"POLAR OPPOSITES" Rupert Lowe and Gordon Strachan MUST agree on how much cash is needed to take Saints forward in the January transfer market.

Former Saints boss Alan Ball, writing in his weekly Daily Echo column in Monday's paper, said January could be a "defining moment" in the club's recent history.

Ball said: "Saints can say 'we're happy with what we've got' and continue to mooch around in the mid-table area completely safe from relegation.

"Or they can aim to spend around £4/5million (in January) and look to finish in the top six."

Ugly Inside fanzine editor Nick Illingsworth believes Lowe has to take the second option - or risk possibly losing Strachan to a more ambitious club.

"Rupert Lowe and Strachan are polar opposites in many ways," he said.

"I have always said that Lowe's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness.

"He's a money man and makes decisions based on finance, but Gordon Strachan is a football man.

"He will want money made available to him in January to strengthen the squad because it's painfully obvious what's missing - watching Saints is like watching paint dry at the moment.

"All we need is a creative midfielder, we've got a good defence and some good strikers.

"The manager and the fans know that we are probably one player away from being an extremely good side, dare I say it the cream of the 'rest' of the Premier League.

"Lowe has got to make at least £4m available in January to strengthen the squad or Strachan might wonder if he's gone as far as he can with this squad.

"After all, Gordon Strachan is an ambitious man.

"But Strachan knows what is needed at Saints. At Leeds he would need around five years and would probably only get two.

"We have lost too many managers in the last decade citing lack of ambition and funds, we do not want to lose another.

"Now is the time to show Strachan that he is valued and that we don't want to lose him.

"Yes, he has made mistakes in his time here, but we have moved in the right direction under him.

"Strachan can be placed in a group alongside Ted Bates and Lawrie Mcmenemy as the best managers this club havehad.

"The potential is there for him to become the best."

To allow Saints to recruit in January, Illingsworth advocates selling.

"The squad is top-heavy. We must have nine midfielders, none of whom can say they are cast-iron regulars," he remarked.

"I'd start by offloading Anders Svensson, he's still got a good international reputation and we'd get £1.5m for him."

But Illingsworth added: "We must have enough money to fund new signings, we're selling the stadium out for every home game.

"When they built St Mary's their slogan was 'we built it, now you fill it'.

"Now we're selling it out all the time the fans are entitled to say 'we're filling it, now give us a reason to keep filling it.'

"We want something to excite us."