WHO would be Lee Bradbury right now? Five straight defeats, second from bottom in the League One table, virtually a totally new squad and no time to allow the latest recruits to settle in.

The immediate pressure of trying to secure some positive results means Bradbury, with a defeat at Leyton Orient tomorrow night, could be living on borrowed time in the Seward Stadium hot-seat.

And through no real fault of his own.

Firstly, the successful squad he inherited from Eddie Howe when taking the reins in January has been sold.

And, secondly, his problems have been magnified by the antics of the man he works for.

Forced, alongside assistant Steve Fletcher, to sit through the recent fans’ forum at the stadium, Bradbury could have been forgiven for wanting the ground to swallow him up as Eddie Mitchell told the long-suffering fans to go up the road and support Southampton if they were unhappy with his tenure.

And while that incident, at least in Bradbury’s case, may have been put to the back of the mind in favour of trying to achieve a crucial three points, Mitchell’s rant on the pitch on Saturday took what is becoming a crisis to a whole new level.

By apparently entering the dressing room after the final whistle to have his say on the players’ performances, Mitchell crossed yet another line.

But this time, it was a line put in place by his manager – the man employed by Mitchell to win football matches by getting the best from his players.

It should be pointed out that even Mitchell, in his position as chairman of the football club, was essentially powerless to stop the vast majority of Bradbury’s squad jumping ship.

If a player wants to go, they generally do and it would have been unfair on Bradbury if the club had demanded that the players in question see out their contracts. They wouldn’t have given anywhere near enough for the cause.

And so to Brisbane Road tomorrow night. A must-win game if ever there was one – for the players, the board and for Lee Bradbury.

But one thing is certain: As important as the game is for Bradbury’s future at the helm taking recent results into account, he should not be made a scapegoat for shocking public relations and a fire sale of players.

He needs time. He should be given it.

And he also needs to be shown some respect by his chairman.

After all, it’s unlikely Bradbury tells Eddie Mitchell how to build houses.