Tintin gets Saints job

Last updated : 16 June 2014 By Tony Scholes
Ronald Koeman is new Saints manager

Taylor very definitely did not like that when Koeman hauled down David Platt when the England player was through on goal. What made it worse for Taylor was the ridiculous decision by German referee Karl-Josef Assenmacher to only yellow card the Dutch central defender.

"What sort of thing is happening here?" Taylor implored, but things went worse when Koeman then went on to score the winning goal from a free kick and effectively end England's hopes of a place in the 1994 World Cup Finals, ultimately bringing to an abrupt end Taylor's reign as England boss.

Koeman, now 51, had a long playing career. he played extensively in his home country and also have six years with Barcelona where he earned the nickname Tintin by the Barca fans who likened him to the character in Herge's adventures of.

His 193 goals in a career of 535 league games is a world record for a defender and he also scored 14 goals for Holland in 78 full internationals.

He's been coaching and managing for the last 17 years. He was assistant to Guus Hiddink with the Dutch national side and was then assistant manager at Barcelona for two years, working for current international boss Louis van Gaal who will be in charge at Old Trafford next season.

Koeman has since managed at Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV Eindhoven, Valencia, AZ and most recently Feyenoord, where he ended his playing career. He's enjoyed three years there but announced in February that he would be moving on.

He now joins Southampton who have just completed their second season in the Premier League following promotion in 2012, ending it in eighth place, a position they last bettered in 1990 when they were seventh.

Joining him as his assistant will be his brother Erwin, also a former Dutch international who has been a coach and manager for the last 16 years, most recently with RJK Waalwijk who he left earlier this month.