Southampton`s groundskeeper publicly criticized Manchester City defender Ruben Dias, telling him “you know nothing,” following Dias`s strange complaints about the pitch condition at St Mary`s stadium.
On Saturday, the 27-year-old Dias and his City teammates were visibly frustrated after failing to score against a team widely considered among the worst in Premier League history.
The goalless draw at St Mary`s actually helped Southampton increase their points total to 12, thereby avoiding matching Derby County`s infamous lowest-ever Premier League points record.
Furthermore, the outcome could significantly impact the top of the league standings, as City`s place in next season`s Champions League is not yet secured.
The disappointing result led to Dias expressing his frustrations in a sharp complaint.
The Portuguese defender said: “We try and we must be better, we must be more dynamic, more quicker. It was also not easy to be quick because the pitch was just dry with the sun, it was hot. It`s sad that Southampton waste time the way they do. They just want to stop the game and make it as slow as possible because then the grass that is dry. But we need to be better.”
However, this prompted a humorous reaction from Southampton`s grounds manager, Steve New.
He responded on social media by posting a picture of the St Mary`s playing surface, showing it in excellent condition.
And New cheekily wrote: “@rubendias look at all the sand. And the irrigation was on early morning, pre-warm up, pre-game and for the whole of half-time. I respect your football abilities but you know nothing about being a grounds person.”
His post received several witty and sarcastic responses.
One said: “I’ve seen worse carpets. Bit too salty eh Ruben.”
And another wrote: “Looks like a carpet. He’s just sad they’ve played us twice and only won 1-0 haha.”
Dias also criticized Southampton`s perceived lack of ambition in their defensive tactics and accused their goalkeeper, Aaron Ramsdale, of time-wasting.
The defender, signed for £64.5 million and reportedly dating Maya Jama, sharply stated: “It’s obviously frustrating to play against a team like this.”
`A Back-Handed Compliment`
“They don’t even try anything, they just sit and don’t even want to play or win the game, they just want to be there. It’s not good for the show, it’s not good for themselves, it’s not good for anyone. But it is what it is. The funny thing is we do what Aaron Ramsdale did once and straight away it’s a yellow card. He does it 20 times and it’s just play on. Obviously this slows the game and it just helps them consistently.”
Ironically, Dias`s own manager dismissed his complaints, stating that Southampton was free to adopt any approach they wished and that it was Manchester City`s responsibility to break down their defence.
Southampton`s interim manager, Simon Rusk, also responded to Dias`s remarks.
He said: “What a player. It`s frustrating isn`t it, we did want to frustrate them. It`s a back-handed compliment. If we go toe-to-toe with them, we lose. We`ve got a fifth of their budget. We have to find our way and that`s okay.”
Southampton`s official Twitter account then posted a clever message an hour after the match ended: “A point without even trying to play.”
However, another post from the club`s social media administrator drew criticism when they tweeted a message to Derby County after surpassing their low 11-point record.
The club wrote: “Sorry if we got your hopes up, @dcfcofficial.”
