WALK DMC

My aging memory seems to believe it as a bit of both. I remember the articles when Ralph arrived from Bertrand saying it was nice to have a clear direction at last. The clear implication being that there wasn't one when Hughes et al were here. However, it is possible to dismiss it just as a player trying to get in the good books of a new Manager, so should be taken with a pinch of salt. But, I also recall that Ralph didn't seem to totally believe in Bertrand when at the beginning of 2019-20 (following an absence through injury), Djenepo was preferred to Bertrand against Sheffield United and then the following game Danso was chosen again instead of Bertrand ..... These were very odd selections and I think it is fair to say that neither was a success. However, since then, Bertrand when fit seems to have been Ralph's first choice, so maybe he changed his mind (probably Danso's performance helped that .......)

I recognise that Bertrand hasn't got forward as often recently, and I also thought Jack had a good game against Leicester but it was a "backs against the wall" performance from the whole team. It just isn't true to say that he made more and more threatening runs forward than Bertie has been doing. Jack has had two good performances at Left Back against Leicester and Newcastle home, but other matches at full back have been less successful (e.g. Right Back v Newcastle away). He is just about good enough to cover full back (particularly when out of possession), but let's get some proper full back cover going forward. This season has highlighted putting square pegs in round holes doesn't work in the long term.

I'm in the give Ralph a few months of the next season camp, but understand why some people want him out immediately. I thought that your assessment explaining your rationale and balanced viewpoint was a really good posting. While I don't fully agree with your conclusions it is good to see that it is possible to have alternative views on here without resorting to name calling; thanks for expressing your position so clearly. As you say, it will be interesting to see if we learn something from the last season rather than dismissing it as a one-off.

This is just nonsense. Leicester City don't have the reputation or prestige of the Chelsea and Liverpool's of this world but they are a damned fine football team. Yes we need to put in a good performance, but statements such as "the jig's up" are disrespectful to Leicester; even if we were 11th and in satisfactory form, I would still anticipate a loss to a 3rd place team. I'm hopeful that we can get some sort of result, but a single game isn't going to determine the Manager's fate. It will be the next 6, the previous 15 and the first half of the season that all need to be considered. The team are drained of confidence, but I still feel with a little it of luck we can get something out of this. Let's get behind the team - they need it at the moment !

Many thanks for a very interesting analysis. A couple of people have mentioned the infamous run in 1988-89 under Chris Nicholl when we had to wait for a last minute Neil Ruddock penalty to get our next win. It was pre-Premier league so before your assessment, however it lasted 17 games, no wins and gained 8 points. Very similar to our current run from a points perspective. Interestingly the following season under Chris Nicholl we finished 7th and then the following season 14th. We then sacked Nicholl and replaced him with Ian Branfoot ! I think that it does highlight that patience can pay dividends and Managers can sometimes recover from the depths of despair. One of my main concerns is that who could successfully replace Ralph with some of the structural issues (lack of investment, high salaries paid to the likes of Hoedt) we have. None of the names fills me full of confidence (although I think the Brentford manager would be interesting). I wonder what Ian Branfoot is doing these days, maybe he can take over again ?

I guess Saints have a choice: 1) Fire him now - will provide more time for a new guy to assess the squad and bring in others. However, losing Ings, Vest & Bertrand will probably mean current plans for replacements will probably need to be progressed as we won't have much of a budget and flexibility to go after brand new targets.... 2) Fire him in the summer - as above, but less time to shape new squad & style 3) Give Ralph a few months of the new season and see if things improve with a rest and new recruits (and losing key players probably too) 4) Ralph is too engrained in the DNA of the club, so give him next year and beyond assuming that we don't get relegated. I'm in the 3) camp on the basis that he has earned some credit for past achievements and still feel that some of the recent issues were originally due to an injury crisis which have now transmitted into a loss of confidence across the whole team. Confidence makes such a huge difference to footballers and football teams. However, a few more performances like WBA might mean that 1) & 2) become more compelling for people like me.

I actually found that defeat more depressing than the 9-0, at least there were mitigating circumstances for the Man United debacle. In order of worst performances, I'd go: 1. WBA away 2. Newcastle away 3. Man United away 4. Tottenham home 5. Man City away Have I missed any ? (there are quite a few to choose from .......)

Everton supposedly would have offered more for PEH, but his head had been turned by Spurs and that was the only team he wanted to join. It made our negotiating position very weak. If a few clubs are after Jannick it could bump the price up further, so maybe £20m. Of course, it may just be Saints trying to make out there is competition for his signature to raise the price by hinting other teams are interested. For all we know he already has an informal agreement with Spurs. The only thing that would surprise me with that is that (in my view) he doesn't have the defensive capabilities of a top 6 team due to pace/turning speed, plus Spurs will have a new Manager who will want to choose his own players.

