Squad verdict: where do Saints need to strengthen?

With young Polish boy mountain Bart still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury and Paul Smith sold to Nottingham Forrest, Saints are looking seriously under-strength in goal. Miller was solid in more ways than one last season, but if he gets injured then Saints are only left with the inexperienced Poke, unless striker Dexter ‘Dextrous Backstop' Blackstock fancies another run out in goal.

Verdict: additional keeper required
Possible recruits: Richard Wright

Full backs
Alexander Ostlund
Chris Baird (also centre back)
Martin Cranie (also centre back)
Gareth Bale
Kyle Critchell

Saints are looking strong at right back, with competition for places and genuine quality in Baird and Ostlund, with good back-up from Martin Cranie. At left back, a lot depends on the continued development of Wales' youngest ever international Gareth Bale, with the experienced Higginbotham and promising youth player Critchell as back up.

Verdict: looking good, review at next transfer window
Possible recruits: none

Central defence
Claus Lundekvam
Michael Svensson (injured)
Darren Powell
Danny Higginbotham (also left back)

On paper Saints are strong in central defence, with Premiership experience in Lundekvam, Svensson and Higginbotham and back-up from the burly Powell and promising Cranie. However, Claus is in the twilight of his career and it is still uncertain when Svensson will return and given Saints' injury jinx, we are still short of one more quality central defender. Heart's Andy Webster would fit the bill perfectly, but Saints face considerable competition to secure his signature.

Verdict: fine if fit, but need more cover for injuries
Possible recruits: Webster, Pele (not that one)

Central Midfield
David Prutton (also right midfield)
Marcelo Sarmiento
Jermaine Wright
Simon Gillett

Saints are looking worrying under-strength in the engine room after the departures of loan stars Chaplow and Potter, with much more strength in depth required to impose ourselves on the rest of the league. Sarmiento is a complete unknown quantity, leaving just Prutton and Wright and the inexperienced Gillett to fill central midfield.

Verdict: needs urgent attention, with at least one new recruit required
Possible recruits: Idiakez, Sobolewski, Hendrie, Potter

Wide midfield
Djamel Belmadi
Nathan Dyer
Andrew Surman

Central midfield is where you dominate the opposition, but wide midfield is where many of the goals are created. Saints do have one genuine quality playmaker in Djamel Belmadi who will be a vital player for Saints to keep fit. Alongside him is the inconsistent potential of Dyer and Surman, but again Saints are worryingly understrength in this vital area in a side already short of goals from midfield.

Verdict: needs urgent attention, with the addition of a real match winner
Possible recruits: Skacel, Tommy Smith

Strikers
Grzegorz Rasiak
Ricardo Fuller
Bradley Wright-Phillips
Kenwyne Jones
David McGoldrick
Dexter Blackstock
Leon Best

With the addition of Bradley Wright-Phillips Saints have injected some welcome additional pace into our front line. A lot depends on the form of the youngster with the famous father, as if Fuller or Rasiak fail to fire, then Saints are short of proven goals up front. Jones and Blackstock have delivered at times, but have yet to command a place in the starting eleven and McGoldrick and Best are still unproven at this level.

Verdict: time will tell, one to review in January
Possible recruits: Junior Agogo
(sorry, forgot to include the obligatory Lee Trundle link)

Looking at the squad as it stands, Saints are still short of the quality and quantity to provide a sustained automatic promotion challenge, with midfield a real problem area.

The next few weeks for the club are vital, as is the actual transfer kitty that is made available after worrying claims from new Chief Executive Jim Hone that the Lowe ‘war chest' looks to have been a ‘figure of speech'.

If Saints can succeed in securing our transfer targets then we look well placed to do well this season. If not, Saints will need a great deal of luck and momentum to pull through to the promised land of the Premiership.

C'mon you Reds!