The Kraken

Yeah, I’d be surprised too. I did note Ralph’s tone in his BBC interview, where he said: “We tried it with a back 5, but it is not about this” and ”we thought that we are better with defending in this way, but the reality is different”. Like I said, probably over thinking it, I was just struck now negative he was about 3 at the back considering we’ve done it almost all pre season.

It would also mean playing 4 at the back after almost a whole summer of playing 3 CBs at the back. I’ve been thinking (probably over thinking) the whole 3 at the back move. I know we’ve played it before, yet pre season seemed like an absolute determination that this would now be our default shape. In his post match interview Ralph was very quick to throw the formation under the bus and say it doesn’t work. So I’m wondering if he’s been directed to move to 3 at the back by the new owners but he isn’t exactly on board with it. Given how stubborn he is about his own ideas and reluctant to take blame, it struck me that in the first game of the season he declared the formation as being flawed.

One more Brighton goal and we’re off the bottom.

It’s about the only benefit from today, I suppose. Pre season should have told him this though, so that’s five games and a whole summer wasted trying to play a shape that even he says doesn’t work.

Just watched Ralph’s interview with bbc, bottom of the page. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/62358043 Im more convinced than ever that Ralph will be off soon. He sounded totally lost and basically said that he knows our defence is poor so he chucked in an extra defender to sort it, but that doesn’t work either. The inference i got from it is that he doesn’t really know what to do.

The third goal goal did seal the game, but only insofar as that it finalised the flow of the game and let Tottenham relax. After we scored our goal we were totally under the cosh and looked like doing nothing going forwards. Granted, for a few minutes before Spurs’ third we started to look a bit better, but we never really threatened doing anything. Let’s not forget that, almost immediately after half time, we let sessegnon run through (offside) to score, and that set our pattern for the second half after being well under the cosh for most of the first half. Ralph tying to claim that the third goal was any sort of turning turning point is utter nonsense.

Sadly, this sums it up for me.

He’ll play LWB instead of Djenepo.

I’m starting to think he will, and maybe rapidly. He was forced to get rid of his coaching team and hire new people. I don’t believe the summer signings are his idea, they mostly fit the SR model and the new guy from Man City has clearly been instrumental. I think Ralph is on borrowed time, I think the club know who they want to replace him with, and I think we’ll have that change sooner rather than later.

The more I think about it, the more I think he’ll be gone by September. We look like a team in disarray. I think he’s a dead man walking, and I think our whole transfer strategy this summer has been done in spite of him, not because of him.

Depends if you consider Joe Aribo to be ‘old’ at 26 I suppose (25 when we bought him, he’s just turned 26).

Miles out, and he’s windmilling with it

We were 4-1 down after 63 minutes, so I’m not sure your refusal to look at other options as perhaps being slightly better holds any weight at all.

We can have our own opinions of course, but Djenepo today IMO was very much below par. Yes, he made the goal for us, all credit to him for that. But that’s him in an attacking position. Playing as a wing back I feel he is a huge liability. His performance in the fourth goal conceded was abject. The second goal came from a big gap on our left flank, maybe not directly his fault but he was in part complicit. As for Perraud, he has played in pre season. It’s not like he has just came back. He started against Monaco, which was two weeks ago, so your ‘not fit to start’ comment doesn’t really work as far as I’m concerned. I understand why Ralph feels he might have to go with Djenepo as Perraud is definitely on a route of recovery, but I’d have a half fit Perraud any day and let Djenepo come on as needs be. Aside from the goal I though Djenepo was what you’d expect, massively below average in defence and a bit of a maverick figure anywhere else. If he’s starting in this team in 3-4 weeks time, we’ve massively messed things up.

I’ve been thinking about the Adams situation and it’s just a bit baffling. I saw the Villareal game as a bit of a dress rehearsal, plus Mara getting a runout. When Armstrong came on at half time and not Adams, it obviously raised a few issues. I thought then that it was likely AA would start this week. Which was worrying. I know all players look pissed off when not playing, but Che Adams looked massively fucked off today. Slumped in his seat with a face of thunder and resignation, when I saw him I thought there’s no way he’s in todays plans and so it was. I reckon he’s had a fall out with Ralph, maybe he has asked to leave and been told no / not yet. To not get on the pitch at all today is a joke. Definitely more to it than Ralph has said.

I don’t think you can hold up our defensive performance today as a positive benchmark of anything. What made it more surprising was that Ketchup played so many minutes in pre season. He’s clearly got a long way to go but he’s also clearly not as horrendous as Valery. He would have had to have had a disaster to not be an improvement in Valery or Stephens. As for Perraud, if he’s not fit he wouldn’t be in the bench and wouldn’t have come on.

To be honest I reckon he’d be an unrealistic contender. I think he could be good for us but I don’t see him as a ‘fit’ with what SR are trying to do. If Ralph goes I reckon our new manager will be a relative unknown and/or someone who doesn’t have too much of a managerial CV if at all.

Positives Bazunu was nervous but I think definitely looks a player. Lavia was very composed. KWP was KWP. Aribo looks very good when we can get him on the ball. Perraud got on and hopefully will be available to start next week. Negatives 3 at the back is awful and leaves us too exposed. KWP does his best on the right but is let down by the system, Djenepo is most of the time not good enough at this level and certainly not when he is playing out of position. Our CBs are an accident waiting to happen and are all as bad as each other in one way or another. If Ketchup can’t get in that line up ahead of Valery and Stephens then god help us. Adam Armstrong is not a lone striker, felt sorry for him but he was just awful. Che Adams must’ve had a row with Ralph or is off, neither is good. Overall, a very meh out of ten.

Positives Bazunu was nervous but I think definitely looks a player. Lavia was very composed. KWP was KWP. Aribo looks very good when we can get him on the ball. Perraud got on and hopefully will be available to start next week. Negatives 3 at the back is awful and leaves us too exposed. KWP does his best on the right but is let down by the system, Djenepo is most of the time not good enough at this level and certainly not when he is playing out of position. Our CBs are an accident waiting to happen and are all as bad as each other in one way or another. If Ketchup can’t get in that line up ahead of Valery and Stephens then god help us. Adam Armstrong is not a lone striker, felt sorry for him but he was just awful. Che Adams must’ve had a row with Ralph or is off, neither is good. Overall, a very meh out of ten.

We’ve had two shots on target all game, Aribo’s just now was decent. Aside from that we have massively lacked any creativity up front.

Utterly, utterly terrible. Yet again exposed down the flanks. Fuck off Ralph. Shamefully shit.

That’s is fucking pathetic Salisu.

This formation simply doesn’t work.

Looks like big Joe up top then.

Fuck me, that was lucky!