WALK DMC

I agree with the vast majority on here, McCarthy should have done better. However in the rush to condemn him, I haven't seen any comments about the abysmal clearing header from Salisu which didn't clear the penalty area and dropped fairly central to the goal; a half decent clearance at that point would have meant that we wouldn't now be debating McCarthy's inadequacies. Salisu is a good player and I suspect that he won't be with us for long. He is young and still improving. However, like any young player he makes mistakes and isn't the finished article yet. I hope for both Saints sake and his own that he doesn't rush off to join a bigger club too quickly where expectations and attention will be much higher.

I'm a little more optimistic than that; Leicester weren't that great yesterday, the main difference was they took their half chances; hopefully Vardy won't be playing on Wednesday as he will be rested and him and Maddison were the difference. Tieleman is also out. Saints didn't play well in the 2nd half at Norwich but would still have got a point or three if the goalie had done his job. Liverpool was just a bad day at the office where a combination of a superb team on the top of their game, key absences for Saints and our poor tactical formation contributed to a disappointing delay. Write it off and focus on Leicester and Brighton. I'm certainly not putting money on us to win, but Leicester still aren't the top team of last year (particularly if Vardy is missing), so we have a fighting chance of 1 or 3 points if he will play well and our defence is tight. Leicester's defence this season has been their Achilles heel (even when Vest hasn't been playing), so perhaps we can nick one or more. Fingers crossed ....

There is a strong chance that their best goal-scorer in Vardy will be rested for our game. He played 90 minutes yesterday and with them being 2 up I was surprised he wasn't taken off if he was also going to play on Wednesday. However, his likely replacement Daka has been scoring so maybe it won't be as much benefit as previously. Would be good not to have to face Vardy though - he is still a top striker.

I think it is fair to say that nobody was expecting Tino to make the impact that he has and he has earned his place. Perraud has been sound, but no more, no less. He will get further chances as the games pile on; I think that we have 8 games coming up in 37 days, so injuries will occur and the squad will be used more. While I'd rather KWP was playing on his natural right side, he has put in some good performances on the left and offers different capabilities than Perraud (he is really good at keeping the ball, which will be needed against Liverpool). Can't disagree too much about your views on the keepers ......

This is a good summary; a couple of comments: We were totally dominant when Mo was on and played the match in the final third. I agree that Broja didn't do much, but we really didn't have any sustained pressure and were chasing the game so not a totally fair comparison, plus they are different styles of player so contribute different capabilities. Agree with your comments on JWP, but I did think that he was a little more ambitious with his long passing yesterday, and did a few (not every one !) excellent cross field passes, I hope that he continues to try those, as we've missed that style of pass with the loss of Vestergaard

It isn't a good comparison between FF and Ings. There was a contract offer on the table for Ings and there appeared to be (mistaken) confidence in the club that he would sign. It wasn't until July that it was confirmed that he had rejected the offer, so no possibility to drop Ings.

I wouldn't be surprised if he plays all three centre halfs at Liverpool next week.

JWP playing further forward ?

Do you think that if we got a big enough offer (including sell on % to Chelsea) and with potentially ready made replacements that we could sell sooner ? (i.e. next summer). For example, Man U need an attacking right back/RWB.

You're right that we need to carefully consider promoting young players into the first team, but ............. I remember my reaction before the Everton game when I heard that KWP had been replaced by a complete novice in Tino. I thought Ralph had lost his marbles or that Chelsea had inserted a strange clause in the contract. Three months later and Tino is one of our best players and has deservedly kept his place. If they're good enough, then play them. The biggest challenge has is that full back is probably the area of our team with the most depth so less likely to be opportunities in the very near future. I also feel sorry for poor old Perraud who hasn't had bad performances, but KWP is deservedly keeping him out at the moment. The interesting decision will be when Ralph has to decide between Perraud & Small; we'll know how well thought of Small is then. Great dilemmas to have though ....

