Dark Munster

Exactly this. Maybe those who are now pompously criticising RM's critics should actually be admitting they were right, because against Swansea and Blackburn the team is finally playing in the way they've been demanding i.e. less sideways possession, and more direct attacking with our superior players. We didn't thrash those teams (and Leeds first half) with his default crab football, did we? Also RM has tightened up the defense, as his critics have also been demanding.

Plus it doesn't seem to happen when Bree plays. So it must be a Manning issue rather than deliberate tactics.

Understandable. But if I were RM I'd take Fraser aside and say he's been playing brilliant, but so has Sam, and he does well against tiring defenders. Also let him know that he wants to keep him fresh for the many upcoming matches, and he'll come on in the second half whether we're winning, losing or drawing. Changing the tag team so that Fraser starts and Edozie comes on later is possible of course, but Fraser does much better as an impact sub.

I wouldn't change the excellent tag team. Edozie can tear them a new one for about 60 minutes, with Fraser replacing him to put the knife in. Rinse and repeat in the next match.

Yep, a great tag team.

He's forming a fantastic partnership with Fraser.

The Ipswich manager would be perfect for them.

Well done RM, he got the tactics and subs perfectly today. Today, and against Blackburn, shows that our squad is far superior to almost all other teams in the division, Leicester (and maybe Leeds) excepted. If he now can keep them playing to their strengths, and not waste half a match with crab football, it's going to be a fun second half to the season. Ipswich will be looking over their shoulders nervously.

Just need Ipswich to lose and it's been the perfect Boxing day!

Agreed. When he came on for Edozie with about 20 minutes to go, I thought it was a perfect substitution. Edozie terrorises the other teams for about 70 minutes, and Wee Fraser terrorises them for the rest of the match. It has been working superbly so far, and as they* say, if it ain't broke don't fix it. * Except for one Danish wally I won't mention.

I look forward to your match analysis and score prediction when we next play the skates.

Pretty obvious I would've thought, dominating a game but scoring only one goal is just one cock up, bad luck or bad bounce from dropping 2 points (Watford, Huddersfield, Rotherham, etc.)

It's actually 3 days after our match against Plymouth. And Norwich have a match 3 days before ours as well. Also we have a much deeper squad.

Agreed, while not perfect it was a good performance overall I thought and a deserved win. We didn't sit back in the second half, created lots of chances, and with a CF who could score we would've won by 2 or 3. QPR were decent and defended well.

Ankersen signed Wilcox and Martin. As they say in America, the buck stops at the top.

They are in the PL. Ings would cook against championship defenses. Look no further than A-Armstrong to see the difference playing against weaker teams.

Blatant penalty! Where's their VAR?

I wouldn’t want either, but I’d rather us be stinking up the PL than stinking up the Championship, which is what will happen in a few years if we don’t go up. As for the unbeaten run, I like the vastly improved defense part of it, with Bednarek, THB, KWP, Bree and Downes excellent, and Baz greatly improved. But at the end of the day it’s just a statistic. 13 wins with a loss in the middle for example is better for points on the board (not that I’d expect that return). And please spare us the tired old meme “I cannot believe the number of people who seem to want Saints to fail”. We all want RM and the team to succeed.

Nice straw man argument there. I’m not expecting us to win every match. It’s quite simple, we want to play to our strengths, like we do occasionally like against Leeds in the first half and Blackburn second half last Saturday. The previous match against Coventry is the norm, possession for possession’s sake without creating more chances than the weaker opposition.

In case you haven't noticed, we're playing in the Championship not the PL, and most teams are dross. In terms of finances, we're the Man City of this league, with players that individually cost more than the whole squad of most other teams. We're 10 points behind one of those teams.

Rubbish. We all want him, and our club, to succeed. 80% of the matches have been propaganda, possession-obsession "Russball", which he carried over from Swansea. Coventry last week just being the most recent example. If he abandons that and has the team playing like they did in a handful of matches (Leeds first half, Cardiff, Blackburn second half) then the criticism will end.

My favourite too. His ability and attitude is first class. Yes, the main reason why promotion this season is vital.

He seems to be much better since shaving off his hair. Maybe it makes him more aerodynamic?

I heard the 31st of Neverember for Stewart.

I don't recall anyone who did. Incidentally, what are your thoughts on the Ipswich manager?