egg

That's a terrible point. They haven't got our players.

Same here. 3 more league games for me. Liverpool is a free hit and I won't judge him by that, unless we get utterly embarrassed.

Yep...that's management. Someone with gravitas makes those calls.

They don't seem to positively influence us imo, and so many at once feels disruptive. To me, they just feel like a desperate roll of the dice rather than part of a plan.

Why shouldn't the US authorities be allowed to enforce a decision from it's own judicial system? Don't get me wrong, my heart says leave the old girl be and it must be heartbreaking for her family, but, due process has been followed.

Bringing in Downs shows a complete lack of judgement imo. I'm not saying to sack him now. I've said that I'd give him until the Derby game to see how he goes. What I've said is that you're making excuses for him, and that management is more than coaching. It's also about managing the mentality, fear, motivation, etc. These players look like rabbits in headlights. Properly managed, they shouldn't, and properly coached, they should be competitive as individuals and as a team.

Biodiversity credits?

You've not read what I've said. If the boss can't get a tune out of the new full backs or wingers that's absolutely on him. It's academic whether they are better than what we had. They are good. How the players are organised and set up is 100% on Still and his coaches. Ditto how they are motivated. Ditto how they are managed if they underpeform. Ditto if they don't follow orders. It's also on Still how he manages during matches. Not reacting to how the other team is playing and switching things up is 100% on him. Just throwing on random subs without any real change to how we play is all on him. Stop making excuses for him.

I was close to that but I've abstained because I think now is just slightly premature. I'd give him til the Derby game, but there's some benefit of the doubt in that.

Proper management should address that. I'm not talking about coaching, that's a different issue, although proper coaching should address that. People can't keep bleating about issues running through the club as a barrier to progress. That's absolute BS. If there are those issues, again, it's a management issue. Sure, there may be issues beyond the football side, but a decent football manager should focus himself and his players on just the football side. On that front, Still looks pretty inept I have to say.

Yep. Proven experience is vastly different to a bit of it. I genuinely think any half decent manager who's been around for a wee while would do much better than this lad. It's embarrassing how badly we've been set up compared to most other teams we've played this season. Pompey's manager showed himself as being far more capable of organising and motivating his team.

I'm in the needs a tiny bit more time camp - until the Derby game, but there's a case to call it now.

Ha...but...imagine how that Pompey game would have gone with a Ralph team pressing and counter pressing... imagine yesterday with their lads being pressed and closed down so that couldn't ping balls into the box. Fortunately we don't need Ralph to be set up to do those basics. But we do need a manager capable of doing it.

Absolutely this. Proven experience brings gravitas, which gives authority and proper leadership. No manager has has that this early in their career. To put it another way, this job feels too much too soon, and what we need is exactly what you've said.

I'm not sure there's any evidence of meddling from upstairs. I don't buy that. I'm more concerned about a lack of authority and leadership than autonomy, a lack of experience meaning a lack of real world tactical nous and competence.

Yep. We have a weak defence and keeper that the oppo target with balls in, and have absolutely no plan going forwards. Basically, the oppo only has to score the first goal and they've won. I knew nothing about this bloke before he got here. Pre season was a worry as we looked disjointed and weren't doing the basics, and that's continued into the season. We don't pass, move, make runs into channels/space, break the lanes, our defence can't hold its line, we don't press or play around/through the press, we don't switch up formations, etc, etc. His only tactical tweak has been to take a CB out making us weaker at the back, but without that extra player further up the pitch doing anything effective. The players look scared. I'm with Duck - I don't think they're buying into it, and I'm certainly not. I'd give him until the Derby game then take a view.

I'd rather see is struggling there than struggling in this league.

Yep. Frustrating to watch, and odd that people don't see it. Play needs to go through Azaz. The new ones that haven't impressed me are the RB and Fellows. And Still.

Yep. The team has no vision, style, hunger, drive, energy, creativity, etc. The players look a bit scared, and are just moving in small sections, at most, with no options. It's dross.

That's harsh on Onuachu.

It happened Sunday as well mate.

I'm not sure that's his game. Seems to be more of what the cool kids call an 8. Or more Cockerill than Case in old money.

I'm getting RM flashbacks here.

A false 11, it's the future.

Cheers. Interesting that all 3 goalscorers got minutes for the under 21's against Burnley yesterday evening.