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THE MIRROR
Wig whammed by Watford
Watford 5 Southampton 2
by Darren Lewis
10-11-04
Wiggers under pressure
STEVE WIGLEY last night admitted his job at Southampton is hanging by a thread after a five-goal embarrassment at the hands of Championship side Watford.
The under-fire head coach watched helplessly as his men were handed a 5-2 League Cup thrashing at Vicarage Road with two goals from James Chambers and strikes from Bruce Dyer, Heidar Helguson and substitute Hamaeur Bouazza.
Disgruntled fans barracked Wigley for the second time in four days, greeting each of his substitutions with the chant "You don't know what you're doing".
They again chanted for the head of chairman Rupert Lowe as the South Coast side were put to the sword.
Wigley admitted afterwards: "I'll take the rap - I'm vulnerable." And former Saints coach Glenn Hoddle is now back in the frame as the man to save the club from the tailspin it has been in since the departure of Gordon Strachan last February.
Wigley said afterwards: "I am sure over the next day or so I will take a long hard look at myself. There is no doubt about that. Who knows what I will be feeling after that?
"I wouldn't think that anybody connected with the football club wants to speak to me at the moment.
"People are sure to have lost a bit of faith after this defeat. We got away with our performance against Colchester in the last round and we wanted to take it seriously.
"I picked the best team I could and there were a lot of senior players out there.
"I learned a lot about my players. I never thought they had a performance like that in them. Obviously I was wrong.
"Ultimately, because of what goes with the job, it will be me that takes the rap. That's what happens in this business. People like me are vulnerable.
"But it will be difficult to be kind after that. It was an horrific result and an horrific performance. The supporters are entitled to their opinion. On a night like this one they are well within their rights to vent their frustration."
Lowe must surely summon Wigley to his office this morning and tell one of the nicest blokes in football that he has reached the end of the line.
Nobody who saw this performance will have deduced anything but the fact that he has lost the St Mary's dressing room.
Watford looked world class as they laid siege to the Southampton goal and had stand-in keeper Alan Blayney not pulled off a string of magnificent saves it could have been ten.
Portsmouth now loom large on Saturday for the man who has failed to guide his team to a single league win all season.
Southampton, who clawed back two late goals through Dexter Blackstock and Brett Ormerod, are clearly not as bad as they showed against Ray Lewington's side but the players are performing as though they want someone else to lead them.
Watford, meanwhile, were celebrating their biggest night since they beat Southampton 7-1 in the League Cup 24 years ago.
Lewington said: "We had the run of the ball but we didn't half work for it. We scored some lovely goals - Heidar's was the best. We just kept coming."
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