Wigley holds tight as Redknapp's grip loosens

Southampton 2 - Portsmouth 1

Steve Wigley will have a long career as Southampton manager if more people had Kevin Phillips's attitude and timing. Harry Redknapp will not remain Portsmouth's manager for a minute if owner Milan Mandaric appoints a director of football.

Phillips, an England striker, did not sulk when he was left on the bench behind 18-year-old Dexter Blackstock. Instead, he tried to prove Wigley wrong by coming on to win the Southampton manager's first Premiership game at the 11th attempt.

Southampton are at Norwich City this weekend and host Crystal Palace the following Saturday. Two wins there and Wigley, who insisted he feels safe on chairman Rupert Lowe's precarious managerial merry-go-round, knows things will look even healthier.

"I was disappointed not to start the match, but that's the manager's decision and I respect that," Phillips said. "I had a vision when I was on the bench that I'd come on and score the winner."

If only football was always so simple. Southampton had had to battle back from a self-inflicted wound in the form of Andreas Jakobsson's 12th-minute own goal, following a collision between Portsmouth forward Lomana LuaLua and on-loan goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Blackstock justified Wigley's gamble by equalising six minutes later, before Phillips settled the game with a header two minutes after coming on as substitute for the fit-again James Beattie, one of five changes to the Southampton side that conceded five goals at Watford in the League Cup.

Phillips added: "We had to win after Tuesday's result. The players had a meeting and ironed out a few problems. It's important we keep remembering what was said in that meeting. The reality was that if we didn't pull our fingers out we were going to get relegated.

"That's the monkey off his [Wigley's] back now. I'm delighted because it's not been his fault. Hopefully people can let us get on with our jobs."

And that is exactly the situation Redknapp wants at Portsmouth. Redknapp conceded that Mandaric calls the shots and he should build a long-term structure for Portsmouth, but do not talk to him about directors of football. It did not help that Mandaric watched the game alongside a friend linked with the job - George Best.

"The chairman said he's looking to bring somebody in on the board who knows about football. He could always ask me," Redknapp said. "He's talking about George Best or someone." Asked if he would be happy that he would retain control, Redknapp replied: "If I'm not in control, I'm not here."

It is another Redknapp-Mandaric argument that is likely to develop over this week. They could make up like they did at the end of last season, but Best hardly helped with his clinical view. The Manchester United legend backed Redknapp, but also said: "There was a lot of speculation off the pitch, with both sides struggling. That's a sad part of football, but it's always going to happen.

"At the moment, there's nothing to say about my role. I think people are making too much out of what's going on between Harry and Milan.

"I don't really go for the director of football thing," Best added. "It's all titles - there's a chairman, a manager and a team. Simple as that. If someone comes in then someone will leave. That's always the way in football. But I would love to see Harry stay."

If Patrik Berger had shot under the bar and Keller had not made a stunning, late save from Matthew Taylor, Portsmouth would have sneaked a deserved win. Redknapp would have been the hero and Wigley might have been sacked. That's football - it's as simple as that.

Goals: Jakobsson (12 og) 0-1; Blackstock (18) 1-1; Phillips (71) 2-1.

Southampton (4-4-2): Keller; Kenton, Lundekvam, Jakobsson (Dodd, 16), Le Saux; A Svensson, Delap, Telfer, Fernandes (Griffit, 80); Beattie (Phillips, 68), Blackstock. Substitutes not used: Blayney (gk), Crouch.

Portsmouth (4-4-2): Hislop; Primus, De Zeeuw, Stefanovic, Unsworth (Taylor, 79); O'Neil, Faye, Quashie, Berger (Griffin, 79); Yakubu (Fuller, 36), LuaLua. Substitutes not used: Ashdown (gk), Cissé.

Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).

Booked: Southampton: Delap. Portsmouth: Faye, De Zeeuw, Quashie.

Man of the match: LuaLua.

Attendance: 30,921.