Le Tissier: Cortese has ‘an ego problem’

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has hit out at club chairman Nicola Cortese, accusing him of having “a bit of an ego problem” and acting in a cowardly manner over the shock sacking of Nigel Adkins.

Adkins was axed last week despite a run of two defeats in 12 games to drag the club out of the Premier League drop zone, with Mauricio Pochettino immediately installed as his successor.

Pochettino will take charge of Saints for the first time in tonight’s home clash with Everton, at which protests are expected with one fans’ spokesman warning Pochettino must work hard to gain respect.

“I don’t know if Nigel was becoming too popular and the chairman didn’t like it — he does appear to have a bit of an ego problem,” Le Tissier said.

“It is a little bit bizarre, but some of the decisions that have been made have been a little bit bizarre since the current chairman took over. In a way it wasn’t a surprise because I think he’s been looking to get rid of him for a while now.”

Amid rumours of possible protests, Saints fan Steve Grant, who runs SaintsWeb, Southampton’s largest internet forum, said Pochettino could expect it to be a far from straight-forward start.

“As far as I am concerned he will have my support but there will be a lot of fans who will take the view that he has got to earn their support. It is going to be difficult given the run of games we have coming up,” Grant warned.

For his part, Everton boss David Moyes does not expect Southampton’s players to be unduly affected by the shock managerial change.

“It’s a really difficult one to judge because I actually think Southampton have been playing quite well,” Said Moyes.

“I’m not quite sure what effect it will have on the players but when you get a new manager you get on with it. I don’t think players mope around too long about the manager, and I mean that with real respect for Nigel, but I think players just get on with their job. I would expect them to do that and it will be difficult.

“I don’t know what the atmosphere will be like, I would have expected the supporters to have probably been in Nigel’s camp because of the work he’d done there.”