PARDEW SACKED!!!!!..........AND ADKINS IN!!!! CONFIRMED!!

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11700_6350295,00.html
Pards for Hart? Are they having a laugh?

Time will tell. Think they need someone in ideally by weekend, as if last night is anything to go by the players need some direction.

As with anything of this nature there are rumours going around, and therefore the sacking of AP may have not been planned, therefore the recruitment of his successor may have only started Monday.

I hope Rochdale Saturday we get the right result otherwise this could be a very disappointing season (although far too early to write us off).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/7974725/Phil-Brown-eager-to-replace-Alan-Pardew-as-Southampton-manager.html

According to the Telegraph, Phil Brown is keen.

According to the Echo there are plenty of applicants. Let's hope there are some good 'uns amongst them.


Quote:

The number of applications for the vacant job had already reached double figures by the end of Monday.

By Tuesday night it was being reported that more than 30 managers had officially thrown their hats into the ring.

The latest odds.....

Eddie Howe 5/2
Phil Brown 5/2
Gianfranco Zola 4/1
Paul Hart 7/1
Paul Tisdale 9/1
Alan Shearer 10/1
Tony Mowbray 10/1
Gareth Southgate 12/1
Glenn Hoddle 12/1
Paul Buckle 12/1
Kevin Blackwell 14/1
Ian Dowie 14/1
Jim Magilton 14/1
Chris Coleman 16/1
Paul Jewell 16/1
Dean Wikins 16/1
Steve Clarke 16/1
Dennis Wise 16/1
Sven Goran Eriksson 16/1
Alan Curbishley 20/1
Paul Ince 20/1
Gary Megson 20/1
Micky Adams 22/1
Martin O'Neill 25/1
Steve Coppell 25/1
Kevin Keegan 25/1
Chris Wilder 25/1
Alan Knill 28/1
Jim Gannon 28/1
Jeff Kenna 33/1
Dan Petrescu 40/1
Carlton Palmer 66/1
Matthew Le Tissier 100/1

Apparently Leonardo (Nascimento de Araújo) has been "seen at Southampton airport"

He was in the BBC team for the 2006 World Cup, so at least he should speak half-decent English

But he might have dropped in merely to buy a new boat

clemenzina

Scunthorpe's Nigel Adkins is apparently now favourite.......although he isn't even in the above list!!

I'm having a real job keeping up with all this............

Well you go away for a few days to relax and chill out by the beach, enjoy some san miguel as my son texts me the goals from the Bristol rovers game while on the beach then NC goes and sacks AP! What is frustrating is he clearly didnt have anyone lined up to come in so you really have to question the timing. The training room bust up is in my view just a cover up as NC didnt get on with AP and while I didnt think AP was great, his use of subs wound me up, I was still confident we would be up there at end of season.

We can't afford to hang around to long before appointing and if he wants to go Italian then has to be Zola as at least he has experience of the english game. Echo has covered a number of Italian managers and all have one thing in common seems to me, all been sacked!

Think the set up with the Acadamy side having to much influence in first team issues was a key factor and will be for any new manager. Out of home talent wouldnt mind Howe being given a chance but NP wil take that risk. Of the other Curbs would be good for me but doubt he will want the hassle in Div 1, Adkins would take no nonsense from players and Brown might work in getting up and to challenge for premiership, as for the rest all pretty much of a muchness, just a big NO, NO, NO to Hart, Coleman and Dowie!

Will be at the game today so hopefully the players will remember they are still well paid professionals and their job is to win games.

ps

While in Spain did have a word with Jose who was keen and Real were willing to listen to offers following an opening 0 - 0 draw, Jose was a bit concerned though that NC was a bit more arrogant than him and would clash on the fashion stakes but could be an outside bet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well Mattyo7uk I understand your frustrations. I too was away the weekend of the Bristol Rovers game and interestingly enjoyed the updates of the score only to have the last morning breakfast ruined by the fact Pardew had been sacked.

