CanadaSaint

We have understandably been very focused on whether the ins and outs will make us more competitive than we were in the second half of last season, and I’m confident that they will. That’s the shorter term benefit. Even more important is the fact that fixing a lot of the accumulated financial disasters should make the club much more attractive to prospective buyers than it was six months ago. That’s the longer term benefit, because we’ll have a low ceiling for as long as Gao owns us. I don’t see a flotilla of luxury yachts suddenly appearing at Ocean Village, but the future certainly looks brighter.

Excellent first half, undermined by very poor final balls. That didn’t change until Redmond (of all people) came on. The “score when you’re on top or pay the price” bell was ringing loud and clear. I think this pre game post was prescient: KWP looked great going forward but both Newcastle goals came from his quadrant, and Salisu rescued some other problems out there. I’m far from convinced about playing him there because our depth chart becomes three LB/LWB and 1 RB/RWB. I’d still like to see Ralph try KWP and Tino on the same side. I wish Ralph would tell Stephens not to carry the ball forward because he then gives it away six times out of ten, with acres of fast break space behind him.

I would definitely play KWP and Tino (at the expense of Theo) - it would largely nullify the Saint-Maximin threat and still give us plenty of attacking pace and skill down the right. Saint-Maximin is definitely not the best back-tracker in the league.

You were one of the negative ones, weren't you! As usual. 😃

Worth noting that VVD’s arrival from Celtic certainly wasn’t met with universal approval on here. Pity that there’s no search function. I’m not suggesting that Lyanco is another VVD - just thankful that this forum has nothing to do with Saints’ scouting.

Arguably, the biggest mistake we made last year was going into the season with no depth at FB/WB (especially when one of the two we did have was only partially engaged), and then playing a high-intensity style that had them sucking air not long after half time. This ended up putting a lot of pressure on the CDs, and lead to crazy stuff like Bednarek trying to mark Saint-Maximen, Salisu trying to cover Adama Traore, and Vestergaard trying to cover anyone coming at him with pace. It also led to the whole team being knackered and injury-prone by mid-season. For me it has been a really good window. We've fixed several depth issues - especially the critical ones at WB, and there's some cash up our sleeves for January. We now have the players for a "Plan B", which I'm not sure we had last year. Ralph withdrawing Theo for Bednarek on Sunday was a very telling moment. Now he has to figure out how to keep Armstrong involved, because we're better with him in the side. This squad, and individual players, will take time to jell and build confidence - in themselves and in eachother. Hopefully we'll see significant improvements in players who have been hammered on here.

That’s exactly what I think they’re aiming for. These are the most demanding roles in the way we’re going to play, so the depth is crucial. We have it on the right but we didn’t have it on the left - until this. Subbing Theo on Sunday - and not with Redmond - was quite telling. And, thank god, we’re no longer looking at Djenepo our as LB cover.

I think we’re going to see heavier reliance on our wing backs and less reliance on wide attackers like Theo and Redmond, both of whom are unreliable anyway. Adding depth means that we can maintain that style without hitting the wall in mid-game - or, like last year - mid season. This club is definitely heading in a more positive direction. Sure, there are still some issues but this could be fun to watch.

Livramento to play farther forward?

Couldn't afford the pitch so I made my own with green cloth and Snopake that my dad "borrowed" from work. In some places the lines were so thick that the ball wouldn't cross, so it kept coming back at me. There have been times in the past two years when I've thought Saints were playing on my home made Subbuteo pitch.

I completely agree but the problem was that I'm pretty sure he didn't get a call - or, at the least, an early one. Communication is one of McCarthy's biggest weaknesses.

So, away against a Top 8 team that has spent a ton of money, we had a pretty decent first half with both Livramento and A. Armstrong looking excellent. JWP filled in to allow Livramento to push forward, and the front two were causing the CDs a lot of problems. I suspect Ralph’s half time instruction was to keep things tight, but it all went down the shitter in the first 90 seconds of the second half. The game-changer was on McCarthy because I should have heard one of two words all the way over here in Canada - “AWAY!!!!” or “KEEPER!!!!”. I’m pretty sure that Salisu – twelve feet away - heard neither, which is typical of McCarthy. Other than that I thought he played well – especially on crosses. Anyone who blames him for the next two goals is just trying to support their viewpoint that Forster should start. That may be so, but make the case without blaming McCarthy for goals that aren’t his fault. After that, JWP stopped filling in for Livramento so that he could push forward, and that ended the threat on that side because Theo wasn’t doing anything. On the other side Djenepo was his usual uncontrolled, hurky-jurky mess, and Perraud couldn’t push forward because Djenepo is such unreliable cover. I don’t think we’re ever the same side when S. Armstrong is not in it. Ralph has to figure out how to build on today’s positives with him in the team, but the two candidates to make way have to be Djenepo and Theo. All in all there were more negatives than positives, but there WERE positives. This is not about whether we can win away at a Top 8 side, but whether we have enough to avoid relegation – or possibly even make it into the middle third.

