Christophenburg

It's just red and white stripes and odd black cuffs that look like they're in mourning, or that they're all the captain. I do like the socks though - I think they played in them last season too

So essentially the 1999 - 2001 kit, but with white sleeves? I don't hate it in principle (as someone who wishes we'd move away from the ubiquitous red and white stripes), but proof is in the pudding I guess. If we're in the mood for constantly dabbling, I'd like to see a revival of the half-and-half kit of the 1894-1896 era, but I secretly hope we'll settle on the sash (or the mega stripe ala the early 80s) and just stick with variations of that.

Salisu - no, absolutely not. We may not be capable of helping him realise his full potential, but he there is plenty there Bednarek - maybe? He doesn't do himself any favours and when it goes wrong it goes very wrong, but he's probably not as bad as we all like to make out

I'm imagining a lot of people are going to be unfairly animated about the Tom Lawrence link, but is he really any worse then Djenepo or Redmond? Scored 11 and assisted 5 in Derby's spirited survival fight

I think highly experienced is a stretch. He's been in various different roles at Ingolstadt for the best part of a decade and has just been part of the management/coaching team that couldn't save Bielefeld from relegation from the Bundeslegia. Most impressive roles have been as part of Ottmar Hitzfeld's (arguably one of German's most successful managers) management team at Dortmund and then Bayern Munich. It's interesting to note that he left Bayern to try his hand at first team management with Kaiserslautern and then Saarbrücken before returning to Hitzfeld's team at Bayern. I'm not saying he'd be a bad choice, I just think that his history is a little less impressive then it initially appears I don't think that's true. Kostmann was (ironically for Saints I suppose) Goalkeeping coach until April when Frank Kramer was sacked and Kostmann was appointed Caretaker Manager. Henke was then brought in to be Kostmann's assistant. He'd been, until the end of the 20/21 season, Ingolstadt's Sporting Director

Does anyone have thoughts on assistants/coaching staff? Seems much less exciting and people know fewer names, but it's just as interesting! I've always liked the look of Rene Maric, he's been Marco Rose's assistant since Rose's days in the Salzburg under-18s, got promoted with Rose to the Salzburg first team, and has been with him through to Mönchengladbach and most recently Dortmund. Now Rose is out of work Maric is available. Robert Klauss would have been a good bet having been one of the managers in the youth set-up at Leipzig when Ralph was there, but I think he's managing the FC Nuremberg first team now. Achim Beierlorzer seems like a Ralphy-appointment. He was a youth manager at Leipzig before being promoted to interim first-team manager, and stayed on as assistant to Rangnick when he was brought in permanently. When our Ralph joined he managed in the youth set-up, and after a few seasons away as first-team manager elsewhere went back to Leipzig as Jesse Marsch's assistant, and then caretaker when Marsch left until Tedesco was appointed. Having worked with Marsch, Ralph and Rangnick, he is clearly in the 'playbook' mould and, importantly, I think he is out of work at the moment. I know Ralph personally admires Zsolt Low who was one of his assistants at Leipzig. When Ralph came here Zsolt joined Tuchel at PSG and is now assistant at Chelsea - I think that's unlikely to happen!! Very much a playbook-y appointment though

I have no problem with bringing in a really talented loanee to develop and then send back. As much as we all might have wanted Broja to stay (well, in the first half of the season anyway), I think it worked out well for both sides, and if it helps younger players see us as a stepping stone over a few seasons to a bigger club then I can enjoy it whilst we have them!

Can we have Jan Kluitenberg back please? We were never fitter then when he was conditioning/fitness/performance coach

IT'S NOT HIS PLAYBOOK! Yes he has a certain style of play, but it's just high press, high tempo football with youth development. The idea that Ralph is irreplaceable because he as some unique playbook that only he knows and can implement needs to die off. He is from a long line of managers with similar styles - he isn't unique and neither is the playbook

The relevant bit is that the deal could close in a short time, with Saints offering 6 million. I rate Dragowski, hope it happens but I'm not convinced it will. He's exactly what we need in a commanding keeper who communicates and controls is area really well - a good addition that might kick some of our defensive duos up the arse

Yeah that's just weird. Fair enough they maybe shouldn't have been released to go on holiday after the Brentford game, but pre-season training is really important - it's not a jolly!

