Saint86

I'm sure the board are mindful of this particular run, but then i don't think its really that "unfathomable". We've got a small squad of first team level players. Some of them are on holiday, and a fair few of them know they are off in the summer. How many players can we accommodate taking their foot of the gas before it really shows in our form? And how many of Bednarek, Forster, Salisu, Redmond, djenpo, Walcott, Ely, and Broja do people think will actually be here in October?

To surmise. We were safe after 33 games, despite having a very weak squad relative to the league and being tipped by most pundits for relegation... Queue our fans chanting for the manager's head 🤔

Playing devil's advocate - we've always gone for players to improve the team, its not like we decided to just buy bench players. The ones you've listed above worked out. Carillo, Hoedt, Lemina, Boufal, Claise didn't. Unless we're going to collectively agree that £15-22m record level transfers were squad fillers? 🧐

I would love to see Ralph crying (tears of joy) on the pitch after we've truly ended Liverpool's quad hopes... But then i'd also prefer chelsea to stop them winning the cup as well, so i'll just settle for "title hopes" 😁

Also, Villa drawing with Liverpool. Who knows, our game with them may be a dead rubber.

Sorry Chez, but Puel was f'ing awful. By the end, his idea of attacking football was our defence passing the ball along the back line for 60min and being surprised when we lost without scoring. Just not having it! 😑😆

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 😆