derry

I think last night proved conclusively that Adam Armstrong cannot play as a lone central striker. We now have a choice of Stewart, BBD and Onuachu. Archer also doesn't look like he performs well as a lone striker. Personally I feel we should play two strikers and tailor the shape with Dibling on the right, he is so unpredictable and a real threat.

Martin was in denial, he'd messed up and knew it and only made himself look like a bigger prat than he is. BBD should have taken it. Archer was frozen with nerves it wasn't Cardiff's second team in a nearly empty stadium it was MU in a sell out stadium and it was his first penalty FFS on his club debut.

I saw it live and the close up of his face before he took the penalty was full of tension. I've seen it many times during penalties and shoot outs and invariably resulted in a miss. It was a stupid decision with a experienced competent penalty taker on the field. Nobody could predict the outcome but it should have been more difficult for Utd unless we did our usual backing off once in front and gave up the game to Utd.

I was watching live, I couldn't understand why he was taking it. During the delay the camera panned into his face as he stood holding the ball. I've seen that face many times during shoot outs and it mostly meant a miss. I felt then there was going to be a doubt and sure enough he froze, his penalty was awful. I knew BBD was a competent penalty taker 7/7. It was a no brainer that he took the penalties if AA wasn't available. Archer wasn't even a good choice he was a gamble and we paid the price. It was a massive downer when he missed it. Maybe another example of RM's stupidity. The biggest moment in the game.

Archer looked full of tension and a rabbit in the headlights. In the event it was an awful penalty. He froze. Handing him the ball was a player with a perfect 100% 7 goals from 7 penalties. An awful decision for a player to take his first penalty at 0-0 against MU in his first start in the Premier League for us. BBD was a no brainer. A proper captain which Stephens isn't would have stepped in. With the delay so could the manager having ducked the decision in the first place. If this is an indication of our decision making we are in deep trouble.

I personally don't think we are a basket case yet. Martin has been here a year and looks wedded to 4-3-3 or 5-3-2. I think one of our problems is that we don't get strikers into the box. I thought that Archer was a peripheral figure yesterday, running up and down on his own doesn't cut it. We have to get two strikers close together into the box. If he doesn't want to play 4-4-2 then adjust the 4-3-3. Play Dibling on the right, then put two strikers into the middle. The left of the middle three could support and cover KWP on the left. Dibling looks really aware and looks to play on the 45 as he did with his shot yesterday. KWP or the Left midfielder could do the same. Defensively we should hold one full back to support the two centre backs with Downes curbing his forward play and playing more defensively. Yesterday KWP was drifting inside so his winger was causing us problems. Stephens moving into midfield was compounding KWP's problems. He was sent off for a tackle well up the field. The Centre Backs have to hold their positions and if one full back is attacking the other one has to hold. We then have four defenders if the line is broken with others looking to get back in numbers. All the while the tempo has to be high. It's not symmetrical but it gives us width and two strikers. We've now got Archer, Armstrong, BBD, Onuachu and Stewart to give us options. We have to find out what they can do and which is the best pair.

I've seen several lower ranking Premier teams. Everton, Palace, Bournemouth, Forest amongst others. In comparison they are all more dynamic with a high tempo whereas we play far too slowly with a low tempo. That needs to change if we are to stand any chance of survival. In addition now they are here at least until January we have to seriously look at whether ABK and Onuachu can do anything for us whether as substitutes or starters. Nice to see Ross Stewart back playing. If RM is awake he could put out an interesting alternative team on Tuesday giving chances to Onuachu, ABK, Stewart, Fraser and Cornet.

Watch his goals video. He takes penalties.

I don't trust Jack Stephens. Firstly he is a ball watcher to the exclusion of doing his job so loses his mark. He is prone to stupid passes dropping others in it. Today in a back four he left his position and pushed into midfield, that drew KWP out of position into the middle to try and cover Bednarek. The ball was lost and hit out to the right , Utd attacked. KWP was dragged out, luckily we got players back, Stephens tried but didn't make it, really poor judgement on his part. I really don't see that playing to that standard he can be captain.

Who takes the penalties is a management decision. Armstrong wasn't on the pitch so somebody should have been designated. BBD 7 from 7 was a no brainer. Archer taking his first penalty was a no no. RM needs reaming, if he left it to the players it's scandalous. The TV showed Archer's face before he took the penalty. The tension was obvious, he looked like a rabbit in the headlights. As soon as I saw it, I thought he was going to freeze. He did, the penalty was awful, that was his first now make it his last. The delay taking it got to him, not only were the MU players blatantly delaying it by arguing, Stuart Attwell was letting them. Sending a couple off would soon stop that. He waved enough yellow cards however he was right about that red. If I was Stephen's manager I'd have dropped him for that tackle. He missed, if he was going to get sent off he should have cleaned him out.

I'm not commenting on the authenticity of the two sites commenting, however it's the mere fact it's out there alongside credible sites shown on news search sites such as Newsnow. These things have an unfortunate way of generating more news. Even if there are leaks there is no way they will ever be attributable. I have no idea what is happening behind closed doors. I am sure there has to be conversations within the club and so there should be. I hope he has the pragmatism to address the problem and stop these unnecessary mistakes from players placed in easily avoidable situations. We'll soon see with the United game.

