CanadaSaint

The movie is a bit juddery but I'm loving the soundtrack.

Did you register? I'm a bit leery about these sites.

Scumbags. Preston vs Man City or Arsenal vs Forest.

The things is that much of the sideways and bak is unnecessary. It drives me nuts to see someone pushing forward, with space in front of them, only for the pass to be square and often backwards. Momentum gone. And then we immerse ourselves in those tight little "going nowhere" passing triangles three feet in from the touchline. Bournemouth didn't play many square or backwards passes when pushing forward and nor did Sheffield United.

Ralph dropped a clanger by exposing Vestergaard on the left side with only the defensively-immature Djenepo as cover, but he fixed that after about 30 minutes by moving Cedric there. His fix was great but it troubles me that he can't seem to see how vulnerable Vestergaard makes us. Djenepo hasn't just scored 2 in 2, but two absolute crackers. Can't wait to see Bertrand back, and Cedric looked pretty good today. You get the feeling that Adams will start scoring soon, and hopefully not stop.

I was disappointed and frustrated with both of them - until it dawned on me that their primary remit today was clearly to protect the back four. Hojberg, in particular, wasn't pushing forward aggressively the way he usually does because Brighton's pressing in midfield kept their focus on that role. I think that's why Vestergaard looked better today - he was getting lots of help and not getting isolated in one-on-ones where his lack of pace and wide turning circle are a big problem. It was hard to watch at times - you could time some of our 'break-outs' with a sundial. Although Danso played quite well, we really missed that Bertrand/Redmond tandem. Still, it's coming together. Danso showed enough to look like a potential fit in central defence, Djenepo is a cameo handful but probably not a starter yet, and Boufal looks like he's benefitting from RH's coaching.

My expectations dropped when I saw PEH was out, but they dropped more when I saw he'd picked a CD trio without the only real "reader" he has - Yoshi. The three he picked are reactors, and two of them (Vest and Stephens) are very slow ones at that. I'm shocked that Ralph did that today. I'll be stunned and disgusted if he plays that threesome again.

The link is shown as "Not Secure", which I'm trying hard not to take with a broader meaning.

His style lends itself much more to a club like us than to one of the really big boys. The big clubs have hugely talented players but they're seldom the kind of work horses Ralph likes - and needs. The more I read that, the more I consider the possibility that this might be a "hold onto your hats" season. In a very good way. Let's just enjoy it rather than keep looking for the next gut punch.

I get the distinct impression that Hasenhüttl is not a man to cross. If Austin doesn't fit into his plans and is obstructing a move (undermining further squad improvement), I can see Ralph telling him that he won't be seeing much of the pitch (match or practice) because most of his time will be spent with the conditioning coaches. Given Austin's questionable appetite for hard work, that would be a prospect he wouldn't fancy one little bit. Sure, he could resist by claiming that his body is breaking down, but that doesn't help him get another club when his contract runs out. Given his lifestyle, he'll need one. Yes, Austin has a lot of power in this situation, but in an eyeball-to-eyeball contest, I'll go with Ralph. Time will tell.

So Kevin Friend, regarded as an utter joke of a referee throughout football - one of the very worst, gets the Cup Final. Lee Mason will probably get it next year. The incompetence of refereeing these days is a direct reflection of the people running the system. "Refereeing will improve when they become full time professionals", my arse.

Delighted to be staying up and so impressed with Hasenhüttl - can't wait to see what he does over the summer. However ... Conceding three goals by the same player at Newcastle (with Yoshi in the team) and nearly doing so again today (with Yoshi out) suggests that there is something seriously wrong - not just with the quality of our defenders but also with our defensive set up and tactics. Hat tricks are rare these days but to nearly concede two in three games is shocking.

