From memory, the AMN change happened only moments before Brighton scored their third? So it's difficult to say how much impact the change really made. Going 3-0 down would knock the stuffing out of most sides.
I don’t blame SR, however, they’ve inherited all kind of issues that I don’t think that a) they banked on b) have yet got the resources or know how to solve quickly. For years under GAO’s tenure we kept our own path which whilst admirable in some ways, is in the long term foolhardy. We refused to speculate financially hoping the PL bubble would burst and our model would become more relevant-it didn’t and won’t for the foreseeable. Every season without fail, two things happened; we failed to keep up with other teams who always improved at a faster rate than us and there were at least 3 teams worse than us. Sadly, inevitably, our time appears to be up. A third of the squad is Championship quality at best, a third is too young and needs time and experience to develop and a third have got a hope if they weren’t faced with a relegation fight. It’s not NJs fault, but he’s not the answer, it’s not RHs fault, but he wasn’t the answer, I was a fan of his, but progress was lacking over time and he lost the players and the players lost him. Our dire position is summed up by the fact that the team we replaced at the bottom, Wolves, have just appointed an experienced European manager and spent £44 million on a new striker. I desperately want to be wrong, but my God, we are f*cked.
I'm holding SR fully accountable for the gang **** which is this season. They've seen first hand how much trouble we're in and decided NJ was the answer. It was clear we needed a striker, they didn't get one It was clear we needed to replace the dead wood, they kept them and added a bunch of children. We're bottom of the table and will be staying there
So typical of saints, we can’t even get a “new manager bounce” which literally everyone gets when they appoint someone new. Just the same tepid ****. One of the biggest things for me is that NJ said he will demand more aggression. I just didn’t see that today. Starting to wonder why I bother going to watch this team. St Mary’s this calendar year has been miserable.
They knew we were in trouble and have done half a job, even if by some stroke of genius, we’d acquired Gapko and/or Ramos it would’ve done nothing but paper over the cracks. I think they’ve been generous in their assessment of certain aspects of things; I’m slightly concerned about the vacancies behind the scenes that seem to be growing, I’m confused still about the Joe Shields thing, Crocker leaving worries me. As much as you say that it’s all SR, years of chronic underfunding and Gao being absent from post from pretty much day one has left our squad in tatters. It would’ve taken a Notts Forest style window to overhaul what we’ve got and that was never feasible. As much as I admire many things about the club and how they’ve done their business a bit differently to other clubs, I think we’ve got to have serious look at how we do things. At the moment and for the last few years, a lot of what em we’ve done screams Championship….if we want to really be in the Prem, I mean really want it…. As a club from top to toe, we’ve got to start acting like it.
St Mary’s has been miserable since Koeman left bar the stint in Covid where there was no crowd when we temporarily became the best home team in the League or at least it felt like it.
I thought Gao bought into the club with the best intentions , then the Chinese Govt blocked money getting out . IF that is the case , in what way is Gao responsible ?
You’re right… however, he held out for as much as he could whilst refusing to invest, effectively holding the club to ransom financially.
Even lallana didn’t get dogs abuse when subbed off. Some even clapped Just shows what we’ve become. Devoid of passion because we are just **** every week.
I thought Djenepo was actually ok. He was quick to close down, moved well, positive in his movement and play. Couldn't have expected too much more from him TBH. Goal would have been nice tho. Agree with you about the others.
It’s true that Gao under invested and didn’t appear to have much input, but we didn’t get relegated on his watch. This is SR’s responsibility 100%, they knew what they were buying. Yes they made a reasonable investment but they seem to have made the wrong decisions. We can’t say “Well this is down to years of Gao lack of investment, it’s his fault”. SR needed to sack Ralph earlier, invest in some experienced players and a striker. They didn’t. If we go down it’s 100% SR’s fault. My worry is that at this point they might think throwing another £50m is a gamble not worth taking.
He has been absolutely awful for 2 (3?) years. Flatters to deceive. Runs around like a headless chicken. No end product, weak physically. Can’t pass. Can’t tackle. Absolutely terrible player Seen better players on a Saturday at the local park
Recruitment has always been a mixed bag but what we lack is a heart or a core. NJ was hired because of his ability to fashion and build teams and this is where he really needs to earn his dough. Romeu was our leader, the true captain, JWP is just a figurehead, a brand ambassador or something. Today there were glimpses of his grit but its been absent since Romeu departed. There isn't one player with the drive to grab the game and really motivate the team. Lyanco is the closest thing we have and he's borderline lunatic which I love. There were positives in that game but the bottom line is that we are a league below the opponents. Brighton lined up in the same formation and there wasn't a single player on our side of the pitch that looked better than their opposite number. Perhaps Adams for trossard.
In theory we should have only had six more months of him. But no, apparently a couple of decent games playing out of position at LB was enough to warrant us giving him a new contract! He barely offered anything defensively today, let alone offensively. Time and time again he was miles off of Estupinan. The only surprise is that it only led to the one goal down that side. At least Jones was aware enough to haul him off at HT. But he never should have been on the pitch to start with.
The fact he got a new contract sums everything up about how crap we are. As we’ve all been alluding too, it isn’t just Ralph or just NJ. It’s been bad decision compounded on bad decision
Watching the Wet Spam game really hammers things home. A team that a few season ago were certainly on par with us but now a different league… same for so many other Prem teams. And with the news filtering through that Gapko is going to Liverpool, that’s the cherry on the cake for a ****ty Boxing Day of football. I knew he’d never come to us…. But fml….
West Ham are being dicked by Arsenal. We drew 1-1 with them. I'm not sure why that hammers things home.
