FOXES SNATCH NIGE IN REVENGE COUP

News today that Leicester City have apppointed former Saints manager Nigel Pearson will grate among the Southampton faithful, who took NIge to their hearts during his short stay at St. Mary`s. Leicester Chairman Milan Mandaric - erstwhile boardroom supremo at Saints` arch rivals, P**tsmouth - made Nige his sixth manager in 16 months following the Foxes slide into the oblivion of the third tier of English football.

There are well founded suspicions on the south coast that Nige`s arrival at the Walkers Stadium is little more than an act of peurile revenge in Mandaric`s ongoing feud with Saints Chairman, Rupert Lowe. The two of them have form. During his earlier chairmanship, Lowe took the first team squad on what he thought was a team bonding exercise, but in fact was nothing more than a taste of Lowe`s penchant for shooting defenceless ducks. That Christmas, Mandaric sent Lowe a duck (presumably a dead one) as a yuletide present.

Then Lowe fell for the Mandaric strategy of firing former P*mpey manager Harry (F`Sure) Redknapp, only for Lowe to hire him and thus secure Saints` relegation from the Premiership. Redknapp then promptly returned to his former club, where he still resides. So one suspects that Mandaric`s appointment of Nige may yet be another swipe at Lowe, now that Lowe is back in charge of the Southampton asylum, having refused to renew Nige`s contract.

As for Nige, we liked him at Saints - well, I did - and he saved us from the fate of relegation which has befallen his new charges at Leicester. I hope Nige is not simply a fall guy in this ongoing game between the two chairmen. He`s worth more than that and I for one hope for his sake that he succeeds at Leicester. Good luck, Nige......with a chairman like Mandaric, you`ll need it. Could have been worse, though, especially as you don`t go duck shooting.