Boss Hasselbaink admits he has 'issues' to resolve at struggling Cobblers

Speaking in the aftermath of Saturday’s big 5-1 defeat to Oldham at Boundary Park, where his side’s winless streak hit six games, Hasselbaink would not be drawn on exactly what those issues are, but his admission only adds to the uncertainty surrounding the club and their poor form on the pitch.

Despite signing 15 players in the summer, plus the additions of Lewis McGugan and Ryan McGivern on free transfers, the Cobblers have fallen well below expectations this season and find themselves above only Plymouth Argyle in the Sky Bet League One relegation zone.

Though the squad has obvious shortcomings in certain areas, such as out wide and up front, there is widespread bemusement as to just how badly they are struggling given the fact they do boast plenty of individual quality.

Since taking over from Justin Edinburgh, Hasselbaink has overseen improvement in patches but most of their better performances, such as the one at Oxford United, have immediately been offset by heavy defeats to the likes of Oldham Athletic and Bristol Rovers.

The Dutchman has already made it clear that he will be looking to add to his squad in January, but his comments after Saturday’s defeat suggest it will take more than a simply quick fix to get the club back on track.

“It’s tough but you have to take a look at what the job is,” he said. “I came here with no points and we had a go and we’ve picked up points here and there.

“But it’s been a roller-coaster and there were a few issues when I came in.

“I don’t want to go into it but that’s a fact and I put my name to it and I’m sticking with it.

“We’re going to get it right. We need some help and January is around the corner but, before then, we still need to get points and stay as close as possible to the teams above and to improve.

“Then, hopefully, we can improve the squad here and there.”

When asked to elaborate on those issues, Hasselbaink replied: “We have to see what we can do. I don’t want to go too deep into it because there’s still lots of matches to be played.

“But obviously there is some business to be done in January.

“I can’t make time go quicker, unfortunately. It’s just one of those things. Let’s work hard to try to improve now and then when January comes we will see what we can do.”