IN-FORM Grzegorz Rasiak is on target to become the first Saints player in 40 years to fire 30 league goals in a season.

But George Burley is demanding an improvement in his 13-goal top scorer's overall game!

"He needs to be stronger and his hold-up play has got to be better," said the manager ahead of high-flying Saints' trip to rock bottom Southend this Saturday.

Rasiak's double strike in last weekend's win at Hull took his league tally 13 goals in 19 games - a strikerate of 0.69 goals per game.

If that ratio was continued over the remaining 25 games of 2006/07, he would fire another 17 goals - taking his overall tally to the magical 30 mark.

Dell legend Ron Davies was the last Saints striker to reach that figure - firing a remarkable 37 goals in 41 games in 1966/67, Saints' first ever season in the top flight of English football.

Polish hitman Rasiak is the Championship's joint top scorer along with Norwich's Rob Earnshaw.

But even so Burley, who first brought Rasiak to England when he was in charge of Derby in the summer of 2004, has made it plain that he still expects him to improve his game.

Burley said: "Strikers are going to be judged by goals and that's 13 for Grzegorz now. Thankfully he's got on the end of a number of good moves to finish them off.

"There's still room for improvement in his game and I've told him that. He's knuckled down and is working hard on that.

"He needs to be stronger and his hold-up play has got to be better.

"But if you can put that with his strength in the air and his finishing, you have got a top class striker.

"You're always looking to improve players.

"He's come here to take us to the Premiership and keep us there.

"There are areas to improve, like any other player, but hopefully he'll get that opportunity with us in the Premiership.

"I haven't set any targets for him - just to try and improve all the time and as a striker score more goals."

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