RUPERT LOWE could take action before the end of the season IF the situation regarding Gordon Strachan is hurting Saints.

The team's poor form continued on Saturday as Birmingham overhauled Brett Ormerod's opener for a 2-1 win - Saints' fourth loss in five games.

Chairman Lowe admitted he could NOT guarantee manager Strachan would be allowed to stick to his plan of leaving the club in the summer if the current run of results continued.

He said: "Any board has to keep the situation under constant review. That is the case with the other 19 clubs if results do not go your way.

"There may be a situation which means a change is necessary and there may be one which means there isn't.

"Right now Gordon has committed himself to the end of his contract. I know the players are keen to send him out on a high.

"The fact we have lost a game does not mean Gordon is any less committed than before we made the announcement.

"In football you do enjoy ups and downs during the season. You have to make the right decisions in the right environment. The club is ninth, we have 27 points, and it is just over halfway through the season. I believe, and so does the board, that Gordon can continue to lead us until the end of the season.

"He is 110 per cent committed to seeing out his contract and that is where we are at the moment."

The search, however, has already begun to find the man to replace Strachan and Lowe's phone has been hot with offers from possible candidates.

Wales manager Mark Hughes remains the bookies' favourite, although it has also been strongly speculated that Leicester boss Micky Adams, an ex-Saints defender, would be interested in the job.

Lowe added: "If I did have someone in mind I wouldn't discuss it.

"We have already had a lot of telephone calls.

"If you look at the club it is an exciting job for somebody to come and manage.

"Judging by the number of people that have already called, they obviously agree.

"If you look at the club and track its progress in the last eight years on the whole the board has made the right decisions and implemented them in the right way.

"Our job now will be to do the same again and move on to the next stage."