Premier League: Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese defends managerial changes

Southampton executive chairman Nicola Cortese has defended the way the club have hired and fired managers.

Mauricio Pochettino is currently charged with leading the team but Cortese does not see the manager's role as being distinct to any other senior club position. "We came up with some plans that were not traditional in English football of how we want to structure the club," Cortese said of the takeover four years ago. "We wanted a more continental approach in terms of the company structure. In terms of the manager, he has an important role but basically is just a department head like others. "You've got to build a company again. There was absolutely no company culture, no plans, no ambition. "Just using the word 'ambition' was a problem for some people because we're down here on the south coast."