SAINTS boss Harry Redknapp had admitted the squad he has inherited is not good enough for the Premier League.

Saints were torn to shreds by Spurs at the weekend in one of their worst displays of a turgid season.

Individual errors and a lack of confidence plagued the team who looked like genuine relegation fodder.

Redknapp said: "You can work all week on the training ground, have Pro Zone, talk about this or that but at the end of the day if they're not good enough it's difficult.

"Defensively it was a shambles. You could see why they let five goals in against Watford the other week and why we are in the mess we are in.

"We are not second from bottom because we have been playing well. It's going to be a long hard struggle.

"Spurs have quality players - they were on a different level to us.

"We weren't good enough, we need to do something about it and it's not going to be easy - it's going to be a massive uphill struggle.

"Hopefully we can get a bit of character in team because at the moment there is not a lot of character there.

"We need to up the standard.

"I'll be honest, the way we played, that wouldn't get you out of the First Division."

Redknapp has also failed to be impressed with the overall standard of the squad.

Despite the club continually boasting of its improvement in playing staff, Redknapp delivered his own sobering argument.

"Somehow the club has accumulated a lot of players, but is short of quality," he said.

"I can't just make them better, I've not got a magic wand.

"They are not kids, they are senior players.

"We need to get some players with a bit of character who might just turn us round.

"We are desperately short in areas of the team.

"You don't only win two games at this stage of the season if you're any good, it's impossible.

"We are where we are because that's how good we are."