Saint86

I think i'd be looking at something like this. Solid back line and midfield core with Romeu sitting in front of defence and JWP and Armstrong able to do an all around job defending, building play, and arriving in the box. Tella in particular to give pace form the wings and to run off the striker. Adams to hold up play and allow Redmond/Tella/JWP/Stu to get involved. Above all, keep it tight so there is less chance of our goal difference advantage disappearing!

It shouldn't take reading it like that from Sheldon to make you realise it - plenty of posters have been saying it on here! 😅 We haven't been in a relegation scrap since Ralph frankly saved us in his first season from Hughes' mess. Its a very solid achievement give the squad we have and the backing he's had. And yet I've seen comparing him negatively to puel. The mind boggles. With puel and this team we've had been relegated and in administration long ago. A lot of talk about what fans expect us to do, what they think we should do, what we will do etc. This summer. What we need to do is buy at least 1 top quality CB. Get a good #1 keeper, get at least 1 class #10 (2 please), and get a good starting striker. That is the minimum if we are to show any ambition other than to finish bottom half and to stop looking over are shoulder. The only 4-5 players I think we have that should be in a top half team (or higher) right now are JWP, kwp, romeu, salisu, stu.

Get out! 😆

Posted on a "sack ralph" thread after a bad loss 😅

Puel got 6 more points than Ralph has so far this season - with a team that had previously qualified for Europe, that had VVD and Tadic (two of the best players in Europe on their day), and in a far worse league quality wise. He was a f'ing terrible manager - absolutely no excuses and people need to stop trotting this out. Not having it. He absolutely had to go regardless of what followed. Irrespective of the Ralph debate or any other manager debate. The fact that it was impossible to listen to one of his interviews (due to either falling asleep 😴😴 or day dreaming) has nothing do with it. He was shit. The end. 🤮🤮

Um, which other centre backs do you want him to pick? Valery and lyanco? 😱😅. Our squad simply isn't good enough. Not only is the centre defence weak, but we have barely one good decent attacking mid (stu), and a bunch of championship strikers. Someone posted above, the income/expenditure figures for all current teams since 2012 and only Norwich and brentford (moneyball model in the champ) are worse than us. That fundamentally isn't the managers fault. He can only work with what he has and he's done bloody miracles tbh, most of our team doesn't get into Burnley's... We saw in 2020 what he can achieve with a decent attack before the injuries wrecked us. The question is, is he going to have the funds to buy some quality? Because if not, its going to just be more of the same. Stubborn Ralph playing the way he wants come high of hell water. He deserves the summer with the new owners to see what he can build imo. And I'm as frustrated as everyone else. But I do think that people wanting him out now are just ignoring the fact that the squad has been built on a comparative shoe string and simply isn't good enough in my opinion. Yes we've been shite, but we're still in the league and have had glimpses of some very good footy under him despite the squad limitations. He is however guilty of not comprising on his style of play when the players frankly aren't up to it... But we were tipped for relegation by everyone after losing ings last summer, and we've not really been involved in that scrap - touch wood it stays that way.

Playing like we are, i would say there is a slight chance that we won't be safe on the final day, and frankly our survival hinges on the teams below us not all catching us - not on us getting ourselves safe. I know MLG might hate that statement, but I wouldn't want to bet that we'll get another point on current form. But then who knows, we might actually see a reaction?!?! I think it will likely hinge on Leeds, who need 7 points from Arsenal (A), Chelsea (H), Brighton (H), Brentford (A) - assuming we won't get another point. Equally Burnley do need 7 points to overtake us from; Tottenham (A), Villa (A), Newcastle (H). Before today i was more concerned, but they've fluffed it hugely against Villa at home and that may also save us. They now need to get a result out of spurs away and beat Villa away when they couldn't win at home. Everton need 8 points to overtake us from; Leicester (A), Watford (H), Brentford (H), Palace (H), Arsenal (A). I certainly wouldn't bet substantially that they won't achieve that.

Quite a gesture from a loan player. The Carlisle fans seem to absolutely love him, be interesting to see if he makes a breakthrough with the first team next year.

The average age of our team this year is 25.6years (transfer market). Which is the 4th youngest in the league. Arsenal have the youngest at 24.3years and Burnley have the youngest at 28.9years. Teenagers playing regularly in the prem are few and far between these days.

Thought we were linked with Gaga? Would be a pretty decent signing given he is one of the best up and coming players in MLS, was linked with Chelsea before Ukraine kicked off, and is very hotly tipped.

Sky bet offering 80-1 for saints to get relegated. Or 151-1 for Saints/Norwich/Watford to get relegated as a treble... Same odds in all reality - or near as damit.

Who said we need to beat Liverpool? 🧐

I think a point will see us through for certain. Everton's form is up and down, and leeds have at most 7points left that I can see them getting. Burnley play villa twice, and vila's other fixtures are pretty tough, would genuinely be entertaining if they wound up stuck on 40points on the final day - but that would mean burnley are above us and unless we beat Brentford we'd be in for a tense final day!!! Am i the only one still holding out that saints will be the team to ruin Liverpool's season?

