Don’t look now, but the Premier League might just have gotten a little more metal. That’s because Ivan Juric has been named as the new manager of the Southampton Football Club, hoping to right their path after a dreadful start to the current season.
During Juric’s opening press conference, the new manager was asked about his love of metal. “When I was young, I liked death metal music a lot and it’s something my style of football is a lot like,” he told reporters, having previously compared death metal to the team’s “high-pressing style.”
The manager confessed to mellowing a bit with age, but as he explained, “Now [I’m] a little bit less [of a death metal fan], I’m a little bit soft now. But it’s always in my head now, good metal music.”
Juric just signed an 18-month contract to succeed Russell Martin as the Southampton Football Club. The Saints currently sit at the bottom of the Premier league in 20th place with a mere 6 points on the season. They have some ground to make up as Wolverhampton and Ipswitch Town, the next closest teams in the standings, already have 12 points on the season.
You can watch Ivan Juric’s opening press conference courtesy of the Southampton FC YouTube channel below.
New Southampton Football Coach Ivan Juric’s First Press Conference
What Else Ivan Juric Has Said About Death Metal
The metal question did not come out of nowhere, as Juric has expressed his passion for metal in previous interviews. Initially trying to lead him to the topic, a reporter asked about his away from the pitch passions and if he might golf.
“I’m not a golf man, it’s not the game for me … I’m a little more aggressive,” he said on Monday. “Now it’s important to work hard and understand everything that has happened.”
Back in 2010, the manager spoke with the Italian edition of Rolling Stone about his musical tastes, confirming (as reported by Metal Hammer), “I started at 14 years old with Metallica and Megadeth, then I moved on to more aggressive things. Death metal is my passion, bands like Napalm Death, Obituary and Carcass.”
READ MORE: The 27 Best Death Metal Albums of 2024
If Juric is looking for some true grit players with a nose for the ball, he might want to turn his attention to Sanguisugabogg who have been known to toss a football into the pit and see which fan emerges to claim a merch prize from their booth.
The Premier League is also home to the Aston Villa Football Club, who got an early season promotional boost from Birmingham hometown natives Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler.
The Southampton Saints will play their first game with Juric at the helm on Boxing Day in their home stadium of St. Mary’s against West Ham.
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Almost four decades of brutality!
Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita