BarberSaint

The manager will quote his five years of success like the ex-PE teacher will his stats for aggressive front-footedness in justification of his being allowed to stay in the job. Arteta will be miserable. We will beat them 10-0 with all goals coming after 107 minutes. Bamboozle formation: RAMSDALE Nobody at all Smallbone - Manning - Wood - TP - A Arma - Downes - Cornet - BDD - Archer - ABK - Nobody at all Subs: Lucy Pinder and all her mates.

I think they'd all agree he should get the award.

My view of the 'owner' is that this is a political/monetary venture for him. Lots of people seem to think otherwise because all they can do is believe that someone would buy 80% of a football club so that it will then go and win things. What is a 'ten year project' and how does it work? Next year we can sell Dibling and Fernandes and make loads of money and be 'competitive' in a crap league again. That's 4 of those 10 years gone then and what is the intended end product?

3-0 to them. Very depressing.

3-0 to us. Probably lose to Bournemouth. The important thing is how we do at Arsenal. If we look third-rate, we'll need a change.

Well that most certainly was neither Lazio nor Getafe as I attended both and it was readily apparent that he might well not even be semi-pro/pub-league standard (take your pick). Anyone who cannot see his complete lack of ability quite frankly presumably doesn't even know a football is square. (sic). Nice to win. On to Ipswich was a bit of anticipation and excitement now. Hope that as the team becomes a bit more settled and used to each other and some things are tweaked we will start to be competitive.

How long is it since we had one-foot Adams with us?* From what I've seen of him he's just a division three player. Someone here watches Notts Forest and liked him there so maybe he could move and kick the ball a bit when he was younger. I do also believe he's another 'confidence player' i.e. probably not really very good at the highest level. *Darn beaten to it.

I liked the league one semi final playoff between Swindon and Sheffield United a few years back. Nice to see some old faces. The one that finished 5-5.

I won't repeat what most have said about many things e.g. Archer's look of petrification before he had to take that penalty - someone should have seen that and told him to step aside - but talk about a few other things. At the risk of repeating things you all should know because they were discussed last year before RM's appointment: he's been known to get shitty in interviews when he can't spin his bullshit. That midfield of Downes, Fernandes, Ugochukwu and Dibling is a good midfield. A good mix of different styles and strengths and talents. I'd like us to stay up so I can keep on watching good players play in Southampton shirts - it's entertaining and satisfying. Archer could be a confidence player. As a forward he has to build his own confidence and self-belief because that's what good attackers do e.g. Shearer. I can't remember his name, but I had forgotten how much I dislike the muppet in charge of the opposing team and, indeed, the team and club. About 8-10th, I reckon. It looks like it might be a season where only Man City and Arsenal really put it together. So if we can, we'll survive. Defensive coach, if not Pulis, then Puel. But he's not allowed to look beyond the half way line and he can't insist we keep twelve behind the ball. We need someone who can understand players, their strengths, get the team to play to them - so keep a settled side, play ABK and have some tactical nous: adapt parts of your game to nullify the opposition's strengths and exploit their weaknesses. Basic stuff. Really, defence and defenders should first and foremost be aware of what they have to do defensively and always recognise that and have good positioning (so no Bednarek or Stephens). Someone said they wondered if Harwood Bellis would be exposed because of his lack of pace. That might be true. I'm starting to get the feeling he's a static, low-block defender only and he's mentally slow. The likes of Fernandes and Dibling not only are aware of what's happening in the game before they receive the ball but during their possession of it and afterwards. They think ahead and adapt. I agree with those who say that if it's no points after Bournemouth then I see RM going. We don't appear to have anyone in the club who actually has a clue about proper recruitment, however, not this data-driven bullshit which simply means you don't know what you're talking about but it's on a computer so it must be good. Someone once said that Carlo Ancelotti was such a good manager, and a successful one, because he made players feel good. Like it or not, Saggy shitface also had that skill. Of course Ancelotti has far more in his locker but that's a hard thing to measure and measur0e the success of. Goal attempts isn't a metric when they're 40 yard hopeful punts because there's nothing in front of you, you panic and you otherwise don't know how to change the play. Fingers crossed for Ross Stewart. Let's see him get back to full fitness (gradually) and hope he's the instinctive, quick-minded finisher we need.

