Rank amateurs these Gooners mate. He’ll have still been beeling from them shooting their own toes off yesterday.
When I think back to the days in the mid sixties when Ron Davies and Mick Channon were banging in goals left, right and centre and the fun we had even when we lost, the love of football was a huge part of life for us kids. We knew we would never be the best out there but that didn’t matter. We were Saints, and no matter what, it was who we were and on our day we could beat anyone, because there was always that chance. It didn’t matter that we would probably loose because we were an important part of our club, we belonged and we could dream. Then, in 1976 we made magic history and the whole city seemed like it caught fire. I don’t think I have ever seen so many happy people and all of a sudden everyone was a Saints supporter. I reckon we could have filled The Dell three times over. Do I ever miss that. These days it’s corporate this and corporate that with insane amounts of money flying around. The Premier League with all it’s posh and polished bullshit, endless pundits with the brain count of a gnat and commentators that are so biased it’s embarrassing. The marketing of football is in overdrive and somehow the Premier League has become the playground of millionaire footballers and part time fashion models. Agents now value players and the circus rolls along to provide entertainment for the masses. I could probably live with the Premier League bullshit and bollocks, even cope with that sick feeling of Liverpool winning it a few times with all the vomit inducing adulation that entails. The thing that really sticks in my craw is with all the glitz, glamour and professionalism the Premier League so loves to project, it can’t be ****ing bothered to see that a bunch of incompetent, biased and utterly useless referees, together with VAR have completely broken football. It is more than sad, it’s tragic and at least for me it is no longer worth watching. I also feel quite disconnected from it all and unless something changes there doesn’t seem much point to it. I will always support Saints but the Premier League can shove their circus up their arse.
I agree with 99% of that but I think we do have various plan B’s evidenced by the way we change shape during a game. Subs are getting better and we starting to learn how to break teams down when they just come to defend. So a steadily improving side that seems to let heads drop too quickly when they go down to 10 men. Forget the first 2 games an last night as anomalies and its still been a good season so far. The way some referees interpret VAR is the biggest danger to destroying the game that I’ve seen in over 50 years.
I sincerely hope not. We may have proper concerns that once again our remaining 10 players capitulated against, agreed, a very good side, but that is nowhere near to seeking Ralph's exit! Yes, he's the manager, but 11 players ran out in our colours last night and collectively failed to regroup quick enough to prevent the car crash we endured. Ok the second half was better but by then the game was gone. VAR/refs competency greatly added to that, absolutely but no doubt Ralph will be addressing what he can influence and that is players reaction to set backs like we've had twice now. I want him to succeed in that task and have every confidence he will do so.
People need to chill . There is banter / Wumming going on from other teams supporters. Don't feed the monster and it will die . Just my opinion .
The people running the game don’t realise what they’re doing to it mate, because they don’t value it. They only value money. Romance of the Cup? What’s that worth? How can we market it? Nothing else matters, but it’s not just football imo. Everything has a price in a world where nothing is valued.
So what is the correct and official response, we should expect from a ref if, as has been alleged, Martial DID tell Dean that he hadn’t been fouled? Can he officially alter his decision on the word of a player or is he bound by rules to stick with his original decision, knowing that it is incorrect. And, at 6-0, knowing that Martial had dived AND caused a player to be red carded, I thought it showed a lack of class to score from the spot kick. I sincerely hope that the last 3 goals don’t help Utd nick the title on GD.
A day or two before the transfer window closed Ralph said he would take “10 players now if it’s necessary”. Before adding: “ Good players cost a lot of money, and we don't have money ". The main concern this season is we rely on the same 11 players being fit and injury free for the majority of the time. Even when Ralph is able to pick his strongest 11 the bench looks weaker with every game. Five of our regular players Bednarek, Ward-Prowse, Ings, Redmond and Bertrand were involved in both the 9-0 defeats. Without money to add decent cover to our squad and injuries an ongoing problem the opposition will look to exploit our weakness and show no mercy. Thankfully there are only 4 teams from now to the end of the season to face that are capable of inflicting another heavy defeat, and they are Chelsea, Spurs, Leicester, and Liverpool. I don't think loaning out Valery or Vokins would have made any difference to last night's score but maybe our other loanees Sims, Elyounoussi, Lemina, Hesketh and even dear old Hoedt could have held their own and helped keep the score down. I have no doubt we will bounce back and get the wins we need but this time Ralph needs to take his own advice: "If we don't win we learn"
JWP is the only one to play every minute of both (keep in the back of brain for possible future quiz question )
I disagree . He is paid to play for HIS team , if he had missed on purpose that would have been poor IMHO .