As to the timings of the sackings - was Cortese supposed to wait until Saints went into a definite downward spiral before he sacked Pardew or Adkins..? No. Unlike other chairmen, what Cortese does is seize an opportunity to make changes that directly contribute to bringing success nearer. It's a harsh business world that he inhabits but, for example, keeping Nigel might have cost the club and owners extra money. Pochettino is not only taking the club higher, he will possibly make more money for the club by taking them to a higher league position. Of course, we'll never quite know whether Nigel could have done this too, but the decision was made and from this standpoint, I believe it was a good one. Yes, the decision was harsh, but the timing was inspired.