But surely a 43% win ratio at a club with the resources of Luton is an achievement? Frankly, I'm putting my faith in the fact that the people who have spent £200m on an asset and have a wealth of data analysts, football people, knowledge amongst their staff are likely to know more than Shirley Bassett and Peter Oceanvillage.
Stats can be deceiving though. Ralph's win rate at Saints is only 34% and even that is skewed because I expect over the last year it is probably more like 25% or lower. Jones' first spell at Luton provided 51% and the current spell is on 41% (for arguments sake I have rounded to the nearest whole percentage). Potter's win rate at Brighton was 31% and so should we be laughing even harder at Chelsea? Context is king
I will support any manager appointed and not judge him ahead of even the first match. But then I’m perfect
Yeah, I'm still not enthused but I am holding onto the following: - Rasmus is hugely focused on analytics and spotting patterns in the data - He's been looking at Jones for quite some time and Smith and Frank (his two appointments at Brentford) were both big hits - Crocker has good connections to get references and knows good coaches too - Jones has a sustained track record of punching above his weight with under-resourced teams (comparatively speaking + I know it's only been with Luton etc etc, but you don't get lucky for that many years of continual improvement) - The recurring comments from his ex-players focus on his people skills and man management being one of his greatest strengths, which was evidently a blind spot with Ralph and suggests an instant desire from the club to address and reassure the players during the upcoming break You can see the rationale behind the decision, even if you don't necessarily agree with it - and I'm not sure I do! I've still not heard all that much focusing on his tactical acumen or his style of play - and I do worry that he might be found wanting at this level - as the feedback seems more geared around his team's collective desire, his individual emotion and ability to lead a group while demonstrating good people management. But once announced then I'll get on with supporting the team, as that's all I can do.
Did you slag the chef off and say the curry was sh*t, before even tasting it? Most Saints fans would have.
Tbh, Tim, your level of insight is way above a large percentage of the Twitterati/Keyboard Warriors that post on Saints-related forums.
Every game is a gamble. Every forward pass, shot on goal, or attempt to beat a defender is a gamble. The game is about taking risks, being brave, trying it on. No guts, no glory...
If the curry was made of rotten skunk, with a reheated cheese sauce left out in the sun for 3 weeks, I'm fairly sure most of us wouldn't want the chef to make us anything. We wouldn't need to taste it to know they don't fancy it
I know he’s a cock, but Austin slagging off Ralph via talkshite. Says he dug players out and made it all about himself.