ultimately missed out on the European spots they had occupied until February, finishing eighth, one point better off than the previous year.
“I’m not sure it’s that much of a gamble,” French football expert Julien Laurens told the BBC this week, with speculation mounting that Still would be a Saint. “I think Southampton will be very lucky to have Will Still next season. I think he’s one of the brightest young managers in Europe. If you want to build something for the mid to long term, I think Will is good for that.”
Still describes his footballing philosophy as “on the front foot” and “proactive”. “That does entail us pressing a lot,” he says. “I ask a huge amount from the players; they’ve got to run. One of my key phrases is ‘defensive effort is non-negotiable’. If we can all attack, we can all defend. We do it as a unit.”
His youthfulness helps him relate to modern footballers, with whom it’s clear Still is a keen relationship builder, helped by his ability to communicate freely with French, Belgian, Dutch and African players.
A heartfelt post on Instagram over the weekend, directly addressing the “Lensois” (people of Lens), showcased the value he places on maintaining a connection with the supporters, too.
He speaks of making the game “entertaining”, both for the fans in the stadium and the team he coaches. If his players enjoy what they’re doing, they’re more likely to fulfil their potential; if the fans enjoy what they see, they’re more likely to get behind the team and inspire the players.
Still’s first venture into English football has been inevitable for many years. The questions have been where and when, not if.
Now Saints have won the race to secure the signature of a man who has been readying himself for this opportunity for what feels like his entire adult life.
The next chapter starts here. He’d hate for it to be boring.
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