Forester

Huge money for sure. But in reality it would not cost us the entire contract sum. Yes a decent chunk of it, but there would be negotiations as any employee whether on fixed term or not can be dismissed for sustained underperformance. The issue here of course is that it is hard to evidence that in employment law after short spell. So in reality it would be a big seven figure some I expect but nothing like £14 million

Really disappointed again to be let down by inability to defend our box. Can forgive first goal which was a flukey deflection. Yesterday to my mind epitomised why we are set to go down unless urgent attention in transfer window. Didn’t take any of our chances, scored a wonder free kick, and then concede late on. And it also typified Lyanco who was in my opinion absolutely excellent for 90 minutes and then has a total brain fart leading to the penalty. He has all the skills bar ability to concentrate for a whole game, and that won’t do at this level. Good to see KWP getting back close to where he was pre-injury, a better performance from JWP, AMN and Moi plus Edozie continues to impress, other than shooting! Definitely an improvement in terms of organisation and effort, which should both be a given. These next three league games could see us cut adrift if we don’t pick up minimum four points, and hopefully more, against Forest, Everton and Villa.

Yes

At the beginning of the season I thought we would be in bottom seven along with three promoted teams, Leeds, Everton and Brentford. Didn’t imagine Wolves and Wet Spam would be down there, but equally Brentford and Fulham are outperforming expectations. If you look at the table, and we aren’t even halfway through, there really is nothing in it from Bournemouth down, seven places equates to four points, and we have a run of fixtures against teams I expect to be in bottom half at end of season. So give the guy a chance, he has had two premier league games, and the second half of Liverpool was good in my opinion. Added to that we won a league cup tie which Brighton couldn’t do against a league one team who had been playing games while we weren’t. This media story is so predictable. At every club (as in every large company) there are aggrieved people out of favour, want to go etc and when results are bad they leak these stories. You never hear a peep when results are good, and that is because no one lends them credibility. I couldn’t give a shit if some players don’t want to play in a certain formation. When they retire they can try coaching, until then they are payed huge sums to play and they are bottom of the league. Is their suggestion “more of what we were doing, please”? To be clear I wanted Rafa or Dyche appointed, and was surprised at Jones appointment, but that doesn’t mean I can’t see sense in giving him an opportunity to manage through this period. We were heading to the championship before he came, if he finishes 16th with this squad it is an achievement in my opinion.

Willy (assuming McCarthy still unfit) KWP, DCC, Salisu, Perraud Edozie, Stuart, JWP, Moi Adams, Adam I think Baz has potential but needs taking out of firing line for a while, and these next few games are time for experience and calmness. I would also encourage less attacking play from both full backs, certainly not see them both high at the same time, and primary performance metric from them should be “how many crosses into our box were allowed to come from your side”? Need to remember that in Mitrovic Fulham have probably best striker in air in the league. So more of an old fashioned 442 with Moi and Sam providing width. Ask Stuart to do partner JWP which he did well when we had injuries a couple of years ago. This assumes Lavia is still unfit.

Firstly I understand the alarm, and if you look back at my posts I was advocating Ralph being sacked after Brentford game last season and replacing with Cooper, Dyche or Benitez. The first one became unavailable, and I argued for one of the other two when Ralph was in exit lounge. However, if we put aside emotion (never easy!) we have had one Premier League shite performance under Jones (Anfield second half was decent). We need to consider what it says about us as a club for aspiring future managers to hit panic button that quickly. And on the specific proposal you make, it is not credible to reinstate Jones in championship as he would be stripped of any respect from players if placed on gardening leave. The uncomfortable facts are that our squad lacks quality and experience right now, and at the start of the season I had us in a bottom seven with Brentford, Leeds, Everton, Forest, Fulham and Bournemouth. Fulham and Brentford look like they will get clear of trouble, albeit Wet Spam have been dragged in. I think Wolves will climb away easily. With three games still to go until halfway just four points separate the sides I have listed and our next three games are Fulham, Forest and Everton. That is why I am saying we need to wait until late Jan, while accepting that it is scary.

Awful performance, but too soon to begin calling for Jones out. We will have a better view of him by end of January, after six or seven games and the transfer window. The problems are the same problems we had, which is why we are bottom of the league. We will need to pay over the top for players in January, and it won’t be easy to attract quality sat in the drop zone. Worrying times ahead. Things can change quickly and we play a number of teams who I think will be in and around the drop zone in the coming weeks.