Against Saints, Buendia was anonymous in the first half, but was excellent in Villa's 20 minute hot spell after half time on Friday and was at the root of their onslaught. Many have said that Ralph's formation was the major factor in us defending the lead, but Buendia going off with cramp could also be considered a turning point. I know Villa fans thought the same. Clearly, a 15 minute spell isn't good enough for a £33m player and he needs to deliver more regularly, but he is still in the settling in stage so I wouldn't be too quick to write him off. He may yet come good.

Lyanco was outstanding at Chelsea but even then I thought as the game wore on he did start to dive in more - almost as though he was believing his own hype. Last night he helped to provide an extra physicality in the centre of defence which had been missing, but did make a few mistakes when he dived in. Very interesting footballer though with loads of potential ; physicality, some pace, ball playing skills and a wonderful spirit. It's that spirit that we somehow need to bottle so that it is used as a positive but balanced out when the situation needs calm. The great thing is that he has many of ingredients needed to be a great footballer, and he is still very young for a centre half. He can be coached and will mature. I suspect that it will be a roller coaster ride with him; fans will love that spirit, but he will always be liable to giving away a soft goal through diving in or being too extravagant. However, Saints don't have too many players like that and in the longer term he may prove to be an inspired buy.

I agree and I thought that A Armstrong's performance was really good against Watford, but disappointed by his two efforts in the 1st half which weren't even close. However, I agree with Teddeer in that Broja has demonstrated that currently he is the most clinical forward we have and based on that I would find a way of playing him. I recognise the "ketchup" argument about Che, but I'd prefer to see Broja and Armstrong have a go together; my only worry is that they have both displayed a selfish streak at times so it might not be a partnership made in heaven .... Either way, it is a good problem to have and I'd be surprised if we don't see all three get a run out tomorrow although maybe 1 (or even 2) as substitutes.

As an "older person" I can confirm that I find value in both my experience of different historical styles and statistical analysis. I think the bigger issue is that sometimes TWar comes across as rather patronising when explaining these points. Adding to this he seems to change his mind with the wind ("I am slowly changing my mind about Lyanco" - after one decent game !) and being hopelessly wrong on certain points like Broja being a poacher based on his goal against Leeds and the statistical analysis of 2 games. My perception of TWAR (which is probably unfair and is only based on his messages) is that of the guy in the front row at school who always puts his hand up first to answer teacher's questions. Sure the rest of us in the back row all have a grudging respect for him, but it doesn't stop us smearing mud in his face at the first break......

The difference between the two goalies isn't enormous and McCarthy has been ok for the last few games. Sometimes Managers need to take the longer term view and recognise that loyalty, morale and team spirit also need to be considered. McCarthy is likely to be with Saints for the next 3-4 years, Forster will be off in the summer. I wouldn't say never; for example if McCarthy has a bad spell then Forster could still get the nod, but for the moment I accept the situation.

The contractual situation with the goalies (Forster not extending) means that choosing the goalie isn't just down to who is better. Both have good and bad points and I'd agree with you that I would prefer Forster in a straight choice, but I do understand why McCarthy is likely to be in the team instead. The goalkeeper position needs an upgrade and that will happen in January or in the summer when Forster leaves. Redmond has played well in his last three premier games, Tella has been thrown into difficult games (Chelsea away x2) and hasn't really grasped the chance to stay in the team so I'd still stick with Redmond.

I totally agree, one excellent performance doesn't mean he has to be rushed in; however, Ralph had demonstrated greater flexibility in his formations and personnel this year during games (Burnley not withstanding !), so if we get into a position to defend a lead or just need a shakeup, I'd like Lynco to come in as part of a three at the back. These are good options to have.

The difficulty with these situations is that being the best penalty taker in training doesn't mean that you're the best when you are under immense pressure of a shoot-out. Steve Davis would never have missed the easy pot at the end of the 1985 snooker final or Bernard Langer missing a short putt in 1991 Ryder cup while doing their routine practising. Choosing somebody who is both technically strong and can take the pressure is difficult. I'm also not convinced that because someone is young that they are less likely to be able to take the pressure; impetuous youth can sometimes give unnatural confidence. So I'm not against asking who is up for it, as long as they have the basic technical abilities. Regardless, looking at Smallbone's body language as he stepped up for the penalty didn't give me the confidence that he was going to stick it in the back of the net. And the rest is history .......

