Saint86

We have an incredibly weak board. They're truly awful. Feels like so many major decisions are influenced by fan unrest or sentiment. No way to run a football club really.

Never mind that... can he manage a championship side stuck in a malaise of bad keepers and defensive errors? That's the question i really want answering! Edit - Actually, better yet, how is his goalkeeping?

My working assumptions are that, A.) we will continue with Tonda in an interim role - until such time that he's done well enough to justify keeping the job, or B.) someone genuinely good appears on the horizon and is interested... or C.) we stick with Tonda but he's doing really badly, and that leads to earthquakes behind the scenes leading us to move for someone they don't particularly fancy. So in essence, unless things change - my expectation is that its going to be Tonda. Also, i suspect the main reason Still was sacked when he was, was because of fan discontent and increasing anger towards the board - they've done this since Ralph - once the fans are on their case they quickly move to sack the manager. Now we've won a couple of games, fans aren't venting at the board in the stadium, so the pressure has abated.

I just don't know what you expect in all seriousness. They had Stewart, AA, and Archer - thats a trio of proven strikers. Still obviously okay'd Downs, and its entirely the medical team's responsibility to advise on fitness - ditto on still to prepare and manager the team. Assume they okayed all that and let BBD go - its not Spors' fault, because ultimately that is enough of a strike force on paper to do very well in this division. And as for the midfield behind - Still had a super array of talent to work from - scienza, fellows, azaz, and AA, alone is a prolific front 4 at this level - let alone with the likes of Charles and Jander behind, and Downes if he could stay fit/interested. Regardless of the Downs signing, we have a great squad for the championship.

Do you live in a parallel world where spors signed or could sell Stewart? Interesting... And at the end of the day, the U21 manager gives an academy kid he knows well and trusts a game, he played well if not spectacular, didn't let the side down and we won... Not something saints fans really should be moaning about it tbh, especially in the grand scheme of things. Club is badly losing its way if this becomes a thing.

He's made one very suspect signing in downs. But he also signed scienza who is pure quality. Plus fellows and azaz are best in class for the champ. We also signed roerslev and jelert, who are both quality players for the champ level, plus quarshie looks a good young player, and we've got romeu back... It's pretty good recruitment all in. Add to that the fact that he oversaw a fairly impressive clear out in the summer, and I just don't know how realistic it is to expect much more from a dof this year, especially given the back drop of relegation and balancing the books? Outside of doors, I suspect there is something wrong in the dressing room myself - although unclear what. We're still carrying macca, Stephens, Downes, and Manning from the awful relegation side last year - all of them defensively minded (or not as the case may be), and 3 of them were some of Martin's golden players... Are they bad eggs, or has last season caused some long term damage with respect to low standards / acceptance / giving up when we go behind... Hard to say ATM.

I would argue sports republic ruined his chances of making it here. BBD, Mara, Downs etc... Had Ballard had their combined No. of appearances, he'd have more goals for us by now. Kids knows how to score. We've signed some absolute gross over the years to block pathways for the academy kids, and in so doing we've lost some real gems, and some that loved the club...

Rather you than me...

I think you'll find that we did know who was going to replace Still, and he is already in position 😄 Joke aside, its a pattern with SR, they are weak, and the second they start to receive real toxicity directed at them from the fanbase, they very quickly sack the manager - they've done this throughout. Assume its an Ankerson/Solak aspect, as Spors has been about enough to be stronger than that. That or there really was something not right in the dressing room.

If this is true, it really does highlight that they're both poor keepers and it suggests to me that we should be playing bazunu frankly. If we're only conceding about -0.25 goals per game more with him in the side (vs macca) then its really not as bad as i was expecting - I was honestly expecting that to be far worse... i.e. 1+... Against that, we're able to actually play a higher line and operate with a sweeper keeper, are far better in possession, and have access to his kicking for fast counters. Its horses for courses, if we're going to go for Dyche style football and park the bus, then play macca as he'll fair better with the shots, but anything else and i think it does call for bazunu (Macca for example never makes that Wrexham 1-1 save first game of the season, and he's awful with his feet and passing the ball around the back - see newcastle away first game last season etc). Either way, 1st jan we need to have a new keeper through the doors.

We need to resolve the keeper situation on Jan 1st.

Macca really is terrible for us as a side. Back to back wins since he's been dropped.

His football is absolutely dire. Its just anti football. He pretty much always sets up to counter whoever he is playing and nullify their gameplan - at all costs. Creating an attacking and pleasing to watch style of football - a very distant second.

You've been following us the last few years? 😄

I think the issue was rasmus and Kraft primarily, and it was no surprise they set about undermining Ralph on the coaching and player front before sacking him. Haven't given up on Spors just yet like most of our fans have. But he does need to make the right appointment on the next next manager.

It's absolutely insane to me that anyone can do a list of worst signings, and not have Tommy forecast (who was shit, let alone the fact we swapped bale for him) over bazunu 🤣😂🤦

In his defence for the goal yesterday, I thought he was unsighted when the shot was taken, and then it's hit down and bounces up whilst at the same time he has to get right in the corner.

....

Reckon he's got as good a chance as anyone else of getting it. The past week should go someway to preventing GON at any rate.

Significantly better performance. I would keep him on as interim rather than hiring GON.

This. It won't be monumental, but it will be broadly unpopular. He will have to get off to the perfect start or forever be a manager the fanbase doesn't accept. And besides that, he just isn't very good. It would quite blatantly be a bad appointment... which sadly means it's more likely than not that its the kind of appointment SR will make.

Whoever we hire will have less support than Ralph would have done, and will be coming into an atmosphere of significant fan discontent - it's a shame that it won't be Ralph really, as amongst the fanbase, he is likely the most popular name mentioned so far by some distance, is a good manager, and would have settled a lot of issues with some initial positivity and zero tolerance in the dressing room... He may be getting on and eyeing up the Austria job, but I would have thought there was a chance at a deal for the rest of the season as a minimum. Something in the rumours that SR won't swallow their pride when it comes to him (and the shit show decision making since)? It is still odd to me that he came all the way to England to see a former colleague and chose to do that whilst watching an evening saints game at the same time - has to be something there for the club from his side at least.

Is GON being linked so that everyone will accept eckert?

Wrong thread!

You seem to have left Challinor off this list Hypo 🤪