Harry Redknapp has hit back at Boris Zivkovic after the Croatia skipper fired a parting shot on his way out of Fratton Park.

Full-back Zivkovic, 28, said that Redknapp's criticism of his defending for Saints' second goal at St Mary's last month, Marian Pahars' first for more than year, was the final straw.

After having his contract cancelled by mutual consent, the summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen said: "When the manager starts telling the paper that I've played badly enough is enough, he has totally ruined my confidence.

"He thinks everything is my mistake and was always saying that things are my fault in front of the other players.

"He never spoke to me, the only players he spoke to were Teddy Sheringham and Arjan De Zeeuw.

"He doesn't have a relationship with any of the others.

"Training was always the same, we just played eight-a-side all the time and he spent more time on the phone than he did coaching us."

But Redknapp said: "I was on the phone all the time because I was trying to find someone to replace him.

"I realised he had a bad attitude on our pre-season trip to Scotland. I wanted him out and he's history now.

"It was a much better dressing room on Saturday with him gone."

Meanwhile, Redknapp is stepping up his search for a striker after Jason Roberts, who was on loan at Fratton Park, completed his £2m switch from West Brom to Wigan yesterday.

That signing almost certainly means Wigan won't be persuing their interest in Saints striker Brett Ormerod.

Redknapp, meanwhile, hopes to sign Everton's Francis Jeffers on loan. Duncan Ferguson and Kevin Campbell, Jeffers' teammates at Goodison Park, are other potential loan targets.

And Pompey are still in talks with Swansea regarding the signing of teenage right-back Richard Duffy.

Pompey will host Third Division Scunthorpe in the fourth round of the FA Cup after they caused a minor upset last night by beating higher division Barnsley 2-0 in a replay.