I think that it was because it was in a back three which made it more effective. It allowed KWP to gallop ahead without a care in the world and if they broke down our right when he was up field, Valery would step across and act as a pseudo right back. He had an "ok" game, but I still didn't see anything that led me to believe that he is a Premier league player of the future (never mind today).

1) My source was that bible of football the Daily Mirror https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/africa-cup-nations-players-leaving-25271688 but you're right that he hasn't been playing - although he did say this year that he was now making himself available https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/Southampton-defender-Mohammed-Salisu-confirms-decision-to-play-for-Ghana-1210204. As a Premier league starter I would assume that there is a good chance he could get called up. 2) I read elsewhere last week that it could be new year - sorry don't have the source. Long term injuries are notoriously difficult to predict, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see a longer lay off than originally predicted. My main point remains; there is a reasonable chance that one or both won't be available, so we need to have contingency plans in place.

I agree, however ............................ Salisu will be off to the African Nations cup, Jack Stephen's is due back "in the New Year". It really does mean that we are down to Bednarek and Lyanco for late December and January. An injury to one of them and we really will be scraping the barrel just like earlier this year. Sure Romeu could step in but you lose his influence in midfield and he has less pace than Bernarek (and obviously Salisu) so it would not be ideal. This is basic business continuity planning, where you need to plan for the worst case scenarios - most continuity plans are never used in anger, but I think that Saints need to plan for a mini personnel crisis if Salisu and Stephens are both unavailable for 4-5 games... But should Valery be part of that planning ? Maybe Simeu would be a better fit but none of the options appeal - just hope Jack is back sooner than expected or Ghana are knocked out early. Based on the above, actually testing 1-2 of these options against Chelsea makes some sense. It doesn't look like Simeu though as I think he played for the B team yesterday.

Redmond actually played well against Chelsea in our previous game, so there is a little form building. I'd keep him in for now. While Broja made an impact in the air and with his physicality yesterday, he also has a nice turn of pace, which could be another asset to utilise against Burnley.

I don't think that it is just that Tino is better in the air, but also the fact that he brings physicality to the team which is sorely missing. We seem to be more exposed at corners and set-pieces this year without Vest, Bertrand and even Ings who used to defend at the front post at corners. Perraud and Armstrong just cannot provide the same level of defence due to their size. So I understand why Ralph is keen to have at least one full back with the height and size to protect us more. I agree with most on here that KWP's crossing against Wolves on his left was limited even though he did well to get into good positions; however at Chelsea he did demonstrate that he can cross with his left peg and did create a decent chance for Walcott in the first half. I'm not against persisting with him at left back - as like you I think he is one of our better players. Putting Tino at Right midfield could work although still happy for a young 18 year old to have some stability in his most regular position before shifting him around further at least in the immediate short term.

I take you point about Diallo and Romeu being defensive minded, but they do contrast each other's styles reasonably well with Diallo making up for the lack of pace of Romeu. I think that we've only started these two twice; home to Villa (JWP played RB) and away at Sheff U last month. They were ok against Villa less so v Sheff U. I think that it worth pursuing while JWP is out and see whether they can build a good partnership. I much prefer Stu as one of the attacking midfielders rather than defensive. I also think that we need to manage him carefully after such a long lay-off and wouldn't be too concerned if he came on as a substitute in the 2nd half, rather than start.

When you consider that Andorra has a population of around 85,000, of which roughly half are women and by (even rougher) estimating that only about 5% of the remaining 42,000 are aged between 18-21, it would imply that Andorra had to choose from an eligible population of around 2,000. This assumes that these 2,000 actually play regular footy. To only lose 1-0 to an England team with some regular premiership players is a great achievement by that tiny country or .......... pretty abysmal by England and their highly paid coaches.