Match Day Thread HMG's Chelsea (H ) Sat 9th April 15:00

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Didn’t enjoy that at all. But then being a Saints fan is rarely about enjoyment. Occasional glimpses of pleasure through a thick cloud of misery. We will limp to the end of the season, grateful to still be a PL club and then go through it all again next season. Mid table mediocrity is our destiny, if we keep our fingers crossed and don't look down.
 
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Che’s Godlike Thighs said:
Need to see the players step up for the run in. Bollocks to having 'nothing to play for'.
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Yes, agree with that. If we put in a similar performance against Arsenal, it would be very worrying.

What I don't understand is that people like JWP are hoping to get on the plane to the World Cup, yet today he didn't look like he could make a tackle or a five yard pass. I really struggle to make that connection to the manager (unless players have stopped playing for the manager, which I don't believe has happened for a minute). That should be nothing to do with motivation, or tactics, or any of that. It's just basic football, and bar Fraser, Smallbone, and to a degree Diallo, it didn't look as if our players had any idea how to play the basics.

If there is an issue here, it's with the mentality of the squad. Is that down to Ralph, yes, to a degree. But it's like we have a strange capacity to switch off in some games. It's very odd. I don't know the reasons why, or the solutions.
 
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Billbao said:
Im not sure why he even changed it. I thought he changed it after the Villa game, which i think in ref to Laces, was just one of those games, but maybe he reacted after that and changed what worked well.
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Has he changed it though? Or are the players just not doing it.
 
Ultimately the buck stops with the manager as regards to results/performances. He works with the team all week, selects the team and tactics and controls the in game management. I'm disillusioned now because we have just stopped playing as soon as we thought we were safe from relegation including a massive cup match and it's down to Ralph to prevent that from happening. The players have proved that they can be good enough but are so mentally brittle that it only takes one or two losses for us to go on a long poor run. We can still turn it around this season but i'm starting to doubt it now.
 
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Benali's Bootstraps said:
I don't think we have a poor squad now. We have a squad very capable of playing poorly.
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I agree. I'm just pointing out the laziness and inconsistency of those saying it's not Ralph's fault and the players are bang average.

Slightly on a tangent but it's these sorts of games which is why I refuse to buy into the Prowsey hype. Excellent captain and worth over 100mil according to some on here but he hides away as much as most when we're getting dicked.
 
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Our squad is, like most teams outside the top 6, pretty average for the division. I wouldn’t say it’s much better or worse than any of those teams (aside from Norwich and Watford). The top teams are just miles ahead so days like this could happen. Ralph doesn’t know how to set up to be negative and defensive so throw that in and we get battered from time to time
 
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Benali's Bootstraps said:
Has he changed it though? Or are the players just not doing it.
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I dont know, genuinely, and I’m not trying to make a rod for Ralphs back btw. Im torn on him, and he should take the flack that is rightly coming to him.

I mean, i was only saying tongue in cheek ‘bye Ralph’ that stirred Tom and Mr Angry up, but i feel it is fair on a forum for us to debate what is going on.

But these runs we seem to go on, the buck at some point has to stop with the manager. I just dont know when that point is. And yep, I fear for us next week too, Arsenal will be much better that today, in the same way Chelsea were after Madrid. Although it would be typical of us to win next week 3-2 <laugh>

Back to your original point, I’m not sure the players have changed much, I think they are following instructions and Ralph does have a habit of over complicating **** sometimes. That’s how i see it, although i do agree Salisu’s form has dropped massively, and wouldn’t be surprised to still see him in stripes next season, just black and white ones…
 
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Libby said:
I agree. I'm just pointing out the laziness and inconsistency of those saying it's not Ralph's fault and the players are bang average.

Slightly on a tangent but it's these sorts of games which is why I refuse to buy into the Prowsey hype. Excellent captain and worth over 100mil according to some on here but he hides away as much as most when we're getting dicked.
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Mate, I don't get us at all on days like today. But then, that's part of the fun of being a Saints fan, I guess...
 
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Libby said:
I agree. I'm just pointing out the laziness and inconsistency of those saying it's not Ralph's fault and the players are bang average.

Slightly on a tangent but it's these sorts of games which is why I refuse to buy into the Prowsey hype. Excellent captain and worth over 100mil according to some on here but he hides away as much as most when we're getting dicked.
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Agree about JWP, he can be great but very ineffective at times too. Id have sold him to the highest bidder last summer, and wouldn’t be too upset if he went this summer either. Dont get me wrong, I see his value to a team like us, but the money he’d fetch could support so many other areas of our team.
 
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Billbao said:
Agree about JWP, he can be great but very ineffective at times too. Id have sold him to the highest bidder last summer, and wouldn’t be too upset if he went this summer either. Dont get me wrong, I see his value to a team like us, but the money he’d fetch could support so many other areas of our team.
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LOL. Worst post I’ve ever read
 
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Benali's Bootstraps said:
Mate, I don't get us at all on days like today. But then, that's part of the fun of being a Saints fan, I guess...
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Me neither but it's a bit worrying to collapse so heavily again and I don't think the beach excuse cuts it personally, maybe for the odd game but to lose 5/6 (?) is poor regardless.

It's a shame as earlier in the season I thought we'd managed to eliminate this Jekyll & Hyde mentality and had a lot more average performances (and closer games as a result). I even mentioned it on here as the biggest reason for our improvement iirc.

For me as good as the run involving the City/United/Spurs games was it will count for nothing if we continue to collapse for the rest of the season.
 
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Billbao said:
Agree about JWP, he can be great but very ineffective at times too. Id have sold him to the highest bidder last summer, and wouldn’t be too upset if he went this summer either. Dont get me wrong, I see his value to a team like us, but the money he’d fetch could support so many other areas of our team.
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Harry Winks with set pieces. I love the guy but have said for a long time that I don't think he's particularly good in open play.

Should defo be trying to rob Newcastle for £70m+ in the Summer.
 
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Libby said:
Harry Winks with set pieces. I love the guy but have said for a long time that I don't think he's particularly good in open play.

Should defo be trying to rob Newcastle for £70m+ in the Summer.
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That’s unfair on Winks
 
Point 1 - What the **** is the problem with these players?

Point 2 - Bring whoever is in charge of mental conditioning at the club into the office tomorrow morning and shred their contract.
 
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