Woodward hits back at press

Sir Clive Woodward has come out to further explain his position at the club, as the media spotlight still constantly surrounds his role.

He was talking to the official site, when he confirmed the vastly exaggerated figures the press have quoted him being paid:

'I want to justify my salary which has been grossly exaggerated. I have seen figures of £750,000, even £1.5m - it's nowhere near that'

'That causes a few problems because people say we could buy a player for that but I am not on that sort of money'

It was frustrating as a fan to think he could be earning this kind of money when the club were having to sell it's best players - Once again it would seem media speculation has been central to shaping opinion at St Mary's.

Sir Clive certainly hasn't walked into the club at an easy time, and his involvement has been all the more testing as he's been ridiculed in many sections of the media and by some supporters.

In fairness Saints were in this situation a long time before Sir Clive arrived at the club. Now he is working alongside a coach who understood the set up from the start, Clive's position should be easier. Saints couldn't move forward with the various coaching factions evident under the Redknapp era.

Apart from the obvious pressure that has come from Woodward moving from Rugby to football, his friendship with the increasingly unpopular chairman has probably not helped his popularity. Sir Clive is adamant his friendship with Lowe is overstated and that they're not the best buddies the press would have us believe:

'I do like Rupert Lowe but we are not best friends as we have been painted.'

'We got talking when I was in charge of the England Rugby team. He came to see me about the nutritional side of things and we went from there'

'I said I liked football and he said if I was ever looking for a job in football then to give him a call. He took me on and employed me to do a job - not because we are friends.'

Sir Clive undoubtedly has a wealth of knowledge, which many Saints fans seem to feel can be transferred to football.

Do you think Sir Clive Woodward's role at St Mary's can help the rebuilding process or is his involvement a hindrance ? Let us know in our online poll and on the Vital Forum.