Blackburn Rovers are in danger of being dragged into a relegation dogfight and Sam Allardyce is pointing the finger of blame firmly at his senior professionals.
The Blackburn boss pulled no punches after their 2-2 draw with Sunderland two days ago that left Rovers looking over their shoulders.
Allardyce is an experienced campaigner in terms of relegation battles, having established Bolton in the top flight, and will need to draw on all of his experience to ensure that Rovers stave off the threat of the drop.
Q: Can you put your finger on why this season has been such a struggle?
A: Some of the players have not been quite up to the level that they should be. That is your Mortens (Morten Gamst Pedersen), your Dioufy (El-Hadji Diouf), Jason Roberts, Benni McCarthy. That's why we haven't found the goalscorers we might have found.
We've got to find someone to start putting the ball in the net on a regular basis because it's going to make a big difference for us in turning our draws into victories.
Q: You are 13th currently - what is the way forward for you?
A: If we'd had a 13-goal striker in our ranks like Darren Bent, then I've no doubt we would probably be eighth or ninth in the table and looking upwards, rather than looking downwards. We really need to find goalscorers for the second-half of the season because getting someone to put the ball in the back of the net is what is needed at Rovers.
Our last ten-game run is won two, drawn five, lost three when it should have been won five, drawn two, lost three – it would have been if we'd had prolific strikers. That would have been the difference between us doing okay and struggling to turn it around.
Q: Players such as Benni McCarthy will need a good season at the World Cut is looming in his home country, isn't it?
A: He is a very talented link player for us. He needs to feature for South Africa in the World Cup because, one, it is his last chance, and, two, it's in his own country. It would be ludicrous to think he didn't want to play for them but I'm not interested in that. He might be but I'm not.
I'm more interested in him playing for us like he did yesterday and scoring more goals because he is our highly-talented player who has not scored as many as we would like. Many others on the front line are guilty of the same.
Most of our players on the front line are way down on the goalscoring chart in terms of what we expected them to get this year. That is why we are drawing too many games and not winning them. I just think it is not bouncing for us or going the right way for us.
Q: So are you looking for more from him in the second half of the season?
A: Do the job we know he can do, score goals for Blackburn Rovers, he’ll go to the World Cup in his own country, which will be a great experience, then he can come back next season and do it all over again.
The ball’s in his court. When he gets an opportunity to play, he must play like Benni McCarthy can, not how Benni McCarthy sometimes plays. At times he’s not quite shown the ability he has in every game he plays. You have to play your best every time you get picked in this league.
This club has not had a player of his ability for a long time. What we want to see is that ability used on a regular basis. That’s all that’s keeping him out of the side. He’s too long in the tooth for me to change him, he has to change himself.
I can give him the tools to be better in every department, but it’s whether he wants to make himself better. If we get there, we can all go forward together.
Q: You have been linked with James Beattie of Stoke - what possibility is there of any movement in the January transfer window?
A: Unless one leaves, we won't be in for another striker. We haven't enough room for anybody - be it James or anybody else. We're at our limits in terms of squad and financial commitments. The older I get, the more I understand this situation. You have to understand the whole business.
