GORDON Strachan will ring the changes for Wednesday night's Premiership clash with Leicester at St Mary's.

Following three consecutive defeats against Fulham, Arsenal and now Newcastle, the Saints boss admitted he is still struggling to find his preferred starting line-up.

"We have to seriously look at what has gone wrong in these three games," he admitted.

"I spent the last 20 minutes against Newcastle thinking about what the team was going to be for Wednesday - that will be a hard game.

"I would like to think we can sort it out with what we have got now. We are not a club that can say 'let's have wholesale changes' and I don't think we should leap on to that after ten days of bad football.

"The opportunity must be given to the players who are here to rectify it. They will be given that chance. I don't think it will be the same 11 starting Wednesday, that's for sure, but the group will have a chance."

Newcastle scored following a throw-in and then a corner, before Kieron Dyer's solo effort settled Saturday's match.

Strachan was disappointed to concede goals when, defensively, they had the opportunity to organise themselves.

"The first goal was a killer, but it was something that can always be sorted out," he said.

"It was something simple. You have people coming in at half-time saying 'sorry', but that is no good, it's staying focused when there is a problem.

"It's not intentional but it is people forgetting what they are meant to do at certain points.

"The good teams have the small things sorted out, if not they can become a huge problem.

"The first goal wasn't a quick throw-in, there was time to be organised. That is about thought and staying above a crisis point in the game."

Saints entered Christmas in the fourth and final Champions League position, but are now out of the FA Cup and have slipped to eighth in the Premiership.

Strachan, though, has consistently said that fourth was unrealistic given the majority of Saints' performances this season.

"We have not had many great performances this season," he said.

"People talked about Champions League. I tried to say there was no chance of that, but I didn't want the boys to back me up so quickly on that.

"It's strange, you see that performance from Newcastle and we have the same points as them, so it's a crazy league.

"We were fourth, but I think that was flattering. I don't think we have reached the heights of last season."