Adkins looks like the favourite and I know whoever it is will get good backing from the fans, nearly 19k there again Saturday which is tremendous in this time and these current economic uncertainties.

Interestingly my father is friends with one of the Rochdale players fathers, he is paid a fraction of what the Saints stars earn, and are fined £5 for every long ball they play. I was pleased to see Saturday we didnt go route 1 as much but still had no end effect. Just interesting to see how clubs in the same league are managed.......

That I guess takes me to my point we once appointed Sturrock who on the face of things looked a good manager but dealing with ego's is a totally different proposition to those players who are merely made up by playing professionally. Whoever takes over that will be one of their biggest challenges, managing the players we have.

I just hope whoever comes in gets the support of the players and we start climbing the league.
COYR's

Echo thinking the same
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/8373262.Come_in_number_13/

Seems to be more likely to be Adkins with Scunthorpe chairman refusing to comment.

Brown now into 7/4 is the new favourite, Adkins out to 2/1.

Some interesting thoughts on The Ugly Inside......

Football is a funny game and riddled with rumour and counter rumour and sometimes as those old enough to be following the club on a certain February morning in 1980 will testify, it throws up some unlikely surprises.

However one thing that has to be remembered is that just because something doesnt happen, it doesnt mean that it was never going to or indeed wasnt actually very close to happening, many a deal has been hit by last minute hitches that have completely scuppered it to the complete ignorance of the supporters.

So who will be unveiled at our next press conference ? the smart money has been on Nigel Adkins, but as i write several other names are coming up fast, Phil Brown for instance is making a late surge and then of course there is the name of Martin O'Neill.

If O'Neill was to be unveilled it would be as big a shock to football as the aforementioned announcement of Kevin Keegan, however its not as unlikely as you may think.

Firstly it could just appeal to O'Neill for several reasons, firstly their is nothing suitable in the Premiership, there isnt a club with a job available who can realistically challenge and in reality O'Neill is just waiting for a big Club to be needing a manager, O'Neill knows his timing was slightly out, if Liverpool were looking now he would be a bolt on certainty, but they arent and Hodgson is likely to be at least two years in the job, similar situations at Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd, so thats the big four out of the question, at least in the short term.

Next is the current pretenders, Tottenham and Man City are the two clubs best positioned to realistically break the monopoly, but its hard to see those jobs being vacant till at least the end of this season, Aston Villa who he has just left are 7th and then Everton, so in the top 8 of the Premiership there is nothing available and when you look and see who is in the table after them all that offers O'Neill is a first step on to the slippery slope.

Simiarly the England job, that will be tied up until at least this time next year when either England will have qualified and Capello will be safe until after the Euro's or they will fail and O'Neill could be banging in his application.

So at this moment in time he needs a nice safe bolt hole for at least this season and possibly two, somewhere where it can offer him a genuine challenge but wont ruin his reputation and therefore his chances to land a biggie when the time arises, offers him low pressure in comparison to the premier, oh and also somewhere were he can get out quickly and easily when the a job he craves becomes vacant.

If you look at it from this perspective then suddenly it could seem possible.

But as I have said taking a deal from possible to happening is a long process albeit one that crams a lot into a relatively short time as most managerial appointments mid season are.

But the problem is a manager like O'Neill will demand total control on team affairs and that includes transfers, Nicola Cortese comes from a European background in football, a background where the players are signed by the Chairman/President etc and not by the manager/coach, in places like Italy & Spain this is the norm, so its fair to assume that our Chairman will want to follow this pattern, that isnt a criticism, merely an observation and explanation to those who wonder just why Cortese would want to control signings.

In truth this could be a big stumbling block in signing the main contenders, those with a reputation will want to ensure that preserving it is completely down to them, so that will leave those willing to work under these conditions and whilst desperate for an opportunity might be too strong a sentence, it does of course give some clues.

