derry

There is a meeting this week to establish any changes. It will mean 6 votes from 8 to get a decision. 4 home nations plus 4 FIFA reps. The offside rule is not up for discussion. All items for this meeting had to be ratified at a council meeting last December. What is up for discussion is to allow the spectators to see the video replays and hear the conversation while the evaluation is carried out.

For the last year I used Saintsplayer and it wasn't bad. This year I have renewed and they now have an absolutely superb site. They offer every match on multiple sites plus stations that are showing all the matches such as Bein and Supersport. I watched today's match in superb HD without interruption on the nanomid app on my Samsung smart tv. Other smart TVs use the IPTV Smarters app. All sorts of computers, phones, tablets, games boxes catered for. there are also thousands of movies, hundreds of series and hundreds of TV stations. There are free trials and various periods offered, I pay £70 for the year for everything. You get two sources, laptops/TVs for that price. www.saintsplayer.com

VAR is here to stay. In England what we need is a team of full time trained experienced referees that only work on VAR. At the moment every referee on the list takes his turn whilst still refereeing. That in itself leads to inconsistency. The only thing that is working well within the parameters laid down is offside. Right every time. It's the things that need an opinion are inconsistent. The same opinions that go against us regularly.

Firstly a good win. Secondly we dominated the game and played like we were away. It's been crying out for a performance like this all season. Again 28 shots and 46% possession which means we attacked more and had most of our possession in the opponents half. Passing around at the back doesn't work. Today a a few times we passed up the chance to pass it forward especially Stephens and Hojbjerg then made poor balls lost possession and twice nearly gave up a goal. we have to cut that out completely. At the end, their corner, good punch from McCarthy, picked up by Adams, checked out, looked up made a yard and hit a great crossfield ball right into Armstrong's path who finished well. Good team performance.

Although I've got a season ticket since the Bournemouth game I think I've been to three games including two cup ties. The way we play at home just isn't enjoyable. It's incomprehensible that we haven't found a way to play teams that have come to try and steal points. I've chosen not to go again today. Looks like he is tinkering again. JWP at right back and Smallbone in the midfield. I don't see the point of that, Valery at right back looked like the call to me. I hope I'm wrong but I can't see the point of moving JWP out of midfield. Good luck to Smallbone. It'll be interesting to see how we play. I just hope we win but personally I've had it with the slow motion crap we play at home. We are great to watch away.

Liverpool last night came up against the same problem we have been having at home. They had 73% possession against a compact ten players all pressing and holding their shape. Liverpool used the possession to try and play through without success. 8 shots, 0 on target. AM had 27% possesssion 7 shots, 2 on target and scored fron their first corner. After that it was up hill all the way for Liverpool. They were unable to break the AM lines successfully and when they got close they were crowded out. Possession just isn't the answer to teams that refuse to play and just back off. Arguably the best team in the world on current form found that out. I'd be surprised if AM didn't look to play the same in the second leg. It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool continue to try and pass their way through using their undoubted talent or try something different. They may well opt for more of the same hoping that home advantage will enable them to score the goals necessary.

I think it's the fact our defenders aren't looking for the quick forward pass, dwell on the ball for seconds and then see the scenario in front closing us down so to buy themselves time and avoid making a ball into the channels and in their eyes risk losing it pass to the other centre back who now sees nothing so passes it back to the other centre back and so it goes on. The way forward is to immediately make the first pass forward after we win the ball, or to a wide forward or straight into the channels for one of the strikers to attack. If McCarthy has it dead or in his hands launch it towards Long, whichever channel he is in. Winning the breaking ball is the key after the long ball. We can't just carry on doing the same things that are losing us games at home. We have to make life difficult for the opposition. We know what their plan is so we need to batter it to bits not just submit to it.

It doesn't matter how long we pass it around at the back because our opponents game plan is the defence and midfield not to come out. The longer we pass it around the more efficient their compacting becomes and the less space available. The only time we have to get at these teams, is as soon as we win the ball. That is probably the only time when their defenders are vulnerable. Delay and our high pressing, high tempo has gone. We are now just probing slowly backwards and sideways denied space and creating nothing. We can't just keep saying it won't work, because we can't keep playing the way we are as we have the worst home record in the division. If teams want to play that way, we should not allow them the comfort of seeing their gameplan working, as our centre backs often get themselves and the keeper in a mess, often ending with losing the ball in dangerous positions or McCarthy making a poor clearance. Liverpool regularly launch early long balls up to the strikers, they also have no problem in hitting long clearances if under pressure. We rarely do either. I'm not just advocating long balls but I am advocating instant forward passing and movement as soon as we have the ball. We can't play from the back slowly and win against these teams.

