Billy the Kidd

I'm not saying g keep or get rid of Ralph, but when you say we have no proof it works is utter bollocks. We were virtually the best team in 2020, and yep I get it's the season that counts, but we cant ignore the fact that when it works, it is great and one of the best in the league. Now I think Ralph has much to learn, and can be stubborn, but its highly unlikely we go down this season, let's see if he can shift some of the crap like Redmond and Djeneppo, and see where we are this time next year, but let's not say it has never worked, cos we know it has.

Is this great run we went on in 2020 the exception rather than the norm? We’ve had enough games overall, and a win% of a very average 38% or thereabouts. Ive always been in Ralph’s camp, but its wearing thin, and fail to get 3 points from our next 2 league games I’m not sure I’d be so content keeping him.

I do agree, but sometimes things need changing as shit doesn't work out. I would keep Ralph based on I still think he can be great for us but needs backing this summer and if it isn't working by Nov, he may go. If they dont back him what's the point of keeping him, as the players he has dont fit the system he wants to play, and it's clear he isn't changing system. This is a massive summer, but my view we need to change: Goalkeeper Bertrand plus back up Vesty JWP Redmond Djeneppo Ings Plus filling the squad holes. I reckon we could get £70-80m for that lot.

Literally, what difference does it make who we have to sell to? Vesty would get c. £15m, same as PEH. I don’t blame the club for a second with this one, he was dog shit for us until this season. And who knows, maybe he will sign a new deal. or go to Spuds for a big £rise and playing for a better club (in the eyes of the neutral).

That’s a fair comment. If we were looking at spending £10-£15m we would likely be looking at Ely with that type of return. I said a while back i thought we may keep him for a season, he may be more useful to us with depth of squad. My other thought is are we saying this now so the players start looking at perm move away, giving us a small fee and release of wages from budget, considering he is likely to barely play.

So, you've just asked why players lose concentration, then ended this with it being up to Ralph. I'm confused! I get the concern, but this isn't yet a must win game, it would be good to win it, not for relegation worries as I dont think this will happen, but to come into form in the last part of the season for the FA cup.

He was playing next to Vesty. Think 99.9% of players would look smaller next to him 😂

So, what did you think when we were top after 12 games or whatever it was? We were never going to win the league, and we wont finish bottom 3. At theend fo the season we may make top half. Just wondered if there was anything ever nice or positive coming out of that hole of yours. We just played one fo the best teams ever. They beat us. We changed the line up as the other fixtures we are about to play over the next 4 weeks are more important to us, and we’ve come off the back of probably our worst ever injury list. I fucking hope you dont work for the Samaritans 🤨

What happens when fans lose the plot? You know, when they dont really appear to account for injuries negating the need to play people out of position? I know Ralph isnt perfect, but I believe he sure as hell is better than we have had, given the squad at his disposal, injuries, VAR luck, the quick turnaround of games etc. Right now, and I get it may not always feel like this, but he is doing a good job given the circumstances, and I think we are lucky to have him. I have previously raised Qs on other forums about how long should he get, before the Sheff Utd game, out of interest as I accept we couldnt go on losing. You mention back ups - perhaps Ralph doesnt rate them - I trust his judgement over anyone on here. It isnt his fault if they are not good enough or not ready yet to be good enough. Redmond - he is giving him time to perform, rightly or wrongly, and yesterday i think it was right to play him. I dont rate him as highly as others, but would you be happy had he played Minimino and he was out for a few weeks? Out of interest - how would you deal with the situation? Would you sack him? If so, when? Who would you replace him with? What style of play would you like us to play?

Fair enough, the world would be boring if we all agreed 👍 I think that today the approach to defending is different from 'bullying' the front line of the opponent. CBs now days are far more cultured, and i think Salisu was perhaps thinking he was still in La Liga where that sort of challenge/rolling around may have been called as a foul. The EPL is vastly different in some areas, this point in case being one of them. I think he will learn quickly, and perhaps I made a mistake, but it felt you were writing Salisu off, which I am sure wasnt the case. I think just now, he is 3rd choice CB, but can see Vesty getting sold in the summer, and he is highly likely (Salisu) to become our best CB and be sold off in 3/4 years.

So from what i am reading, we are swapping Redmond for Lookman. And taking Aguero on a free? Happy days. Back to my happy pills until tomorrow 😜

Yeah, maybe 20 or 30 years ago, different game now. Not sure defenders need to 'toughen up' these days, he is inexperienced, maybe time will help him, but I imagine he will be ok.

I agree he wasnt great, but it was one game where he wasnt good, but i think he will learn. He is very inexperienced atm, and that will come with coaching, age and experience. I think Ralph got that line wrong, not the player, only 21 in new league etc. He should have gone with Bednarek and Jannick, DCL is brilliant in the air, no disgrace Salisu was bossed in that game. My original post was in response to someone who may have been suggesting Salisu isn’t good. I disagree 👍

It is also the same player who was making maybe his 5th appearance for his new club, after not playing for over half a year, in a new league, having looked pretty good in his previous games. So yep, Razor Ruddock he is not, which is a good thing...