A long day but much more enjoyable than same game last year, or Spurs and City this season in that for 60 minutes we actually competed and created things. Felt the second half performance was decent and bar Alison we would have won the second half for sure and possibly nicked a point. Always felt it was a big risk to play ABK on eve of World Cup and so it proved, thought he was poor. By contrast very good performances from Adams and AMN who should be starting week in week out

GB Lyanco DCC Salisu AMN JWP Lavia Perraud Armstrong (S) Adams Moi I would leave out ABK as I think we will get an “eve of World Cup” performance. Will feel like a 5-4-1 out of possession and a 3-4-3 on the ball

Great opportunity to reach final this year. City v Liverpool too

Disappointing to see the guy written off by so many. I was expecting Dyche or Rafa but am prepared to accept that club see potential in him, and he certainly has done wonders at Luton. Like Howe at Burnley, he didn’t work our at Stoke, but most managers have a disappointment on their CV. Lets get behind him

What we don’t know is whether there is a contractual clause that says “we can fire you on the cheap if you are in bottom three after x games” or at the World Cup break etc. This may have been agreed in the summer

The one thing that has been good in recent weeks is the defending, with just three conceded in four games. So why make two unforced changes in the back four? Again clear cut chances wasted. Change of manager, buy or loan two (not one) striker, recall Tella in addition to the two and farm out Mara on loan. More of the same and we are going down otherwise

Been saying since end of last season, Rafa and Dyche both immediately available…..

Spot on

Losing to Wolves, Villa, Everton and Palace spells bad news. Barring a huge surprise we will be in bottom three for World Cup break. The only positive of the season is that we have definitely improved our defensive game. But we increasingly look like we are two strikers short of staying up. I would send Mara out on loan in January, as he currently looks well short of Premier League standard, reinvest his wages and bring two if not three attacking players in. This will be very expensive, but less so than relegation

Firstly a great effort from the Saints fans who created a good atmosphere. Easy to forget how much this game means to Bournemouth fans which was evident around the stadium. Very enjoyable walk back to the car! Our defending is definitely an upgrade on last season and encouraging to see a clean sheet without Gavin having too much to do. DCC did well, and thought that in front of him AMN gets better each game. Four points a tidy return so far this week. Still feel we need to eek out five or six points before World Cup

I think there have been some good signings these last two seasons, and we are missing two of them through injury. However there are several players who in my opinion have been shown to have been good enough before who are under performing. KWP, Perraud, JWP, Stuart Armstrong and Adams are all horribly out of form and performances, not just results are dire. Ralph is paid millions to manage the team, he has now under performed for a lengthy period. It’s time for a new approach

Just back, another anaemic display and I have read that we touched the ball ONCE in their penalty area. We are going down unless there is a managerial change. End of.

As a very loyal supporter of managers (I was opposed to firing Puel) I am clear that a change is needed, and switched to that view after the Brentford game last season. The record during 2022 is truly appalling, the style of play and performance levels are going backwards not forwards and we need to pull the trigger early enough to impact on this season. We only have two players injured, which is probably a better situation than most clubs in the division. To my mind this is the perfect week to do it. If we can’t get a new manager in for Saturday, install a caretaker for City which is a free hit match anyway. Some won’t like this, but I am utterly convinced that both Dyche and Benitez, who are both available and achievable, would improve us. The players look to me like they have switched off Ralph.

Awful first half, more of the clueless stuff we saw at Villa. We were better after the subs. Adams is not a natural goal scorer, but works hard and is creative. Needs genuine striker alongside him. Absolute madness to have made two changes to the back line that has averaged conceding just one goal per game in recent times. At least we would have earned a point today had we kept that going.

I think we are approaching the lethal phase for Ralph, namely the next four games. Clearly no one expects anything at City, albeit it happened last year, but around that match we have Everton, Wet Spam and Bournemouth. I think we need to win two of those games, and if we do will be on at least 13 points from 11 games, which is “keeping your head above water” territory. If we don’t, with games against Arsenal and Liverpool to come before the World Cup I think the owners will pull the trigger. It’s a truism that owners who give you money to spend are normally more demanding than those who don’t. I cannot imagine they will accept going into the World Cup on less than a point per game and it is very obviously the natural time to get a new boss in.

Left the ground feeling frustrated and hard done by because of result but still overall positive about the season (just as I did after Man Utd game). Reasons to be cheerful: - we are now averaging one goal conceded from last four PL games. This is the killer stat for me, because occasionally you will get done 1-0, but across next 32 games we will win more than we lose if we carry on like that - core to the above is we look like a much more cohesive and solid back line. The two centre backs really look like a pairing, a la Fonte/Toby or Fonte/VVD. And I thought Perraud looked back up to speed and should last 90 against Brentford - very impressive sub impact from Stuart, AMN and Sam. - I think for Saturday we will see AMN in for Diallo and Stuart in for Moi I think the Adams fiasco we have to put down as one of those days. If he gets into those positions ten times he is going to score nine times. When I looked at our fixture list I feared we may be on no more than three points at this stage, so still not unhappy with start. Although, bizarrely, if you do the tick back to last season identical fixtures we also took seven points from them!

Yep good choice. Ralph said today DCC won’t likely be available as work permit delay

I think that, in a nutshell, is the strategy which is what makes it commercially viable