MICKY ADAMS, the man who remains Saints' fans favourite to replace Gordon Strachan, is doing a "smashing" job at Leicester City.

But ex-Saints chief Alan Ball insists Adams has been given a massive helping hand since taking over at The Walkers Stadium in 2002.

Adams guided the Foxes back into the Premiership at the first time of asking last season. That was despite the club going into administration midway through the campaign.

Though administration is an admission of financial troubles, by going into it 90 per cent of Leicester's debts to the Inland Revenue were wiped out.

"Some people in football are upset that clubs are going into administration, getting rid of their debt and then gaining a benefit over their rivals," said Dr Bill Gerrard of Leeds University.

"This has been highlighted by the case of Leicester where there may be sporting advantages to going into administration in that you lose your debt burden."

Ball, who experienced the traumas of administration when manager of Pompey in the late 1990s, said: "Micky Adams is doing a good job at Leicester, though he had a lot of help in getting the club back up last season because of how the people in charge used administration as a way to clear debts.

"What they did bordered on cheating really.

"Because they exploited a loophole it meant Micky didn't have to sell his best players and the players didn't have to take big paycuts.

"What they did obviously didn't have anything to do with Micky, but he was helped by the fact he could keep his squad together.

"That wasn't the case when Portsmouth went into administration. I had to cut costs everywhere - Micky didn't have any of that.

"Leicester saved money by going into administration - I'm not talking pennies, I'm talking millions.

"Despite that, Micky is doing a smashing job at Leicester, he's a good, young up-and-coming manager, but I still think they'll go down."

Ball believes there are enough "fantastic" managers in England to persuade Saints chairman Rupert Lowe that he shouldn't look abroad for Strachan's replacement.

"We have some fantastic managers in this country, some fantastic coaches, but it's money which dictates how big your club can be," he remarked. "You can only really be successful in this country if you have the best players, and they are snapped up by the clubs with the most money.

"The fantastic players in the Premiership - well, the really good players and there are not that many of them - are playing for just a handful of clubs. Yes, Charlton are doing well but I expect Liverpool and Newcastle to finish ahead of them.

"You are only really perceived as being a good manager if your team is doing well - so managing today is all about spending money on top players.

"That's how the Chelsea manager will be judged - on how successful his big money signings will be.

"The main criteria of a top manager these days is assembling big money signings, handling them, and turning them into a genuine team."

Writing in his weekly Echo column yesterday, Ball again bemoaned how 'player power' - highlighting the case of Louis Saha - is bigger than ever in the game.

Today, he added: "Perhaps that's an element in why Gordon has made the decision he has made, I don't know. He obviously knows, as I knew because his principles are similar to mine, how hard it is at times to handle a dressing room.

"As a manager today you are no longer the main man in your dressing room, and you should be.

"People who should be going out and doing their best for you are bigger than you, they're getting paid more than you, and that's wrong."