AT 43 years old, Saints coach Matty Etherington freely admits he has no idea what a 'Barclaysman' is, but it is a title he is happy to accept.

The former Spurs, West Ham and Stoke City winger is assistant of Saints under-21s, a decade after calling time on his own playing career.

The term 'Barclaysman' has become a popular trend on social media, referring to the former title sponsor of the league between 2001-2016.

A 'Barclaysman' tag pays tribute to iconic, cult hero players who, although they were not world class talents, made their mark on fans of the league.

Stoke struck gold with £2million signing Etherington in 2009, landing six successive mid-table finishes and reaching the 2011 FA Cup final.

"Near enough 300 games in the Premier League, I feel that's a good number to be a Barclaysman - yeah I'll take that," quipped Etherington.

Etherington is looking to impart his 288 matches of Premier League experience on the next generation of hopeful, budding footballers.

"I think one of the big things that Andy Goldie (academy chief) said to me is about bringing player relatable experiences," he added.

"Some of our boys will go on and play in the Premier League but it's what it takes to stay there and I've got plenty of experience in that regard.

"I was born in Cornwall and a young lad at Peterborough that got bought from by Tottenham, turning up in the bright lights of London.

"How did I deal with that? I make mistakes along the way, no doubt about that, but every player goes through different experiences.

"Whether it's personal or on the pitch, it's just about being there for them and being a sounding board - I think that's really important as well.

Despite the fact he was a top flight regular up until 2013, Etherington reckons none of his Saints players will have actually seen him play.

Jay Robinson, who made four Premier League appearances for Saints this season, would have only been six by the time Etherington wound down.

"It's scary, I don't feel that old but obviously I look it now! Eventually they find out through whatever that I had a decent career," he said. 

Matty Etherington pictured at Staplewood Training ComplexMatty Etherington pictured at Staplewood Training Complex (Image: Craig Hobbs / Southampton FC)

"It's completely different now with social media, all the players are visual - you go into the meetings and they're glued to the screen.

"They want that visual learning and you can't do anything about it. I just think it's so important one the coaches try and keep them as grounded as possible.

"You can have those conversations but secondly, it's the people around them, if they've got the right people around in terms of family and friends."

Having broken into the first team as a 15 year old at Peterborough, Etherington's £500,000 Spurs in transfer in 199 led to a baptism of fire.

Although Etherington never really made the grade in a three-year stint at White Hart Lane, he learned quickly what the Premier League was about.

"I moved in January and by the end of the season so April, I came on and made my debut as a substitute against Liverpool at Anfield," he told us. 

"Then I made my full debut against Man United at Old Trafford and I was up against the likes of Gary Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes. 

"I came off that pitch and I did okay but nothing great, and I was 18 at the time and I just thought I've got miles to go to where I want to get to.

"It was quite humbling to be fair, but thankfully I did get there and you know had quite a few seasons in the Premier League eventually.

"But it was a bumpy road like it never looks perfect. Our players are going to have bumps in the road too. Tyler Dibling's gonna have bumps.

"Jay Robinson is gonna have bumps in the road too. It's part of your journey and it's about how you deal with those bumps."

Etherington has previously spoken openly and honestly about a gambling addiction that plagued the early stages of his football career.

Blowing his wages at the bookies before and after matches every week, it took Etherington years to save his career and combat his habits.

By the time he retired in 2014 due to a persistent back injury, Etherington felt he was "done" with football and had no desire to stay in the game.

"I'd been doing it since I was 15 years old. I was hugely grateful for the experience but I thought about something different," Etherington said.

Matty Etherington coaches Saints under-21s at St Mary'sMatty Etherington coaches Saints under-21s at St Mary's (Image: Craig Hobbs / Southampton FC)

"There's only so many rounds of golf you can have. I went into the media, tried that, but then dipped my toe into coaching and got completely hooked.

"I found myself, like I was at 15 obsessed about being the best footballer I can be, obsessed about being the best I can be as a coach."

