It would be quite on form for SR to go through the whole international window and sack RM two days before the Liverpool game wouldn't it?
Brentford's key stat under Ankersen was Xg according to that article. So I looked ours up for the season so far - Its pretty damning of our performances.
Take a sense of humour with you and wear a tee shirt similar to this. I'm having OFF! printed on the back
basically goals for and goals against but expected rather than actual. In summary since the start of the season we’ve 14 goals for and 25 against. Its an indication of dominance which doesn’t take into account luck or poor finishing for example, we’ve been thoroughly dominated and won’t win many games this season if there isn’t significant change. not exactly news but numbers
So the xG and xGA are bad, but were actually scoring less than expected and conceding more? So even with a good striker and better defenders we would still be screwed in this system?
I would have been on the phone to Carsley straight after the game finished last night. Plays really good attacking football, players seem to love him especially the younger guys. Bring him in now and stick with him even after getting relegated. Plays with 2 wingers, whilst keeping possession but has an end product.
The first half was woeful and England were playing very much in the RM mode, with plenty of possession but no end product. The only reason the game changed was because Kane hit an absolute worldy pass that drew the penalty and a red card which opened the floodgates for players that are better than the ones we have at SMS. Not sure he would be any better than RM, given the quality of our squad.
Blackmore is doing a Q&A on BBC Throughout Tuesday, BBC Radio Solent's Southampton expert Adam Blackmore has been tackling your questions over on the Saints' dedicated club page. Q: I know we are struggling and lacking goal threat. A bit more directness when we have the chance to break would be good but with the squad we have would a different manager really do much better? My honest answer Chris is that I don’t know and neither does anyone else. It could be strongly argued that you may get a cliched new-manager-bounce if that were to happen, but it’s just too simplistic and short-term. Ultimately the knock-on financial effects can be expensive and restrictive for the club. People always say to me that relegation is more expensive. But in the long run, imagine a change of manager not working again and even more money being wasted and players wanting to leave who were previously happy and enjoying their football. We’ve seen it before. And if a new manager didn’t get the best of the talented players there are, their values go down along with the team and the club are worse off again. That is one way of thinking. Another way is to say “we have to make a change to save the season and give us a chance of staying up” and there’s nothing wrong with thinking that either. But if you are going to build long-term success and have a consistent strategy and philosophy in the direction you want to go in, you don’t do it by lurching and changing course every time you hit a bump.
I get the sentiment the trouble is that we have hit a bump the size of Mount Everest and most realistic fans can't envisage a dramatic change in style and results this season. I just want the team to show more bravery at the top end of the pitch rather than at the back (taking needless chances), you can't make good goalscoring regularly without taking risks with searching passes rather than safe ones and being willing to commit oppo defenders with some direct forward running at them.
