Wigley happy with Saints treatment

Former Southampton head coach Steve Wigley is happy with the way Saints chairman Rupert Lowe handled his sacking, even though incoming manager Harry Redknapp knew Wigley's time was up before he did.

Wigley, dismissed last week after just one win from 14 Barclays Premiership matches, was offered a position on the club's coaching staff but decided it was time for a "clean break".

He insisted there was no bitterness on his part, even though his successor Redknapp had held talks with Lowe the night before Wigley was sacked.

"The chairman took me to one side and said 'look, I'm sorry about this. There have been a few wobbles on the board and I have to admit I also feel that perhaps it's time for a change,"' Wigley recalled.

"He then told me that Harry Redknapp had been offered the job. Now that might have riled some people, but I am not going to whinge about my job being offered to someone else before I had been told about it. That's football.

"I appreciated the chairman doing his best to keep me at the club in another capacity. He really did try, but I just said: 'Thanks for letting me manage the team, but I think it's best we make a clean break,"' Wigley added in the Daily Mail.

He firmly believes Redknapp has what it takes to lift Saints out of trouble and wishes his replacement the best of luck.

"I happen to think Harry is a good appointment," he said.

"He has so much life and vitality and he will breathe that into the club. I hope they stay up and I think they will."