I can't see the owners don't see the same problem that we are seeing. I also can't envisage that his management superiors will just sit on their hands. I feel sure despite the apparent non movement that there are conversations happening behind closed doors. Either way his set up for the MU game and the way we play will show his position. No change in the way we play, irrespective of team changes, in our penalty area and how Ramsdale in particular plays, will either show his intransigence or pragmatism. If its the former and results don't pick up I'm afraid he will be on borrowed time. Results are everything now. After spending circa £100m plus wages the owners aren't going to be sitting back and repeating the previous relegation debacle of 2022/23.

If that is the case then his sacking is inevitable. Media sources are indicating ownership reaction to the results. I think he will be instructed by the ownership group to cut out the cause of the mistakes we are making in our own penalty area. If we continue and he has defied the ownership group he either won't even make the next game or the owners line up a replacement before making a move. I hope he sees sense. A lot of what he does is good but taken to the extreme leads to failure. His judgement appears faulty such as placing his trust in Manning and Stephens. Supporters have been more right than he has. Wood is another player he required but doesn't look that great to me more Manning / Stephens than Greaves.

Nor can we continue to turn a blind eye. His ball watching and giving the ball away or hospital passes often under no pressure we can do without. We certainly don't have to put up with.

Personally I'm not anti RM, nor am I for an indiscriminate sacking. I like possession football especially rapid passing in the opponents half leading to overloads, incisive crosses and chances to score. For me that is what football is about. My big criticism is how we play to maybe get the ball into the opponents half. For the life of me I don't understand how rotating the ball in our own penalty area into tighter areas and increasing pressure is either necessary or even sensible. Our half isn't the place to take risks. The manager has to shelve his purist ambitions. We cannot be reliant totally on possession to the point of obsession. There needs to be an adjustment made. Can RM do it? Of course he can. He only has to see that a more pragmatic approach is necessary. Stop the ball rotation in our penalty area. Allow Ramsdale and the centre backs to play the way they are comfortable with. That may well be getting the ball up to the forwards and through the midfield as quickly as possible. Cut out the totally unnecessary midfield on receiving the ball passing it backwards almost every time. Any danger immediately hit it as long as possible out to the wings away from the opponents central defenders and create a multi press to win it or contain it. I want us to play within our limitations not some pie in the sky meaningless possession statistics. The aim of the game let in fewer goals than we score not the other way round as it is at the moment. Inviting a situation that pressures our defenders into making mistakes has to be avoided.

Now we should integrate him into the squad and use him when we need pace especially against the better sides.

He doesn't have the right to make that choice. He is employed to do his best not experiment and justify defeats on the back of stupidity. It's only three games, 5 goals conceded and one consolation goal at Brentford. All of those goals were errors in possession or failing to clear the ball. The throw to our near post was an obvious flick on, when it came we had nobody on the post or on the goal line. Never mind the obsessive possession in our penalty area the organisation defending the set plays was poor. He doesn't have to try another system he just has to stop rotation of the ball around our penalty area. We can play possession football in the opponents half.

More my impression than a theory.😇

Maybe how he sees himself.

Of course time will tell, it always does, however stubborness is a major impediment to the changes you are seeing. I'll believe it when it happens. With all the signings there has to be major changes in the team. Retaining the kamikaze passing at the back will still relegate us. Personally I think lose at home to Ipswich and away to Bournemouth could be too much for SR. Graham Potter anyone?

No, just observing Stephens over the years. He really isn't good enough. His ball watching has lost us a host of goals over the years. Specifically he allows his mark to get blindside then win the ball while he is watching it. He never positions his body so he can see his mark and the ball.

With due respect RM was managing a team going into the playoffs after falling off a cliff and if my memory is correct facing Leeds away losing three on the trot incuding Cardiff, 0-5 away to Leicester and Stoke at home. That was a rude awakening. Do nothing and we were likely to crash out of the playoffs. As it happened we caught Leeds on a good day for us then WBA and Leeds in the final. A narrow one goal win but enough. Not only was McCarthy who is incompetent playing out, in goal, we did very little rotating the ball as we are doing now. The mere fact he was insisting that McCarthy conform now against Newcastle was a step too far leading to our defeat. I don't want his sacking but I do want to see more common sense. We have stepped into a bear pit as one of the weakest teams in the league at this moment in time. I love possession football in the opponents half not kamikaze passing in our own penalty area. Personally any team that plays purely short possession football is going nowhere. Apart from Man City all the best teams play a mix of long and short and have no problem hitting it very long if pressed at the back.

Because of the possession obsession we have turned the game on it's head, THB, Bednarek and Stephens have the most possession, how rediculous is that. Over his whole career, Stephens has had problems, specifically ball watching and concentration together with making stupid passes that drop colleagues in it and giving the ball away. A lot of it when under no pressure. Now he's playing in a system that is exposing him to pressure more than any other time. Not only has he been made captain he is shoehorned into the side on a regular basis. How does this equate with the theory that this manager is cleverer than most?

Better not mention it but Manchester City played a 4-2-5 formation in a friendly in Japan V Bayern Munich. For three minutes Ederson move up into the back 3.

Apparently there is still no approval with suspicion the paperwork wasn't handed in before the deadline. He may still be a Saints player.