MARK HUGHES should be placed in charge of Saints on a temporary basis until the end of the season. That's the view of Ugly Inside fanzine editor Nick Illingsworth after Saints' dismal run continued with a 2-1 loss at St Andrews.

"I really don't see how Gordon Strachan can continue to be our manager for too much longer," confessed Illingsworth.

"I'm not saying that from a nasty point of view, I'm saying it from a logistical point of view.

"Talking to fans at the Birmingham game, the phrase that kept coming up was 'perhaps Strachan's taken us as far as he can'. He's certainly not the man he was last year, and Saints aren't the team they were.

"How can Strachan motivate the team now they know he's going?

"And some players, who might not be among his favourites, aren't going to give their all to ensure he goes out in a blaze of glory.

"Why not put Mark Hughes in charge for three months or so? He's not doing anything else at the moment. Providing he doesn't get us relegated, what's he got to lose?

"He will motivate the players because they will be thinking 'if he's in charge now there's a good chance he'll be here next season in which case I'd better play well'.

"And Mark Hughes will want to do a good job to show people he can do it at club level."

As to the St Andrews performance, Illingsworth added: "You could see our confidence was fragile. We had a great start yet as soon as Birmingham equalised you could see them ending up winning.

"Yet again, the substitutions were strange. McCann came on for Fernandes, who wasn't doing any worse than anyone else, yet Phillips and Pahars stayed on the bench.

"Then Ormerod, who had been playing well, was taken off and Phillips came on. When Pahars came on we really went for it, but it was too little too late."

Another awayday regular, Dave Ford, said: "We played pretty well to be fair, it was our best performance for three or four matches."

As to the Strachan situation, Ford added: "Talking to the fans a lot seemed to think Mark Hughes would get the job but Micky Adams is definitely the fans' favourite.

"Some fans think Strachan should leave now. If the results don't go our way against Leeds and Fulham in our next two games then I think Rupert Lowe must act."

For more from the fans see the Saints Postbag.