Baird of the land

Massive victory. Curate’s egg type of performance. Also hopefully the win will make st Mary’s less toxic atmosphere. Don’t agree with new handball or use of var but hey another fortunate for us in its blindness. Horrible last few minutes of saints reverting to trying to sit deep and almost conceding again McCarthy, nice to have a keeper who can make saves. Not the perfect keeper but decent. Cedric(poor), why we are starting someone 8ntent to leave over the talented saints product confuses me. Bertrand, nice to have a left back. He’s got a decent football brain. Bednarek/Stephens ... suppose they might as well build a partnership given alternatives. Jwp, well that goal is why he is in the team I suppose. Better intensity than earlier this season. Hojberg, playing a lot better Djenepo, so raw but fantastic to have a guy that’ll take on players rather than pass back Redmond... well he’s trying but very off form. Time yo be an impact sub. Obafemi. Some nice link up play but hardly given the service. Ings, class above. Boufal, has to start over Redmond. Long.... awful finishing. I suppose he had an impact but level of missing open goals is surely intolerable

Why slow it down and pass all the way back & end up handing them almost a golden opportunity

He’s linked up quite the few times him and ings have actually been given the ball by their teammates

Sacked in the morning chants surely coming unless there’s dramatic change

Positive lineup for a huge game. Good to see Adams back on the bench.

Curious comment by Ralph. It was nice imo to see him finally get a chance and do so well. Hopefully this won't mean we'll have to wait as long for another game.

I don’t see how signing Carrillo did anything but hinder our progress season after season. Equally I don’t see not overpaying for Adams in Jan meant we accepted relegation. Looking across all last january’s Prem Signing the Only the good ones were 2 loans & one of those was outrageously expensive

I disagree. The reality is that players in Jan go for vastly inflated fees. Then there's the fact teams don't want to sell their better players in Jan. So its far more likely you'll end up buying the sort of dross we currently have plenty of or even worse another Carrillo.

The notion that we could spend huge amounts of money effectively in Jan was always ludicrous.

The notion that we could spend huge amounts of money effectively in Jan was always ludicrous.

Can't say i'm confident. Finding a way to help out teams in trouble seems to be the Ralph approach this season.

Typical of Saints. Even playing a team playing awfully we contrive to let them away with a draw.

I guess they don't want to reveal Ralph's tactical masterplan of playing Angus Gunn as a left back too early.

I'm not saying he was happy just that it wasn't his first priority. He probably expected to buy one with the money raised from lemina etc. That didn't happen hence the last minute Danso

I find it far easier to believe that Ralph prioritized pace further up the pitch than the board blocking him buying a center back and made him buy a winger.

Ralph clearly made a winger and a striker on top of the compulsory Ings purchases his priority. If ralph had of viewed a centre back as the immediate priority he could have prioriitised that instead. So in your bulldozer scenario blame the guy who told them the bulldozers were still serviceable.

Failing at such basics is pretty damning though. I'd be a lot more tolerant if he wasn't behaving like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

Yep that(saturday was beyond belief, won't play the right back that did well against city & puts the other right back at left back(then subbed him)) and the repeated times this season he's let the game get away rather than use substitutes have soured me to him. Coupled with Adkins is actually available as a replacement.

I'd argue we should be protesting at plans to spend 75m. Panic buying more dross in January to further weigh down the club in the championship should be resisted.

I wouldn't be about experimenting with stephens at centre mid. I'm not a huge fan of persisting with Cedric ahead of Valery either

The issue isn’t with moving on targett but it’s with not bringing in some sort of cover if as it seems he doesn’t want to utilize vokins in any scenario barring a one minute league cup cameo.

100% agree.

I did. I just think it's like saying wenger would be a great assistant to emery. I heard them talking about adkins as an actual idea on the totalsaints podcast and no one pointed out the obvious massive flaw.

I don't really think the perfect assistant is someone who is a threat to your job.

Them being out of contract makes a proper championship clearout easier in my eyes in the summer as long as we don't spunk more money away in Jan. If we are going over the top i'd prefer giving the games to Obafemi rather than thinking a one minute cameo is any use to him.