AS a man whose last Saints appearances saw him come out on top against the likes of Ryan Giggs and Robert Pires, Garry Monk can testify how much things have changed there.

But then they’ve hardly remained the same for him either.

“I spent a long time at Southampton and I can’t speak highly enough of the place,” said Monk.

“I got my football education at the club and there were some really good players there at the time.

“There were internationals, people who were well known throughout the game, but sadly those sorts of players have moved on now.

Monk comes up against the club that give him his big break tomorrow as Saints travel to take on his Swansea side at the Liberty Stadium.

Monk made 13 appearances for Saints over eight years at the club but eventually left for pastures new with first Torquay and then several loan clubs before ending up at Swansea, whom he captained to promotion to the Championship.

It’s been a long road for Monk and Saints to get to this stage but he still has plenty of happy memories of his time on the south coast.

“I’ve still got a lot of friends who work at the club and it’s sad seeing what’s happened there,” he said.

Full story in today's Daily Echo