Team to play and win: Rams Suga ABK (can't remember what side he plays; it's been a while)Edwards Taylor Big Les Downes Cornet Fernandes Larios (if fit - he can play and he's not a left back) Archer. Subs to come on in the 70th minute: Dibling/Lallana/SAA to replace the tired legs from all the pressing up front Subs in the 85th minute to close the game out and not concede the midfield: Smallbone Aribo I shall now apply for the pro licence as clearly I've got this manager lark off pat.

If I didn't know better, I'd think they were monitoring this site.

You alright fella? Keyboard broken?

They're crud, aka crap. 1-1 with them scraping a lucky equaliser in the last minutes.

It's a cunning plan to confuse the opposition. We'll confuse them by playing it out from the back and ignore the oft-quoted definition of insanity. Does RS have an instagram thing that someone could follow? I assume a lot of that would be censored by the club anyway.

On a separate note, the opportunity to vote for goal of the month is in: /www.premierleague.com/awards/goal-of-the-month/2024-25/august Most of them are someone kicks the ball hard. In that case Bowen wins. There's the bloke from City who ran with it a bit, probably 2nd or that could the Chelsea lad whose quick-thinking got him the goal. Ours is actually the best but what they've done is cut a few seconds off ours so that it doesn't look as good so I think they're massaging the outcome. They should have taken it from when Lallana passed to Dibling and then you can see his very Le-Tissier-esque pass to Lallana for the knockdown. It's also quite obvious Lallana's legs won't last long; he looks a bit brittle.

Thoughts from some other forums: Couldn't find much for Newcastle as they seem to have spent all their time talking about the red card and there was no obvious forum that had a good amount of stuff or a stand out single, main one. Overall the consensus from outside is somewhat lazy, but could be accurate: we are a poor man's Burnley. I think even under Adkins at the start there were signs that we'd do alright. Especially after the first game. I haven't seen much from the on the field play other than when substitutes are introduced to think that this time. Should we not beat Ipswich who are a poor side and one we could 'expect' to beat then that will be a home game (if we have home game advantage) lost, few if any points, and it will almost certainly become vituperative if we simply look to play with little real purpose and ambition (and by purpose I mean attacking intent and with the aim of both putting the opposition team on the back foot and entertaining the fans) and then carry on past Bournemouth (who may be bucket rattlers but have a team and manager that are quite good and that's who we'll play, not their accountants) with few to no points, no wins and nothing to show that we can play competitive football then I imagine things will spiral downwards pretty quickly; we will be at the end of September with little to nothing to show.

I remember J-Rod being known to be good at the level below, coming up, proving himself and then being injured for a long time. Took a long time to return and now his level is probably the league below and from what I can see he's a better player than Stewart. We don't know if RS could do it consistently and well at the level before, he's middle-aged in terms of his football career and he'll have a bit to contend with to come back, let alone be effective at this level if he can be. I wouldn't be surprised if someone wasn't arguing that he won't make it back as a footballer so let's look to get an injury pay-out whereas others are arguing that he can make it back but the fact (assumed, but obviously unknowable) that he isn't going to cut it in this league is neither here nor there.

Someone asked which manager I did like. In a roundabout way, how would the present incumbent have this team playing: Flowers Dodd Osman Ruddock Benali Le Tissier Case Cockerill Wallace Shearer Wallace ? Someone's mentioned the value of new personnel. How about this? RM "So, new fella, what's your name?" DM "Diego". RM "Welcome Diego. How good are you at passing back to the goalie from the opposition penalty box?" DM "Que?" RM "Ah, I see we'll need to put you in the reserves for a year or two before selling you on the cheap." RM, turning to the other new player: "So, what's your name?" Pele "Pele" RM "Pele what? McTavish? Did you once drink some Irn bru and so are eligible to play for the best team in Scotland, like me?" Pele "Just Pele" RM "Not Scottish by ancestry or desperation, eh? I can't see you'll ever play international football. Anyway, how many times have you dallied on the ball in your own area before being robbed by a hungry forward who wants his win bonus?" Pele "Er...none" RM "Right, it's off to Goztepe with you then!"

