Saint Fan CaM

Much better performance but Cedric really screwed up big time with Obifemi waiting in the box 1 yard out...it was a very very simple pass to make and he failed spectacularly. Redmond and Djenpo also had big chances and failed. Thought Ralph messed up bringing on Boufal when 1-2 up away from home...should have been Romeu surely? Ralph has a diliemna...either he plays a bias of attacking players and hopes we score more than the opposition or he plays more defensively and risks not scoring at all. It was better today, but conceding late will be the cause of relegation.

Oh dear this could be another embarrassing afternoon. I predicted 4-0 initially and I see no reason to change that, although I would not be surprised if it’s worse. Just don’t understand why a Ralph plays a defensive side at home and a defensively weak side away to one of the better attacking teams in the league. Quite baffling, other than to confirm that while he may have a fully fit squad, he also has few options selecting from a sub-standard group of senior players - basically it probably doesn’t matter who he picks...they are all equally incompetent.

Absolutely this. Been privileged to spend time with Laurie - he’s a really great man who has Saints written through the middle of him. He deserves to be revered as much as Ted Bates in my opinion.

4-0 or being optimistic 3-0.

I think Ralph has been found out without Rohl (or someone of his quality).

Stupid, stupid decision by Spurs. He will not be coming here...much as many of us would love it...he’s not the type to go back and he’ll have much bigger offers.

Is there any foundation in this? Not seen any credible links. Could work well.

I agree with most of this. The only thing I would change is rotating Redmond with Boufal or Djnepo depending on performance. The disturbing thing is this is probably the strongest side we’ve got and that there is very little quality coming off the bench to change a game. I definitely agree that JWP needs to be dropped...he’s just not providing enough defence or attack...and even his fabled dead ball delivery has been poor.

And we started the ‘easier’ run with an awful performance against Everton, so not really looking like this team is capable of finding the performances that will boost confidence and put some points on the table. Everything about the style of play and (lack of) quality on the pitch screams we’re in deep, deep trouble. The only way out that I can see if they’re really going to stick with Ralph is to have a fundamental change of coaching staff. I’d get Rohl back in a heartbeat.

Would not surprise me if there was something in that...perhaps strip the parachute money and invoke relegation release clauses in player contracts. Then rebuild. Crazy but who knows, it makes as much sense as any other suggested strategy!

My view is that all current players are not competent at Prem level with the exception of McCarthy, Bertrand, Romeu (just) and Ings. The rest of them range from Championship level at best and below....such is the lack of investment over the last 3-4 years. You can get away with 2-3 Championship level players in the 1st team if they’re among Prem level players in the main. The club has been systematically robbed of talent and lately even the back room staff have been whittled down in numbers and quality. It’s looking dire.

Did anyone really think the club have a cohesive and competent master plan? And one that involved keeping to the DoF story spun to supporters? They must think we’re mugs. I think many of us were when we believed the Board might actually rescue the situation three years ago, but time has run out...goodwill has been worn thin...nothing short of a miracle will rectify the current demise. And the sad thing is we’re not even at rock bottom yet, but if the players heads are anything to go on it’s just around the corner. I’m probably not alone when I say I’m almost at a point where I just don’t care anymore.

5 points from the 15 on offer. That is realistically where we are right now. Not good enough...relegation form. An Everton win (nothing less) will help to set the stage however and is therefore is hugely pivotal. Ralph needs to play a blinder.

I have very little confidence that the club have what it takes to resolve whatever issues are lurking and have been clearly festering for three years now. We’ve danced a very fine line between survival and the drop - the chances of being lucky again are lower this season and if anyone needs reminding why, I would suggest they take a close look at the individual performances across the team in the Leicester game...the result is bad enough, but a deeper view of the patterns of play, positional sense, passing accuracy, etc. is shocking. Here’s a prediction. By the end of January we will have papered over the cracks...there will have been a couple of passable game results. And Ralph will start to once again to become a target for dissatisfied supporters. We will not have signed players that walk straight into the first team to improve our chances. We may have a new DoF, but that person will not be in a position to have made any appreciable difference - too little too late. And we will still be flirting with the relegation zone. Anyone disagree?

Would drop JWP - pointless playing him in the vain hope he will create something or defend anything. Also pointless is 5 at the back - it just invites pressure on an awfully frail defence. I would go 4-2-3-1 and tell the team to defend as one, break as one. I do think City are slightly fragile if the game is taken to them, but get their tails up if they smell blood (not hard with our squad). It will still be 4 or 5 nil to them, with a possible consolidatory goal from us. The only thing I'm looking forward to is the rugby on Saturday to be honest.

