OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

I look back with affection at the days of Ralph's high press. The way after 70 minutes, Shane Long or someone would go down so that everyone could get an energy boost to keep them going, how occasionally we'd be found out and the lobs over the top would lead to a 9-0 drubbing only to bounce back again. And when you think of the crap in that team. It's no surprise Rohl has done a great job at Wednesday, even Selles has a cult following at Reading. That style of football is much more fun to watch if you have the players. So, yes, I'd have Rohl at Southampton in a flash. Our current squad is better than last year's squad (even being short of a goalkeeper and striker). Rohl would have got this team automatically promoted. But it's all too hypothetical. RM is going nowhere.

Admittedly the warning signals were going off after the Bristol City game and that last minute goal against Watford kept our hopes going, but it was only eight days ago, half way through the Cardiff game, that we were looking like having a real chance of automatic promotion. The game is massively psychological. We need to get back in to that frame of mind we had in the first half of the Cardiff game. RM could do worse this weekend than read a book on installing a positive mindset because this still has the potential to be a very good team and he needs to get them thinking they are unbeatable. He can't just rely on his possession style system and hope they've been sufficiently drilled in it to make it work. That won't do it. And McCarthy went up in my estimation yesterday.

Surely he's going to be too far off the pace for our playoff games? Having seen his cameo this season at Huddersfield, it wasn't as if you thought "that's what we've been missing". Maybe we can see what effect he has at Leeds, if he comes on, but I don't think he's going to be our panacea this season.

Ralph is a recent example of the club making an ambitious appointment and that certainly worked for a few years. I didn't understand RM's team selection today. What was he trying to prove by leaving out AA and Che and replacing them with Mara? What was Bednerek doing on the bench? He admitted himself that it upset the rhythm, so why do it when you're about to enter the most important games of your managerial career? His thinking is getting muddled.

Good to see he prefers Edozie and Fraser to Sule. Maybe Edozie will score the goals today!

I'm with Whitey on this one. Losing becomes a state of mind and a downward spiral. Look at last year. These next two games aren't meaningless in the slightest. I remember seeing THB's reaction after we scored the last minute winner against Watford recently and you could see what it meant to him. The realisation that we were still in the promotion race. OK, it only lasted one game, but these players are up for it, and frankly I think they're more up for it than the prima donnas like Gnonto and Summerville. What we need is RM to get the tactics right and he hopefully practiced for teams that give us the high press!

Totally agree. They're the only team I feel we won't beat. All the others (including Leeds) it's up to us to lose.

The QPR/Leeds result should give the team a massive confidence boost. Exactly the tonic needed to get our promotion momentum going. Won't happen, but I'd like to see Edozie start rather than Brookes. Have SAA and Dibling on the bench (Sule can stay home) and if we're winning comfortably, one of them can replace AA/Che, but don't mess with the team too much. Consistency is important for the next five games!

And what's interesting watching this QPR/Leeds game is how quickly the Leeds players (Gnonto especially) go down as if they'd been shot at the slightest touch. Don't think they're anything to be scared off if we have to play them in the play-offs.

In many respects, Sunglasses, this is the most important game of the season up to now. RM needs to get the team focused. Win comfortably and build up confidence and momentum to take in to the playoffs. This isn't the time to dick about giving peripheral players a game. 1st choice team playing in their rightful positions is what's needed.

And that's exactly why this Stoke game is important. We've had a couple of shit results that have shown up our shortcomings and even shown how important Baz has been to the style of play, but they need to be put behind us. The team we choose for Saturday (except Downes if he's still unfit) should be the same team that plays against Leeds and the first leg of the play-offs. I don't object to Edozie starting (Sule is not good enough and Fraser doesn't seem to be 100% fit) but SAA, Dibling, Meghoma shouldn't be trialled now. Stephens as left back? Possibly.

I remember walking out the Kingpower last season talking to Leicester fan and he said they were going down but we'd be all right. If only.... Two concerns (among others) I have is the guff RM said after the match. Does he really think we were ok for 70 minutes because if so that delusion is troubling? And second, many of us were commenting positively on the team selection before the game yesterday and it didn't work. What/who else is there? Downes has to be fit soon and I'd like to see Edozie start. And with regard to W. Brom, I recall they stood off us for much of the game. Teams won't be doing that in future.

And it's all part of the master plan to get Ipswich in the playoffs finals....just wish they hadn't made it so bloody obvious!

The demise seemed to start when Bristol City did a high press against us. Other teams started doing it and put us under pressure but the way Leicester did it today really showed the floor in constantly playing it out from the back. Really concerned about the play-offs now. Prior to tonight thought we'd put up a good show but that was so negative.

Right, just backed Mr Negativity at Indianapolis. Sure winner! Unlike this team...though it could be part of a cunning plan to get Ipswich in the play-offs😉

Oh well, my 2-2 bet is still on!

These are better subs

Time for one of RM's rousing half time speeches... I'd give Edozie a good run.

Commentary has it right. They're not looking for the forward runs

C'mon Convict. Head up. Win here and we're right back in the promotion race

So he's not resting players. Apart from Rothwell, nothing too contentious here. Leicester to bottle it. Che finds his banjo. Saints win 3-1.

That's the question. I'm guessing Downes isn't fully fit, but do you rest other key players? You then get disjointed teams for three matches before the play offs. Or do you play your full strength teams for Leicester and Stoke to build mutual understanding and confidence? Whatever, I'd like to see Charles get a lot of game time today.

I agree. I deliberately chose the word exciting rather than competent. To be fair to RM, he has got us playing some neat passing football, but a) he hasn't got a plan when teams come on to us and b) he isn't yet tactically astute enough to react to changes from the opposition. In some ways, despite the incompetence up front and lack of a goalkeeper who saves shots, it's our midfield that is getting exposed. One poster mentioned we lost the plot when Romeu went and nowadays when Downes isn't playing and that's what he needs to sort out. Personally reckon Charles could develop in to a competent CDM but there's something RM doesn't like about him. Maybe it's just his inexperience.

But when we signed him in January, there were many posters saying how brilliant the signing had been and with Rothwell too, we had become a much more potent force. With hindsight, Brooks seems to have lost his way and Rothwell hasn't done a lot. Maybe he has been played in the wrong position, but it's a bit late in the season to try out something new.

In terms of excitement at a football match, I'm struggling to think of another season where there been so many games that have caused real tension and excitement. Last minute winners (Watford a week ago), goals galore (Huddersfield, Blackburn), heart in mouth moments as the team tries to bring the ball out from defence...and RM has got to take a lot of credit for creating that environment. He even seems to have learned that Jack S. is not the answer. What he hasn't got right is reacting to change in tactics from the opposition and managing the team to kill off games when we're so much on top. And he's got six games to get it right!