Saint86

Forgot this was on, and turned it on just in time to catch the penalties. They won the toss to go first (statistically means they are favourites) then promptly missed the first 2 (the first was one of the worst penalties you will ever see). Salford banged in 4 out of 4. Job done. What a delightful little gift for a Saturday. Apparently they've been outplayed by a lower division team all game as well. I do love them being so horrendously shite 🤣

It won't be easy. As we get closer and closer to the end of the season, teams are going to become more and more desperate. I think this will become a very important factor in what has already been a very erratic season form and injury wise. We've got a strong first 11 and our weakness has always been dominating during games and not scoring. Brighton seem to struggle for goals a degree. I'd like to think that means we at least get a draw from this and would be hopeful of a win. But I can also see us dominate, fail to score, and give Brighton plenty of free chances from which to score. Maupay is always a threat as well. Ultimately its very unlike we'll go down. But win this and we can start to enjoy the rest of the season and it will set us up well for the cup game and hopefully Wembley!

Having watched that interview, he actually comes across as a 1 club man. He talks about inspiring his son to grow up and score free kicks for Southampton, and for his goal to give everything back to the club that has given him so much...

You'd fancy our chances when they're on a 20game winning streak instead then? 🤔😉

Just watched the MoTD highlights from the weekend. Stand by this 😅

His confidence is low and the team's attacking / chance creation / runners into the box etc. has all dropped off a cliff. But am astounded at how hard he works, how well he holds the ball up, the problems he causes, the chances he creates, and his one touch finishing (when he doesn't think about it) are all good. If you could improve his composure he'd be a good player.

Disagree, he was poor at managing DCL.

Welcome to forum. The main complaints I would have against Ralph is that surely he had some say on letting Valery etc out - and it does appear to have been a mistake. Regardless of whether he feels Djenpo is better than Valery at that role, we needed the depth. This is compounded by letting Long out, Walcott being out, Minamino being out, Che Adams being off form, and Redmond being off form.... And the second point - Ralph's tactics leave us prone to taking a licking in games where perhaps we should have played for containment (and that may be because he's stubbornly ignoring the drop in matchday quality). But even saying that, we've nicked points late on because we keep on going - come back vs Chelsea (who should have had 2 goals ruled out for offisde built up and a handball) to draw 3-3, and the draw away at United last season to be two prominent examples. Unfortunately i think you've slightly missed the point / gone off on a tangent somewhat. We are where we are because a terrible run of injuries has impacted a small squad at a financially stricken club. That has been coupled with playing the bulk of the top half and form sides (sometimes multiple times), minimal breaks between games, and terrible luck with referee/VAR decisions. People can go on all they want about morale etc (i agree it is low), but is it really surprising when you consider what the team has been through. I don't think we've had more than 12 first team quality outfield players in our premier league matchday squad this year. So is it really surprising that we're struggling when we have such a small group of tired first teamers (that basically can't rotate), inexperienced youngsters, playing some of the best sides with no real breaks, and getting nailed by the refs every game? In my opinion the United game was the pinnacle of bad refs vs squad depletion, it was like a bad joke at that point and you could see the players thought so as well. But equally just take say the Villa game - it should have finished 2-1 or 3-1 (if you considering Mings pushed Martinez over his own goal line and the goal was subsequently ruled out for a foul on the keeper, let alone the pen or farcical offside), or the wolves penalty fiasco, the fact that we should have been a goal up minimum vs Leeds, the blatant foul for Leicester's opener etc. Just how much do people expect out tired and threadbare squad to actually overcome? Ultimately, we've been royally cock rogered this winter. and I just can't understand how people are judging Ralph so harshly for this form (with an absolute threadbare team) whilst ignoring (or even suggesting it was a blip) what he achieved with a full squad?! To ignore the above makes any other analysis of limited merit, and to criticise him for it also seems very harsh. Especially when we all saw him have a top 4 standard 2020 with a full squad.... Sacking him would be mad.

Good post and I agree. He's been a very good and consistent professional for us, and one who has stuck by the club when there has certainly been opportunities to aggravate for a move. Yes, i think he is slowing down. But I also think he's rarely caught out and i don't think you can attribute any specific blame to him for our current run. He also wants to commit his future to the club long term. You don't get many players happy to do that, and when they have the experience of someone like Bertrand, then you try to keep them IMO - I've actually lost count of the number of times i've seen saints fans moan over the years about the lack of quality ex players involved in the club. Ultimately, I never quite understand why some fans are so eager, and want rid of, a loyal committed player, in this instance because he's getting a bit old? And yet, i'm sure some of them moan about absences of loyalty when other players move on!

