Mandaric makes poultry gesture

Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric has sent Southampton counterpart Rupert Lowe a fresh duck for Christmas – and claims it is his first move towards ending the feud between the pair.

The gift is a reference to when Lowe went duck-shooting earlier this month on the day when Mandaric was desperate to tie up negotiations with him over the compensation package for Harry Redknapp’s return as manager to Pompey from Saints.

Portsmouth communications officer Helen Wood confirmed: “Milan sent the present of a duck to Southampton on Wednesday. It was purely a light-hearted gesture with the spirit of Christmas in mind, nothing else.”

Whether Lowe will see it like that is another matter. He and Mandaric have been at loggerheads since the Southampton supremo complained to both the Football Association and Premier League over the Redknapp affair, which was also surrounded by a betting controversy which the FA are still investigating.

Bought from a Portsmouth butcher, the duck was couriered to St Mary’s, wrapped in a festive box. Mandaric is currently out of the country, believed to be visiting his family in Belgrade.

Meanwhile, Lowe is sifting through contenders to replace Redknapp at Southampton and looks set to settle on Mark Wotte, the former Feyenoord boss.

Wotte quit his job at the Rotterdam club earlier this week, having been operating as technical director at Feyenoord since 2004. He is believed eager to return to a more hands-on role and would love to manage in England.

An announcement had been expected at St Mary’s this afternoon where Dave Bassett and Dennis Wise have been in charge of the team since Redknapp’s exit.

But a club spokesperson said: “We have not been told anything else and the club is shutting down all day tomorrow.”

Feyenoord board member Chris Woerts, however, is quoted in the Portsmouth News, saying: “We don’t know who he (Wotte) is talking to but I believe he was in England on Monday.

“Sir Clive Woodward (Southampton’s technical director) was at our recent game against PSV Eindhoven and it is a fair guess Wotte could go to Southampton.”