You're missing out. I tend to bet on us to draw or win, then cash out when we're winning. And bet on the opposition to draw or win.

Think that's horrific myself 😅

Is he following Carl Anka? Its almost like he lifted that from a thread I started on this forum about our squad quality? 🤔

The season ends in 3 games. If we haven't sorted out our summer shopping list by now we're a bit fooked already - don't you think?

Oh well MLG, you can't get them all right 🤷‍♂️, and it certainly looks like the money wasn't on your side re the relegation points totals. Always seemed like there would be an uptick in form for some of the bottom teams (I just couldn't see them all not making changes and continuing their their first half of the season form - something had to change). But even I am slightly surprised by quite how well Burnley (currently) and particularly Newcastle have done. Could well eclipse even the 34/35 points I was expecting - saints may even end up 17th with Dalek being delighted, and I'm sure there are some saints fan's getting a bit nervous with us on 40points as well at the moment.

Point in case being Inter Milan this week 😆

For me it was evidently a good window. I feel like some of the more negative views of the window are using it as an excuse to have a dig at the club/manager - rather than being objective. We absolutely robbed villa for Ings, we got paid a great wedge for Vestergard (and haven't missed him), and we replaced bertrand with 2 full backs who are both huge improvements for our style of play. Plus i imagine we significantly reduced the wage bill as we lost 3 first team starters in doing all of that. Incoming wise - Tino is a bargain. Perraud is a cracking player in the making imo, doesn't get the credit he deserves and i think that's mainly because we've been playing Tino over him (as part of our youth pitch for future transfers?). Broja is a cheap loan to add depth - worked well, and again - strategic pitch to raise our attractiveness for young talent. Lyanco has been a good addition, no worse than vestergard - indeed he is faster so frankly as a CB he is better. But granted he doesn't score headers or ping delightful 40yeard diagonals. Horses for courses i guess. On the negative Adarma hasn't worked yet - personally think he'll come good. Theo was free but has added nothing this season - although we aren't privy to his impact behind the scenes. Worth noting though that our recent transfers seem to bed in the first season and then become regular starters the next one, so always a bit quick to judge them within the first season. Che, KWP, Salisu are good examples of players that have improved significantly in their second seasons.

JWP, then KWP. Then Romeu.

I find myself excited by the links to Gaga, easily one of the hottest young keeper prospects in world football. The carrot of only having Macca in front of him and a promised taste of first team football might well work for us on that one. Etienne is also a great one for us to have been linked with.

Fans tend to get very invested in players leaving etc. Provided they do so in a reasonable matter its all part of the game these days. Its their careers and the club's business. If we end up letting players go for a free then that's technically the club's choices and planning that bring it to fruition - whatever the reason. The only exception to that is when a player messes the club around - i.e. negotiated in bad faith, low effort, doesn't train etc. So in fairness to Forster, he is fully entitled to see his contract out and leave, he's never kicked up a fuss with saints and stayed professional throughout - despite being in and out of the team and shipped out on loan. So i do think there is an element of him doing his time, feeling like he's had a rough ride without grumbling, and no one really being able to argue with him leaving. The club could have addressed the keeper position in any transfer window of the past 3 years frankly. It isn't the blame of either Macca or Forster that it hasn't been resolved. Also agree that Macca has had a similar time at the club (albeit without the loans). Ultimately we've got two professional (if not spectacular keepers).

Have to hope he makes a good recovery. Can be a terrible injury to get over, but at least he is young. Saving grace for him may be the winter world Cup and summer break. Should mitigate quite how much of the season he misses?

I am surprised so many posters think he has done a bad job tbh. We've been tipped for relegation every season and been clear of it at the end of every season, generally being in the mid / lower mid table bracket of teams. He's also improved the squad with next to no funds by shifting literal millstones, and done it whilst transitioning us to one of the youngest squads in the league - and with good potential. People are slating him for the 9-0s, kind of fair. But the second one was certainly a fluke, and the first one had mitigating circumstances let's be honest - plus he rallied back from that very impressively. And flip it around, we could do what Everton did against Liverpool - Park the bus and time waste for 90min, have no chance of winning the game, and look like we're going down with a whimper. As for the dropped points, yeah also semi fair as he could set the team tactics and mentality to manage games better. But we've seen that more recently, and at least we've had a go and got ourselves into winning positions in those games, even if the small squad / lack of depth / setup hampered us in seeing them out. I guess opinions will vary as to whether fans think it is realistic for us to have been winning those games with the squad we've had. He deserves the summer under the new owners at any rate. Not even a doubt on that for me. Does that mean I don't think their aren't better managers out there? No. But there is no guarantee we'd find one or that it would work, and it's clear we've made progress under Ralph for me. I'm personally excited for this summer as I feel like we're now only a few obvious signings away from having a good team. Whereas previous windows it's been critical that we improve basically all positions on the pitch. Getting a quality striker, a good GK, and a good no. 10 / creator will make us a very different proposition.