Daft Kerplunk

There's air at the training ground and on matchdays so that's an ample replacement for what we'd be missing

Looks like SR are continuing the 'potential into excellence' false drivel of the Les/Semmens era. The first team should not be an experiment, it should be the pinnacle of the club where the people operating there are at the highest standard possible, even if that means they go to bigger clubs. SR are having an absolute shocker.

Too little too late really. Defenders passing it between each other at the end says it all.

So they are down to 10 men, and we are 0-1 down, and he continues with 3 at the back. Odd

I would suggest that women's football will never reach the level of the men's game, and nothing to do with anything other than that it's highly unlikely that as many women (let alone men) will follow women's football in the same way that men (and many women) follow men's football. Men get paid so much for playing football because there is a market that is willing to pay to watch it, to engage with it, to buy the associated products etc. As it stands, the women who play are probably overpaid if you looked at it from a purely commercial perspective. In a way, the international women's football team is like rugby where England draw good crowds but the club game is comparatively small. That's why male rugby players get paid a fraction of male footballers. Men's football is many times more popular than men's rugby. No need to knock women's football but some acceptance of the reality of the number of people who watch it, follow it religiously and base their lives around it compared to the men's game may help.

Thank goodness we are a great second half team

Tonda test time

This shit Russell Martin style of passing along the goal line puts us under so much pressure because it has to be so precise when progressing to the midfield.

When our injured midfielders and defenders come back, we should be better in the second half so really, our lack of players to continue the work of Scienza and Fellows is the thing we are crying out for. Those are top of the championship level players so we won't get that good but that's the most important area for me.

at some point they will prove the doubting Thomases to be wrong

The challenge for the manager is how to win without Leo.

He's certainly getting things right, be nice to see us go after teams in the second half after we've taken the piss in the first 😎

We may win but fuck me, we are ABSOLUTELY SHITE

This article (like Tony Pulis or not) shows how difficult it will be for a new manager/head coach in a set up like Saints, which is a fairly embeded set-up like the one he talks about. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c781v7zz0w2o It all has to be aligned for it to work well and that is something we have spectacularly failed at so far.

More likely to be Heir Flick

Sorry, I missed where I said Still was in my post, can you show me? 😎

Who, like pretty much everyone at the club, he fell out with. Ralph even pissed off the most agreeable staff used to dealing with nonsense from what I heard and nobody missed him when he left. Ralph or Lego returning would not be good. Sport Republic will struggle to get it right unless they accept some significant changes to the way they operate and I am not sure their arrogance will allow that.

1. ChristopheVAFC is now a valued member of this forum 2. Nothing that couldn't have happened without it 3. Nothing that couldn't have happened without it Jason Wilcox favoured a possession approach so that worked for Russell Martin. Spors is on record as wanting a more direct style but the players at Saints are a confusing mix of people that clearly are not gelling, or worse, unmotivated with no concern at being so crap. Sport Republic themselves are a toxic mix of confused, deluded and arrogant.

For people with reasonable exposure to those in the know to be commenting on interference then there are probably some legs in it. It's unlikely that there are those forcing formations etc. but there are probably other elements being influential such as the player and sport science teams having an influence on who is available, how they're performing and what formations work best for the players available. These people who are on lower salaries are probably more likely to follow any senior influence too. I don't know if this is happening or not but the world of football has moved on significantly from the days of the manager being responsible for how all things work with the team. There are many voices, and this may lead to indecision, being unsure, not trusting your instincts etc. Still was probably appointed on the basis that he's a young coach who might be more amenable to this approach. He is also young and in the position this football club is in right now, you'd need a very power and capable head coach/manager to go against the wishes of those in charge. You see this at bigger football teams than Saints where it's widely acknowledged that the owners, and boards have an influence on decisions and the first team coach/manager changes frequently. Any next head coach is just going to be the head of the first team football department, and not the type manager that is increasinlgly rare.

I'll change my wife before I change my football team.

The atmosphere and situation for the players is almost certainly very cosy, from the fans but also at the club where they'll still be treated like deities of some kind. Not that it is easy to avoid being like this as the players have become used to being treated like little princes, and wouldn't adapt to an environment with higher expectations on them to not be so entitled and earn their millionaire lifestyle. This is all about the character and on paper, players may be able to play football, but for years, there has been a problem with our players attitude towards just being good at their job. Where's the desire to win and show up? The manager has responsibility to a degree but the players are letting themselves down consistently. That's endemic and Will Still leaving isn't going to change that situation.

Classic McMansion

Semmens was an incredible bullshitter for sure. He convinced many he was great because he spoke well but he landed us with this lot, and he was behind the Gao takeover too. He was the architect of where we find ourselves and no mistake.

Last season, we were one of the worst teams in top flight histopry. We have won 4 games in 17 months. Last season inevitably has had an impact on the football club and Will Still doesn;t seem like the sort of person that is going to get the club back in a more positive state. BUT, who could? Sport Republic are shambolic, the coaching staff and recruitment staff are dog shit because for the occasional Fernandes that is a lovely player to have, there's a Downs in a position where we desperately needed quality. Utterly inept people running the football club and there is zero chance they get anything right. If Dragan wants the club to succeed, he is probably going to have to have some bollocks and part with the likes of Ankerson etc. and start all over again. We are only going in one direction and it isn't up.

It's like he's watching the game on TV and there's a broadcast delay, and he's taken some strong analgesic cough medicine