Matt Le Tissier shares memories of Southampton FC legend David Armstrong

Saints finished the 1984/85 season fifth in the First Division. Just one year earlier they'd come second to only Liverpool.

But in the room of giants, perhaps no one made a bigger impact on Le Tissier than David Armstrong - the future captain’s de-facto mentor.

“I met him in 1985 when I came over to Southampton to start my apprenticeship," Le Tissier tells the Daily Echo. "I was given the job of cleaning his and Joe Jordan’s boots - who was at the club as well. So that would have been my first meeting with David.

“I cleaned his boots, made sure all his kit was ready for the day. I certainly looked up to him as a footballer and as a mentor in the changing room. And with David still living in the area, I’ve managed to keep him in touch with him all these years as well. It’s really really sad news.”

On Sunday, David Armstrong passed away at the age of 67. It’s a loss that has rocked the Saints community, owed to the memories he created on the football pitch and the person many around the club grew to know.

One of the all-time #SaintsFC greats 😇 pic.twitter.com/xs5SnvTwxU

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) August 22, 2022

Over the 35 years that followed Le Tissier’s Southampton arrival, Armstrong became close with his mentee but that didn’t make the larger-than-life character any less intimidating all the way back on that first day in 1985.

“Both him and Joe Jordan were very big personalities in that changing room,” Le Tissier explains. “So it was very daunting. I was just a little 16-year-old kid about to embark on my dreams. So yeah it took a bit of getting used to, being in their company.

“David had an incredibly dry sense of humour. Incredibly dry! So as a young boy, it was really difficult to tell when he was being serious and when he was pulling your leg. He had the same look on his face each time. So you just had to wait a little bit for the wry smile to come at the end of a sentence to know he was pulling your leg. That is something I will always remember fondly.”

As a kid just focused on trying to make it in the world of professional football, Le Tissier says he didn’t bother to think about the processes behind the club’s decisions. But clearly, his pairings with Armstrong - and Jordan - was no coincidence.

“I would imagine there some kind of method behind the madness in giving me an attacking midfielder and a centre-forward to look after,” Le Tissier continues about his apprenticeship.

“David was naturally left-footed whereas I was naturally right-footed but I did end up playing a fair few games on that left side of midfield. There were definitely things I picked up from David that I used in my career.

"He was very clever in the timing of his runs to the back post and not getting into those positions too early or too late. That was probably one of the biggest things I learnt from watching David play. That became one of the stronger points of my game and I definitely have David to thank a bit for that.”

David Armstrong (far left) celebrates with his Saints teammates. Image by: PA Archive

Often lauded for his consistency and dependability - including a run of 358 consecutive appearances at one point in his career - Armstrong certainly had a touch of brilliance about him. Perhaps it got hidden at times in teams that included Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon, and Alan Ball, but it was certainly there.

In two separate seasons, Armstrong hit at least 15 goals, ending his Saints career with 59 in 222 league games while being crowned Player of the Season for the 1983/84 campaign. Yet, he received only three England caps, a testament to how some just didn’t realise how good he was.

Understated is the word Le Tissier uses to describe Armstrong and that could be in reference to his football or his personality around the dressing room.

“I noticed that David was pretty laid back, he was pretty relaxed about everything,” Le Tissier explains. “Obviously he’d been a professional footballer for a long time - I think he was probably already in his 30s when I was cleaning his boots so he was pretty comfortable in his own skin and he didn’t need to be the loudest person in the changing room.

“That was something I took on when I got the captaincy at Southampton. I definitely wasn’t a shouter and a screamer and an organiser of people. I was more of a lead-by-example type of leader and I think that’s what David was as well. He wasn’t a huge screamer and shouter but you could always rely on him to give you a 7/10 or 8/10 performance every week.”

Through six wonderful years, Armstrong was a crucial part of a truly special time and some of the club's best-ever seasons. He’ll always be remembered by those present at Fratton Park in 1984 for his assist to Steve Moran in the dying seconds. He’ll always be remembered for a late late winner against Manchester United in 1981. Above all, he’ll always be remembered. Because of who he was, not because of what he did.

David Armstrong pictured in action against West Ham. Image by: PA Archive

“I think David would probably say that himself: it was definitely more about the person than the footballer in his eyes, that’s for sure,” Le Tissier says.

“To come across people like that in your career, who are such good footballers but also such great company with a fantastic sense of humour…to spend time in your life with those people you definitely do feel blessed, that’s for sure. He was a genuinely nice bloke. He was interested in people and I think a lot of people who spent time with him only have good things to say about him.”

No anecdote or story can sum up a person, certainly not one who lived as much life in his 67 years as David Armstrong. But Le Tissier gives it a try.

The memory he recalls comes from 1994. He had just been called up to the England squad for the first time when he got a call out of the blue from his first Saints mentor. Le Tissier laughs as he recounts what came next.

“David congratulated me on getting into the England squad and then the next sentence was; ‘’I’ve got a few shirts, if you wouldn’t mind taking them up with you to get the other lads to sign them…’ 

“I was like; ‘It’s not really what I want to do on my first England trip, but I love you Dave so I’ll take them for you and get them signed!’ Because of the kind of bloke he was, I didn’t mind doing favours for him. That would sum up just how high esteem I held David in.”

Le Tissier in action for Saints. (Image: UGC)

Le Tissier isn’t alone. When the news broke on Sunday evening, tributes poured in from all over the football world. Notably, they arrived from Middlesbrough - where he spent a decade - and Southampton - where he grew into a legend amongst legends. But tributes also came from pretty much anyone who crossed paths with him, whether that was in his playing career or post-retirement punditry life.

Speaking to BBC Solent, Saints legend Dave Merrington touched on his experience commentating alongside Armstrong.

"He was brilliant," Merrington said. "He was outspoken, he didn't sit on the fence, if the team played well he would tell you and if they played badly he would say so as well.

"He was great to talk to about tactics and you got a good bit of banter from him. He was a lovely guy and a tremendous player."

“He was a very good footballer but he also had a very great personality,” Le Tissier recalls. “Anybody who spent a lot of time in his company, who got to know his sense of humour, everybody loved him for that.”

David Armstrong is gone much too soon. But he certainly won’t ever be forgotten by those he touched on a personal level and those who watched his consistent wizardry from The Dell’s terraces. That’s a guarantee.

Rest in peace, David Armstrong.

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