Saint Fan CaM

“And that’s another fine mess…” Ralph says to myself as he wistfully looks in the changing room mirror. 🤣🤣🤣

Could never quite understand it when the home fans sang “come on you reds” when we’re clearly red & white, but this is going to be even more confused! Perhaps it should be “come on you gash”, particularly if last seasons form continues into the next…🤣

Oh I agree with you - I’ve posted elsewhere that our striking options are as much if not more of a problem than our defensive woes. In fact it’s been mentioned that it’s the spine of the team that needs urgent attention and I wholeheartedly agree. Assuming we do little or nothing in the transfer market, I would favour a deeper defensive line, get another man (a true 10) into midfield to help JWP and Romeu, and spend significant time coaching different attacking options rather than the very predictable style we currently employ. I’d also be asking the players to contribute to ideas based on their strengths. But that’s just me and I’m not a PL manager.

Woah there…you have to be called out on THAT one! Are you saying 65 is too old to manage a football team?! Ageism is not a valid or indeed legal way to make hiring decisions. This chap could take the reigns very successfully for another 10 years which would far exceed many EPL managerial tenures.

I have been professionally trained as a coach. To get the best from your team you need to provide the conditions that allows individuals to flourish. With the odd exceptions when everything clicks, I don’t believe that is happening under Ralph and the evidence I see is in the way players regress generally and the constrained style of play that provides opposing Managers to easily find ways of beating Ralph’s system. Or to put it another way, Ralph’s system is not working for this group of players.

Well something had to change and these three were the fall guys. Ralph is not a strong coach in my opinion and the evidence shouts that nor were these guys. I think Kelv and co were too close and matey with the playing staff. My expectation is that someone of Stuart Pearce’s experience and gravity is brought in to be no.2 and provide continuity when Ralph heads off next summer. He’ll have a much better idea of how to mount a credible attack than his predecessors that’s for sure.

Yes, better players may produce better results however I don’t think we can underestimate the influence the Manager has on the manner in which they are to play tactically against a given team. If players are so focused trying to deliver the Managers instructions, they have less capacity to adapt and change and/or use their inherent skills to change a game. Telling a player how to play a game is NOT the same as coaching them how to win a game - he may be a decent tactician, but I don’t think Ralph is a good coach. Just my observations of how this team is so uninspired and lacking in creativity.

As has already been said, while you can expect defeats, it’s difficult to take defeats week in week out and the manner in which this happens has just not been addressed. While defensive or GK errors are often blamed for our defeats, being overrun in midfield and having little attacking threat or composure does little to create the conditions to even challenge the opposing team and provide an opportunity to win. Often we’ll score one goal and then collapse…it’s a bit like the adage “a broken clock is right twice a day”…our attacking threat is almost by accident rather than by design. I watch how others teams use triangulation, passing through channels, clever positioning and movement around the opposing box to create chances and score goals. We don’t do that. Why? Because we have Championship level strikers who scored lots of goals from wingers crossing into box, but that’s not Ralph’s playbook, so our strikers are basically rendered useless. Adam Armstrong does not have the positional awareness to make it in the Prem and Che is not much better. Long tries but gets appalling service. Broja scored a few mainly because he was capable of creating chances for himself, but then got caught up in the playbook. Lastly I would reflect on the fact that this group of players have shown they can perform, score a few goals and win a game convincingly. So for me the blame for the poor form lies with the Manager, his coaching staff and an inflexible playbook. It has to be sorted over the summer or we will be nailed on relegation fodder.

Down next season...we're going down next season...down next season - we're going down next season. Honestly, I've had a gutful of this utter, utter shitshow of a team and in particular Manager/coaching team. We look like a League One team - in fact I don't think we'd do very well in League One. And I don't care if we have got a penalty or if JWP manages to score it - we are completely rubbish. And now my stream has gone down. Bye.

Salisu at LB is a disaster waiting to happen...playing far too high and keeps getting caught heavy footed and too slow to turn. Otherwise we're not looking too bad for the money but we all know where this is headed.

I too have had a gut full of wreck it Ralph's bizarre team selections and lack of pro-active game management. This has a drubbing written all over it and I don't think anyone in the squad gives a monkeys. I'm going 4-0.

Don’t think he has it. Doesn’t have the movement and anticipation to operate at Prem level, plus he’s not got the physical attributes to mix it up with big CB’s which at least Che has. I’d say he’s worse than Long when Long was on his game. We need someone better than Che to ensure survival next season IMO.

Both teams will hardly be up for a slog so it’s likely to be a pretty boring affair. Fully expecting another defeat, but we might get away with a 0-0 draw. Expecting one of Ralph’s weird team selections too with some fringe players given a start.