Not sure it is lucky if that was an effective tactic that hasn't, as yet, been breached. I'm sure it will be breached, but isn't luck the point where planning and preparation meet?

I agree it will be hard, but I'm hoping Ralph can adapt his gameplan, yep I just just check and I said adjust his gameplan. They need to come at us, they need to victory more than us, which could suit us. I'd like us to try sitting a little deeper on the press, and then full on counter. I think they'd find that hard. Playing like we did v Everton, or Newcastle I think we lose, 1st half v Wolves or Leeds, think we win. Wonder what side of Jekyll or Hyde will turn up.

I actually thought this was a piss take at first, and read right to the end to find the punchline. I couldnt find it. I'm not here to change anyones views, that's a largely futile position to take. What I would say is Adam's, Ings and others have all seen a drop in form, stemmed from injuries, VAR etc, and this has stripped confidence from throughout the team. It will come back, the confidence that is, as will form. Adam's is a good player, at our level, and it is ridiculous to suggest Long, or Redmond or even Obafemi are better. We all seem to be clamouring for scapegoats currently, and that is understandable to an extent, but let's see where we are in a month. When we read back through lots of these comments a while from now, I'm sure we will all be a little embarrassed by what we have individually and collectively said. *I fully reserve the right to change my mind in a knee jerk manner should i not be happy with the next game.

You know what, you both have some good things to say, which can be great to read insights of, but as a relative new comer to this forum, this really gets fucking boring, really quickly. If you cant get along, isn’t there an ignore button on here. I come on here to discuss and learn stuff, not to hear you guys bitching about who’s got the nicest set of titties.

I thought he was RB. I thought he got better in the 2nd half v Utd, or maybe Kack at RB next game. Bedders just isn’t right there at all, no slight on him, he is a good CB.

Maybe so, and we are never going to replace him being absent. But - wtf are we doing putting Bedders there, and not playing Ramsey. It is nuts, positionally, and attacking outlet and stuff. We got lucky v Chelsea and found out tonight IMO, Ralph does need to come up with some answers, and real quick. The City game, I am absolutely dreading. I never thought anyone could beat our 9-0’s record, but in that game, I think we may just do it 🙄

I’d be amazed if Minimino was £15-£20m, with all the finances buggered from CoVid. For me maybe £10-£12m. CoVid weirdly could have worked in our favour, in so much as we have written off most of our flops, and I can see the remaining ones having the final year of their contract paid up, at say 50-75% of cost, allowing them free to join another team. So the only saleable assets are likely Ings, Bertrand and Vesty (not saying they will all go) but there value wont be affected as much as if they had multiple years of their contract. I think our approach will be aligned to Spurs, in that we will be looking for frees, or players entering their final year, in the same position as the 3 mentioned above. I do agree about Tella - think he will have a much bigger impact next year.

All of the above. But also add “Can VAR go fuck itself and Mike Dean”...

Jeez, you have a way with words, dont you 😗. Did no one teach you that you catch more bees with honey, and not vinegar? Genuine Q, with the officiating of late. do you actually watch the games subjectively or just come on here to moan about shit? So, as Whitely has suggested - 2 incidents v Wolves, 2 incidents v Villa. There are others, but im on a Teams call at work and cant be arsed. The main one we fucked up, was v Newcastle, and let's be fair - we just werent at it - and these things happen. Even Utd away, it would never have been 9-0 had Che's goal been correctly awarded instead of being offside. Anyhow, im off to support the guys tomorrow - be great if you could join me 🖖

Maybe yes, but let's face it, we aren't City and able to dominate every game. The way I see it is when we click were a match for most sides in the league and better than most, but through injuries, fixtures every 3 or 4 days and our playing style burning us out, then the shitshow of Mike Dean and in his incompetent fuckwits, it has all gone against us. Lately, other than Utd really we deserved far more from games, and Wolves being the latest where we only lost due to dickheads officiating.

Hmmm. Not sure I agree with the opening of your post. They haven't worked in the main, due to a butt load of injuries and shit officiating. Sure we didnt beat Newcastle, but pretty much all other games during this run (Utd aside) the results have been heavily influenced by refs and VAR. Our players are slowly coming back from injury, but it takes a few games for players to get back into it of they've been out a while. When we were top of the league, how many supporters were saying these things? I think we may wait a few more games without a win, but it will start to click again, and we may need to be patient. I'm sure Ralph will be looking at tweaking how we play, for example if Stephen's plays RB we wont be as good attacking down the right, so he may play Redmond on that side for pace and directness, or if Ramsey plays, he may move JWP over for more cover for him. Maybe the tweaks are subtle, but people, not necessarily you, suggesting Ralph is clueless or not looking at adapting a little perhaps need to look harder than just results alone.