SARACENS chief executive Mark Sinderberry insists the club remain "united" despite some fans' fears that a season which promised so much is drifting towards a limp finish.

The Men in Black are in the midst of a wretched run of form which has yielded just one win from seven matches - leaving them closer to relegation than the play-offs in the Guinness Premiership.

In the wake of the depressing defeat to Gloucester on Sunday, Sinderberry launched an inquiry into the underlying factors behind the poor run of results and the dynamics of the coaching set-up is understood to have come under particular scrutiny.

"Of course I am concerned," said Sinderberry. "We are all concerned about it. This isn't where we wanted to be. But although there are some clear concerns, there are a number of positives. The club is united about how we go about resolving the issues. We are not lacking effort, commitment or attitude. We have just lost our way in attack at the minute."

The balance between forwards and backs has been an issue all season and the coaching staff have struggled to marry the two. Sarries reached their highest position in years last season, and qualified for the Heineken Cup on the back of a gameplan built almost exclusively on defence and set-piece.

Attempts to take the team on to the next level by introducing a greater degree of ambition this season have been met with mixed results. Sarries ran in 15 tries in the opening five weeks of the season but that period yielded just one win and prompted a rethink.

A back-to-basics approach provided the catalyst for a seven-match unbeaten run but only one win has followed since and the Men in Black already look unlikely to claim a Heineken Cup spot next season.