Saint86

They reflect how easy a team's fixtures have been. When a team is on good form, their players get high power ratings, when a team is on bad form they get bad player ratings.

Yeah reading that, and with the hindsight of the ogbonna injury, that is about west ham. There was very little paper talk about Lyanco as well.

Honestly, each to their own and what not. But you just removed any credibility with most users of this forum 😅. Might be Lord D's new favourite poster though... swings and roundabouts I guess 🤷‍♂️

Bielsa has been in the job longer. Ralph is currently the 5th longest serving premier league manager. And long may he stay.

Significantly higher in the table than howe would achieve.

If you're away, can you not return your season ticket for the match to the club to resell? That always used to be the case.

The reality is that relegation will only slow them, and if anything set them up even better. They'll be like League 1 saints being the richest team in the league - build a good young squad full of potential, who will then grow with them and the fans as they move up the leagues. Which ultimately in 2-3 years would give them a lot of momentum and fan bond with the team.

Tella and Small stand out at B team level as being far too good. We'll see them both in and around the first team this season. With your dismissal of the "pathway" / youth teams, i think you are someone else who has ignored the impact on administration and lower league stature on our youth recruitment and coaching over much of the past 11 years. Does it surprise you that our academy products have dropped off in quality when we were recruiting as a 3rd tier club, had our coaching staff poached, dropped the relative level of our facilities and available coaching etc. You currently sound like one of those people who think that League 1 saints can recruit and train the same level of 8year olds as premier league saints.

He was backed by the owner's money all the way up the leagues - and yet failed on recruitment (your words but i agree). At saints, he won't have money, and he can't afford to fail at recruitment. Tactically and as a man manger, he is bang average or poor. There is a reason he is still unemployed and it isn't because Southampton is the centre of his universe. Bournemouth are flying without him as well.

Naive. He is a superb cb in the making and so young. I'll be pleasantly surprised if he sees out that contract with saints.

Newcastle are going down 🙌🏼

Athletic reporting formally that Emery has said he is staying at Villareal.

So much negativity! Saints will win this with a least 2 goals scored - Armstrong to get at least one. Matty Targett is in for a torrid game.

The issue was that those squads are with the club since they were schoolboys. And 10years ago we were in the 3rd tier on the back end of administration, having had a lot of the academy staff poached and struggling to recruit the best coaches or talent.

Anyone who wanted howe in went straight on the muppet list for me 😅

He's going to be class 👍

Should be charging £50-60m plus for the now minted human rights abusers. They're going to be proper in the mire by january and desperate. Hope they go down to be honest. Edit - they're rumoured to be keeping their net spend in January to 50-60m, so they can't afford JWP regardless. Not with needing an entire new back 4 to stay in the league 😆

Is he going to be another to prove the forum experts wrong? Written off after his first game by many, but put in a strong showing last night. I really enjoyed his performance along side Salisu. Also, Salisu - absolutely superb, what a player!

I still think it's criminal that Walcott gets in the team whilst KWP is benched every week. How long before the manager plays our best RB at RB and moves tino up to midfield?

I absolutely new they were going to score from that corner before he took it

I like Lyanco 😅

Good post and I agree. Ultimately, Ralph fits us if we're being honest. Plays attacking football and has a go, not too great, has some utter shite performances, but overall he does alright. He also bloods the kids generally speaking. Although I am missing seeing Tella in games. And also, the treatment of KWP is borderline criminal for me. He is our best right back!!! - Is he worried that he won't have any cover late on if he starts all 3 as RB/LB and RAM? Because thats our best set of players imo. And then you have armstrong on the left, and Redmond/Armstrong partnering Broja? Edit, I actually can't think of a strong enough reason not to be starting KWP as LB as a minimum.

Fair point, that worsens my analysis as they've pulled away from us since then.

I was just looking at the table and thinking just this. Its easy to say we've played 5 of the top 8 in our first 9 games (plus wolves in 11th) - but if we're to stay up without beating those teams, then we have to get the points vs those teams around us. From the 3 teams directly below us (thats 3 of the bottom 4), we've managed 1 win and 2 draws (2 home, 1 away) - That isn't enough to inspire full confidence this season. Ultimately, we've won one game outside of the top 11 - and that was at home to 17th. Things are looking better, but we need to improve still.

yup, easy layoff and a goal there.