KELVIN Davis has called on Saints to show ‘pride in the shirt’ when they face Tottenham at Wembley tonight.

The caretaker boss has the tough task of trying to mastermind a way to topple Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs following the sacking of Mark Hughes on Monday.

It is clearly going to be difficult but above all else Davis, a club legend with more than 250 appearances and two promotions under his belt, wants to see the players show the same passion for the club that he has.

He said: “I think the one thing I would like to see is the pride in the shirt. That’s not me saying it wasn’t there before but I want to turn it up a little bit.

“I want the players to realise and see the club for how I see it – a fantastic club with fantastic support.

“Everybody at the training facility and at the stadium wants everybody to do well and I want them to see that.

“I expect them to be focussed, committed. 

“Being a Southampton man I expect all the players starting or not starting once you’ve got that shirt I expect 100 per cent and that’s hopefully something that will rub off on them.”

Spurs go into the game off the back of a North London derby defeat to Arsenal at the weekend and Davis hopes it will work in Saints’ favour.

“Hopefully negatively,” he said when asked to assess the possible impact of the defeat. “It was a massive game for them and you would expect them to want to get back to winning ways as quickly as possible.

“Their next game is us so we need to be prepared.

“Obviously for everybody to go and play at Wembley and for me when I was playing in the garden that’s why I was playing. That was where the big games all happened.

“It will be a great experience and these guys are seasoned professionals and they know what they are up to.

“It’s an opportunity for us to pick up points.”

Davis’ stint in charge is unlikely to stretch beyond tonight’s match but he is looking forward to getting a taste of management.

“I have very much done my licences and qualifications and learning experience of taking sessions every day,” said the 42-year-old.

“Management is a different role from coaching and my aspirations are to continue to support the club as best I can and one day if that opportunity is there it is something I would be very interested in.

“For now it’s a million miles from my mind and it’s about getting the lads prepared and ready for the game.”