Only Nicola Cortese can explain why he chose to axe Alan Pardew earlier this week, to the rest of us it remains a complete mystery, but now the deed is done and it could be worth opposing a shell-shocked Southampton side when they play host to Rochdale on Saturday.

A careless 3-0 defeat against Swindon in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on Tuesday might not provide the most compelling evidence of unrest in the St Mary's dressing room but the key performers in the Saints team have plenty to be perturbed about.

Now it's not inconceivable we could be witnessing the beginnings of another farce similar to the one Flavio Briatore created at QPR. 

Cortese might be taking it for granted that the likes of Adam Lallana, Jason Puncheon, Lee Barnard and Rickie Lambert are too good for this level but those players will surely be feeling a sense of debt to the old gaffer for improving their game and instilling them with greater belief in themselves. 

Now it would only follow the pattern of history if unnecessary instability at managerial level proved to be the catalyst for those players to suit themselves rather than buy into a team ethic - after all, is anyone safe in this kind of environment? Suddenly, self-preservation might be the name of the game.

It might sound like we're making a martyr out of Pardew, so let's not gloss over the fact that early results hadn't been good.

One point from two home games either side of a blank weekend to mourn the death of owner Markus Liebherr was well short of expectation. However, results over the course of seven months last season was enough reason to believe things would take a turn for the better soon enough.

Indeed, a thumping 4-0 win at Bristol Rovers last Saturday appeared to be a big step in the right direction until Cortese intervened, leaving the players to pull themselves together - with a little help from Dean Wilkins - as they seek to overcome their jitters on home soil.

Rochdale, by contrast, will head to the south coast under no pressure, especially now they've got that first League One victory in the bag, so they've got the banana skin complexion down to a tee.

A comfortable 3-1 win at Brentford last weekend had Keith Hill praising the fitness of his players and though we should acknowledge the gulf in quality between the two sides, we're not convinced the prices adequately take other factors into account. 

Much will depend on the attitude of the Dale players in overcoming any sense of inferiority complex but we reckon it's worth getting on board with the visitors at 1.95 taking a goal head-start on the handicap market, which is effectively the same as laying Saints at 4/7 (fractional odds).

Meanwhile, Bristol Rovers will head north to Oldham with the stinging criticism of manager Paul Trollope still ringing in their ears following their four-goal hammering against Southampton and they should be trusted to bounce back with a much more spirited performance in Lancashire. 

As such, it could be an annoying sense of déjà vu for the Latics after they were held at home by Yeovil in similar circumstances last week.

A goalless draw against the Glovers was the first disappointment of an encouraging start to management for Paul Dickov and things deteriorated further in midweek when League Two Shrewsbury triumphed 1-0 at Boundary Park in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Now the question has to be asked: should Oldham really be odds-on to triumph for the third time in a week when they've hardly looked like scoring a goal on either of the previous two occasions? 

If you view this game from a wider perspective, you will see that these two sides have been more or less the equal of each other over the past two seasons - the Pirates have accumulated eight more points in actual fact - as little has happened in the summer to drastically alter that assessment.

Therefore, we'll take Rovers to land the half-ball on the Asian handicap at a shade shy of even money.

Elsewhere, Lee Clark has taken a gamble in allowing Huddersfield's game against Bournemouth to go ahead and we reckon it's a decision that could prove costly because the Cherries look good value to take the spoils at 5.00

The Terriers have Alex Smithies, Scott Arfield and Graham Carey away on international duty, which handed Clark the opportunity to postpone the fixture until a later date but he has opted to persist with his fringe players in order to keep momentum going.

It's an understandable, and some might say admirable stance, but it could easily be construed as disrespectful in the visitors' dressing room should Eddie Howe choose to manipulate the situation for motivational purposes.

And the south coast outfit are certainly playing with enough verve to punish the hosts if they don't hit their usual heights.

Bournemouth have bagged 11 goals in their last three league outings and though they surrendered a three-goal lead in bizarre circumstances against Notts County a week ago, they have enough energy within their ranks to bounce back in style with victory at the Galpharm.

MK Dons v Hartlepool
Hartlepool were taught a lesson in the art of finishing by Sheffield Wednesday last week and this fixture might have set them up nicely to deliver a backlash had their thirst for redemption not been quenched somewhat against Northampton in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on Tuesday.

The Monkey Hangers were hit for five goals in front of their own fans against the Owls but then bounced back with four goals in the space of nine minutes against the Cobblers, so the possibility of a huge drift on the away win in Buckinghamshire might have evaporated. 

It would have taken something peculiar to spark our interest from a punting perspective because you can't really get overly excited with the prices on offer for either side based on recent seasons.

The Dons changed manager during the summer and Karl Robinson has made a positive start in the job but we don't know enough about his personality to make any lasting judgements, so a watching brief appears to be the best option with the home win no better than 1.72.
 

Brentford v Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday have wasted no time in stamping their authority on League One but they should be overlooked to triumph against underachieving Brentford at skinny odds of 2.25. 

The Bees were a tough nut to crack in their own backyard last term - only one of the top eight collected maximum points at Griffin Park - and though they've had a disappointing start to the season so far, this could be exactly the kind of fixture to raise them from their slumber.

Andy Scott lambasted his players for a lack of concentration in the second half of last weekend's 3-1 defeat against newly-promoted Rochdale, so we should expect to see a greater level of focus against the free-scoring Owls.

As such, odds of 14/5 about the hosts keeping a clean sheet might appeal to those who habitually go against the grain but we feel Wednesday's strength in depth has to be respected, so we'll keep the powder dry on this occasion.

PICKS:
Bournemouth to beat Huddersfield at 5.00 (at Bet365).
Bristol Rovers (+0.5) to beat Oldham on the Asian handicap at 1.94 (at Ladbrokes).
Rochdale (+1) to beat Southampton on the handicap at 1.95 (at Bet365).