Toussaint

He can’t, Walcott's in goal tonight

What-everrrr

True, Redmond is in goal tonight

It's just my perception, not a scientific or technical analysis. I'm just a long suffering fan, I didn't take a lot of time to compose my post, I'm supposed to be working. I don't have the entrenched positions of others re Broja or Livramneto at RM for example, so its not really about the team I want, I just knew he'd start Theo Saturday, I even posted that thought a day or two before. There are plenty of examples of Ralph getting things horribly wrong. It's not my mission to influence anyone, I'm just expressing my frustration. I don't especially want Ralph to go, but I don't think he makes the best use of his resources. Of course, subject to fan type fickleness, if we get a decent return from the next 3 I may feel OK again.

Its all hypothetical but it could easily have been 3 points against Burnley, I hold Ralph responsible for that, and for Wolves, there are 5 points dropped that could end up being massive.

I've been feeling parallels with that season since this one started. All the draws and all the nearlys, that's why it's so critical to get a decent return from the next 3 games, if not a malaise can set in.

My only expectation is Ralph picks the best available players in their best positions, makes changes promptly when they are not working out and gets the team up to have a really good go at the teams in our mini league. Those are the things he continually gets wrong, which is why I am starting to get really fed up with him..

Of?

Funny you should say that, I was sat behind him on Saturday and his body language and demeanour gave me the impression of a lost and broken man.

Think I’d keep turning up for as long as it took to get my hugely lucrative settlement

me for example.

In that case the "actual" answer is yes, but I'd still caveat that with an expectation that he would change it, at a sensible stage of the game, if it was failing.

If the specific question is Tino at rm and kwp at rb, then I would unreservedly support it, even if it didn’t work. That support being conditional on Ralph changing it promptly if it became apparent it wasn’t working.

I have no idea, but trying a very pacey, attack minded, skillful RB as RM doesn't feel too much of a stretch to me. Ralph does have a history of playing players out of position, but more square pegs in round holes rather than in this instance taking the calculated risk of putting Tino further forward, which could easily be re shuffled if it wasn't working. I am not hung up on Tino playing mid, it would be good to see him and KWP on together, I am more concerned regarding his sentimental attachment to Walcott and at times Redmond.

Yes they can, but in either direction, that is when the avoidable loss to Wolves and the poor draw with Burnley could really start to hurt. Leeds will get players back and start climbing, Newcastle will have a January spree, Blackburn look OK and if Cornet gets a few goals that will help, Watford, hell, what a match Saturday, we need to get something. Norwich are the only dead cert to go down barring a miracle. It's a critical run of three games ahead of us (stating the bleedin' obvious).

If he does he'll probably choose a putter to tee off for having looked really good in the bag and boosting morale of the other clubs.

In sort of answer to your hypothetical question, no one can be certain that the outcomes would be different with the scenarios that you refer to. I'm still fuming with Ralph for the selection and game plan V Wolves, I feel that was three points for the taking. I also feel strongly we threw away 2 points on Saturday, we had our strongest bench in years, but somehow Theo not only gets picked, is predictably woeful, but manages to stay on for 75 minutes. I would hypothesise that had KWP not played at LB against Wolves and any number of options had been played ahead of Walcott Saturday we would be 5 points better off than we are now. So, as someone says below, Tino midfield with KWP behind him would surely have made a difference Saturday? Someone said in Saturday's match thread that there are 5 worse teams in the league than us, I'm struggling to think of anyone other than Norwich who are definitely worse than us, the rest are around our level, which is precisely why we should be picking up 3 points at home against them. On a slight tangent, I heard Dan Sheldon, on TSP today, say the only reason Theo was hooked on Saturday was to counter a Burnley tactical change, bewildering.

I wouldn’t want Fred or Pogba at Saints even on a free

Pogba is a liability

Worse than JWPs

Who’s first one to get a red?

Don’t get romantically involved with a rabbit is my advice

Shouldn’t that be red for McGuire?

Oh dear. Still think there’s a red or two in this game.

Similar “nice bloke” syndrome?