austsaint

I'm back in business after a week in the posting wilderness! Frustrating not to be able to comment on that meek Liverpool roll over. Only KWP, Salisu, Lyanco and Redmond played for the shirt on the night. And if Ralph survives the Summer he can count himself very fortunate.

Yes - look I share your view of the weaknesses in his game. He doesn't hold the ball up as well as Adams, he can be too easily brushed aside and his first touch is sometimes lacking. Like you said, his second half wasn't great.....whose was? However his speed and acceleration is there, he passes well, presses ok and runs channels well......sadly our 10's and AM's have provided little service for any of our strikers. You mention his marginally offside goal; it showed there is a clinical finish talent. His first time, left-foot shot from a Perraud cross goes in on another day. He's been fed scraps by Ralph and had to sit and watch Shane Long start consecutive games.....enough to sap anyones confidence! I'm like you - I desperately want him to come good too, and I think he will, he has attributes which measure up.

I can answer one of your questions - Adam Armstrong had quite a decent game; he certainly wasn't dreadful, and could easily have had a brace of goals.

Hard to argue with that. One of the things that has kept Ralph's stocks afloat, at both fan and board level, has been the nice guy, big personality, Klopp of the Alps image. By contrast, Puel's introverted, dour presentation, matched by a conservative game style, made him vulnerable to the chop once the fans turned on him. At any objective comparison of tactical nous, team structure, game management, squeaky bum end-of-season moments, Puel measures up! Now that game day supporters have voiced the discontent which has rightly been on display here for quite a while, it's going to be interesting to see what the Board and new ownership make of it.

I don't disagree - but I think you have to separate Long from the other three. Long should be finished as a Prem striker; the other three all have attributes and scope for improvement. On a dark day in West London , Adam Armstrong had a decent game; on another day he has a brace...the first time shot from Perraud's cross and a sweet strike ruled out for a marginal offside. His movement, control and passing were all ok. If Broja is not here next season then clearly at least one quality replacement is needed, but Armstrong, Adams and not Long has to be the mix.

To be fair, KWP has been a consistently high performer all season. Romeu pretty good too. LIvramento a predictable drop off given his youth and workload and S. Armstrong an injury spoiled campaign. Having said that, I'm in the "it's time" for Ralph. There's now a solid body of evidence to support a change of Manager. I wish him well.

Nice bloke Shane Long (apparently), good character in the dressing room (apparently), handy with a guitar, real "nuisance" on the pitch........should never have been starting a game for at least the past two seasons. This alone has me thinking Ralph must go.

This really is, or should be the final word on Livramento's injury. Unlucky, random and definitely not anything to do with his meniscus problem in the other knee. Look forward to seeing him back in a Saints shirt early next year.

The big difference between Salisu and Bednarek is we have seen a sustained period of CB excellence from Salisu, which given his age and inexperience gives you confidence and belief in his game longer term. With Bednarek it's been a sustained (longer period) of ok games jumbled up with poor ones - he's older and looks to have a ceiling which isn't really good enough if the Club wants to raise its ambition to comfortable mid-table status.

Good point. Just the same, you'd expect the cheque book to be flung open if that happens.

If they go down (Everton) they'll surely be the shortest priced favourites to bounce back at the first attempt.

You could be right Sue - had Tino not been hurt surely Ralph would have replaced Long earlier. I agree about Salisu; he's going to be good - hopefully with Saints for several more seasons - would be a win/win if Bednarek moves on in the Summer.

It looked like an ankle that rolled when the slow motion replay was shown. Surely torn ankle ligaments or even a fracture would be a better outcome than an ACL! Those two superb strikes from Ward-Prowse and his midfield partnership with Romeu certainly saved our blushes today. Midfield was the only area of the pitch we had the ascendancy although all three full backs, Adams and Tella made contributions. I just thought Shane Long starting was a shocking selection; and keeping him on until the 78th minute compounded the error - surely Broja or Armstrong A. would have been the better call.

You walked a lone path on that one from memory. Big difference is you argued your case well; avoided one-on-one chest beatings and didn't throw up statistical models to try and befuddle opposing voices.

His performances have tailed off; but likewise JWP, which curiously, rarely gets highlighted. Fair enough I suppose that JWP's corners and free kicks tend to inflate what otherwise have been several months of very average general play. My observation is that Romeu has been more effective/influential in open play than Ward-Prowse. It is surprising that Ralph hasn't trusted Diallo more to give both of them a spell.

It was exactly the response needed after the Chelsea debacle. As was the change in formation and the retreat from the press and high line. Very impressed with both KWP and Perraud - KWP sacrificed his wing-back attacking style and Perraud showed again he has grit, skill and defensive nous. Lyanco was impressive all game and he helped to settle Valery after early mistakes - Bednarek was better, and I love the comment someone made about how surprised he looks after he scores a goal, as if he can't believe he's scored. Elyounoussi has received justifiable stick lately but was much better today. Playing three C/Bs certainly made it easier for Romeu and JWP, although you'd have to say the Arsenal attack carried nothing like the threat of Chelseas' the week before. And then there is Forster; I'm one of those who think he should move on and not be given a new contract but he was immense again today.

Many western countries do, not just England. New Zealand is one of the few democratic nations whose moral compass is untarnished.

Blair, Campbell, George Dubya and our little Aussie brown noser John Howard.

Can't wait for your next post!

Sums it up well. This felt like the biggest tonking I can remember - more comprehensive than the Leicester/Man U debacles. At times in the first half (and Chelsea did play well) I allowed an integrity theory to surface in my mind - was it tools down to win money? Was it players knocking off early, dreaming of their Summer holidays. Perhaps Salisu has been tapped up; maybe Oriel is returning to Spain; could Ward-Prowse finally be off to a "bigger team"? How else could you explain the timid, white flag performance. Taking the last month or so as a yardstick there are several conclusions you can draw. Elyounoussi should be on his way at season's end - the "new improved" version we saw early in the season was an illusion - he's no more effective than Walcott; and Long, Bednarek, Valery, Smallbone, Redmond and Djenepo should be going with them. Why is LIvramento picked at RB whenever available? He has a naive sense of defending - the call for him to be tried further up the field has never been heeded - KWP and Perraud should have been our starting full backs for some time. I still see a player in A. Armstrong and Adams, but replacement attacking midfielders and replacements for Djenepo, Walcott, Redmond and Elyounoussi are badly needed to provide service to the strikers. As good as Chelsea were - it was a total humiliation today - could easily have been nudging double figures - a scary thing to reflect on.

Not even at the Tete-a-tete stage yet.

You're not biased! Any non-Saints fan (including Southgate) who has watched these two England games now knows what we lot have known for a couple of seasons......KWP is right up to International competition level; and has the left back, wing back versatility to strengthen his continued inclusion.

Take your point; and would have been a bit callous not to "nurse" him through a tough time in his personal life. Maybe he would be an ok back up for a first choice new keeper, yet at 34, after 8 seasons at the Club, it's probably the right time and best decision for both parties to part ways.

Exactly this. Some deserved redemption for him after several good performances of late - yet he's a seriously limited keeper and gave the impression for a long time that he was happy to sit on the bench and rake in the big wage rather than play Football elsewhere.

And should have had A.A. up front once Broja was rested/benched. Smallbone, Elyounoussi and Armstrong with Che up front was crazy against a struggling side. Smallbone gives no indication he is up to a starting place. KWP on the other hand gives every indication he is up to an England call up! I'm glad/relieved we've got the 35 points in the bank.