9. 9 wins all season. Conceded more goals than any other club in all the leagues under his entire tenure. We absolutely need to get rid of him before the Liverpool game.
Rubbish. Palace only got to ten wins today, and Vieira has had a brilliant season apparently, and they’re in 10th. It’s very fine margins. What is the point of having Kelvin in charge for two games? We should show our longest serving manager since Nichol some respect by at least allowing him to see out the season.
Feel like the players should shoulder some of the blame aswell. But there is no getting away from the long spells of poor form and baffling tactics and subs. I think a parting of ways is needed for the club and Ralph's sake
I get your point, but 60+ goals conceded every ****ing year is a bit more than fine margins… And yes, see out the season then depart nicely. And I think this will happen.
And if that "respect" takes us down, are we supposed to just accept that? Just because someone has been in the job a long time doesn't mean they're any good at it. Likewise if RH was a good manager and Utd or Madrid came in for him would he give us the "respect" and see out the end of a season for us? Of course not. It's football
Oh I agree he has to finish the season, no question. No manager in world football, certainly not Sam Allardyce or Sean Dyche, could improve us in time for the Liverpool game. And for those saying Ralph has no Plan B, remember we used to say EXACTLY the same about Pochettino. There is something fundamentally wrong at the moment. Maybe Ralph has told half the squad they are on their way out in the summer, or maybe Ralph is walking, or something in between. I doubt we’ll ever find out, but at the very least Ralph is here until the end of the season.
I agree with this to extent but I would be fascinated to see the stats wince the new owners took charge. Regardless of the fine sentiment towards Ralph, I have to say I think he will be binned at the end of the season. It is a difficult call as I think he had demonstrated just how good a manager is even though I think the recent run of bad form coupled with the 9-0 losses from a few seasons ago also show just how erratic a manager he is. For me, positives out-weigh the negatives but the comment on Radio Solent regarding our form in this season in contrast to last season when we finished with more points with a weaker squad, more injuries and picked up more points away is pretty telling. Too many new signings have not been consistent whereas it really shows when players who are seen as a stalwarts are below form. I have to say that some of Dave Merrington's criticisms are quite incisive and it is difficult to keep finding excuses for the same mistkes which happen again and again. The last few months we have fallen off a log performance wise. I said back in January / February that we had sufficient depth and that Ralph had the potential to emulate Lawrie. It now feels like the squad no longer had confidence in him and there are players who are not doing the business who need to be replaced. The summer will see a few of our better players move on and I think the squad probably needs to be re-freshed. Given the dreadful results and the fact that the issues with the defnce have never been successfully rectified, I would not be surprised if the owners now feel it is time for a change and let the new coach rebuild the squad. I am not from the "Ralph out" camp but I feel that the club's owners will look ro refresh things in the summer.. It would surprise me if the board do not replace him.
538's model gives us less than a 1% chance of getting relegated. It just isn't going to happen. I'd make a bet with you over it, but, well...
My biggest criticism of Ralph is that he has continued to select Mo and Bedders when they are both quite clearly way out of form and it has jeopardised the whole team as result. It's hard to get results when the very basics of defending are not being observed, that's not to say that there aren't other issues in the team but the basics of a good team are to be solid in defence.
Of course , this is the worrying statistic that I think will undo Ralph. I cannot see Bednarek remaining at Saints and, by the same token, think Stephens will be lucky if he finds he has a future here after the summer. When you also look at how few goals some of our forwards score or indeed how many goald come from open play, it does raise questions about Ralph. It would be fascinating to discover how many games we have won from losing positions under his tenure - that might also say something about his technical ability. I would be sad to see him go as he is so passionate about the club and it is difficult not feel that he has been let down by his players. However, I do not feel that the clus will have any qualms about saying goodbye when it is clear that we have not pushed on from last season.
His loyalty to Bednarek appears to be unreal. Pretty much the only game he has missed was one which Ralph allowed him to have off, so that he could put his country before his club... I'm not going to sit here and say that Stephens should be given a go, because I rate him even less. But it's not like there aren't other options (formation and personnel).
I think I said at the start of the season that I thought we had the 15th best squad, and I’m an optimist! Obviously if they were targeting 10th+ then that’s going to put Ralph under pressure following a pretty horrendous end of the season. This is also sort of what happened last year. I think that’s what is most depressing. How familiar the disappointment feels. I still feel that the club is in a much better position than before Ralph arrived but we’ve also still been in stagnation. The summer and the first weeks of the new season are going to be big tests for the new ownership. Not a lot of easy decisions.
The high press gave the team an identity, and a framework in which everyone knew their role. We still had issues scoring and with keeping a clean sheet, but you always felt that we were in with a chance of getting something, other than a beating. AND WE LOOKED GOOD. Without the high press, a lot of the players look clueless and we have no shape to the team and the defence gets overrun far too easily. I know I keep going on about the press, but it is what made us competitive, even against the top teams and it bloody well annoys me that we have stopped using it. The likes of Adam Blackmore need to be raising this with Ralph for an explanation, because it has to be his decision as to why we are no longer doing it. A few days ago I, tongue in cheek, suggested that Ralph was trying to show the new owners just how limited the squad was, when they are told to play without the press, so that he could push for better players and in greater quantities. Maybe I am closer to the truth than I thought.
I’m still Ralph In. I think everything positive about the club at the moment, he has brought. The players he’s signed have been great, he’s improved the ones that were here. I want him to stay and be given some money.
Well, I'm edging towards Out but for now I'm still In. But I can totally understand the points being made for Out. Let's actually have a proper summer for once rather than constantly scrimping around and please, for the love of God, get some proper backroom staff in rather than the three goalkeepers. If this drags on into autumn then Ralph Out before we get into the depths of winter, please. (I do also understand that some might think it's a bit foolish to bring a new manager in during 22/23 and then make them wait for a summer window, when we have one just a handful of weeks away now) PS: If Ralph does leave, then I would love to give Steve Cooper a chance, should he be open to it. Fits perfectly with our model - a great hands-on coach and excellent talent spotter and developer of youth - and is adored by young players, especially those who played under him through the England youth set-ups.
He's not. He said he may retire in 2024 (i.e. the season after next). That aside I agree with many of the comments on here. There does seem to be a pattern. He's a nice guy. He won't give up on us whilst he is here. Good coach. Well respected in the game. Working with a an average squad. Attractive football has dropped off. No point in doing anything before end of season. May have achieved all he can. Players need to take responsibility too. For me, assuming he is not sacked, he needs a new assistant coach to work alongside him and we need a few good signings in the summer. I think he has tried to stem the rot by abandoning the high press and concentrating on not losing games. It's a tactic that has failed miserably and - dare I say it - his plan B was not as good as his plan A. I think the players have had too many new instructions thrown at them and in trying to take those on they've simply forgotten the basics. A decent break in the close season may be what they need, Unfortunately we may not be in the EPL by then. I'm sure I'm not the only one who think Championship football is not that bad though. At least we'll win a few games.
yknow, you kinda do just have to accept that. With 2 games remaining it is what it is. this squad of players is what you get with a net spend of 0. It’s a hotmess of brilliance and calamity.