Lack of communication AGAIN

A. Armstrong picks the top corner with a right foot rocket, nearly beats Pickford low right with a left foot howitzer, puts the CDs under constant pressure with his pace, and already has mid-season understanding with Adams. Unbelievably, right now he’s looking like an upgrade.

Really clever tactically by Ralph. They know how much Livramento offers going forward so they’ve encouraged him to do so, with the less creative JWP dropping into the RB slot to cover him.

Djenepo is a defensive liability out left. He needs to concentrate much better.

JWP and Livramento switching around interestingly. Livramento pushes forward, JWP drops.

Losing wallets to pickpockets and hub caps to thieves are valid concerns up there, but I’m more worried about refereeing larceny from a guy who should have had his whistle taken away years ago. It’s a real back-to-earth thud to realize that he’s still going to be out there, wreaking his own brand of havoc.

Quick acceptance without a few days of haggilng suggests to me that we know exactly who we want to replace him, and want to get him in ASAP. A decent CD with the ability to play the 6 role would be a major upgrade.

He's got the body shape to force himself into anything. Unfortunately, I think he lacks the natural ability and "striker's nose" that are needed at this level, he now has more (and better) competition for a place, and he's also pooped in his own nest away from the club (which Ralph won't quickly forget). He seems like a decent lad and I hope he has someone he trusts who can tell him that a move might be in his best interests.

I appreciate your perspectives, and it's certainly true that most PL keepers are bought rather than developed within the club. But somebody's developing them. The "judge me by what I achieve" maxim has to hold true in coaching - for Ralph and all of his support staff. I would argue that we have not seen any improvement in our keepers, but a continuation of longstanding weaknesses. Many of those are in coachable areas. Sparkes may be highly regarded but that's not a good reflection on him. I don't blame him for the keepers we've got. I was horrified when we first signed Forster (never mind when we boosted his contract), and I think we (Ralph) gave up on Gunn too quickly. But there is good reason to question how effective our goalkeeping coaching is.

A memory still haunts me from my childhood – hearing a big bunch of the Milton Road lot singing, with Dave McLaren right in front of them, “We’ve got the worst goalkeeper in the land”. It still sickens me to think of it. I’ve always leant towards McCarthy because Forster’s failings are so fundamental – weak positioning, poor reading and anticipation, very slow feet, and a reluctance to dominate aerially despite being 6’ 18”. Many of his saves have involved throwing out an arm or leg at the very last second, rather than making what should be a regular save by reading the play and adjusting his position. It looks good but it really isn’t. However, his distribution is far better than McCarthy’s. Technically, McCarthy is much better but he just doesn’t seem to get the job done consistently. He’s prone to silly errors, especially when the ball is at is feet, and his near-post coverage can be abysmal. I’ll never understand how a Premier League keeper can go so long, with everyday coaching, without improving his piss poor distribution. Two important things are not covered in TWar’s excellent summary – communication and psyche. Forster beats McCarthy hands down on communication. Whenever I’ve seem them play I’ve heard Forster shouting at his defenders, but McCarthy has been as quiet as a church mouse. Good communication from the keeper can make a weak defence better than it really is. Lacking communication can make a good defence worse. To me, Forster’s psyche is a major weakness. When things started to go pear-shaped for him he crashed, and it impacted him off the field as well. McCarthy, on the other hand, seems to maintain an even keel even if he’s made three straight errors. Keepers have to be mentally tough, and I don't think Forster is. So, on balance I’d pick McCarthy ahead of Forster. I’d be okay if Ralph picks Forster first, but I hope he’ll be ready to switch as soon as Forster starts looking fragile, because he’s not great at riding down-spells. But the very first thing I’d do is replace our goalkeeping coaches. When fundamental weaknesses are allowed to continue year after year, and when we never seem to develop young keepers within the academy, we have a major problem. We’ve had that major problem for years, and it really, really needs fixing.

Thanks TWar. That looks quite encouraging to me, and certainly better than last season. Hopefully we'll focus more on getting the ball wide early, rather than farting around at the back, and Ralph will be able to quell his obstinate loyalty to wide players who are too quick to turn back.

Anyone got the time and skill to put together a depth chart? I suspect it will show that, for most positions, we have fairly quietly developed much more depth than we had last year - especially as some of the new arrivals can play in several positions. It should also show that some of the more unreliable/inconsistent players (Redmond, Djenepo, even Theo) will be under more pressure to deliver this year, and that we have more options for adapting our style to the opponent and/or the game situation. Of course, the glaring exception is GK.

I think we’ll see a lot more width, with pace. We’re moving from last season’s ridiculous (no FB cover) to decent depth in the WB positions, and I’m not convinced that a Williams loan is completely off the table unless something has happened that I missed. The ‘recycling’ at the back will hopefully be drastically reduced with the aim of getting the ball wide and forward faster. JWP becomes more peripheral to that style, with more of a destructive remit, including the press - as well as his set pieces. He’s never been very creative anyway. That would leave Armstrong to move around behind the front two. If we maintain our width he’ll find plenty of space, and could score 10 or more. Romeu will be Romeu. The key variable for me is whether Theo and Redmond can contribute to the forward momentum rather than kill it by turning back.