WALK DMC

I haven't seen him play other than YouTube videos but I did notice that it describes his weakness as "doesn't command contested box" which seems to conflict with what you have seen. My only source is this Youtube video:

I agree with pretty much everything you have written. However, Diallo did okish earlier in the season (when JWP was suspended) and I think that he deserves a couple of games to prove that he is worth keeping. Agree that he was awful at Brentford and last night, but sometimes players need to be given a few games to get their form back. Sadly that wasn't the case with Diallo (or the other players you named last night). Should Diallo play at Leicester ? Maybe. Is Diallo premier standard and worth keeping ? I'm not convinced. We need a big physical midfield player to start kicking people and defending set-pieces. But they cost a few quid ...

0/10

I had assumed that he going to leave the club in the summer due to his ongoing treatment where he can't get any time on the pitch, but your suggestion could make sense. I still wouldn't be surprised if there is some sort of swap deal lined up for Brereton Díaz who we were linked with earlier in the season. He is close to the end of his contract, so Blackburn probably need to get rid and replace. An Armstrong return to Blackburn might work for all parties, although whether Brereton Díaz would make more of an impact in the Premiership is anyone's guess .....

I was told yesterday that Shane Long's minutes per goal is the best of our forwards this season. I haven't checked the stats, but if true it is a very poor reflection on our other forwards ......

Man City have Cancelo playing left back, but he is right footed. So I guess other teams do ......

Its strange that our home form is now so much stronger than our away. While it has been 3 months (Arsenal away) since we saw a performance anywhere close to yesterdays, over the course of the season it is beginning to look very average (it is virtually identical to Watford's). It is only due to 1-2 magnificent away performances (notably West Ham & Spurs) that the attention on our away form has not been in focus. We still play very open away and quite often get penalised. Even in the first half against Man U which was seen as a good result, they missed a couple of big chances when they caught us on the break and the H-T score could have been much worse. I know the absence of Salisu makes a huge difference to our performance (missing Villa and Arsenal away), but maybe it would be better to change our style away from home and start with a more defensive line-up. I know 3 at the back didn't work in the 2nd half yesterday but the game was already lost by then. In 1 of our only 2 victories away from home since the end of October, we actually played 4-1-4-1 (West Ham) so maybe we need to shake it up a little as I fear our attacking 4-2-2-2 is becoming very predictable. This isn't a knee jerk reaction to an awful display yesterday, as I feel that the there is a trend emerging for some time that has not been highlighted due to our excellent home form and morale boosting victories against Spurs and West Ham. It will be interesting to see if Ralph refines our tactics in our next away game. ps I wouldn't change anything for our home tactics.....

Can't disagree, his performance was really good. Not sure what he is like in the air though, and I think that he needs a decent dominant header of the ball next to him (I find Jack S a little average in this respect). We looked very suspect at set-pieces all night and not all the blame should go on Willy. I still think that Valery's best position will be as part of a back 3 where we can exploit his pace, but complement his aerial deficiencies with other.

West Ham are very dangerous from set-pieces and we need to ensure that our team selection reflects that. Against Norwich, Tino marked Gibson the Norwich centre half. He isn't as dangerous as Hanley but I think it reflects on the trust Ralph has on Tino's defensive abilities against set-pieces that he was given that duty. Tino has the height and physicality that KWP and Perraud just don't possess. So from my perspective, I would keep Tino in against West Ham - plus he has had good games against Everton and Norwich creating 2 assists. We should find a way to bring Perraud back in against Villa. I quite liked the late experiment of KWP playing in front of Tino against Man U and it could be considered if Ralph decided that S Armstrong needed a rest. I've always felt that Bednarek was stronger than Stephens in the air, so for the same reasons as above, I'd keep Bednarek in the team. I seem to recall that Ralph played 4-1-4-1 against West Ham for the two earlier games this season, so it wouldn't completely surprise me if he had a slightly more defensive set-up than the usual 4-2-2-2. Maybe a back 3 ? I don't pick the team, but if I did, I wouldn't change the players or the formation from the Norwich game - we have confidence at the moment in our own style so if we have to make enforced changes due to tiredness leave that for the Villa game.

