SAM Allardyce is in two minds over how to get his unhappy Wanderers out of the squandering habit.

Resident Reebok sports psychologist Mike Forde is on hand to help the players deal with the mental aspect of their all-too-frequent and costly last gasp howlers but the manager admits he is in a dilemma.

"He (Forde) is here 24:7. He's always around but it's a question of how many times we bring it up," he explained as he faced the problem of eradicating the errors threatening Wanderers' Pemiership existence.

"There's a danger of bringing it up too much so it's a question of finding the right balance.

"Preparation Monday to Friday is always important but on a Saturday, when the players go out on that pitch, it's down to them.

"Every player has to take responsibility."

Allardyce has seen eight points dropped when games which Wanderers have led 1-0 going into the final minutes have ended in 1-1 draws - the latest coming against Manchester United in Saturday's Reebok derby. In two other games - at home to Liverpool and away to Arsenal - they have seen draws turn dramatically to defeats.

"There's a psychological barrier we have to break," the manager acknowledged, "and the longer it goes on, the bigger it gets. Of course, this time it's happened two games on the trot - our last two league games - when we haven't got our just rewards.

"We have to put that right because we saw with Sunday's results - West Ham and Birmingham winning - the massive consequences of the points we've dropped, the fact that we've been dragged way back into the relegation area, or very close to it. It's now looking like any three from five when it should really have been any three from four with us on 30 points and breathing a little easier."

Allardyce, who believes Wanderers need 12 more points to reach his safety target of 38, has seen what should have been a comfortable cushion above the relegation zone reduced to just three points in the space of 24 hours.

"It's in our own hands and not about anyone else and what they are doing," he insists. "It's all about us achieving that bare minumum, which is one point per game. Yet, even with all the performances we've had over the last eight or nine games - some of which have been phenomenal - we are still behind that schedule."