Am I the only one to see the irony in this? No more messages eh Ralph? Well how about starting with not releasing this little gem?! FFS, as if I believed this actually came from RH anyway...it so clearly came straight from some little oik in the marketing team!!!

If that’s true then surely there’s no way back for Ralph? The easiest way out for the Board is a complete change of coaching staff, although I suspect Kelv D will be kept on as he’s ‘Mr Southampton’ now and the Boards eyes in the dressing room I suspect.

Left any comment until this morning to try to remain objective. I’m numb. I called it ages ago when Reed started replacing great players with dross. Lots of dross. And then we started sacking Managers again, just like in the Lowe days. Last nights debacle is just part of the last gasp of defeat before we plummet out of the Prem and I can see us doing a Sunderland, such is the state of the ownership and general management of the club. Is there an answer? Is there any hope? I don’t think there is. I don’t think a new manager would change things as the squad is shot to pieces. Having said that, I think Ralph has been found out without Rohl by his side, so who knows that might a bit of a difference. I don’t think there’s any wiggle room in selling players...if we sold a player it would be our ‘best’ player, at a loss and then we would just buy cheap again because there’s no investment. It’s a blueprint for failure now. The only way out is releasing players from contract and buying new, but that’s a pipe dream for most clubs. The last three seasons has really drained me of enthusiasm. I love my ST but I despise what’s happened to Markus’ legacy. I miss some games because of Sky TV and I’m starting to seriously question the enjoyment and value. Last night did for me.

Left any comment until this morning to try to remain objective. I’m numb. I called it ages ago when Reed started replacing great players with dross. Lots of dross. And then we started sacking Managers again, just like in the Lowe days. Last nights debacle is just part of the last gasp of defeat before we plummet out of the Prem and I can see us doing a Sunderland, such is the state of the ownership and general management of the club. Is there an answer? Is there any hope? I don’t think there is. I don’t think a new manager would change things as the squad is shot to pieces. Having said that, I think Ralph has been found out without Rohl by his side, so who knows that might a bit of a difference. I don’t think there’s any wiggle room in selling players...if we sold a player it would be our ‘best’ player, at a loss and then we would just buy cheap again because there’s no investment. It’s a blueprint for failure now. The only way out is releasing players from contract and buying new, but that’s a pipe dream for most clubs. The last three seasons has really drained me of enthusiasm. I love my ST but I despise what’s happened to Markus’ legacy. I miss some games because of Sky TV and I’m starting to seriously question the enjoyment and value. Last night did for me.

GE would be a win-win as Tory majority would get Brexit done finally and Labour would be so humiliated that Corbyn would be ousted meaning a more credible opposition party. EVery other scenario leads to more log jam in Parliament due to political dogma from all sides.

Adams is not of Prem quality and the worrying thing is that we have Long, Obifemi and Ings all looking like very similar players that can’t score (less so with Ings). Can’t see him doing well here at all and think he might end up leaving if he’s not getting game time, meaning more wasted money.

Better all over the park...Leicester will come away with a comfortable 0-2 win. Fridays at home are not kind to us. We’re going down unless something starts to click very soon, although to be honest I do think this will be the season when the lack of squad quality will tell and Les’ deformed chickens will come home to roost.

Understand what I you’re saying, but this was the nature of the contact...Hojberg did not touch the back of the players leg or place his leg in front of the opposing players leg. No, the opposing player deliberately placed his leg BEHIND Hojbergs and simulated a trip. This was once a cynical and cheating way of gaining a foul, largely seen in foreign players and VAR was supposed to stamp such cheating behaviour. For me, there was equal if not more justification in VAR ruling out the penalty than the offside.

A decent point and better than I expected, especially when even VAR was deceived somehow by a player cheating by wrapping his leg around the back of another player and then falling over. That player should hang their head in shame, as should the VAR ref. Nevertheless we are still so slow and predictable in our build up play...we look like a poor Prem team. On a wider note, I still don’t see the point in JWP...can’t tackle, can’t deliver a decent forward pass (nearly always backwards) and most of his dead ball delivery of late is appalling. He adds so little to the side it’s laughable and I honestly believe we have better in the U-23’s. Gunn is not better than McCartney who may have made a fist of saving the penalty and got lucky with the handball decision because once again he got caught short.

Yeah I meant previous successes with Saints. Reading back I can see what I said was not clear.