SNSUN

3 points is all that matters but I agree there are better ways to get it.

Mara and Edozie must be wondering why we signed them. Defending a 1 nil for another 20 mins. This is going to end badly. Salisu handball?

We can't get our foot on it. It seems like we're playing with ten men. It's just awful.

Defending a one nil against Bournemouth by bringing on a defender. This is what we've come to. KWP injured. Luck is definitely not with us this season.

C'mon Saints. Please let's not resort to type and increase that "dropping points from winning positions" stat.

Yep. What little quality we have is now injured.

Win or bust. Until SR get the balls to sack Ralph we need to at least maintain a point a game ratio to give the new manager a chance. 11 from 11 is crap but it's a damn sight better than 8 from 11 with tougher fixtures to come. I'm still genuinely worried about this season. I largely missed the West Ham game as it was a very busy birthday weekend so can't comment on that but the fact that even the likes of Bournemouth are picking up results shows there are no real weak teams bar Forest as you'd assume with the quality Leicester have they'll come good eventually. Losing ABK for any length of time could be a massive bummer too. Roll on January.

We need to recruit someone that can recruit some triffic lads for the future.

Damn looked really good when I've seen him in B team vids. Another bummer for the season.

Could be beneficial for us. He'll continue signing youngsters, Chelsea traditionally don't trust youngsters, Saints reap the benefits of signing said youngsters. Masterstroke.

A point a game average over the season is 38 points and if you offered me 38 points at the end of the season now I’d probably bite your hand off. Then pray. 15 from 15 going into the WC break is probably the bare minimum and we’d still need a good January transfer window in what is traditionally a tough month to sign players. 8 more points from 6 games? I can’t see it right now without much in attack.

Pretty much my sentiments. I think we have a good defence on paper but squad-light in midfield and poor quality in attack. We do have the transfer window so I'm just hoping we're not too far adrift by then. We need a new manager to come in and tighten us up at the back with the quality we have, make us difficult to beat and then hope to get a goal. The Pellegrino/Hughes season we only got 7 wins all season (21 points) but we did get 15 draws. If we can't win, we need to be drawing games rather than having all these pathetic 1-0 losses.

This. My worry is we'll lose this and it will be another wasted game where we could have made a change. Even a draw isn't really good enough. We need to start winning games. The worry is IF we somehow win, it'll buy him another stay of execution and then we'd probably screw up against Bournemouth and get humped up the arse against Arsenal. Still I can't see it - they have Scamacca and Bowen in form. We have Che and SArmstrong who ain't. Saints 1 - West Ham 3. If Ralph stays. Really hope I'm wrong about the scoreline though.

TransferMrkt have it as 14th - this Friday. PremierInjuries have it as 16th. Fantasy Football Scout have it as the 19th. So who knows... but looks possible it could be by the end of the month if not before. Hamstring Injury Return expected on Oct 14, 2022

Alan Blayney - got a lot of praise when he first played in goal for us.

I think he took on Newcastle at a bad time when there was a lot of unrest behind the scenes but he's definitely underachieved with a decent WBA side and he's tactically a bit of a dinosaur. Not what we're after but he'll get another job no problems unless he retires, which he was planning on doing when he left Newcastle for his family's sake.

He's 5'10'' according to most sources, I wouldn't say that's particularly small. Kante is 5'5''. In comparison JWP is 5'8'' and Lavia is only 5'11'' so only an inch taller than Diallo. He doesn't look meaty though, easily pushed off the Do we even have a DM in the B team? Finnigan? We really are limited for options there with Lavia out so it's Diallo or AMN until he's back.

Striker, AM, DM (Cover), in that order. 3 signings needed IMO. We're OK for right backs and left backs (OK left back can be improved upon but we are well stocked), CB is perhaps our strongest position right now (which is what I'm pinning survival on, the partnership flourishing between ABK and Salisu with DCC also contributing) although a fit and firing Tino alongside KWP would strengthen full back no end, and we invested heavily in Bazunu so I think GK is what it is. Defence is our strongest position right now. In front of them though we need a shield. We have it in Lavia but with his injury issues and JWP out of form, we really need another DM or defensive minded CM to come in short term. However more importantly we need a striker and another AM. Striker is number one, we can't wait for Mara to come good, Adams cannot do it by himself and AA seems to play better in a wider position. AM also needs strengthening as Moi and SArmstrong don't contribute enough, Djenepo is unpredicatable and Edozie is still young.

I know it's not much later than this poll was held but has anyone changed their minds? I've changed from out soon to out now. The Everton defeat cemented that for me.

Every season I say it but we haven't had good AMs since Tadic. I have higher hopes with Aribo long term, and now we have Edozie on the books, maybe those are the two we should be starting.

IMO if we'd have played our strongest team against Everton (at least the strongest we could have put out or who have played the most) we'd have got at least a point. He drops Salisu for DCC (fine to a point but Salisu hadn't done much wrong lately), Diallo for AMN (who he's already said recently 'isn't ready'), and AArmstrong (who has played OK on the left this season) for Mara. That's why Ralph needs to go, his odd selections, his constant changing of formations, his not knowing who his best XI is. Then yesterday I'm surprised that he doesn't start 3 CBs, a position in which I think we have the most quality in the team at the moment, against a rampant City side. If we don't hear an announcement that he's gone today or tomorrow then I fear for the future. How nice would a new arrival be with a fresh perspective and a chance to bring a bit of positivity and good feeling to a club with largely depressed supporters, especially those that have to pay to watch largely pathetic football every week. Imagine St Mary's against West Ham, the crowd buzzing with a new managerial arrival. Thanks Ralph, and Good Luck for the future.

4 points or bust really. 4 will at least keep us in with a shout. 3 unacceptable but perhaps passable. Any less and we are probably fucked. What do I think we'll get? Under Ralph, one point. Under new manager? I'd rather find out...

Tella, Ballard, keep Edozie, the future is bright if we go down. 4 nil my predo, happy I got it right as a thumping would have harmed the GD. OK it's a thrashing but a lot of people were predicting much worse. Get Lavia back, get Tino back, stick Edozie in there and we have a chance of safety under the new boss but more signings needed in January. I say new boss... we wait and see.q

No icing on the cake? A little consolation to give us hope?