As I have stated this is not a criticism of Cortese, its merely an observation that this is a man with an Italian way of doing things with regard to football finding that those he wishes to employ work far differently, we have of course seen this blueprint before undder a previous Chairman, the uestion is back then the supporters thought this was completely the wrong way to do things, have their feelings changed and are they now open to this new European style.

So who will Cortese be turning to, to advise him, the answer is Les Reed, here is the 2010 version of Sir Clive Woodward, ostentaciously Reed is here to work on the academy, but being one of the most experienced men in the behind the scenes workings, it is only natural that Reed would be the man that Cortese turns to, but this could be a problem for a prospective manager in that in England the manager is second only to the Chairman in decision making and likes to go direct.

So who will be the next manager ? to be fair to our Chairman he has kept things under wraps very well, undoubtably he has met several applicants in the past week or so, now its decision time and the word is compromise, both a new appointment and our Chairman will have to meet in the middle to a certain degree as to the way things will work, otherwise like with Pardew things could once again turn sour.

Rumours on Facebook that Kevin Keegan was at St Marys yesterday!!

ODDS SLASHED ON MARTIN O'NEILL!!

On Echo website.....

ONE leading bookmaker has been forced to slash their odds on Martin O’Neill becoming the next Saints boss.

Victor Chandler have cut the former Aston Villa manager from an initial 33-1 to 5-1 after some consistent betting on the Irishman.

The bookies have also been forced to take note that Sky Bet have cut the odds on O’Neill being tempted to manage in the third division to 5/4 favourite, while Paddy Power have the ex-Wycombe, Celtic and Leicester boss at 2-1.

"We originally had Martin O’Neill at 33-1 but we’ve been forced to bring his odds right down.

"Southampton are potentially a big club but we couldn’t initially see O’Neill dropping down into the third division."

According to a hoax on Wikipedia, O'Neill had signed a 3-year contract today Soon edited out, needless to say.

The suspense is killing me, mainly because I have an awful feeling we'll have to "make do and mend" for the sake of having a manager at all.

I say things like that hoping to be proved wrong - looking silly is a small price to pay for a brilliant new Saints manager

Sista

Too true Sista.

I have read everything today regarding O'Neill. The small problem being that none of has been proven true yet.

From meetings with Cortese to renting a house etc etc.

I think the suspense may be here for a little longer yet and with it a lack of productivity at work!!!!

There's so much gossip, rumour and speculation at the moment that I've given up on it and I'm just waiting to see who will be unveiled. I've been looking at Saints Web and most of what's on there is 2+2=7, 'all noise and no signal' as Americans would say, especially as some morons are posting complete crap: 'I know for a fact that my cousin's landlady's dog's vet's mother has seen Kevin Keegan at the De Vere' and all this sort of crap. According to rumours, the announcement would be today, but it's 1808 and still nothing so it could be this evening, or it could - and most likely will be - tomorrow.
The Echo say that odds have been slashed on O'Neill, whereas yesterday afternoon they were saying the same about Phil Brown and, a few hours before that, their man was Nigel Adkins.

I don't think many had guessed it would be Pardew appointed when Markus and Nicola moved in. Nothing much leaks out these days, I still think we could get a surprise and find the new man is someone who hasnt been considered by the bookies, press or fans.

Well if you are looking for a surprise choice then I will throw in MacDonald at Villa. Looks like Houllier is the new manager but he wants Thommo as his no 2 which puts MacDonald no 3 at the club and possibly managing the reserves. Earlier Guardian report indicated out of 50 applicants one was from a Premiership manager, can only think that could have been MacDonald, technically manager albeit caretaker, as he knew wasn't getting Villa job so applied out of frustration. Only other premiership manager you think might apply would be nutcase Holloway! Could imagine him and Cortese working together!!

MacDonald's coaching skills would make him ideal candidate for the role Cortese envisages and all the O'Neil rumblings could be he is acting as the intermediary knowing it would throw people off the scent.

There you go something else to consider!!