I think the current negativity comes from the way we achieved that survival. I know in my heart of hearts that Saints competing for silverware is a pipe dream, but I'd settle for actually being competitive for 90 minutes on a Saturday and not completely collapsing. The manner with which we play, the mentality when we concede, and the degree with which we completely fold, are the sources of my negativity

I do think it's too soon to judge Lyanco fairly - he shows moments of promise and moments of frustration. It also can't help being in a CB group that includes Bednarek and Stephens....

I feel like I should say something now the season is over but I really don't know what. I get why people argue Ralph is doing a good job as we were relatively safe early on and that's all we can hope for, but for me it's the manner with which we achieve this that matters - I mean that fact that we didn't lose 9-0 this season for the first time in three years says a lot about the mentality of the squad. We don't fight, we collapse as soon as things get tough, and that is as much about how the squad is coached and mentored as it is their actual ability. Players can seemingly underperform consistently without consequence, we're slow to react when something isn't working, and team selection remains a bizarre cross between bingo and pin the player on the team-sheet. Sometimes feels like he's playing FIFA - sets up the team the way he things can win, simulates the match without making any changes, and is then baffled why he didn't win. If Ralph stays, which tragically feels like an underserved reality (who else would be given this long, with this degree of success), then a wholesale change of backroom staff including an experienced and feisty assistant manager is desperately needed - someone who Ralph HAS to listen to. It's interesting that Man U have appointed two very experienced assistants in van der Gaag and McClaren. I worry for next year. If we do get in a relegation fight I don't believe we have the strength of character that Leeds showed.

Rose would, I have thought, been the dream choice for the board. Fast, dynamic, pressing style, loves the 4-4-2 diamond, huge experience in Germany and Austria, and experience bringing youth players through. I don't think Hassenthuttl is leaving, sadly, but there surely wouldn't be a better option (from the board/playbook perspective) then Rose?

I think the glaring flaw in this plan is that I'm increasingly of the opinion that Ralph would simply ignore any advice he's given. He delays making any changes for such a long time (despite repeatedly advocating for 5 subs a game which he'll seemingly all use in the 80th minute), and sometimes seems to be in disbelief that his initial tactics haven't worked. I'm not convinced that adding additional advice into that process will ultimately change anything - I mean what is Kitzbichler doing otherwise?

Bournemouth supposedly in for Dragowski too. He'd me my preference over Bazunu I think (who himself is linked with Everton and Preston, apparently)

I’m skeptical this’ll happen, his LGBT+ stance seems at odds with the club’s and the club are very vocal about it (regardless of what you may personally think of either of those stances)

Pic is doing the rounds on Twitter with Romeu and Lyanco, so they are both definitely in Ibiza at the moment

It isn’t. Lyanco’s wife posted a picture on Instagram dated 5th May of Lyanco in Ibiza…

Definitely Lyanco - he’s in pictures his Mrs is taking in Ibiza. Rumour is Romeu is with him

I still think Niko Kovac is a sensible idea. Plays a similar style of football to Ralph (high press, free flowing etc), turned Monaco from a relegation contenders to challenging for the title in less then a year, built a core team around young players that he developed, and has experience in both the French and German leagues - which is where we tend to look for young players

I know we don’t play for another 10 days, but I feel it says a lot that some of the lads have jetted off on holiday. I wonder just how much Ralph encourages the players to take responsibility, or even pushes them when they’re underperforming

Ralph attends quite a few of the youth team games I gather

Yeah, Adam Blackmore is quite close to Ralph and by his own admission (on Twitter) he likes him. The downside, I think, of what can happen when journalists and managers become too close to each other. Ralph certainly knows how to win games, but he knows how to lose them to, and most significantly other managers know how to beat him - something Ralph doesn't adapt to. He's his own worst enemy. I won't be disappointed if he's here next year, in general I like our style of play (if the execution isn't great) but he needs a good kick up the bum. But after 3-ish years and the majority of the deadwood he inherited now moved on we should seem much less precarious then we do