There was an interesting article from a Chelsea perspective last week. I felt it was reasonably balanced and informative. Keep or sell: Evaluating Armando Broja’s future at Chelsea (theprideoflondon.com) I cannot vouch for the quality or accuracy of the data or the author but amongst the assessment of his strengths there was also an interesting statement: " the Albanian international finds himself in the bottom half of the league in touches in the penalty area and he has not exactly shown an adeptness when competing in aerial duels. Combine these points with the fact that he gets dispossessed a whopping 3.30 times per 90 (worse than 96 percent of the league)" This does seem to back up some of the earlier messages on Broja's inability to hold up the ball. If Chelsea asked for £25m, I'd bite their hand off for his signature, but some interest observations from the article and something for him to work on in the coming years, whoever he is playing for.

I agree, the bigger issue will be Villa next Saturday who will be fully rested and our match on Wednesday could have gone to extra time, so more likely that some changes will need to be made. However, the same team was played for Tottenham/Man U which was also Wednesday/Saturday so maybe there will be minimal changes - particularly if no extra time. Villa aren't in great form at the moment so it is a winnable game and hopefully we can have close to our best team playing.

While I was on the side of Ralph, nobody should have a problem with alternative viewpoints and there were difficult times last year when I also had my doubts about his management. My only annoyance was the need of some to shout down those who supported Ralph by dismissing their views through insults; "the cult", "fanboys". I am not suggesting that you are one of those individuals merely that I can understand why many people want to see those throwing the insults previously now taking their punishment and "eating humble-pie". One of the reasons that I stuck on the side of Ralph was all the positives that he brought to our team; leadership, vision, direction, style, entertainment (particularly when we were winning 🙂 ) and development of players. He was also hindered by legacy transfer mistakes, an uninterested owner, an uncompetitive transfer budget and an awful injury situation in the 2nd half of last season. Many of the negative points you make can be traced to those reasons; or were relatively minor when contrasted with the positives. He isn't perfect. Well - actually, I think he is perfect for Saints. Sure he has his faults, but I feel he has the right skills and attributes for us; if he was even a little better, the bigger team vultures would take him off us. Let's enjoy his commitment and progression with Saints while he is here....

If Perraud didn't have Covid I wouldn't have picked Tino, but I thought that Livramento played well. There seems to be a persistent comment on the Forum that we lack balance when Perraud isn't left back. I seem to be in the minority but am unconvinced that this is a significant issue. Tino is a good right back and will improve, KWP is a decent left back and three times yesterday nearly scored when he cut in from the left to shoot with his right, which is a useful weapon to have. He also scored the winner against Coventry when he did the same. I really like Perraud's attitude and he played really well in recent games, but we have three very good full backs and whatever combination we play I don't think it affects our performance as much as some of the other recent changes (Forster instead of McCarthy, S Armstrong's return to fitness). I'd also add that having Tino as a full back does give us better balance in defending (or attacking) set pieces. Both KWP and Perraud are not the tallest and having Tino in the team does improve our defensive height and physicality, which isn't probably this team's biggest strength; sometimes being a good full back isn't just about running up and down the wing and I am sure Ralph takes this into consideration when he thinks about "team balance".

Alex Ferguson retired having just won the league title in 2012-13, so was still at his peak and I'm pretty sure that he didn't have any money worries 🙂 As someone who is personally considering when to retire, Ralph's explanation resonates with me and I understand his rationale. As others have stated elsewhere, "having enough money" is a relative thing and it depends what life style you are planning for the next 30 years on your life. And that's where it becomes tricky; I'm ok with a couple of European holidays per year in my twilight years, but Mrs WalkDMC has a different plan of touring South America and visiting the Maldives each year. My chosen date for retirement will be determined by who has the final say on our retirement lifestyle ........ I am sure Ralph and Mrs Rabbit Hutch will have similar discussions as the 2024 retirement date gets closer.

I couldn't agree more, which is why I think a back 3 or a 4-1-4-1 formation might give us a better chance. If we go with a back 3, I'd like to see Valery play as he has a decent turn of pace and played well in the home game when we were down to 10 men. If we go 4-1-4-1, I'd be tempted to play Romeu in front of the back 4, with S Armstrong/JWP/Diallo/Redmond in midfield and Broja (or Adams) up top. We need to make sure Spurs can't play their preferred counter attacking style. Yes, I know; easier said than done.

I am a Ralph man and was disappointed by the name calling that accompanied anyone who dared to stand up for him. However, I do recognise it is a forum and it is all part & parcel of the interactions. In fairness to the anti-Ralph crowd, a lot of their criticism was due to his lack of flexibility and his continued desire to always play 4-2-2-2, however in our recent improved run he has played 4-1-4-1 (West Ham) and 3 at the back against both Spurs & Brentford, so they also had a point or two worth considering. This forum's mood does change on a day to day basis (sometimes minute by minute during a game), so Ralph should enjoy the praise he is getting today, as with Wolves, Man City, Tottenham & Man U coming next I imagine we will see his critics back on this board with a vengeance and an immediate return of the "cult" insult. C'est la vie.