The Internet is a very powerful tool, except in the hands of an idiot. My apologies, you are right. The "accurate" save% are: Forster Prem=33% , All comps = 38% Kasper Prem= 19%, All comps = 25% The main conclusions remain the same, Forster has a significantly better save percentage. So if it goes to penalties, put your feet up, and RELAX. It is in the bag 😄

Using Transfermarkt for stats and based on Premier games only, the save% of the two respective keepers are: Kasper - saved 5, not saved 25 = save% = 19% Frazer - saved 15, not saved 25 = save% = 38% So in a 5 penalty shootout, Kasper would save 1. Frazer would save 2. This means that all Saints have to do tomorrow , is get 11 players behind the ball and grind out a dull, dour goal less draw. Alternatively we could use our tried and trusted approach and go 3-0 up with 15 minutes to go, and then quickly concede three in 90 mins before hanging on desperately in extra time. Transfermarkt says that these are "saved" penalties, not "missed", so I guess Kasper could only save 1 (but our other 4 end up in the upper tiers of Wembley). Of course, if our performance is close to the WBA one, all the stats above will be totally irrelevant.

Why would Forster leave now ? He is currently the number 1 at a Premier league team and only has a year left on his contract. He can leave in 12 months for nothing and get a decent signing on fee at another club (e.g. Celtic). There are some players that will be very difficult to shift; I suspect that we'll negotiate a pay-off with Hoedt for his final years contract. Hopefully we can still get a few million for Lemina (although his value is falling as he enters the final year of his contract so possibly a loan). Either way the days of milk and honey and a substantially smaller wage bill are at least another 12 months off.

I'm not convinced it is as simple as tiredness. JWP & Romeu seemed to understand where each other was playing and work together. Diallo and JWP just don't seem to have the same level of partnership. I also feel that JWP seems to believe that he is the 3rd centre half when KWP goes flying down the right wing, JWP immediately slips back next to Vest & Bed. I know it makes sense under certain circumstances, but in some matches he seems to be spending all the match just outside our own penalty area. I sympathise with Diallo because it means he is a one man midfield chasing the ball. I do think that some of it is a loss of confidence in the defence, so we spend too much time trying to help out, rather than playing to our (previous) strengths which was pressing higher up the pitch. Confidence can be a very flimsy thing but also difficult to recover. Look at Redmond a month or so ago he couldn't kick a football and for the past 3 games seems to have regained his mojo. But, I think Saints need to be brave and try and regain their confidence and start playing higher up the pitch, so the whole team gets their mojo back, rather than just individuals. Last night and Newcastle away were very very worrying performances. I am losing my belief that this can be turned around. I hope that I am wrong.

I was surprised at the volume of criticism for the 2nd goal against Burnley. Sure he lost the header (against a very good header of the ball in Woods), but Vestergaard didn't cover the runner in Vydra. I'd actually put them both culpable for that goal - but Vestergaard more so. However, once a bandwagon has started on the Saints' forum the events on the pitch are adapted to fit whatever narrative is running at the time. I was glad when Salisu came on to add some defensive depth when Burnley were pushing at the end and he made some decent clearances, but he also missed a simple header which allowed Burnley a half chance. Every time I have seen him play Salisu looks ok, but makes at least one error. He is 21 years old, so it is perfectly natural, but to consider taking a reasonably solid experienced premiership centre half in Bednarek and replacing him with Salisu just before a semi-final would be wrong. Let's see where we are after WBA and Leicester and then start experimenting (a little). Salisu needs to play more to gain experience and cut out simple mistakes - but I'd prefer that he learnt in the less important games.

We still don't know what is holding up Bertrand signing - certainly the length of contract seems possible. If he wants three years, then we may not believe that is the right long term investment and/or he may have other suitors whispering in his ear that they can offer 3 years. Who knows ? I don't think Saints want him to leave, but every player has a price. It did strike me that our recent link to Rico Henry was a hurry up and sign message as we won't wait for ever to Bertrand. Alternatively, maybe the contract is all agreed, but both parties are waiting for confirmation that we are in the Premiership next season (not a likely issue now, but could have been a few weeks ago). Either way, it is speculation, speculation until something concrete comes out.

Can't kick with his left. Can't head very well. But ......... his technique on his right side is outstanding, his finishing lacks finesse (he belts it as hard as he can), he holds the ball up well and is an excellent passer to set-up chances or bring others into play. Personally I don't think that he'll ever progress much further unless he can do something about his left foot and heading, but maybe it just means that he has found his level. A mid table premier team - he'll have little runs when he scores a few but equally periods when nothing goes in. He may hang around the Saints first team/squad for quite a few years to come without ever setting the premiership alight. That will do fine by me, we need a few experienced players to stay if the likes of Ings & Vest move to bigger and better teams. Still wish that he'd practise shooting (or even passing) with his left foot in training.

