SAINTS head coach Jan Poortvliet must continue to ring the changes at Reading this weekend as he attempts to find a winning formula.

The Dutchman has not selected an unchanged starting XI for a Championship game since August, when he named the same XI for successive games against Derby and Blackpool.

In all, he has made a whopping 39 changes in 16 league games – some forced on him by injury, some by suspension, and others as a result of trying to find his best team.

In Saints’ last six matches, Poortvliet has made five changes once, three changes four times and two changes once.

That sort of constant tinkering cannot help matters when it comes to trying to find the formula to take Saints away from the lower echelons of the Championship table.

Poortvliet must make another two changes for Saturday’s ultra-tough trip to high flying Reading – both enforced as Alex Pearce is ineligible to play against his parent club and Jason Euell starts a three-game suspension. In addition, Poortvliet must also weigh up a third change – whether to drop teenager Oscar Gobern.

Full story in today's Daily Echo.