Ralph Hasenhüttl's style requires role familiarity and very high fitness levels - both on a level most of the players have never experienced. For him to have made this kind of culture change in not much more than four months is little short of amazing. The dropped points are frustrating but understandable to a degree. I think we're as good as safe, and I can't wait to see what Ralph does with the current squad after having them for a full pre-season. He clearly knows which players suit his style, and he's earned a lot of credibility, so I'd imagine he'll be given the opportunity to bring in a player or two of his choosing. Whether he can do anything with Boufal and Carrillo remains to be seen, but success on that front would enable us to focus more on strengthening the back row.

I fricking hate these corners taken by opposite side full backs.

I'm still trying to figure out whether he's leaving of his own volition or being (gently) pushed. An NHL team might want him now to prepare for the entry draft (June 21), and/or to hire a new head coach - normally the GM's job. There are several head coaching jobs open and a few really good coaches available, so it's an act-fast situation for those with vacancies. However, it wouldn't surprise me if the Saints were thinking of combining Reed's and Kreuger's jobs, and making Hasenhüttl a more powerful force in transfers. Reed covered for Kreuger's lack of football knowledge, and Kreuger was there to protect the owners from Cortese-like excesses. In the end it didn't really work - but we seem to have survived. If that's what they're aiming for, Kreuger is probably being pushed and they have someone lined-up for the senior role. Hasenhüttl has already shown a damn good eye for a player - by turning a number of sows' ears (under Pellegrino and Hughes) into something at least vaguely resembling silk purses.

He's extremely well regarded in the hockey world, and is solid general manager material. With the regular season over, numerous teams are looking for coaches or GMs, including the Edmonton Oilers, who fired him as head coach some years ago. Quite a few here, me included, would like to see him back as GM. He is a highly intelligent, deeply principled man. God knows how he ended up in sports management.

I agree with you. It's frustrating that we loaned him out to get some match experience, but he didn't really get it. With hindsight he was always unlikely to get much time in a league where physical stature counts for a lot. He's a really thoughtful, intelligent player who reads most situations very well, and his shortcomings seem more related to lack of experience and maturity.

There's a whole new dimension to the window compared with the last two years. The emphasis is less on how good we think players are right now, and more on what we think Ralph can make of them. He's transformed half our squad already. Real quality players have become unaffordable for a club of our size - and very risky, judging by our buys over the last two years. Buying potential and letting Ralph develop them is likely to be much cheaper and much more effective. I'm ready for some guys I've never heard of.

Losing him for three games, including Tuesday against Cardiff, may be even worse than the result for Brighton. He should have gone in the first minute of the Palace game but there was no avoiding it today.

Well that's interesting considering that we haven't replaced Reed. Any idea who's compiling the list of targets and priorities, or has there been a Ralph-centric change in approach?

He's a totally different player under Ralph and a huge part of the team, and I'd probably pick him as well. But not by a country mile. Hojberg has been excellent, and has become a real leader on the pitch - something we lacked. Beyond him, JWP has contributed a key role and not just key goals, and it's no coincidence that our backline improved significantly when Yoshida came back into the reckoning after being inexplicably omitted for so long. And it's great to see the old Romeu back.

It seemed to me that Ralph's early-game plan was to absorb pressure, try not to give up clear chances, and hit them on the break with fast movement and slick passing. I love seeing those angled passes through defences. Phase two, if they could get a lead, was to consolidate in midfield and force everything wide. On a side note, how snakebitten is Yoshida? He could be sitting on 10-15 goals for the club but has been denied by woodwork and crazy saves.

It's indicative of the job that Ralph is doing that you could make a credible case for five or six players as MoM. I was sitting here thinking we need Romeu->Sims and Long->Ings, and two minutes later he does it. Huge change from the WTF subs we've seen so often in the last three years.

https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/2019-premier-league-table-man-city-dominant-saints-the-surprise-package-but-where-do-liverpool-rank

One of Ralph's first priorities will be to assess during pre-season whether some of that is currently out on loan - no transfer budget needed. He has already turned around several careers (JWP, Redmond, Sims and even Romeu after his poor last year). Even if he just improves them to sell them it's progress.