As one who praised him up recently, I felt justified that he played well, kept Sterling relatively quiet. It is also spelt Ramsay, but that is just me being a pedant as usual.
I am sure that RH is operating some kind of strategy that isn't obvious to me at the moment. There is much going on behind the scenes that we are not party to. Time will tell what the outcome of the work going on will be. The best thing about the game was that I won't see them lose again this year, it summed up what has gone before perfectly. I agree with Tom, the PEH tackle was out of control and a definite red. Pretty sure had the JWP penalty been one of the big teams it would have been given and that was the game changer.
Fwiw my thoughts. Men vs boys or on the other hand, 350 million v 70 million Not a pen (you would see penalties all the time if refs consistent) Not a red (most teams would end up with 10 men if consistent refs) Not a game to really judge players too much for example Am all for youngsters getting a game but Ramsey often got caught out of position and offered nothing going forward. Good experience, learning curve though. Macarthy will be disappointed with at least one of the goals but still great keeper, does not need dropping. JWP still is a useful addition to the squad. PEH, 84 minutes hero, 10 seconds too eager and unlucky- we need our hero's Only other positives, Liverpool not won the title yet.
Ralph is learning some very very valuable lessons right now. Not just about this league, but about this squad - as I mentioned, that was VERY much alluded to in his post match interview. Today was a free hit, and was an audition for some players he’s clearly unsure about.
It's very encouraging to me that he is being brave enough to give the young players an opportunity, how will we unearth a potential diamond if we never go into the mine? Too much time has been wasted since Poch IMO. I think that he backs his ability as a coach and motivator to make them better players and mould them into his philosophy of playing the game and I believe that the team spirit will improve also.
Quite. Be prepared for some surprises during January me thinks. I’m not sure I’d put any money on any scenario with Ralph, perhaps one of his main strengths?
Look at the contrast in the Substitutions! = Lemina by Redmond. Romeu by Valery and Austin by Long. City = Aguero by Jesus. Mahrez by Sane. Fernandinho by Walker! How can we compete with that sort of class?
My first comment ever about Kayne Ramsay was when he played his first game in a Saints shirt when our Under 18's drew 1 - 1 with Spurs and he got the goal. VocalMinority said: ↑ Never heard of Ramsay before? You could expect someone that is called Kayne to score at Spurs! My sense of humour carries a Government Health Warning, you have been warned...... #3544 SAINTDON13, Feb 3, 2018
In contrast to @IanThrumwood I think Ralph managed this game very well. He made a mistake in trying to get at City with a 4:3:3 and we would have lost 7-0 if he's stuck at it. Going to a back 5 got us back in control and level at 1-1 with a brilliant goal from PEH. The ball to JWP and his control were superb and we were utterly robbed not to get a penalty. With VAR the shove in the back is clear as day and if we score there the second City Goal doesnt happen. Utterly bullshit decision from the Ref. After that there's not much to say other than the sending off is by far the worst thing that could have happened. It's going to cost us far more than the 3 points today, how much remains to be seen.
I didnt doubt for a second the task at hand. We have a large squad of poor quality. Many are barely premiership quality and critically the defence is hopeless. Need a seasoned pro at centre back the maybe you can get away with a young promising player like bednarek alongside them who looks the best one at the minute (although not much in it)
As in golf you should view your best game (Arsenal?) as the standard not the worst. The squad is too fat for a club competing purely on a domestic front but the quality is there in all departments. Unless there is someone exceptional available in the January window I fully expect RH to work and succeed with what he has - dipping into the academy when required. I am admittedly a bit of a JWP fan but having got a chance to shine he blew it. Would not be surprised to see him leave in Jan along with Cedric, Lemina, Bertrand, Hoedt and Gabbi. Possibly Ely too. His decision making today was poor but his effort was good. A good coaches challenge there!
