Holmes_and_Watson

Kwarteng and Zahawi? 🙂

But how many passes out of the hundred in the build up, did he make? 🙂 Good to see him do well.

Insulate

Just to agree with much of the above. Impressed not only with the accuracy of the distribution, but with the weight of the delivery. I've seen many a 'keeper get it too the player, but with a pace that they struggle to control, by which time the advantage of getting the ball out to them has been lsot. Baz gets it to the player in a way they can actually do something with it. Nice to see. Less out from the back again yesterday too. The full backs didn't post missing and we had a lot more effort in covering each other. All of which will hopefully offer him more protection. Nothing he could do for the goal. I'd have been looking at any of the crowd in front of him first anyway.

Good to stop the slide of the last four games, brining with it a confidence boost as well as the three points. We had a very effective opening spell, moving the ball with more intent than we’ve shown for a while. The players were working hard for each other and to keep the shape that Martin was looking for. We pressed well as a unit, keeping them pinned back and getting us the momentum in the match. Martin’s changed a few things, which is good to see. He has made some tweaks before, but as results have slipped at least he’s not been bloody mindedly going down with the ship. We did see a lot of the things he’s been trying from the start of his time here too, so it’s not as though he’s jettisoned everything either. AA took both his shots really well. They were from tough angles and pleased to see an outcome from all the hard work he puts in. I was a little doubtful at the team, not seeing Adams or Charles in there. Smallbone and Stu in there might leave us a bit light defensively, while AA in the front three might make him tracking back a bit tougher. But there was a lot of players interchanging going on, with a more solid back four. When KWP did cut in, he was more supported in doing so. AA did a huge amount of work. We saw a good game from Stu, supporting, being direct and being solid when he needed to be too. It was a reminder of why we were so much better when he was in Ralph’s teams, and hopefully he’s getting back to his best. Smallbone is key to a Martin team and has been for a while now, even in the defeats. He provides an outlet across the pitch for the others, always taking up space and being available for the pass. In this game we saw him switch more with Alcaraz effectively. One area to work on is defensively. He was breezed past on a couple of occasions, was in the pack who failed to block their goal, and can’t seem to get a key foot in to stop their attacks as often as you’d like. But lots of positives apart from that. Alcaraz’s pace made him more dynamic than Adams when we needed to get back. Smallbone can put in a cynical tackle when needed, as well as getting a very good goal, from taking up a good position. Leeds didn’t push up much, so we didn’t get to see too much of Sulemana’s pace. But he’s clearly going to be key in our attacking line. He had the vision to tee up his teammates. To balance some of the above, Leeds were probably one of the few teams in the division who like to play towards a philosophy of their own, as Farke showed at Norwich. They didn’t try to out muscle us in midfield, they didn’t close down Bazunu much (or the key stumbling point of the player who gets it right after that in our own half) and they didn’t exploit the gaps in behind our fullbacks the way previous opponents had either (although we left less space there than previously anyway). We did manage to make a few unforced errors at the back, such as Manning standing on the ball in our penalty area or Bednarek making a poor pass across the back. Nothing that Leeds got to capitalise fully on. it was comforting to see we had more players back than normal, for such scenarios, offering cover further up too and at our own attacking corners for a change. Lots of positives, and we’ll see how it stands up to dealing with teams who set up with a more direct, physical style.

The future of moderation... Carte D'Or Carte Blancmange Carte Blanche I like to think that the reaction of the fans, not just to the worst of Martin's tactics, but to SR's buy in of yet another doomed revolutionary project, acted as a spur to bring in some prompt pragmatism.

Dish

Lark

Baffle

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Orange

Normally not hard at all, for all the points you mention. But what we want from an attacking midfielder is to not attack and to not be in midfield when he's the one having to race back from our own corners. 🙂 It adds a whole level of complexity, and no doubt frustration for Alcaraz.

I thought they were slowly building up their flagship club. It just turned out to be Goztepe and not us. 🙂

Foolishly, I thought the focus would be on how we defend them to keep goals out. But all the effort has instead gone into how we use our attacking ones to ensure we let goals in from those.

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Racing

I knew SR would take us back into European contention! Go Martin! 🙂 Forward thinking fans for a forward thinking club. 🙂

We didn’t see much of Baz’s passing skills on Saturday, just after he’d doen well in that department. If it’s something that’s changed, then we should be looking to bring in the one who at least has the most chance of saving a shot. We changed some things defensively. As Manning was brought in for the initial style, he’s now less suited for this. We got rid of a better left back (who admittedly wanted out after being messed around by the previous system) during the summer. Holgate had another nightmare moment. But I wonder just who was available for him to pass to, as our lines are miles apart at the wrong times in games. Since JWP’s departure, there’s a lot less of this high possession with intent football. Martin is right that there’s no intensity and passivity across our team. But he’s the one coaching them on passing, intensity and shape. If it can’t be implemented, then something else is going to have to change, or we’re going to be watching a lot of defeats. JWP covered multiple jobs in midfield. We only have Charles as a DM. Downes is more capable of direct link ups. Smallbone is better further forward, but not as a 10. He’s best at cycling the ball through a midfield bolstered by our two inverted fullbacks, and with support from another midfielder. With JWP he had someone who could give all that support. Without him, he does some things well, but can’t take control of a game or provide any direct attacking outlet as Stu or Alcaraz can. Up front we have a support striker with no one to support. Out wide we rotate a number of people, with Edozie being the only one so far looking to develop a blend of dribbling and shooting. AA offers us work rate and cover. He’s got lots of attributes that the rest of the team could do with. But he’s not a deep lying midfielder in a three. He’s not a wide player either. Another stuck in yet another system that’s not going to get the best out of him. Martin’s comment of “Then in the second half we were so on top, so in control…” borders on delusional. If that’s what his data is telling him, then it’s going to be a long time before it synchs with the reality on the pitch. Every team we’ve faced has looked more than capable of putting us to the sword. If they didn’t before, they all know now how to do it. Just as it was with Ralph’s teams. I agree with him that keeping the same mindset through the game is important. I agree with him, and the players, that you should have a working environment focused on development and support. There are multiple systems and approaches to achieving that. Results, in the end, do matter. I’d prefer any system over that of Selles’ involvement with us. Having at least the chance of getting a goal is better than watching us sit back waiting for the inevitable. But we have lots of comedy tactical moments. Things Martin is happy to persist with. As @Conivct Colony said, we’ve actually managed to go backwards, the more of his system he’s tried to put into place. I still want him to do well, and for things to turn around. That this was a backward step, to progress faster. But if it continues, it’s going to be a wasted season, when Dragan should have been expecting us to be in contention for going straight back up. SR telling him otherwise is just conning him.

