SAM Allardyce brought Michael Ricketts down from his international high today when he warned he will drop his top scorer, if he goes off the boil.

The Wanderers boss desperately wants to see the 15-goal star answer the critics of his England debut performance by getting back on the goal trail at Southampton tomorrow.

But he left the 23-year-old hit-man under no illusions of the sanctions he will face if he lets his standards drop.

"If, for any reason, there is a backlash from his England experience, he will end up putting his place in jeopardy at our club," the manager said sternly.

"And I will have no hesitation in either de-selecting him or taking him off!"

And in an equally blunt message to World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff, he said all four of his new signings were under pressure to produce instant results.

Wanderers make their first visit to the new St Mary's Stadium tomorrow with Djorkaeff - capped 75 times by France and one of the most famous players in the world - making his debut after his high profile transfer from German club Kaiserslautern.

He will team up with Allardyce's other recent signings, striker Fredi Bobic and midfielder Stig Tofting, with the latest recruit - Metz midfielder Mario Espartero - ready to be drafted in once Wanderers receive international clearance for the loan deal.

The manager believes his recent transfer moves have significantly improved Wanderers' survival prospects but he knows time is not on their side.

"That's the only nagging doubt," he admitted. "They have to be instant successes and that adds to the pressure on them straight away.

"There is no time for them to settle in. They have to play at their best almost immediately.

"We are flirting with a little bit of danger because we are bringing strange players into our side and we are in danger of losing our rhythm, losing our shape and losing our team play a little bit. So we have to be careful about that."

Allardyce is, nevertheless, delighted he has been able to make significant signings to bolster his squad in recent weeks with the Djorkaeff deal in particular sending out all the right messages.

"It shows we are trying to get the best players in and around Europe - in the world in fact - to come here to improve our situation," he explained.

Despite the blunt warning to Ricketts. the manager let it be known that, without fear or favour, that he is the young striker's biggest supporter.

Angered by those who wrote him off after his 45-minute appearance in England's 1-1 draw in Holland, he urged him to produce a performance tomorrow that would make the critics eat their words.

"Michael has to get back on the goalscoring track," he accepted, assessing his scoreless run since he tucked away his 12th Premiership goal in the Reebok draw with Chelsea on January 12.

"And that starts at Southampton where he gets an opportunity to whack a couple of goals in the net to shut up a lot of reporters who have been rather disrespectful since he made his England debut.

"I hope that's his motivation."