FORMER Southend United midfielder Jean Paul Kalala knows all about cutting things fine and is keen to see the Shrimpers do exactly that this season.

The Shrimpers, who are fighting to avoid relegation from League Two, head to another of Kalala’s ex sides Oldham Athletic this weekend.

But the 39-year-old is now firmly focused on a different kind of razor sharp finish back in Nice.

“I’ve opened my own barber shop now,” said Kalala.

“It’s been going eight years and it’s been successful.

“With my connections we get all the footballers from Monaco, Nice and sometimes Marseille coming in.

“I own the shop but I’m not the barber, that would be terrible!

“My brother is the barber and he works there with his team.”

Kalala, who also played for Yeovil Town, Grimsby Town and Bristol Rovers, made 30 appearances for the Shrimpers during the 2011/12 season.

And, despite now living back in France, Kalala is still heavily involved with the English game.

“I am a first team scout for Queens Park Rangers,” said Kalala.

“I watch all the 23 games, the Championship and League One as well.

“I watch them all and then give them information about players who could be successful for them.”

Kalala relishes the role and still looks back at own his career with great fondness, despite it ending prematurely due to a nasty knee injury he suffered playing for Blues at Morecambe back in 2012.

“It was Morecambe away and I did it by myself,” said Kalala.

“Someone in our team lost the ball and I was trying to get it back but unfortunately I got injured trying to do so.

“I thought I would be able to come back after that but it ended my career.

“That was the end of it for me.”

However, in typical fashion, Kalala did fight to try and save his career.

“I tried to come back,” said the former midfielder.

“I thought it was going to take six months but after six months I still couldn’t move like I wanted to.

“It was going to take another operation and maybe another 12 months.

“I would’ve been out for two seasons and it was just time over for me.

“I fractured my knee and did the ligaments too so it was a nasty one and that’s how I finished.”

But, despite that disappointing ending, Kalala still looks back on his time at Blues with great fondness.

“It was a good time and we had a successful year under Paul Sturrock,” said Kalala.

“We were top of the League for most of the season but just missed out on what we wanted to achieve in terms of promotion.

“There were some strong characters in the dressing room but it was a good dressing room when I look back now with all of those characters put together.

“We had a good chemistry and I think we did well.”

Nowadays, Blues are fighting to stay in League Two rather than pushing to get out of it.

And Kalala continues to follow the club’s fortunes.

“They went down and they haven’t had great success,” said Kalala.

“They’ve changed managers and had financial problems too.

“I follow what’s going on and I was so sad to hear of Chris Barker’s death.

“I was really, really sad about that because he was our leader and captain.

“He will be missed by us all.”