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<DIV class=headline>Saints desperate for new firepower - ex-boss</DIV><DIV style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px">By Simon Carter</DIV>
FORMER Dell boss Dave Merrington has revealed his big fears for Saints ahead of the crunch weekend game with visiting Stoke.
Merrington is convinced manager George Burley needs to bring in an experienced striker to partner Grzegorz Rasiak.
And he is also worried that despite the £7m summer transfer window spending spree, the squad is still light on leaders'.<A name=mpubot></A><DIV id=midpagempu style="DISPLAY: none" align=center><DIV class=am id=midpagemputop style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px">continued...</DIV><DIV class=am id=midpagempumpu><SCRIPT language=JavaScript></SCRIPT></DIV></DIV>
Saints have slipped from third in the Championship table to 12th after three successive losses.
Even newly-promoted Colchester are now above George Burley's men after they whipped lowly Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 last night.
Merrington, who has watched every Saints game this season as a summariser for Radio Solent, wonders whether Saints might live to regret selling not only Ricardo Fuller to Stoke but also releasing Marian Pahars last May.
"They let Fuller go when he'd been Saints' best player at the end of last season," said Merrington. "I was looking forward to him and Rasiak up front this season with some of the younger strikers putting pressure on them.
"They brought in Wright-Phillips but he's only young and he's a bit hit and miss.
"They need somebody to really put pressure on the strikers.
"With hindsight, perhaps they could have kept Marian Pahars on and just paid him on a pay-as-you-play basis.
"That would at least have given them a bit more cover.
"Kenwyne Jones was the better of the two strikers at Cardiff, I thought Rasiak was a bit off form.
"But with Rasiak you know he will get you 20 goals this season.
"In this league you need goals from your two strikers."
Merrington added: "The money that's been spent, by and large, was the previous chairman's money from the sales of Crouch and Walcott.
"Now the new board need to decide whether they will make more money available for new players in January, or whether they can make money availabe.
"I certainly think they need another striker, either on loan or in the next transfer window."
He continued: "The squad has looked a bit fragile in certain areas.
"They probably lack a few leaders on the pitch - every team needs three or four leaders to pull things together when the chips are down."
FORMER Dell boss Dave Merrington has revealed his big fears for Saints ahead of the crunch weekend game with visiting Stoke.
Merrington is convinced manager George Burley needs to bring in an experienced striker to partner Grzegorz Rasiak.
And he is also worried that despite the £7m summer transfer window spending spree, the squad is still light on leaders'.<A name=mpubot></A><DIV id=midpagempu style="DISPLAY: none" align=center><DIV class=am id=midpagemputop style="PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px">continued...</DIV><DIV class=am id=midpagempumpu><SCRIPT language=JavaScript></SCRIPT></DIV></DIV>
Saints have slipped from third in the Championship table to 12th after three successive losses.
Even newly-promoted Colchester are now above George Burley's men after they whipped lowly Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 last night.
Merrington, who has watched every Saints game this season as a summariser for Radio Solent, wonders whether Saints might live to regret selling not only Ricardo Fuller to Stoke but also releasing Marian Pahars last May.
"They let Fuller go when he'd been Saints' best player at the end of last season," said Merrington. "I was looking forward to him and Rasiak up front this season with some of the younger strikers putting pressure on them.
"They brought in Wright-Phillips but he's only young and he's a bit hit and miss.
"They need somebody to really put pressure on the strikers.
"With hindsight, perhaps they could have kept Marian Pahars on and just paid him on a pay-as-you-play basis.
"That would at least have given them a bit more cover.
"Kenwyne Jones was the better of the two strikers at Cardiff, I thought Rasiak was a bit off form.
"But with Rasiak you know he will get you 20 goals this season.
"In this league you need goals from your two strikers."
Merrington added: "The money that's been spent, by and large, was the previous chairman's money from the sales of Crouch and Walcott.
"Now the new board need to decide whether they will make more money available for new players in January, or whether they can make money availabe.
"I certainly think they need another striker, either on loan or in the next transfer window."
He continued: "The squad has looked a bit fragile in certain areas.
"They probably lack a few leaders on the pitch - every team needs three or four leaders to pull things together when the chips are down."
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