Does look like it will rumble on and certainly no chance of a leak from the club, someone else will get sacked if there is, shame they don't think the fans are worthy of being given any update on possible timescales, if they have a short list etc but getting use to that with Cortese.

Phil Brown has had talks, on the Guardian website:

Phil Brown is hoping to be named as Southampton's new manager after holding talks with the chairman, Nicola Cortese.

Brown, out of work since leaving Hull City earlier this year, met Cortese on Monday to discuss a return to management as the successor to Alan Pardew.

"It was very interesting, there's a very, very ambitious board. A very ambitious chairman. It is an ambitious club and certainly one that does interest me," said Brown.

"They seem to be doing it right in the backroom: they're building the club from within and they've got a long-term plan. It's very, very ambitious. Everything about it is ready to move on," he added on Talksport.

It seems the Brown comments are doing the rounds. Well at least with him being open we know these meetings are taking place!!!

Also I see Adkins has been given permission to meet with us.
http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/sport/ADKINS-KEEPS-UNITED-FOCUS/article-2615875-detail/article.html

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/8378954.Adkins_on_brink_of_Saints_job/

Echo think it is all but done....

Echo website today.....

NIGEL Adkins will be unveiled as Saints’ new manager today, the Daily Echo understands.

The Scunthorpe boss last night concluded successful talks with the club and will today be named the successor to Alan Pardew at St Mary’s.

Chairman Nicola Cortese was granted permission by the Championship club on Tuesday night to speak to Adkins.

And Saints are now in a position to make the 45-year-old their new manager.

The club had made no secret they wanted the new man in before Saturday’s League One trip to rock-bottom Swindon after Alan Pardew's controversial sacking last week.

And once they identified Adkins as their number one choice, Saints have moved quickly to seal a deal with a compensation package being agreed with Scunthorpe.

Bookies suspended betting on Adkins yesterday morning, after a raft of big money was placed on the Iron manager.

One punter even wanted to lay down a £5,000 wager at odds of 4-9, not long after a £1,500 bet at 8-13 was requested.

Scunthorpe have remained tight-lipped about speculation linking Adkins with Saints ever since it arose.

And Iron chairman Steve Wharton was unavailable for comment when contacted yesterday.

Upwards of 30 applications from working managers alone were received by the club for the post.

But Adkins, a father-of-two who has one son on the books at Doncaster, is the one to take Saints on.

He started his career as a goalkeeper at Tranmere, before moving to Wigan.

Injury ended his professional playing days at the age of 28, leading him to take up the reins as manager at Welsh side Bangor City.

In his two seasons there, Adkins led his team to a pair of titles and took them to the qualifying stages of the Champions League.

He then joined Scunthorpe as a trained physiotherapist in 1996.

Ten years on, after the departure of long-serving manager Brian Laws, Adkins was appointed boss on a caretaker basis.

After a blistering run of form, it took only a month for him to be handed the job permanently.

In 2007, he guided Scunthorpe into the second tier of English professional football for the first time in 43 years.

Although they were relegated the following season, Adkins impressively rebuilt the squad and took them back to the Championship, via the play-offs, in May 2009.

In that same season, when young Saint Joseph Mills was on loan at Glanford Park, the Iron also got to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final, losing 3-2 to Luton.

But perhaps Adkins’ most remarkable achievement was to keep Scunthorpe in the Championship last campaign.

He achieved that despite operating on a shoestring budget and with a ground that boasted an average attendance of just 6,383 – some 14,559 less than Saints had in League One and a staggering 37,004 less than Championship
winners Newcastle achieved.

His record as a manager in the third tier is hugely impressive, with 40 victories from 75 games, giving him a win percentage of 53.3 per cent.

Adkins is considered something of a hero in Scunthorpe and he will undoubtedly be sorely missed at Glanford Park.

Confirmed on Scunthorpe website. Just waiting on compensation to be agreed.

http://www.scunthorpe-united.co.uk/page/News/0,,10442~2148108,00.html