We’ll that was my last game as a ST holder. I just want to say fuck you very much to Ralph for dishing up such an terribly boring event for me. There are so many issues around the squad it’s depressing but last night was a disgrace. I understand the need to set up defensively for a good part of the game, but at 65 minutes they’re not going to score 8 goals, so change it up and go for a draw! Just spineless and boring. If I didn’t know better I’d say Ralph gave Klopp that game deliberately. Didn’t stay for the lap of dishonour - feel very little for this Manager and his team now. Huge changes needed in the summer, but we all know it’s not going to happen. Think odds on relegation are pretty poor right now.

This is my last home game as a season ticket holder of many years (retirement means a few financial restraints), so I hope we put up a really good fight. I would love this game of all games to be an upset…at least a draw. Unfortunately I don’t see this game as being one to remember for the right reasons. I think Ralph doesn’t have the team to beat Pool or the tactical nouse to overcome Klippity…think he’s largely a spent force here, with the caveat that I understand this summer will see some real investment in the squad, so who knows he might still have some chance of building a decent legacy? In reality I think we’ll see more of the same attempt at possession football, the sideways and backwards stuff with little penetration up front, a couple of golden chances spurned by under-performing strikers and a complete dogs breakfast of a defensive display because Forster will be dropped and all semblance of order at the back will be given up. I fully expect 4+ goals from Pool and no response from our lot. The only hope is that their team has a lot of changes which disrupts them and they’re so focussed on getting a result, they forget we can actually play good football on our day. Yeah, we’ll need the lube.

Trouble is, of late Saints seem to make a habit of breaking records or giving other teams/players the opportunity to break theirs. I hope you’re right, but I’ve a horrible feeling we will see at least two of three finish above us, with a real probability that the third also have a good chance too unless we get at least a point from the last two games.

If Ralph sets us up with 2 up top I think we’ll get smashed….another 0-6, 7, 8, or 9. I hope he has the good sense to put 5 in midfield or play a back 3. Nah, we’re going to need the lube…it’s not going to be pretty.

Most of the likely reasons have been covered already in this thread and in my view the most likely key issue is the system Ralph insists on using. Not that it’s invalid, but just unworkable with this squad - they’re just not good enough. However Ralph has no other option - he doesn’t have a different system that he personally is competent at deploying, he doesn’t listen to others (I’ve been told that by a club connection) and anyway, the system has been adopted by the entire club from youth level upwards (the lauded ‘Southampton Way’). The answer? There’s no chance of overhauling the squad (it would need 5-6 players of KWP’s level to make a difference) as there’s not the investment funds available. So the answer has to be in the manager and coaching staff being completely changed out. A shame it’s necessary to see Ralph go, but this is a results driven game and our results have been in general relegation level appalling for too long.

What a shame. Could have been so good, but Ralph has presided over an absolute shit show. I’ve been told he doesn’t listen to advice which is good because that means he is completely culpable for this miserable few seasons. Having said that, I’ll be pleased to see his coaching staff gone too, because they’ve not got a clue either. Whether the Board and owners have any idea how to drag this club into some me form of success remains to be seen, but I hope they’ve got the balls to sack Wreck it Ralph.

Why do we always try to walk the ball into the f-ing net?! And why is our wonderful set piece taker JWP only able to find their goalie at corners?! We are shit all over the field and this is made worse by the stretched system Ralph insists on us playing. The CB’s have to step forward to supply a very static and flat front line and in doing so leave us totally exposed at the back for a break. Ralph seems incapable of seeing this!!!

Enough is enough. Tactically utter shite. There are just too many very poor players out there, but to be two down at 20 minutes against Brentford is a terribly indictment of the awful management we’re witnessing. This has to be the worst run of performances in the history of the club and frankly, we deserve to be relegated.

Enough is enough. Ralph really has led this bunch of misfits to new depths of shitness. Times up Ralph…please fall on your own sword.

Just logged into the game and wtf 1-0 down after how many minutes?!?! We are truly shit.

Ralph's really been shown up here by a stand-in manager with a weak set of players. I would like to think this is a tactical defeat where the club thinks Burnley will be less of a threat than Everton, but obviously this is all about inept management and very weak mentality in most of our players. I think this is one of the most unenjoyable seasons I've experienced since our relegation season and there are few players I would like to see in the side next season. What a load of crap.

0-6 anyone? What a utter joke this team is - making a very shit side look like Barcelona. Armstrong is already having a mare of a game. JWP is panicking and passing backwards all the time. Burnley first to every 2nd ball. Ralph needs to give them an utter spanking at half-time.