We allowed Burnley and about seven other teams to beat us by getting us to keep possession at the back allowing them plenty of time to compact and crowd out our attacks at the same time pulling us onto them and leaving ourselves wide open to counter attack. Bournemouth, Wolves, Burnley just for example. We have to deny opponents the time to get ten players into their own half, the only way to to that is play the ball quickly out of defence to our forwards, play it out, or break quickly but like Liverpool regularly do hit the ball deep into the opponents half for our forwards to win it. The slower we play, the more meaningless passes we have and the easier it is to stifle our attacking. Another problem with our defenders keeping possession is the danger element to us. Whilst we can't entice their defenders and midfield forward whatever we do, opponents strikers eventually close down our centre backs and we either make a mistake or pass it to McCarthy who under pressure often slices a clearance, or just kicks it into centre of the congested midfield. If the defenders haven't an immediate forward ball it is far better than McCarthy being brought in, to just put the ball into the channels for our forwards to win it or press the defence deep in their half.

Can't have it both ways. Ralph says he wants the ball forward quickly, puts in Vestergaard because he allegedly can carry the ball forward, Stephens can but Vestergaard didnt. We are not a combination passing team like Man City or Arsenal under Arteta. If we pass it around at the back we are back to the early season results. Get it forward quickly and we break through regularly, pass it around and we get crowded out and lose.

Its the way we play. Any more than about 45% and we are playing the ball across our own box. The higher the number the more aimless slow passing in the back four. If the possession was increased by incisive forward movement there would be a point in it. We, with the players we have and the style we play are only productive when we strike quickly. The fewer passes we make the higher the tempo. Which is what we are trying to achieve. Our best results have been with lower possession. It is only against the best teams that play attacking possession football that we usually don't get our best results. Against Spurs we had a good result with more possession but scored with a long pass from Stephens to Ings.

He made 48 passes, about 43 short, sideways or backwards. He was a major problem along with Stephens who also made 48 passes, it was that which slowed us down and played into Burnley's hands and many other matches at home this season. If Vestergaard was brought in to play forward passes he failed miserably. If he can play the sort of long ball he did a couple of times he could have played about 40 more and we would have been far better for it. He is also a poor defender, so all in all Ralph made a really stupid decision to play him.

It's all very well criticising the forwards but if the back four pass it around they end up with nothing to press for, outnumbered and feeding off scraps. Djenepo needs a kick up the backside, the number of times he was fed the ball wide with space behind the defender and not yet double banked turned back and played a nothing ball inside closing the attack off. He needs to take the full back on and go for it. Instead of us pressing under pressure defenders we were outnumbered and pressed, that has to stop. Ralph has to step in and stop it the second we start to pass it around at the back.

1-2 to Spurs. Vestergaard needs to be left out. The back 4 plus McCarthy need a rocket from Ralph to cut out the sideways and backwards. We need to play high tempo as away and no way diverge from that.

No, but don't worry if we do as long as we are pressing the recipient hard. Just don't pass it around allowing the opposition to form up goalside. pass it forward like Ings goal v Burnley or play it into the channel like Stephens quick ball for Ings goal against Spurs.

Ralph needs to up his game because whilst his basic method high pressing, quick attacking makes sense his passive acceptance of the back four passing and slowing the game makes no sense at all. Yesterday we had 64% possession/passes and managed two shots out of nine on target. In comparison against Leicester a much better team, we had 43% possession, twenty shots, most on target, Schmeicle saved seven, Leicester had five shots. It is almost that he is unaware what he has to do at home. Playing Vestergaard because he allegedly is better on the ball because he is expecting us to be allowed more possession is an indictment on his judgement. We have won three games at home all season, the worst home record in the division. Most against teams that played on our inbuilt weakness at home. Burnley is only the latest debacle. Ralph looks like he has no idea how to convert our high energy, highly successful away performances into success at home. We are best with about 40% possession. Picking Vestergaard was compounding the problem. It put a centre back in who sees his answer to his unsuitability to pass it around at the back where most of the passes he made and received were to and from Stephens who also easily reverts to this time wasting possession. Three players had the most passes in the match, JWP, Vestergaard with 48 and surprise, surprise Stephens with 48. Of course they were becausing they were passing to each other. Ralph needs to put a rocket under the centre backs because they are directly losing us games. Not as you would think their sometimes poor marking like letting Vydra getting in between the two centre backs without a direct challenge on the cross. The reason they are losing us games, they are effectively destroying our high energy, high pressing, harrassing game centred around four quick mobile aggressive forwards. The ball has to be delivered quickly, directly from the keeper, back four into the channels or quickly through the midfield as for Ings goal yesterday. If the full backs support then the midfield has to hold as they do away. Defence is important to keep enough players to stifle attacks. The quick delivery is paramount. Against Leicester we had 43% possession but we lost the ball 49% of those passes. Possession statistcs are based purely on the number of passes each team makes. We don't need lots of possession if our game is based on recovering the ball in ten seconds with heavy pressing. Therefore the defenders have to pass the ball forward short or long but always forward. Up to the forwards as quickly as possible. Increasing our possession at the back by 25% guarantees the the opposition have a complete team in position to outnumber our press. Furthermore because working the ball around short and sideways sucks our players forward and isolates the defence leaving space for the opposition to put the ball into attackers with space to manoeuvre as per Vydera yesterday. The back four have to stop using each other as comfort blankets, if there isnt an immediate forward pass available to a forward hit it straightaway into the channels and we can press it or win it. Just cut out the sideways and backwards and McCarthy passing it out short. We then are not playing the way the opposition have planned for and they are going to make mistakes under the high pressing, quick delivery. We may then win a few home games.