I would also start with a back 4, Ralph has played 3 at the back mainly against the bigger teams this season (Spurs, Chelsea (cup), Liverpool & Man U (2nd half only)) and think that this will continue. However, I hope that whatever formation he starts he is ready to change the sysem to adapt to the game a little quicker than some of the previous matches.

I sort of feel the same way, but worried that our next 4 matches are against top 10 teams (with 3 away), so even with Man U's awful form I can't see us picking up many points from those; a win tonight would help protect against the run coming up. A defeat would get me checking the league table again.

I thought that KWP played well on Sunday, but I do think that he contributed to West Ham's two goals. Just after half time, every Saints fan knew what was going to happen; Saints defending a single goal lead and would be under significant pressure particularly for the first 15 minutes. Under those circumstances try and keep the ball in the opponents half or alternatively don't make any unforced errors. Straight away KWP under minimal pressure from Bowen puts the ball out for a corner rather than a throw-in. West Ham are renowned for their set-pieces, and we have started to concede from corners lately (Norwich, Leicester, Arsenal etc). Antonio scores. Worse was KWP's defending for the 2nd goal where everyone in our household was screaming at him to make Bowen play on his right, instead he allowed Bowen to pass across the area using his (very) favoured left foot with virtually no pressure. No problem with Bednarek getting stick for his marking, but I felt KWP was just as culpable. Players make mistakes, and I like KWP and have very little issue him playing on his wrong side, I just think that we are sometimes too quick to pick on the obvious players when goals go in, so trying to balance the criticism.

I understand that you don't want to get into a "spat", but it would be really interesting to understand why you think it is ridiculous. I am always trying to improve my football knowledge, so happy to listen.

His body language was definitely that of a man under pressure; lacking enthusiasm and positivity (he would fit in on the Saints forum).

It's certainly a big game and it would be good to get something out of it, but I'd be more confident if (as looks likely) we weren't missing our 3 best forwards and 2 goalies .... Regardless of the capabilities of those missing players, losing so many players simultaneously in the same position is going to hurt.

A really good well balanced post. The only thing that I'd add, is that virtually every match we go to where we are hanging on to a slender lead or point, my son turns to me and says "Do we really have to continue to play 2 up front ?". I understand the concept of defending from the front, but sometimes it would be better to shore up the midfield; I cannot understand the obsession with 2 up front when other parts of the team need support - JWP, Diallo and Romeu in unison for the loss of a forward makes sooooooooo much sense to me, I just cannot believe we don't try it. Not every game but where we are clearly losing control, why not try such a simple change ?

I'm with you, I don't think that we should completely write off our chances. Salisu will be a big loss, but either Stephens or Bednarek could cover for a single game. Romeu has a decent replacement in Diallo. Goalkeeper is obviously the big issue. You get the feeling that Lewis is just not rated and will be released as soon as his contract is up; Big Willy has the experience and stature to perform well. Arsenal are a good team, filled with lots of young talent, but they are far from the finished product. They haven't been blowing teams away, in fact I believe that they've lost 2 of their last 3 games. We can definitely get a point, although I feel that it will need to be a match where the gods are on our side and marginal decisions, flukey goals and bad misses all benefit our side for 90+ minutes.

Judging by the responses on here I am in a minority, but I'm still not convinced that Tino should be dropped. I acknowledge that his performances have dipped from early season, KWP is better on the right and Perraud has been solid, but I still think that we miss Tino's height and physicality if he wasn't there. And even when he isn't playing great, he still looks dangerous or creates a half chance. I can't recall Perraud making a single chance when he has played, KWP has had good performances at left back and Tino still has good moments in every game. We've started letting goals in from corners recently (Chelsea (cup), Norwich, Liverpool & Leicester) and I think that we are beginning to miss Vestergaard's "big lump" ability. In what is a generally small team we can't afford to lose some of our more sizable performers. It is another reason why Broja could start in front of Armstrong. Brighton have two centre halfs (Dunk & Duffy) who both have a reputation for being dangerous at set-pieces, I wouldn't weaken the team here just because Tino has had a dip in form. I suspect that the injuries will start to rack up over December with so many games, so the likes of Perraud will get their opportunities and show what they can do.