The Kraken

It reads like it was written by someone who doesn’t really understand football. The photo is credited to an official Saints photographer who has a back catalogue of mens, womens and academy shots. Maybe they just got her to write it, and it’s not her forte.

While that is true, Ralph has since lamented some of the involvement of the RB brand on what he did at Leipzig. He said that he felt constrained by their direction and part of him leaving was to further develop himself as a coach.

Of course, yes. If that’s his ambition then he should absolutely do it. I just don’t see that with Ralph. He clearly lives and breathes the game. He may get out of being a manager but I find it difficult to see that he’d choose retirement. I may be wrong about that of course, just my perception.

Don’t think I ever thought that this season tbf. They’ve got a mediocre manager, some bang average players, and nobody in any form to consistently put the ball in the net.

It does bring up a conundrum, if Ralph is true to his word that he wants to leave at the end of his contract at the end of next season. We had it before with WGS aiming to work out his contract, and that ended badly just a few months into his final year. Ralph himself said, when at RB Leipzig, "The club are well within their rights not to offer me an extension, but we also stressed that going into the final year of a contract without a clear long-term future plan wasn't ideal". I wonder if there’s any chance that Ralph might move upstairs within the club. I very much doubt it will happen, but if it did it would allow a season to search for and groom his successor. Personally I think he’s too young to do what he’s said he’ll do, walk away from coaching.

Their run in isn’t good, they’ve got Chelsea Leicester and Arsenal to play. Saying that, they’ve also got watford Brentford and Palace, so they’re not dead just yet. Burnley’s run in also has its ups and downs, watford Villa twice Spurs and Newcastle.

This is a really ugly game of football.

Yep. The players were underperforming and he expected them to improve.

Massive sigh of relief! The staying up party can begin!!

Yes it was. The club agreed his request to terminate his contract a year early.

That’s a full time job lately.

According to a couple of sources I read, that £6M includes bonuses such as a title win. So never going to get paid. I thought I’d heard before that Ralph’s original deal was around £3m per year.

Fewer

Nobody said coming tenth requires a perfectly balanced high quality squad. Finishing inside the top ten, and doing it consistently, relies upon having decent squad depth to cover shortfalls through injury, suspension, and loss of form. We haven’t got that strength in depth, hence why we’ll likely finish outside the top ten again this season. Our first team is decent enough, most of our backups are not.

I’ll say what I said at the start of the season. Our starting XI is pretty good, some top ten players, some Lower Prem standard. Outside of them we’ve got one or two others who are genuine contenders for the first team (Perraud, Diallo, Redmond when he’s at it is a good squad player IMO) The rest just aren’t good enough for a side aspiring to break the top ten, especially given how much it is a squad game now (and will continue to be with the possibility for 5 subs).

I think there’s a decent argument that Cork was interfering with play while being offside. VAR disagreed but in my mind it’s offside. Not saying FF was great, but it’s a weakness of the laws IMO.

He started it, Miss. Bloody hell.

You said yourself not very long ago at all that you think Saints should spend £25M on him. Sounds a lot to spend for someone who is bang average.

Really? Forster has been brilliant. As for all the rest, agreed (not sure on the accuracy of the championship budget, but it sure as shit isn’t going to have us competing in this league).

As I said in another thread……he’s 30 years old, he has started 30 league games this season, and he often plays in a two man midfield. It’s not sustainable. And like you say we have no real options behind him.

I’d add a CM into the mix. I love Romeu but he’s 30 now and often playing in a 2 man midfield, and he’s played 30 games this season in the league alone. Not sustainable going forward. Diallo isn’t like for like for Romeu, and Ralph has only started him 8 times this season in the league. Our central midfield seems to be either brilliant or not quite on it. Tonight, the latter. There are improvements that could be made almost all over the pitch. Full back is ok, but everywhere else you could point at a player who isn’t quite good enough and/or the strength in depth isn’t there. Broja has been off colour for too long, he needs to be replaced, but there’s just not enough behind him. JWP and Romeu, the same. Central defence is an utter mess and minus Salisu, all three are not good enough for a side with aspirations of breaking the top ten. So, yeah. Where to start?!

🤣 oh MLG, you wally 🤪

And there it is.

As s-Clarke said, I’m puzzled why you’re puzzled. Edit. Ah, the good old MLG ‘ edit your original post and say nothing more and hope nobody notices’ 🤪

Its Burnley. Im surprised they didn’t boo it.