Martin has made sure to say that he’s implementing a football philosophy that the club also want. He’s said this to defend his approach and to also divert calls for him to go at this stage. After all, if it’s what the club are fully committed too, we’d just get more of the same, seems to be the argument there. It’s going to take a fairly lengthy run of defeats for him to be one his way. He talks about blocks of games, so will be seeing out this one at least. He’s not wrong about SR’s approach either. - Get in players on cusp of breaking through, and sell for a profit. - Implement a consistent football style to support/ strengthen recruitment and development. - Be data driven in development and recruitment. A big one is their “results don’t matter”. It’s a project. It’s a philosophy to reach the above. If there’s data driven improvements, then eventually the results will go our way. With the large assumption that the data you’re using is worth anything when faced with real life football games. Before the season started, there were quotes talking about projects and development over results. They were around the time there were quotes about it not being a disaster not to go straight up, as a reset was needed. Only after I heard that, did I hear more direct “the aim is to go back up” comments. Often without a time frame. Sometimes a “soon as possible.” Not much in the area of “considering our resources and confidence in our recruitment/ system we will expect our new structure to deliver an immediate return.” Which is what the likes of Leicester and Leeds look to be aiming for. @Lighthouse made the good point that those two nearly stayed up, while we plummeted like a stone. Rather that reassess their philosophy, or wonder why we were so abject, we’ve even more closely aligned ourselves to a philosophy. It’s now closer to being a man city light, but without the talent, discipline, resources or will to succeed as they have. It’s another revolutionary footballing system, as if any of the traditional ones couldn’t possibly reach SR’s goals. Martin talked about changes in mentality. When we go one down, it’s scar tissue from previous regimes. These are scars shared by the fans, which he’s taken exception to, calling it out a couple of times. When we go one up “There was loads of anxiety in the crowd because we stole the ball a few times, we scored off stealing the ball, and then just went passive – didn’t look after the ball, didn’t hunt the ball after that. It’s not a conscious decision, so we have to really look at that, really work on that.” When their fans aren’t winning “their crowd really willing them on because they haven’t won yet." We’re apparently just critical, wouldn’t understand a process if it was delivered on a flowchart, and anxious based on previous trauma. Not because anyone, including all of our opponents, can see all the ways we set ourselves up to lose a game of football. Which is on Martin and SR more than it is on the players.

Hmmm. We've tried championship level. Is there not a facially hairy League One or Two manager, who has failed before, but who has even the most tenuous ties to Man City available?

Agree that whatever the situation with his dad is the key point there. And I hope whatever it is, works out for the lad. Behind that though was "There are things he knows he needs to do better. It’s about who you trust at this moment. Your all in with this side or not.” The "all in with this side or not" is connected to things he needs to do better and not the family situation. Alcaraz is a direct player, who may well not be best pleased at giving up a lot of his strengths to this tactic. I was going to say that whoever the manager is, there will be situations like this. But actually, that should be whoever the Saints manager is, there will be situations like this. A philosophy requires certain underlying things, that aren;t going to suit everyone. We've seen strikers (remember them?) wait and wait for passes, players switched between running at players and pass back and across at all times and on and on oover the last few years. The way we set up leaves acres of space. We're in trouble at our own attacking corners. And we're in trouble when we give the ball away as well. Alcaraz's direct running and passing comes with the risk that there's absolutely no cover behind him. Martin's passing game and structure is supposed to be the better option. Alcaraz is young, and may well be having to learn to conform to a system (and one with massive glaring gaps in it) that he doesn't enjoy. Fortunately, he doesn;t need langiage skills to see the haunted, disenchanted faces elsewhere in the dressing room. Lots of them have also had to give up independent thought, as they become robots to whatever system we fail to correcty implement.

Welcome To Dragan's Diary Monday: Take control of SR. Tuesday am: locate better club, but in financial peril. Tuesday pm: Buy club Wednesday 09:00 : Liquidate club. All coaching and player contracts terminated Wednesday 09:01: All coaching and playing staff signed for Saints. Wednesday 09:02: Pay up contracts of lots of Saints players and coaches. Thursday: Fly in new squad and staff Friday: Tactics and press conferences. Saturday: 3 points. Sunday: Deliver shredded copies of Rasmus' book to pet shop to line hamster cages. Sometimes, the simple solutions are best 🙂

Didn't you get your ticket to the Saints Fans Prememptive Strike match? No teams playing, but a wonderful 90mins (plus stoppage time for us to moan at the length of) of "you don't know what you're doing" "sacked in the morning" and various bits of targeted swearing at specific players, some of whom hadn't even signed. Not so.

Not to disrespect Leeds, but I just can't see it being anything other than 3 points for us. 🙂