SaintBobby

Ok, yes I appreciate this is a long shot for Saints, but I’m trying to understand the pathways to qualifying for Europe. Am I right that the following is the situation: Top 4 into Champions League - unless by a quirk the CL winner is English and finishes 5th or lower in the league, in which case top 3 into CL along with the CL holders. The next league position (almost certainly 5th) into the Europa League. FA cup winners into Europa League, but no slot for the runners up. If the Cup winners have qualified for Europe by other means then their slot goes to the next highest league team (probably the 6th place finishers). The next best placed league team (probably 7th) into the Europa Conference League. No qualification via the League Cup anymore. I can’t figure out any feasible means by which the 8th placed team gets into Europe - but I may have missed something. (Do we get five CL slots if the Europa League winners finish outside the top 4 in the EPL?)

On re listening to the interview, I was struck by how honest & clear he was. There was a sprinkling of corporate gobbledegook (apparently it’s vital that everyone from the receptionist to the tea lady to JWP and Ralph all “talk the same way” or some such like?!) However, I usually find it meaningless when club’s talk about their own culture and philosophy and approach. Is there really a discernible QPR or Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest “way”? Most clubs are not really that discernibly different. They operate in a similar fashion and are about as distinguishable as different Wetherspoon pubs. There may be differences - but not that amount to anything philosophical or deep. Seemens though persuaded me that Saints may really have a unique and thoroughgoing approach that really does mark us out. The reason I’m so intrigued about the “next manager” puzzle isn’t because that person will actually be the next manager - they almost certainly won’t. But if we knew the identity of the bloke, it would help bring a little more clarity to how Saints think in football terms.

Actually, MS says the manger came in "this year or the end of last year" - suggesting he's maybe talking calendar years not seasons...so that sounds like Howe?

V interesting interview. Am not sure if he means Frank or Lage, but feel sure it's one or other.

The idea is very Moneyball. I think it means you can compare the final score with the xG and work out whether you got lucky/unlucky. I can see how it might affect firing a manager - six defeats in a row where xG says you should have won 3 or 4 of them might be “bad luck” rather than a sackable offence, I guess. What I still can’t work out though is what is luck and what is skill. If your xG is, say, 1.2 per game but you are averaging 2.5 goals is this sheer luck or a reflection that your skilful strikers are bloody brilliant at converting chances?

Anyone watching the Chelsea v Palmeiras game? God, it’s dire.

Good points for Everton today. Starting to look like last season - a handful of teams at the bottom who are utterly beached. Although, it looks like 3 from 4 this year, not 3 from 3! (Although I expect Newc to get their shit together).

God damn, we are bloody good at the moment. 👍👍👍

Pretty good first half all in all. Kinda feel we just need a lucky bounce or two.

I’d say Man Utd are still heavy favourites despite everything - but with our tails up and their heads down this is the best time to play them. If we avoid defeat, anyone know the last time that we were undefeated in the league by Manchester teams?

Pre-dates the Burnley game, but I have some memory of being 0-2 down to Fulham and winning 4-2. Probably 20 years ago?

Usually I think most fans (me included, for sure) overreact to both defeats and victories, but not in this case. I have no idea what xG means, but - having rewatched the whole match - I think we could easily have won that 1-4 or 1-5. Winning it 2-3 is bad for the heart rate, but was great for the banter.

The head injury rule also seems a bit vague to me and risks players going down and holding their heads for tactical reasons. Obviously, if a player would clearly benefit from immediate and urgent medical attention then the ref should stop the game, but that doesn’t apply just to the head. I think the game is stopped too regularly. Broja was fouled for sure, but whether his injury was sufficient to stop the game if it was identical but not a foul, I’m less persuaded of.

The foul on Broja was a weird one. The ref should spot it and give it, but it seemed strange to me that it was ruled beyond the scope of VAR. Is there a clear rule about what constitutes a “passage of play” for VAR?

Perraud looks like a major upgrade on Bertrand (well, Bertrand as he was in his last season with us, for sure)

Bloody marvellous!!!! What a performance! Game over!!!!!

Bollocks

Game over 😍

We had a stronger bench against Coventry though. Lol!

I’d rip your arm off for a draw tbh

It's probably going to be Burnley, Watford and Norwich, I'd say.

Still want us to sign 6+ Burnley players to improve our first team? Top bants. Lol.

Lol....anyway, thank God we didn't sign 6+ Burnley players as he seemed to want.

Is Broja even in consideration for this match? I assumed he'd be out for a week or two.

Kind of odd to say this, I agree. The plan itself isn't odd, but it's hard to see how it helps anyone to put it in the public domain.