Given his team's current goal-scoring plight the sight one of his players emulating Patrick Kluivert ought not to be too much of a problem for Paul Merson.
But having watched 19-year-old Taiwo Atieno come on as a substitute in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth, while the Walsall manager was impressed with his contribution, he wished it had come higher up the pitch.
Atieno, who has been out on loan to Rochdale and Chester for most of the season, made a promising first appearance at the Bescot Stadium since September but while Merson expected something reminiscent of Alan Shearer, it was his Newcastle teammate that shone through.
"Taiwo is certainly a handful," proclaimed Merson. "But I want him to play his position like Steve Fletcher does for Bournemouth, where he stays on the last man, holds the ball up and then lays it off.
"The lad has got a very good chance of making it if he doesn't over complicate things. I call him 'Kluivert' at the moment because that is who he is trying to play like, but I keep telling him to just stay up and not drop off.
"He's still got a lot to learn about his position, but the encouraging thing is that he wants to learn and I feel I can make him into a player who can do a job for us."
Merson missed the match with a calf injury and is struggling to be fit for the trip to Port Vale on Saturday. Much to his chagrin. "I just love playing football," he said. "There is nothing worse than not being able to play. Even though I will be 37 on Sunday [March 20], I still get the same buzz from playing that I have always had.
"I'm not sure whether I'll be fit for Saturday, but I will be for Oldham on March 26."