As Fun Boy Three and Bananarama memorably sang* "It's not what you do. It's the way that you do it" * with apologies to the original artist

I was expecting a close game with one goal in it and feared the worse when we went 2 down. If I'd have been at the match with a full stadium, I would have been thinking similar sentiments to you, although I'd hope that I would still try to get behind the team. I suspect that the vitriol that you have generated weren't just about your comments after 28 minutes of the match, but more a reaction to what could be perceived by some as your high volume of negative comments and trivial squabbles about Ralph & the team over the last month or so (i.e. it was payback for that). I can't claim to know what the majority of this board is thinking, but some of the feedback certainly did resonate with me. I doubt that this will change your style of contribution to the board but may aid your understanding of the reaction. Best wishes

This is a good summary, although I would give more credit to Redmond. A few games ago (Everton away being the nadir) he couldn't control or pass a football. Today, in the first half, although not significantly contributing to our two goals, he was bright and looked dangerous. It's good to see his confidence is picking up again, let's hope it is sustainable. I also thought that Salisu was a reasonable change, Burnley were going longer by every passing minute and I thought it was the right move to bring on some more defensive cover for the inevitable bombardment in the last 10 minutes. I felt that the rhythm of the game was already starting to change before the substitution. Regardless - nice to have a win. The world is a better place tonight.

I'm not sure that is completely true. We'd only won one of our 8 previous 1st Division games and 2 weeks before had lost 7-0 at Ipswich. Incidentally, of Lawrie's 28 games that season (he took over at the end of November), we only won 5 league games. Ralph has won 9 of his last 28 league games. We didn't sack Lawrie and the rest is history .......

I agree. He isn't the greatest player in the world and has a horrible lack of pace, but he is (or has been) sound and dependable. As we cannot compete with other teams on finance, we need a few members in our team that are not world beaters but can do a job in the premiership and stick with Saints for the longer term. The young up & coming youth (or even Danny Ings) may be sold off, but it is important that our core nucleus remains. We have a few of those such as JWP, Romeu and Bednarek, I'd even include the likes of Redmond and Stephens who are decent squad players and ok to call on in a crisis. Not everyone can be a star and with our budget we need to get the balance right with the dependables (Bednarek), promoted from the B team (Tella), future stars (Diallo) and some that might not make premiership grade but give them time (Salisu). Add a couple of players like Ings and Vestergaard who we can sell to generate cash and it isn't a bad blend (even though our squad is too small in overall).

This is an outstanding insightful summary raising the discussion beyond the usual 8th place, 46 points & a cup final debate. It encapsulates the differences between why the two Managers do/don't resonate with the fans. I have a decent amount of respect for Puel who is an ok Manager but to me Ralph demonstrates real leadership skills that offer greater opportunities to take us to a different long term level (although financial constraints may reduce this potential). Good communication isn't just about speaking the language; it is setting a clear strategy, a style and belief in those values which can be easily understood by its target audience. Look at Bielsa - can't speak a bloody word of English, but those Leeds players really understand and buy in to his approach. Ralph may fail through a lack of investment and squad depth, but I hope that this story isn't over yet - he has outstanding leadership skills which may yet make Saints a top 10 contender in the years to come. Even through the awful recent run, I remain glad Ralph is our Manager. Keep the faith.

Like you, I'd be fine with playing Jack in this game as a right back to protect KWP. I also want to protect Armstrong (3 games a week seems too much for his body), Diallo & Bertrand. We just don't have any back-up for CDM/LB if Diallo and Bertrand get an injury in a match that we are likely to lose. The Brighton game remains more important and we need our best players injury free and ready for that. If Man City is treated as a one-off match I wouldn't be against playing three at the back either, although the lack of any natural wing-backs would probably negate that. I can see Djenepo doing his best if asked to perform at WB (although his positioning isn't his greatest strength), but Bertrand is the only other obvious alternative and for the reasons above, would prefer him not to play. I just don't see Jack playing as right wing-back, unless we really do play 5 at the back and don't have any plans to leave our penalty area other than to boot it forward for Tella to chase. I'd keep Tella in; he is young, his confidence has been boosted by a good performance and won't need the same level of rest as some of the others who have had a very long season ... Really difficult team to call.

He is on the last year of his contract, hasn't has the most auspicious last few years on loan and with Covid, clubs don't have the budgets that they have had in previous years. Taking into account that Boufal and Carrillo left for nothing when they entered their final year of their contract I don't think it is a bad price.

Dull Sunday morning statistical fact: Che has scored around 45% (4) of his 9 Saints' goals against Sheffield United. It could be because they are his old club and he tries harder, maybe that they are a championship quality team or probably its just a statistical quirk - but it does seem a high figure across virtually 2 seasons. As a reminder his other goals were against Man City, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Everton & Newcastle.

Jayden Bogle from Sheffield United. He is an attacking right back, only 20 years old, but played 70+ games for Derby before transferring to the blades last summer. I think he cost around £4m. He has had a few injuries this season so has only played around 10 games in the premiership and those have been as RWB. If we could get him for around £3m he would be a good deputy for KWP with premier games under his belt, extensive championship experience and lots of potential for the future. I'm assuming that our budget isn't going to be big, but that sort of purchase makes sense.