Saints' silence fears for Adkins

Nigel Adkins' future at Southampton is in further doubt after club officials refused to publicly back him after the defeat at West Ham.

The Saints chief has come under increasing pressure of late following a disappointing start to the campaign in which the side have lost six of their opening eight matches and sit in the relegation places on four points. The defence is also the leakiest in Premier League history after eight games with 24 goals conceded so far and Saturday's 4-1 mauling at Upton Park did little to help matters. Saints chairman Nicola Cortese is thought to be keen on bringing in an experienced top-flight manager to replace Adkins and help turn around the club's fortunes as quickly as possible to avoid an immediate return to the Championship this term. And, while his superiors are remaining silent, Adkins admitted on Saturday evening that he was unsure how much time he would be given to try and rescue the situation before the axe falls. He said: "That is football, I am being brutally honest with you." He added: "There needs to be stability at any football club, which is important. But I am not naive as it's football and football is a results-driven industry. "We've got a process in place that we're doing our best to adhere to, but you've got to win games of football."