Stuart Armstrong

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...le-now-southamptons-stuart-armstrong-leaving/

"Stuart Armstrong surely does not speak for most Southampton fans when he describes his excitement at the coming fixtures.

The beleaguered South Coast club are on a miserable run of form and haven’t won at home in more than a year ahead of the visit of Manchester United on Saturday and a trip to Tottenham in midweek, as the pressure intensifies on Mark Hughes.

But the 26 year-old Scotland midfielder is a man who does things differently. At 18, whilst a young professional at Dundee United, he enrolled in a Law degree with the Open University, a qualification he completed last year.

“People like to bring it up and sometimes I bring it up myself,” he jokes at the club’s Staplewood Training Complex where he has quickly become popular with staff and players alike.

“I’m proud of it and I’m glad I’ve done it. It’s something nice to have in the periphery if needed but that’s something for the future.”

Even Armstrong would struggle to legislate for the start to the season Southampton have endured. Injury has limited his opportunity to make an impression following his £8 million summer move from Celtic but he scored his first two goals for the club in the 3-2 defeat at Fulham last weekend.


“It was a nice touch at Craven Cottage where Dad had flown down with my little brother and was in the Saints end to see my first goal. I think he let off a flare actually,” he jokes.

There has been little cause for celebration at Southampton over the past season and a half but, like his manager, Armstrong is convinced that the Saints’ fortunes are about to turn.

“Football is such a transient game. It can all change so quickly and it’s the same with results. We can never get caught up in it all and never lose sight of the bigger picture.”

‘Grounded’ and ‘calm’ are the adjectives which come to mind as Armstrong thoughtfully and precisely talks about his career to date.

He likes to distance himself from what he calls “the exterior noise,” something which is easy for him to do given that he does not read the sports pages or participate regularly on social media.

“Twitter is another thing I don’t like to look at and I don’t have anymore. I didn’t use it that much,” says a man whom you sense is enjoying being away from the uniquely intense Glaswegian football bubble.

“Where I am just now, it’s out of the way a little bit and you can walk the streets and have a coffee and it’s nice and peaceful. Glasgow can be intense. It very much is football, football, football up there. When I first arrived at Celtic, things weren’t going so well and seeing little bits in the papers can have a big effect on you so why put yourself through that. Football is a game of highs and lows, anyone will tell you that, and I like to stay firmly in the middle.


The comparative Hampshire tranquility is enabling Armstrong to do just that and he is slowly becoming accustomed to his new surroundings.

“I’d never been this area before, but having seen what I have, it’s lovely. There's the New Forest, the coast, Winchester down the road, a little train journey to London where I have couple of friends.

Armstrong made the move South on his own, something less worldly individuals might have struggled with. He is not the first Celtic player to opt for St Mary’s in recent seasons, though admits it has taken some time to adjust.

“It's obviously a big shock. When I signed, Dad and my agent were there and a couple of others. Suddenly they all flew back home and it was just me. That was a strange feeling and one I'd never experienced before. I moved to Celtic when I was 22 but I was with one of my closest friends. If I needed to go home it was easy: one and a half hours in the car. Now it’s that on a plane. It took a while but I feel comfortable now.”


For a man who very clearly knows his own mind, it is perhaps not surprising that Armstrong did not consult Virgil Van Dijk, a former teammate at Parkhead, specifically about his move to St Mary’s.


“I had four or five months with Virgil and even then you could see that he was too good for, er, football! He was a nice guy.”

So perhaps, as a member of Celtic’s unprecedented ‘double treble’ winning side under Brendan Rogers, Armstrong might be forgiven for having some regrets about his move to the South Coast?

“Definitely not,” is the resounding answer.

“I learned to be a winner, to be successful at Celtic. I experienced nights I’ll never forget, playing Champions League, winning cup finals, sharing those experiences with great individuals.

When I go back to play with Scotland, I see all of them again and it brings a smile to my face. It wasn’t easy to leave but I needed to challenge myself in a different way. I think if I’d got to 35/36 and hung up my boots and looked back and not taken a chance to play in the Premier League, something I dreamt about as a young boy, I think I would have regretted it.”


Armstrong counts Gianfranco Zola and Frank Lampard amongst his most admired players when he was growing up, but his Premier League dreams only really started to form from the terraces of Elland Road.


“I had some family in Yorkshire and went to watch Leeds United a lot when Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka were there. I remember looking out onto the pitch and dreaming that one day, hopefully I’ll be involved in that.”

It has been quite the journey for a boy who began his fledging career as a 13 year-old at Dyce Boys Club in Aberdeen, who received “a nice payment” as a result of his move to England.

“My dad loves that, as do I - having influence on the boys club that was so good to me.”

The club committee were rumoured to be considering using the windfall for a new mower but Armstrong had other ideas.

“I suggested a statue but they didn't want to go for that,” he smiles.

Coming from a Premier League footballer, one could be forgiven for thinking that suggestion was serious: no chance with Armstrong, a man who takes nothing for granted.

 

Strikes me as the kinda guy who will be hoping the sheep win today

 

Still think we have done well to get £7m plus a sell on for him!

 

He’s so * bland

 

Yep!

He doesn’t like experiencing highs and lows in football, he likes to stay in the middle...he’s just left a double treble side for a team that may well be relegated. High to low right there Stu.

 

" Hampshire's lovely - The New Forrest , the coast , Winchester just down the road ".
He really is Mr dull as *.

 

I feel like he never really took to the club when he was here which is a real shame

 

For him, aye. Celtic have lost much better players than him and not batted an eyelid. We will be the pinnacle of his career, no doubt about it.

 

He’s the kinda * who says stuff like

“Oh, I would’ve baked a cake if I knew you were coming!”

 

Personally think he's a No-voting Tory *. But I do like him.

 

The sort of * who posts something like this on Facebook:

"Warmest congratulations to the Royal Couple on the birth of yet another glorious little bundle of joy. The nation is thrilled for you and yours x".

 

Do a splendid cheese toastie in Eastleigh..

 

I have to laugh at the abuse he gets for being a bit dull

 

I would see him as an ex player but not an ex celt

 

Never liked him and don't think he ever truly liked Celtic

 

He'd send a meth addict to sleep ffs

 

Goal against Derby

 

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