I'm not known as a kneejerk fan BUT after that shower of **** show...keep Danny and the rest from the very top of the club can disappear as far as i'm concerned.. #Ihatefuckingfootball. Seriously though this is probably the best team Ralph can put out bar a couple of players with a positive formation and consistant selection and we still can't produce a performance at home and a player that we binned 10 years ago ran the show against us. I will now concede that things are not right at the club atm and it is starting to feel like the latter years of the Lowe era with a similar negative mood around the whole club. I'm hoping for transfer activity in January but i'm not holding my breath and if a quality experienced CB does not come through the door at the very least then I fear for us this season although the prospect of Championship footy next season is not completely unappealing to me, but if Gao stays it might get a bit worrying for all of us.
The performance was there against Newcastle. It was there 2nd half today. We could easily have taken points from both games. I think a little perspective is needed. Apart from the top 3, teams will take points off each other. The last 5 games have been generally good. 2 poor halves in there - one cost us and one didn't. We know the defence is **** but Pierre being so off form is hurting us. I will say it again - sacking Ralph would be a huge mistake.
19th or 20th. Doesn’t matter. The fact is we have to throw the dice. This guy is done. 0-9 for ****’s sake. That’s the worst result in Prem League history. Was lucky to keep his job after that. But now we are just as vulnerable. Another thrashing waiting to happen, watch this space. Anybody would be an improvement.
Stop focusing on one game FFS. We've actually done ok since then. Today was a set back but it wasn't the shower of **** that people are saying. As bad as were 1st half we should have got something from the game.
I've backed Ralph but all managers are ultimately judged by their results and like Hughes before him they are not good enough. I've always been in the essentially we have an ok squad but need the right manager camp but now i'm seriously doubting that and Puel overachieved when he was here. It is a joke that we still haven't replaced Jose and VVD with sufficient PL quality.
My silver lining is that we’ve been very poor, but are not cut adrift. We are level points with the team above and have beaten the two teams beneath us. Villa is a massive game. Win that and we go into Christmas above the line. Psychologically that would be helpful. For me, it is just about whether we can survive the season above 18th in the table. Then we have to hope and pray the top of the club gets sorted out.
The results don't lie Tom, something is rotten at the club right now and two narrow wins at home against the two worst clubs in the league don't change that. Newcastle was unlucky but ultimately we lost and losing at home to a relegation rival with a weak performance just underlines our current deficiencies.
That was an embarrassment, make no mistake. And although I'd keep him i have always thought that he might never come back from it though he does seem to have the players onside at least. If we were gonna sack him for that then we should have done it at the time, think we need to look at the bigger picture now. Good chance you'll get your wish if we lose next week anyway imo. I do think Silva would be a terrible choice though. I don't think we've learned anything from today that we didn't we already know.
We have good players. Ings, Redmond, Hojbjerg, Bertrand; they are quality players. But Ralph’s tactics are making them all play sh*t. Edit: Not Ings btw. He is our only good player right now.
The present squad could well find the Championship a tough deal. If Saints go down, it could prove difficult moving players on, (from my perspective the entire squad needs renewal, add in new coaching staff and for the hierarchy to have a clear visión). Ings is the prize asset, and he will go. How much the club could get for the rest is anyone' s guess but the likes of Redmond and Bertrand only become attractive at a knock price.
