SKD

Sorry Nige, please forgive me.

“I'd sack him if he performed worse than another manager could give us” 1 win in 12. That’s worse than any other manager we’ve had previously, so I think it’s fair to say that any other manager could do just as well, if not better. “If Ralph's points per game drop to relegation form over a long long period (say 6 months, not two)” You don’t get 6 months of being absolutely shite in the PL if you want to survive. 6 months is then too late. So you’d only sack him if we get relegated. You keep going on about this long period of time, you seem to be conveniently forgetting that we showed relegation form before a freak run, during freak circumstances in 2020. 2 months left of the season, if we get dragged in to the bottom 3, unlikely, but that’s down to the other teams and not us, would you still defend him? “and we can get someone actually quality in who we believe can exceed the squad quality” Getting someone who can change current form from 1 win in 12 would be a good place to start. “But not when he is still getting mid table with these funds, and not for the sort of managers we could attract to replace him. No way.” Why did you want Puel sacked then? He wasn’t given a war chest, he pretty much worked under the same conditions. Yet managed to achieve above mid-table... It’s okay to admit that Ralph is just the hipsters choice. Let it go.

“Puel was nowhere near the quality of Ralph” well that’s an opinion and not a fact as you’ve tried to make it sound. If you actually check the stats, they have a very similar record for us in terms of win %. Puels is actually slightly better. “The fact the league was stronger last year than in 17/18 is really eclipsing how much better we are under Ralph and the points reflect that” Again an opinion. I don’t know how you could judge that. I’d actually argue it was weaker given the covid break and then the constant run of games after. It was battle of the fittest in some cases rather than any real ability. “1 win in 12 is a bad run of 12 games. Fortunately not everyone judges people on their most recent 2 months and conveniently forgets the preceding 12 months where we had the 5th most points in the league.” Right, okay. So at what point do you decide he’s not longer the right man? Or do you keep him forever, despite relegation, because ‘we had a good 12 months in 2020’. I bet Liverpool are gutted they sacked Rodgers to bring in klopp. I mean did you not see he got them to second in the league?!?!

I’m sick of seeing this as an excuse. Ralph knew the score when he signed and then renewed his contract. Lack of backing wasn’t an issue 5-6 months ago, in fact people were claiming that he wouldn’t want to leave us because he enjoys working with smaller and no big name in the squad.

This isn’t a who’s better, Ralph or Puel thread. They’re both very different managers with very different styles. I prefer Ralph’s style, but Anyone who called for Puel to be sacked cannot try and defend Ralph and argue for him to remain. I bet it’s the same people as well. 1 win in 12 is absolutely pathetic. Football is a tough gig. Managers know that. One day you’re a hero, the next your a loss away from getting the sack. Look at Ranieri at Leicester.

I’ve never said that no one could do better than Ralph. In fact the opposite. I don’t think anyone could do any worse than 1 win in 12 games. But the fact Nigel has gone on to be a failure, or at best, very average everywhere else he’s been would suggest the squad he had played a very large part in our success.

Devils advocate, and of course you wouldn’t be able to say how anyone else would have done, but I don’t think he done brilliantly. We failed to win both leagues, the championship one we should have won from the position we were in and the core of that squad went on to play in the champions league. Hindsight I know, but I think anyone would have got that team through the league. But obviously a Saints legend and a all round decent bloke as well.

Agreed. Even if it was only won because of overspending which led to their eventual demise, it’s the only thing I’m envious of the skate for. For a team like us to only have won the FA cup once in their history is pathetic. It’s a once in a life time thing for us, which makes worrying about staying in the PL as a result even weirder.

A freak result, that’s happened twice..... 12 games, 3-4 months, is not ‘short-termist’. It’s a sign that there is something very wrong. I’ve given him the benefit of the doubt with injuries etc. However, I have concerns about his reluctance to change and I’m starting to doubt his ability to motive the squad. It’s not the first time we’ve been on a bad run, we were just as shit before and just after the 9-0. In fact, I think the covid break leading to us being fitter than most of the other teams has given everyone the view that Ralph is some god like manager. I like him, I don’t want him Sacked and want him to turn it around, but as I said, he’s very lucky to still be in a job.