In May 2018, Etherington took over Peterborough's under-18s, returning to the club where he had started his career two decades earlier.

Four years later, he was the subject of a three-game spell in charge of Crawley Town, before the club's CEO labelled it "not the right fit".

Etherington arrived at Saints to assist former under-21s boss Simon Rusk - who was on the books with him at Peterborough - in September 2024.

The Pro License holder also knew Matt Gill, former Saints assistant under Russell Martin, from their time at Posh, but had not kept touch with either.

Etherington went through the full interview process before being picked by Goldie, opting to leave his role as under-21s head coach at Colchester.

"With the history of the academy and the players that have come through here, I knew I was coming into a really good environment," he said.

"I've loved it, it's been something that I wanted to get into in terms of Category One, working with some of the best young players in the country."

Etherington now assists Calum McFarlane, who replaced Rusk as under-21s boss in December after he stepped up to become first team coach.

Etherington took the under-21s team on an interim basis initially, overseeing a 5-0 win over Fulham, 4-2 win against Newcastle at 2-0 win at Chelsea.

"With all the talent on the Chelsea pitch, we go there and win 2-0 and put on a performance that was really, really good," he recalled.

"It was really rewarding for Jeremy Newton and I seeing them out there playing, as a young team with many under-18s, just brilliantly."

But Etherington had no issues with since being asked to step back into a role assisting McFarlane, the club's highly rated under-18s coach.

Etherington said: "Yeah, this is fine. Obviously, I was assisting when Rusky was leading it so I know that's the role, it's not an issue to me.

"Calum's given me quite a bit of responsibility - he's very in-possession, he likes to work in possession, and I do the out-of-possession work.

"I'm getting input in terms of the prep as well so me and Calum have worked very well together, he's a really good coach in his own right.

"I can see that with what he's done with the 18s and now stepping up and I feel like the balance is really good," the Englishman added.

Saints under-21s have enjoyed a remarkable 2025 so far, winning six, drawing three and losing just one of their 10 Premier League 2 matches.

McFarlane and Etherington's side also reached the semi-final of the Premier League Cup, and the Premier League 2 play-off final for the first time.

Matty Etherington and staff at the Premier League 2 play-off finalMatty Etherington and staff at the Premier League 2 play-off final (Image: Craig Hobbs / Southampton FC)

"First and foremost it's about developing players, every coach would say that, but I also think winning accelerates development," he said. 

"You get buy-in from the players if they know you know what you're talking about and some of the performances have backed that up.

"I think it helps you look at Jay and his performances, he's been really good with and without the ball and that's been a big thing for us.

"Jeremy Newton and I have been speaking to Jay about his out of possession work and he's really bought into that, and scored a lot of goals off it."

It was all change at Saints at the first team level this season, as they suffered relegation from the Premier League with three managers.

One of the principles of the under-21s is philosophical alignment with the senior team, to ensure a smooth transition for players like Robinson.

This season, that has meant three wildly different styles of play, with Martin's possession, Ivan Juric's man-to-man, and Rusk.

That being said, Saints under-21s finished the season in a three-at-the-back shape like the first team, but the tactical differences were obvious.

Etherington explained: "Most managers won't say you have to do it this one way but I do think there probably has to be an understanding.

"First team staff, Johannes Spors, Andy - they expect that when the boys are transitioning up they know what a back three looks like, for example.

"If that's what it's looked like for large parts of the season, I think it's worth the boys knowing that and what it looks like in and out of possession.

"I think that's really important, and to be honest we were shipping quite a few goals anyway so it shored us up a little bit and thankfully worked well!"

Saints academy chiefs hope to have more young players in the first team in the Championship next season, after the success of Dibling.

Robinson will be one of them, while centre-back Joachim Kayi Sanda - an 18 year old Frenchman signed in January - made his league debut too.

Asked about the squad, Etherington added: "Maybe it's not for me to say who but there's definite talent here - there's no doubt about that.

"Like I said right at the start, coming into work every day working with some of the best talent in the country is a real privilege for me."