revolution saint

In that map you have the Donbas, Luhansk and Donetsk regions as having a significant ethnic russian population, not a majority. So if (on your basis not mine) ethnicity trumps all then the referendum would fail wouldn't it?

That's odd. Normally people cast votes and then they're counted but guess Russia is counting them as they make them up. Probably saves time and saves more time for running away

And about 0.6% want him to stay............

3%

Too long did not read. Give it a rest though you interminable bore.

Sonic

At no point have I accepted unsubstantiated gossip as fact. I've commented and speculated on it. It's a forum and that's what we do - I shouldn't need to explain that and you're free to disagree. As for anti-manager agenda - find a post I made criticising him before this pre-season. I didn't. I've had enough now and the reasons are blatantly obvious. If that's anti-manager I don't really care.

Great, if I ask you a question and you don't reply within 2 hours then I win? Pretty sure that's forum rules. I'm joking, we're not even arguing. The idea of playing our best players seems a bit left field though - it's probably not in the playbook. Squad game and all that. Certainly a change in mentality would have helped last night. I don't even think we can debate the merits (or lack of) of Adams because he had fuck all service. One of the main issues I had last night was our inability to actually pass the ball. We were woeful.

Maybe but that relies on having Diallo and JWP on their own in midfield which didn’t work. No doubt your front players would have been better but I think we have to accept a 3 man midfield until either Lavia is back or AMN has thoroughly digested the playbook, regurgitated it and can quote it back verbatim.

We needed a striker but because we tried hard, that's OK and makes it a decent window? What bollocks. I actually think we did alright on the business we did but there were clear and obvious priorities and first and foremost was getting a striker in. Everyone knew it. Ralph said it. Semmens said it. I applaud them trying but you can't call it a good window if the most obvious and important part of the jigsaw didn't happen. You can claim mitigating circumstances, fine, but you can't call it good.

What rumours have I taken as fact? I've listed instances of players dropped when we didn't have either fitter or better players to take their place. I've surmised that was because he had fallen out with them, the alternative being that he actually genuinely believes , in this instance, that Moi is a better player than S Armstrong. If that's the case then he really has a problem. As for it being a squad game? That's correct and if it had worked then fine but it didn't, and hasn't on more than one occasion. Feel free to defend his current record of what 3 wins in 19 games is it? Do you believe if AMN really isn't up to speed with the way Ralph wants to play him then he should be dropped completely from the squad when we're crying out for another midfield presence. Do you actually think that's the best way to treat him. To freeze him out and to criticise him in a presser? The lad has played at this level and far higher - he's played for England and yet he really doesn't make a squad that can contain a burnt out Walcott. That, in my opinion, isn't going to get the best out of him. I did mention rumours of S Armstrong leaving and said I wouldn't be surprised if there was a grain of truth in them. That's not taking it as fact at all. I think I made it pretty clear these were opinions - you don't have to agree with them and that's fine but don't wilfully misconstrue the arguments I'm making.

You can also use the same argument for private sector low/mid level pay increases (postman, rail workers etc) which would be subject to tax as well but the govt don't seem too keen on that.

Ralph seems to have players that he falls out with regularly. Bertrand seemed to be one and Adams seems to be another (alongside S Armstrong). Hard to know what it is that he's got against them. Feels to me like he drops them up until the point where he absolutely has to play them because things are so bad he doesn't have much choice. I guess there's two possible reasons - one is he rates Moi more than he does S Armstrong and the other is that they've had a disagreement. Neither of those reflect well on Ralph. There's been rumours around S Armstrong leaving for a couple of seasons now. Wouldn't surprise me if there's a grain of truth in them.

Completely agree. Last night he should have played. If Ralph didn’t fancy AMN as part of a three then S Armstrong could have done it easily and he should absolutely be starting instead of Moi. There’s an interview with Stu on YouTube on the saints channel where he talks about Ralph and how Ralph didn’t like him when he first joined. I think that’s still the case and Ralph always seems to be looking for a reason not to play him.

It's Ralph every time he gets a player that might have an opinion of his own. He can't cope and it's why he prefers younger players. Let's take him at face value though and assume that AMN isn't quite up to how he wants him to play. Does dropping him from the squad completely help him develop? Is that really the optimum way to getting the best out of him or improve him? We needed three in midfield today. Diallo isn't capable of playing in a two and maybe AMN isn't either but Diallo, JWP and AMN might have been better. To ignore that option and still have Walcott on the bench is nothing short of mental.

I don't think we've got a bad team by any means and it will take time for them to gel. We'll need to get used to the odd poor performance and loss of form. From what I can see we don't have a manager capable of coping with that. I see a tactically inept manager that appears lost. He picks formations that simply don't work and experienced players that aren't good enough whilst better options are frozen out. If we want this team to develop then Ralph is making a hell of a case for someone else being better at doing it.

He's in because he either plays like Pele in training or Ralph can't handle the personalities of those players who are better than him. I think it's the latter.

Get rid. I'm sick of bizarre lineups, formations and a team that simply can't pass the ball. For all his talk of working against the ball, always leaving everything on the pitch - we've had far too many gutless performances. How the hell Moi gets a starting position is beyond me; he does nothing.

Fucking lazy cunt.

I'd like to see a midfield of JWP, AMN and Diallo. Would mean sacrificing (probably) Elynoussi but I'm OK with that. Back four and keeper picks itself as does Adams so that just leaves two wide positions. I'd go with Aribo on the right and Djenepo on the left. If they have issues over the keeper then there's a temptation to go with Adam Armstrong instead purely because he'll try and shoot whenever he gets a chance. Wouldn't be disappointed if either Mara or Edozie start but if not then I hope they get a decent amount of time on the pitch.

I don't think this will happen because it's inflationary and would be hypocritical to condemn people on strike asking for more money whilst giving the green light to bankers to increase bonuses. Team Truss and the new chancellor are far more savvy than that.

Whatever mate, as I said it’s boring now.

Bit disrespectful isn’t it? Not sure the queen would like that. Anyway bit bored of this now, you can’t justify the cancellation of the games and are getting a bit worked up over it all. Go back to your candle lit vigil.

Can’t be arsed mate. Suspect you can’t really give me an answer but that’s fine.

OK what is it then?