Football: Flair players keep you up

MATT Le Tissier has one bit of advice for the teams battling it out for Premiership survival: Have the nerve to play yourselves out of trouble.

The Southampton legend should know what he's talking about, having played a starring role in all three of the south coast side's great escapes in the 1990s.

And he has earmarked two players to 'do a Le Tissier' and ensure both Charlton and Wigan escape the drop: Darren Bent and Henri Camara.

Le Tiss, who scored 209 goals for the Saints, thinks Watford, Sheffield United and West Ham will lose their top-flight status.

He said: "I disproved the notion that the only way to get out of the relegation zone was to play workhorses rather than players who can change games.

"West Ham have several quality players but is Alan Curbishley brave enough to play them? Yossi Benayoun is a super footballer but he's seen as a bit of a risk.

"They should believe in the talented boys and not just go for the workhorses - because you need a bit of quality to win games.

"The workhorses can grind you out a 0-0 draw all day, but in the position these teams are in, 0-0 draws aren't enough.

"You've got to win matches. If they both stay fit, Bent and Camara can win matches and keep Charlton and Wigan up.

"Charlton don't score many goals from anywhere else in the side. Dennis Rommedahl and Jerome Thomas don't produce the goods, so I worry for Charlton if Bent's not in the side.

"And Camara, if he's firing, can keep Wigan up."

Le Tissier, who has just had a Flybe plane named after him, established himself in Saints folklore after three momentous relegation scraps.

In 1993-4 he scored 30 goals in a side that Alan Ball built around him. Three years later he notched 13 for Graeme Souness's strugglers, who stayed up on the last day. The next term again went to the wire, Saints beating Everton to avoid the drop.

Le Tissier said: "No matter how high the pressure, I was quite happy to go out and play with a freedom about my game.

"I would still want to try to do things a bit differently - I didn't let the league position, or the pressure that came with it, affect my performance. Not once did I believe we were going to go down."

He thinks the Hammers' decision to dump Alan Pardew will rebound on them with Pards getting revenge by keeping Charlton up.

"They were very hasty and wrong," he argued. "Pardew took them into the Premiership and got them to the FA Cup Final. He deserved more than just a sticky three months.

"I'm not sure if they've bought well. Callum Davenport and Nigel Quashie have been involved with relegation sides and didn't make a bit of difference.

"Nigel has been relegated four times now. If he were a decent player he might have saved at least one of those clubs from relegation."

MATT'S KEY MEN

CAMARA

You've got to play your way out of trouble and if Camara stays fit he can keep Wigan up

BENAYOUN

He's a superb player but is seen as a bit of a risk. Will Alan Curbishley be brave enough to play him?

QUASHIE

THE jury's out on West Ham's buys. Quashie has been relegated four times. If he was a decent player he should have saved one of those clubs

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