I sorry mate, but you can pull as many ‘points per game’ stats or excuses as you like. The reality is, any manager who has 2 record breaking defeats and a run of 1 win in 12 games can consider themselves very lucky to still be in a job.... and I’m still Ralph in.

Good luck to him, about his level. I still find it amazing that some of our fans want him back every time a new manager is discussed.

Exactly. Then you have the addition of European football. I wonder how much they made or exposure gained from the 2 games against Milan. Winning games breeds confidence, it’s ridiculous to use 1 example as an argument for not wanting to win a cup. Especially given there’s a strong chance we’ll battling survival next season regardless.

Same. Expect he’ll do pretty well there to be honest, seems a sensible fit for both which is a shame.

Because I pay my hard earned money follow and support the success a club has on the pitch. Not the amount of staff they employee. To be Frank, I couldn’t give a fuck about that, but if you see that as some kind of success, then each to their own... I guess. A football club is a business, but I don’t support it as a business, I support it as a ‘football’ club. The football is all I care about when it comes to my club. Using ‘think of the jobs’ as some kind of argument due to an irrational fear of winning the cup and going down, is just stupid. If being a successful club and winning trophies results in a few office bods losing a job, then give me the P45’s ASAP.

As long as they still Have a club, I'm Sure the true supporters wouldn’t care. Sums our club up that we celebrate being average as a success. Pathetic.

Wait a minute.. you’d exchange a cup win for a fastest premier league goal or a Hat trick? Christ. What about 2 record breaking defeats or years of 0 success battling relegation. These things wouldn’t have been a thing if we were in league 1. Of course, every fan wants to be at the highest possible level. But surely as a fan, you’d rather we had success and won a trophy, rather than just boring mid - lower table season upon season. Regardless of the potential impact (it’s a silly suggestion really as Wigan is the only example I can think of in recent history that it’s happened to) down the line.

Picking up 1 win in c. 20 games (12 gone + the 8 or so left) along with all the teams below us dramatically improving their form, would be a freak run. Yes.

Personally, I enjoyed it just as much. we were absolutely dreadful and the football wasn’t great, but at least to the match going fan, we were in it together. The same faces every week going through the same pain. of course being successful is better (hard to say that we’re successful at the moment), but I’d take that over 15 year olds with football twitter accounts, vloggers and general weirdos premier league football attracts to your fan base, whilst still dishing up absolute shit week in week out.

You’re also ignoring the fact that we’re pretty much safe (baring a complete freak run, to which we’ll deserve to go down) and a cup win, whilst building momentum for the league, will Also mean European football, bringing in additional income and making us more attractive to a buyer. You could argue that a cup win is more important now, than ever.

With respect, I couldn’t give 2 shits about the non-playing side of the club. Whilst it’ll obviously be sad for them, I pay to watch the football on the pitch, not some office bod on a computer. I agree that if we go down, with this squad, we’ll be fucked. However, again, who cares. Some Of the most enjoyable football I attended was in the championship and league 1.

Who cares. Most of us on here have never seen us win anything of note. I’d take 10 years in the championship and L1 if we had the chance to see us win something. What’s the alternative? Stay up and battle relegation every season, just waiting for the inevitable season you go down. To be honest, I think the championship is a better league for the match going fan anyway.

Hang on, only Sunday you were saying this was in memory of a dead women and to make it political was ‘daft’. Glad youve now seen through them! Agree with the above though. Idiots is the best word to describe them.

I mean there are literally photos to prove there was a section with an anti men and police agenda.. I assume you mean the throwing objects bit...?

🎣 😂😂

Agree. Not sure he’s the man just yet though, but yep I’d want him back at some point.