washsaint

Very harsh on Targett

Sorry, but IMO this is b*****x. Targett has been playing really well, is dangerous with his crosses and deserves his place in the team right now. Bertrand is going to have to earn it back - he did not set the world on fire prior to being injured (or last season) - certainly Targett has been better than the recent Bertrand we have seen that could not cross, did not get forward and seemed to have an attitude.

Don't get this at all re. 'Bertrand is miles better than Targett'. Matty has improved with a run in the side and is now one of our better performers with more and more assists. Bertrand;s head has not seemed in the right place for 18 months+ and it is clear RH will not (e.g. Cedric as a case in point) play anyone who is not fully committed. Targett has come along well and offers more threat going forward than Bertrand has in quite some time.

You really are a miserable sod who doesn't have a good thing to say about anything. Really, it's quite sad and pathetic. If you are referring to Slattery - he did well today as did Valery when he came on. DO you not have any pride that finally we are going back to what worked for us? Did you not feel any pride that nearly half the matchday squad were Academy graduates?

What a bunch of pathetic, whining, wan****s on here. Excellent point, gutted to give a pen but quite clearly Stephens was being fouled. For those saying he's never a PL player - yes he is. You t***s are too far up your own arses to see it mind. Honestly - it's pathetic. Burnley are no pushover and we never do well up there. Remember they were 2-0 up in mid-week against United. We have 3 home games against Huddersfield, Cardiff and Fulham. Do the business there and we are pretty much safe. Bunch of tarts

If anything sums up our awful transfer dealings the last 2 years, this does. Ings - permanently injured and made of glass. And not getting the "love" for Armstrong. Nearly cost us a goal and really is not a good player

See that Tyreke Johnson was not is squad nor Ramsay so must be traveling with the 1st team

You must be absolutely gutted.

Worst performance under Hussenthal so far - really, really surprised. Would have expected a much different display....can't think of a single player that is looking good. Romeu and Hojberg rash in the tackle, giving the ball away under pressure. Don;t think Valery and Targett have been bad at all - midfield has been utterly dreadful.

Good luck to the lad - terrible time with injuries but sounds like he now has his head in the right place. Hope he goes on to have a long and successful career.

Wow, I know it is a weakened SPurs side but without Kane they look awful. As for Wanyama - what on earth has happened to him? He looks terrible and can clearly see why he does not play much these days.

Is this for real? Can't be surely.............. We are starting to clear out players RH does not rate and are not in his plans. I would have thought that fans would welcome that. Austin, for example, did not even make the bench last time out and SG was there despite returning from injury. For the person who said Redmond is not a striker - lmfao: he has scored 5 in 8 and appears to be exactly the type of player RH loves. Fast direct and not afraid to shoot. Our front line has been awful for the last 2-3 years. Gabbi and Austin don't fit into our pressing style, Ings is OK when fit and then we have the younger players that RH seems to have a lot of faith in. I am encourage a lot by this clear out and can see 1 or 2 others being shipped out if we can find takers for them.

LOL - absolutely no chance! He was terrible at Leicester and not cut out for the PL. Also terrible at Fenerbahce and in no way fits RH's profile of wanting younger, faster players. File this one under 'what a load of baloney'

But are we weaker? RH has the squad playing at a far higher level. Lets not forget our results when Soares and Bertrand were starting every week (and no, I'm not blaming them alone for how crap we were). Valery and Targett are getting better week by week and if we have injuries, Jack Stephens works well at RB and Yoshi does an adequate job at LB. Soares' heart was not in it (that was clear) and RH did not rate him - and I am quite happy to trust his judgement. If Bertrand comes back with the right attitude that will be like having a new player too.

Maybe - but it is quite clear that Ralph does not rate him and is not in his plans. If he has been a prima donna in the dressing room then I applaud Ralph: he is trying to change what sounds like it had become a toxic dressing room with certain players ruling the roost to one where everyone works together. We can already see that in how the players are performing on the pitch now.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Bertrand will not just waltz back into the side and that Hassenhutl really rates Targett. He has gotten better and better the more games he is playing and while not the quickest has a mean cross on him and his defensive side has improved a lot.

