The latest name to be linked with the vacancy at Southampton is former Portsmouth Manager Paul Hart. The board on the south coast are looking for a new Man after they sacked Alan Pardew at the start of the week despite the team coming off of a 4-0 win at the weekend. There was clearly a clash of personalities at the club but attentions are now firmly fixed on finding the suitable replacement that will lead the Saints out of League One this season, they were the pre-season favourites with the bookmakers and look to have the strongest squad in the division at the moment.

It is understood that Hart has been approached by Southampton and is one of the names on the shortlist for potential replacements for Pardew, the next appointment for the Saints will be absolutely crucial as they look to get back to the big time and Hart will be eager to land the role.

Paul Hart is an interesting character with a mixed record in Management, he is most famous for his stint at south coast rivals Portsmouth last year as he oversaw the early part of their Premier League campaign, it was a season that would end in relegation though Hart was working in tough conditions. After leaving Pompey Hart moved onto a short lived spell at QPR which ended after just five games with him walking out, it was a bizarre turn of events but he was not out of a job for long as he took on the challenge of keeping Crystal Palace in the Championship. It was his third job of the season but he did manage to keep the Eagles in the Championship on the last day of the season, he should be praised for his job at Selhurst Park but it was not enough to keep the job on a permanent basis and is now back at the Job Centre.

Hart would not necessarily be the most popular appointment amongst the Southampton fans but VC Bet.com have been watching the betting market closely and have cut the chances of Hart being appointed in to around the 7/1 mark at the moment. Favouritism at the moment in the Next Southampton Manager Odds lies with Phil Brown and Eddie Howe, Bournemouth fans will be getting worried with their young Manager once again being linked with a big vacancy. Howe is just down the M27 at Dean Court and will surely be tempted should he be approached by Southampton, he has worked wonders at Bournemouth on a shoe string budget and that has not gone unnoticed at St Marys.

Phil Brown should not be ruled out at this stage either, he is a man with Premier League experience and has led Hull to promotion from the Championship, that should stand him good stead in a pressure situation like the one he would face at St Marys. Any manager taking on the roll will know that automatic promotion is the bare minimum this season with the club desperate to get back to the Championship, they have spent big as a club and the owners and board will demand that the squad delivers this term. It is an attractive job though for an ambitious Manager looking to make the climb up the Ladder, they have everything in place to be back at the top of the game so there is sure to be no shortage of top candidates a the betting suggests.

Next Southampton Manager Odds with VC Bet – 08/09/2010

Nigel Adkins – 1/4
Phil Brown – 5/2
Jeff Kenna – 12/1
Gianfranco Zola – 12/1
Eddie Howe – 14/1
Paul Buckle – 18/1
Rolf Fringer – 20/1
Martin O’Neill – 20/1
Paul Tisdale – 20/1
Paul Hart – 20/1
Iain Dowie – 20/1
Others On request

All markets supplied by Victor Chandler

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