He isn't. I played with much better players than him, coached much better players than him, who could have easily played league football but were in good jobs and chose not to.It's our scouting and management that should be under the mcroscope for their appalling judgement with a whole series of misfits.

That is unadulterated ****ing rubbish. Apart from about five forward passes he got us in a tangle on loads of occasions with little short square or backward passes. My missus can jump higher than him he is an appalling defender. He is so ponderous it's untrue. Ralph got some decent results with a settled back four. Bringing in a debutant and leaving the rest of the four unchanged made sense but bringing in Vestergaard had consequences. it's not his job in a lower table side to be good on the ball. Our defenders need to be less of footballers and more of tough defenders. Win it and play it up to Ings and Long. Cut out the possession because we are hopeless at it and it destroys our tempo.

The manager went back to his early season tinkering broke up the centre back pairing and brought in the nearly mobile lighthouse, FFS why did he think that would work. it's not just his immobility it's his passing 5 forward and 43 sideways. McCarthy must take some of the blame his distribution is hopeless. We had 64% possession and lost again. In the second half we were awful, negative and even in the last five minutes chasing the game we were passing sideways and backwards and still giving the ball away. Most of these players and the manager/coaches are thick, thick overpaid multi millionaires but thick. What the hell was Ings thinking when he ducked out of the way. McCarthy totally unready for that. Great equaliser. We have only managed 11 points at home all season. The problem is the back four and midfield trying to slowly work the ball upfield or worse make ten passes to get it back to McCarthy. Especially today we need to get the ball into the last third quickly, sod the accuracy, win the ball and pressurise the defenders. We were mugged by a really poor team because of our attempts at slow possession football which has punished us all season. FFS even our goal we lost the ball, Ings won it back and shot. Burnley had 6 shots on target, we had 2. Djenepo had no idea, receive the ball, byeline clear, turn away inside and go backwards. It's no good having quick forwards if the defenders are going to monopolise the ball. The players with the most passes from both sides were JWP, Vestergaard FFS and I think Stephens enough said. Until we cut out this stupid slow play at the back and put it into the forwards we are going to keep getting results like this. Unless it was a joke Leicester dodged a bullet with Vestergaard. That didn't mean Ralph had to pick him.

This ****ing short passing at the back is rediculous. McCarthy needs a lobotomy and Vestergaard is so stupid it's unbelievable we signed him.

We need to be a lot smarter at the back against teams like Burnley. Cut out the possession based passing. Up against Spurs we suddenly went into our shell and slowed the game down rather than play the quick ball forward and pulled ourselves out of shape and paid the price exposed to Spurs breaking quickly. Against teams like that we have to play like we did at Leicester, over the top or through the defence. Let our quick forwards attack their big defenders and hold a defensive line and dominate the couple of attackers left up. Goalkeeper launch the ball into the channels to be hunted down and pressed, centre backs probe the channels then keep a defensive line. Leicester managed five shots. We don't have to commit defenders and defensive midfielders in kamikaze numbers. If the full backs commit then the midfield cover the centre backs and vice versa. We can get goals against any team but we have to be a lot smarter, it is the back four that gets us into trouble. We don't need lots of slow possession because it doesn't work for most teams. Even Liverpool play a high number of long passes or long diagonal passes to expose defenders to their quick forwards. That is the way for us to play not like a poor man's Manchester City. The way we play away is the way to play at home and when we get ahead don't to try and keep the ball with no attacking ambition.

Armstrong training with the squad today

There was no review because the goal was given and there was no delay or VAR opinion given. Penalty appraisals usually take a while.

Friend started off the game favouring Liverpool, giving us the odd free kick and penalising us everywhere else. Ings was tripped as he was going through, ignored, Liverpool break and score. The back pass was no accident, Friend ignored it. We did well. 17 shots, 11 corners. The result was really a travesty. JWP had a good game. Hojbjerg and Romeo went missing at vital times. Just before Boufal selfishly lost the ball, Hoibjerg gave it away under no pressure. A regular occurrence. It looks like he just doesn't look. When he broke through and shot too early he'd clearly panicked. The back four were quite good. Redmond, who wasn't as effective today and Djenepo were lively whilst Ings and Long caused Liverpool trouble all afternoon. Adams and Obefemi don't seem to get it, neither do they bust a gut during their twenty minutes. Obefemi with his pace does a lot of spectating and loping rather than making the effort to close down. Adams looks more like a midfielder looking to pass rather than a striker. It looks a league to high for him at the moment. For me, get Valery in at right back and JWP back into midfield, we missed him there the way he is playing now.

Maybe we should go in for Celtic's player recruitment people who spotted Frimpong for £350,000 from City. They seem a hell of a lot smarter than anyone we've either had or have at present.