Can't agree with this at all....we are well stocked at CB. Certainly until the summer. The way that all 3 have come on since Ralph means it is as not as pressing and with Yoshi to come back that will give us plenty of CBs (and Bertrand could cover here). Striker - possibly. Someone pacey but even here it might be best waiting until summer and getting the right player in and not panic like last January with Carillo

Fair play to you Nordic. If JWP can keep up this level of improvement it will be like having a new signing. Agree re. STephens - he is turning into a very good player. Not just the way he is playing but also his leadership at the back - constantly talking and organizing. Just shows what good coaching can do (as we saw with Pochettino and Koeman and (to a lesser degree) Puel. Last 2 managers were disastrous in that respect.

He was excellent today. Everton did not have any joy down the right hand side at all - they had no shots in the first half at all. He got forward well, was tenacious and none of the hot headedness that we have seen previously. Like Targett, the more game time he has the more he is improving.

Oh dear, Larry will be unhappy tonight as will Efon/Cabbage. JWP MotM for me - outstanding and briliiant, brilliant goal. Not sure Bertrand will waltz back in....the more games Targett is getting the better he is looking. Easy to see why Valery is preferred over Cedric. Cedric was awful again (albeit on the wrong side) Everton very fortunate to only let in 2 - could easily have been 4 or 5. Although we are still close to the bottom 3 I thin Saints should be looking upwards now, not downwards. Some of the much maligned (on here) players I thought were superb: Stephens, JWP, Targett, Valery PLayers looked out on their feet after about 75 minutes (unsurprisingly). Since Ralph has come in it really feels like Saints are on their way back.

Elyounoussi - absolute dogs***e - again! Armstrong - can someone please tell me what he offers? Couple of storing games but other than that mediocre. Terrible tonight. Cedric - can see why Valery is preferred. Cannot cross a ball to save his life JWP running the show, Stephens and JOhnson good. Rest OK but we look pretty lethargic tonight.

Dear lord - if you go through life worrying about what may happen in the future you will always be disappointed. Appreciate every day and enjoy the present - you never know how long you have left

Heck, what does Ralph know? We all know JWP is crap - I'm sure Larry will be along in a bit to put Ralph right

Interestingly, in his interview with Blackmore, he speaks about Valery and how good he is despite having to learn and that he will be a big player for Saints for the rest of the season. Sounds like he is views Valery as his #1 in the position. I do love how he is involving the younger players....it would have been easy for him to bring on Moi but he brought Slattery on instead. Reputations count for nothing with Ralph. I really hope he stays here for some time - he is a breath of fresh air after some of our more recent managers.

Fantastic backs to the wall performance. Targett gets a lot of hate on here from our resident experts but he was absolutely magnificent today. In terms of ratings mine would be: McCarthy 7 - excellent saves when needed but his distribution is terrible Valery 2 - hot headed, weak at the back and needs to learn quickly. Plenty of promise but not sure this is doing him any good Stephens 7 - solid, great communicator but possibly at fault for the goal ball watching and leaving the man open Bednarek 9 - how on earth did that moron Hughes sideline him completely? Immense Vestegaard 9 - best game in a Saints shirt Targett 8 - best game in a Saints shirt, blocked almost everything down his side JWP 8 - everywhere and has developed a real bite to his game. Glad he is proving the haters wrong Romeu 10 - unbelievable performance and was incredible. Again, how did that moron Hughes sideline him? Armstrong 4 - awful. Weak in the tackle, completely anonymous and poor passing. Not sure what he really offers but he was terrible today Redmond 7 - never stopped running even though he was never going to get any service when we went down to 10 Long 8 - ran himself into the ground and played a role in both goals (reckon 2nd was OG as it was going miles wide) Subs Cedric 7 - should, in hindsight, have started Slattery 6 - helped shore up midfield Gallagher - not on long enough but will no doubt start midweek Ralph 100 - this guy is amazing. He has instilled belief and defensive discipline into a team sadly lacking either when he took over. Talk about sowing a silk purse out of a sows ear! Will be really interesting to see who he brings in in the summer. With Ralph here I think we will be comfortably mid-table and maybe, just maybe, top 10.