Southampton turn to Scunthorpe's Adkins
Everyone's favourite former physio Nigel Adkins is about to link up with one of the Football League's less popular chairmen, Nicola Cortese, as the hugely successful Scunthorpe boss prepares to drop down a division and take charge of Southampton.
Adkins took charge at Glanford Park in 2006 having initially been employed by the Iron as a physio and in that time has twice taken them up to the Championship, guiding them to safety last season. They currently sit 11th, which is fairly incredible having just sold star striker Gary Hooper to Celtic.
So while hiring Atkins might not be the most glamorous appointment given rumours that they were chasing former Premier League managers Gianfranco Zola and Phil Brown, it's hard to argue that he's not the best man for the job given his experience of League One and achievements at the level.
As the comments on yesterday's Brown rumour showed, he is a popular choice with the majority of Saints fans and that's very important given the disillusion felt by many after the controversial decision to sack Alan Pardew last Monday.
Even though Sheffield Wednesday avoided administration, as we mused would probably happen earlier this week, news of Atkin's likely arrival at St Mary's has ensured that Southampton remain marginally ahead of the Owls in the title betting, at [4.4] to Wednesday's [4.5].
Are you a Saints supporter thrilled by this development or a Scunthorpe fan nervous about the future? We'd love to hear from you in the comments section below...
UPDATE: Scunthorpe chairman Steve Wharton has claimed that Southampton have withdrawn their offer because Atkins refused to resign and deny Scunthorpe compensation.
Published: 9 Sep 2010
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