CB Fry

Smith was basically Chris Wilder but with a significantly better star player. Arguable Wilder is actually better manager as he made less go further, more quickly. Wilder finished above him in the Championship and again in year one in the Prem (much higher). Wilder then started spending last year and blew it, maybe the same here with Smith and the Grealish money. Both are basically Championship level managers who can get promoted but probably not really going to consistently deliver much more at the top level. Will be fascinating to see who they get in - agree it would be insane for Ralph to go there right now.

I, for one, welcome our new Japanese overlords.

Reading up a little on the Villa thing, it is interesting to note that during the summer Villa did actually deploy the trademark SaintsWeb forum never-fails-solution-to-everything. Villa recruited back-room coaching help to Smith: a new first team coach, and a new set-piece specialist coach. But despite how this is so often presented as the magic bullet on here (HE NEEDS HELP ON THE TRAINING PITCH) hilariously it seemed to bring no benefit whatsoever. Add this to the previous poster boy of transformative new managerial assistants, Newcastle's Graeme Jones (just the zero wins in eleven this season under the influence of this breath of fresh air shaking things up). Maybe, lads, the mythical powers of changing/"improving" the coaching team over the managers head not as great as you're making it out to be?

Smith got the sack because of his form across the calendar year of 21. 18 league defeats across the second half of last season and then this season. Only one manager has delivered as many Premier League defeats as that in the same time. No prizes for guessing who. Feels like quite a tough sell to the Villa fanbase.

Not quite the same as Koeman, who was a cast iron success across two brilliant seasons. And he was coming to the last year of his deal. Unlike Ronald, I think Ralph will also feel some level of loyalty and comfort in his current role. He's got things as he wants them and he is The Man here. Would be a bloody brave move by Purslow to go to the Villa fans an unveil as their new manager, to "take them to the next level", a guy that, er, finished below them last season. So, I think there's a combination of us being able to stand firm, Ralph probably not being hugely desperate to move, and that the Villa fans will not be clamouring for him - all those things together mean to me its not that likely. Personally I'm praying for Gerrard because that puts Villa right in the relegation mix.

Is it a crime to be confident of beating a team that until yesterday had went on a run of 20 Premier League games without a win? What do you want the consesus to be here? Norwich are absolutely amazing, better than us and we're going to get annihilated?

It's called confirmation bias.

We should have kept him for three full seasons, to let him bed in and get his ideas across because Alex Ferguson or something.

I imagine they are going to go route one and Big Sam it. I doubt it would be Bruce as he'd have to sacrifice some of his compensation dosh which, if it is as high as they're saying, is not something you want to give up.

Absolutely delighted that Ralph made a tactical switch very early in the second half (ten mins in) that changed things enough to stop the Villa onslaught and even things up. It made sense because as others said it released our full backs again. People have moaned (i say people, me) about Ralph’s tendency to make no changes until it is too late. Well, let's appreciate what he did last night. And at least now we have lost the tag of "they've lost the most points from winning positions" that yer commentators absolutely love to blather about. Clean sheets and solid one-nil wins literally the opposite of that shit. Fantastic Ralph.

Not seen many of those corner kicks that were definitely going to win us the Euros tonight. And there's been enough of them.

Great first half. Villa look there for the taking.

Nice shot from McGinn. I thought he was suspended?

He's definitely shit though, yeah?

I didn't realise that the signing of Wesley Hoedt removed the rights of Saints Web users to ever criticise any other club's transfer dealings.

Define "two years".

Ralph breathes a huge sigh of relief tonight.

Absolutely. It suits Boris for the nation to believe that "they're all as bad as each other" because he needs the public to have a low level of expectation that he can achieve. You've already seen how the Tories have played the "Look at Labour playing politics with this" card. Absolutely shameless but you have to admire it really.

Nixon has contacts and is one of the main correspondents for The Sun but he's been clever there by not actually saying anything much. Feels all a bit too neat-and-tidy for Rafael-Newcastle-Howe-Everton, especially as Benitez hasn't really done much wrong, yet (they're just being Everton). We'll see.

....which, as you've already been told, doesn't answer the question because if Salisu is any good there will be other big piles of cash later. There is no benefit in us selling Salisu in January. And we won't because Newcastle won't want him. Just a load of old paranoid SaintsWeb forum bollocks.

Just to do MLG's job for him, his question was "What would be the incentive for Saints to sell mid season vs the end of the season?" ...and having read your post a couple of times I still don't see an answer. "Because they might buy him or they might not buy him" - what?

Not sure what any of that has to do with Newcastle specifically going for Salisu in January. You only think it's going to happen because he plays for us.

Southampton FC not the centre of the universe. If Newcastle really are going to start splashing huge cash around in January they aren't going to go for Salisu.

Yes, sorry, my mistake. Although to be fair Hoddle going to Spurs not really comparable to the others, which is the current Tottenham taking managers with recent history at Ambramovic's Chelsea. Ken Bates era Chelsea not quite the same, and Hoddle was a Spurs legend.

Hats off to an excellent journalist with excellent contacts - he called it when everyone else was saying done deal. Unai made the right call as well. It's strange when a club owned by gazillionaires is a poisoned chalice but I think it is right now.