I would argue they would have been hoping for 7points from those games. Minimum 5. A loss to West Brom or Brighton (in particular) would be very bad news for them. And Villa aren't anything special.

He's been on fire for Bournemouth. So yes.

We've had a very bad run of tough teams, coupled with terrible injury luck, and frankly atrocious refereeing. Yes. Everyone would like us to be higher and have gotten more results. But sadly all of the above has combined to knock confidence and morale. But the club were happy with Ralph even if we had gotten relegated last season. We aren't getting relegated this year. He isn't getting sacked. He's also on course to take us to Wembley 😜

Agree for comments above. For a very long time now (almost criminally long), far too many of our attacks break down with Redmond. He's seriously lacking in confidence and belief. The number of times he runs straight at a player, does a step over, and runs the ball into their waiting foot is just poor. As are all his little flicks and poor pases that give the ball away, waste the team's running and stamina, and just put us back under the cosh when we should be pressing them in their 3rd. He has to be dropped surely? On current form he is worse than Djenpo, Walcott (not fit i know) and Tella... just shouldn't be starting. And Che Adams looks like another man shot of all belief sadly. Feel for him a bit. The team are so low on confidence right now that we're struggling to create anything. We aren't getting players in the box like we used to, and even when we do, they aren't chancing the runs off the final defender etc that we used to. Its all become very static. Once Diallo and KWP are back we'll be fine (assuming no more injuries). But this whole period has been a terrible reminder of just how weak the squad is currently - and its not likely to change with our finances. Personally thought that JWP and Armstrong were very good yesterday. The former especially rarely gave the ball away, was one of the few players always coming deep, receiving it under pressure, recycling the possession and tidying thigs up. Armstrong, JWP and Ings must simply be the first 3 names on the team sheet for saints. Lose any one of those and we are going to be in the shit.

Spare a thought for Djenpo having to play at RB. His positional play is laughably bad bless him. But he's not for lack of trying, he covers a tremendous amount of ground and doesn't stop running - I keep finding myself saying, ffs where is djenpo, only for him to sprint back and make a tackle. He does get beat and allow crosses in too much though - but i don't blame him for that.

This somewhat pleases me. Mossy at least seems to have decent games for us in my mind!

There are worse teams... I doubt it looks that strong with our likely bench however!

Stephens can do a decent job as a central defensive minded midfielder i'd wager. Wasn't he tipped for that sort of role when he was younger? His lapses of concentration / positional errors won't be as fatal there as at CB (famous last words i know).

Reed was an utter disaster for the club. Utterly hamstrung us when we were reaching heights fan's had only dreamed of, then tied a Wesley Hoedt (et al) shaped millstone around our necks and hired Puel, Pellegrino, and Hughes. At least he rang the changes with the academy at any rate.

What?!?!?! We barely have a squad of 15 premier league quality players... The main reason we aren't playing championship football already (or in the relegation zone this season) is because of ralph. And if the ref's hadn't been screwing us out of goals every single game since Christmas we'd be pushing for Europe... despite the injuries we've had.

They're 7 points off a sinking Bournemouth in 6th... Its more likely than saints failing to get circa 6 points from 39points - there, I've said it. 🙈

For starters it shouldn't be drawn until the table reads P38, or in the unlikely even that we actually look like slipping into the relegation zone and things are really bad.... If we lost another game 6/7/8 nill this season but finished top 10 or top 8 would you still sack him? Or equally came 12th and reached a cup final? To our reactionary fans - the ones who were over the moon until Christmas - is it Ralphs fault that we're losing (on average) a goal a game (+) to bad refereeing decisions? Or that the club has no money and a tiny squad? Or limited access to treatment rooms and some very bad luck with injuries? Or all of the above coinciding with the better / form teams in the league? It seems very harsh to blame / sack him just yet imo.

Nigel Pearson has just joined one of our rivals for next season (Bristol City) and isn't available. Keep up!! 🙄

Wow. I don't miss Alpine that much anymore. And sacking Ralph to get Howe? Would be unreasonable to sack Ralph and Howe is certainly no better. He got relegated with arguably a better squad and his Bournemouth team were equally poor defensively.

Its routine. The second the ref is against us we lose our heads. Tbf it's been basically every game since Christmas... But ref + goal behind and you can give up. Scarring of the leiceater 9-0 game imo.

We have a significant debt which will worsen this season, and we make a loss every year. You're going to need to tailor your expectations. Bertrand especially is a must keep as we won't be able to replace him without a significant net spend.