Christophenburg

Really hope that's not it - could just as easily be Sunderland, Stoke, Sheffield United or Brentford. We've had some iconic Hummel's kits, let's not regress to stripes, not least because it's hard to build a brand, particularly globally, when your kit looks the same as half the teams in the English leagues. I make no secret of being a sash or single big stripe advocate!

If Ralph told the lads in the dressing room that they'd "left everything on the pitch" then that's probably part of the problem

Just because someone disagrees with you doesn't make them a troll, and being critical of Ralph's overall performance doesn't make someone any less of a Saints fan

Need Doddsy, Paul Williams and Anthony Limbrick back - their spells within the Academy were great

I hadn't realised Chris Wilder started his playing career in Saints' academy

I thought Favre, think that's definitely wishful thinking though. Has AVB actually left Marseille? I know he'd put in his resignation, but I thought he was suspended pending displinary action? Not sure how realistic he is with our budget. Oscar Garcia is out of work too - left Celta in November. I'd guess something a little more underwhelming but more within our range, though I don't think we'd go for Howe if I'm honest. If we could actually go for a manager currently employed I'd say Nagelsmann, Glasner, Schmidt - would build on what the club want to achieve with Ralph.

Not sure this is the hot take you think it is, even if I agree more generally with some of your points. Ralph made tactical decisions which I think actually paid off yesterday, and his decision not to play Bednarek at RB even when resting KWP was reassuring. I'd have preferred Ramsay to play, but I like that he's experimenting and mixing things up, and it certainly wasn't a disaster. We played well, there well spells of greatness, and importantly we didn't completely cave when under pressure, and actually kept fighting, which is a reassuring change from the past few weeks. We fell foul of individual errors which is always our undoing and you can't get away with much when playing against City. All in all, I actually found yesterday somewhat reassuring, and Ralph deserves credit when it's due, particularly if you expect others to accept criticism of him when it's equally due. Brighton will be the test as to whether it was worth it however

I think part of Ralph's popularity comes from the fact that he's followed Puel, Pellegrino and Hughes, all of which were underwhelming at best, and outright terrible at worst (each for different reasons). Ralph has character, charm, a clear ethos and vision, and is getting the team to overperform at times. Had Ralph come in when Puel or Pellegrino did, I don't think he'd be as popular or be given so much slack. That all said, I like Ralph, and I really hope he's able to turn things around.

Hello SaintsWeb - first time poster, long time observer! For me, there are two particular issues with Ralph (and the club in general). The first is that, to a large subsection of the fan base, he is completely above criticism, and they'll contort themselves into oblivion to blame pretty much anything or everything else then be remotely critical of the manager. That's not healthy, and especially not when factors they are blaming - players out of position, team morale, players not motivated to play etc., are his responsibility. Secondly, he seems to have no back-up plan. Despite Bednarek being exploited heavily at RB against Leeds, Ralph did it again against Everton. As teams start setting up to counteract Ralph's tactics he doesn't make any changes. He's slow to make substitutions. He's slow to mix things up. He seems to favour squad seniority over current performance, or indeed players in natural positions. Now I'm not saying he should go, I'm not quite sure what the solution is. Changing him might not be the right solution, but a No. 2 that he respects and can challenge him might be. Yes, as Forester said, 2020 was a great year and he is responsible for that. But there is a third option that Forester doesn't propose. It's entirely possible that it wasn't a blip, and Ralph could have us performing in the same way he did in 2020, but that other teams, other managers, have adapted to neutralise Ralph's tactics when playing Saints. That's where the challenge falls at Ralph's door - can he adapt too? Does he have a Plan B? He isn't irreplaceable, and even if the club has a long-term vision, there are others managers who play gegenpressing football that could deliver that vision if he left.