This might be a long post. I haven't liked a lot of our managers (in part at least): Adkins, spouted platitudes and buzzwords, Pochettino came across a bit smug, Koeman lost too many games when we should have finished far higher, Hughes was dour, Pelllegrino useless, I liked Puel until I had to watch the borefests, etc). Quite liked Selles, but he was crap. Doing alright now, though so good luck to him. I think we should have made Jones our press officer. I don't like spreadsheet managers: Ralph or the current person who has no redeeming features - see some Swansea fans' views, for example and so on; why is there a cult around the 'celebrity' of a football manager/coach? He should be invisible and the players and games the focus. I can see nothing that demonstrates in real-life, living, football that "If you do X, then Y will happen". Unless it's a case of saying that keeping the ball in your area is great because that's the danger zone for your team and where the opposition want the ball to be, preferably with them as it helps with the scoring goals bit of the game, as does our desire to help them out by giving them the ball occasionally so they don't feel left out. Perhaps the club did take on that person's request that we be nicer to opposing fans and teams and so have implemented this 'philosophy' to show what a caring club it it is? Sometimes there's a case for dropping someone down in standard to allow them to 'improve' but usually, and after a certain level you usually improve by playing in a more demanding fashion/league. So I don't understand those who say that e.g. "Bednarek has been improved by ...x" when all that was done was that he was playing against worst players who helped make him look average. At best. I can't see how he'd improve by playing at half-speed or against someone who can't jump or whatever. I didn't like the comment after Cardiff that went "..but I have to consider..." because it negated all the work done in winning an entertaining game that was clearly between two 'lesser' or reserve sides and everyone saw that, but they saw a lot of things besides. I cannot understand the idea of playing 'his way'. What is it? What makes it special and unique and guarantees success above all else while entertaining everyone and getting them off their seats? As far as I'm aware he hasn't invented football, he hasn't invented tackling etc. He hasn't adapted keeping the ball in such a way that hasn't been done ever since teams started doing it probably before Cruyff and total football. I can see some benefit in video analysis of previous performances. I'd So, I don't like him. I don't know what 'magic' he possesses that no one else does and apart from smelling bullshit, I can't see much in any of all this 'theory' that isn't anything different from what's gone before and what happens in a park game on a Sunday. I'll read the rest of the posts on this but is there any chance that everyone could stop blathering on about him 'adapting'? He won't, he's said it innumerable times and your blinkered insistence on ignoring this gets annoying. Changing a formation to 1-2-3-4 vs 2-4-3-1 doesn't change the way teams play if the instruction is always 'do not pass the ball more than 5 yards'. Let's wait and see if he tries to ensure that players who can play are allowed to not play and not made to follow his 'philosophy'.

He should definitely start from here on in. Too good not to and he isn't likely to be here too long like a couple of others. Mind you he's on a five year contract so we might get to see him play more and get even better but to do that we have to stay up: he'd be wasted in a lesser league. I think it really has to be a starting 3 in midfield of Fernandes, Ugochukwu (who should be encouraged to play his own game as he's very good) and Downes (who is the worst of the three and probably adequate at this level, but no more). That is actually a pretty good midfield and left to play football it'll take care of itself.

Just my late thoughts on the games vs Lazio and Getafe. First time I'd seen this lot live. Lazio Wood. Very poor on the ball and otherwise I think it's questionable if he's a professional-level player. I cannot see why he was signed based on that showing. Manning. Poor. Edwards. Slow but seems to read the game well and looks very consistent. Seems to have a lot of promise. I think he'll do well. Dibling. Plays with head up. Always looking around. Receives the ball well and shields it and directs players as to where the ball should go. Knows what he wants to do before he gets the ball. Can use his right foot well but heavily favours his left. See no reason to not play him at this level. Looks perfectly at home and seems to just like football. Brereton. Apart from the goal, did very little. Can't say much. Charley. (obviously now irrelevant). Moves forward and into space but then gets isolated. Does look to pass the ball in the direction of the opposition's goal. Getafe. Boring and very closed-down game. We seem to have no forward impetus at all. KWP. Same as. Poor defender, ok going forward. Sugawara. Not bad. Presume he played in the first game as well. Not sure how he is at defending. I like defenders who defend. If they can play then that's a big bonus, but if they can't defend they shouldn't play. Harwood-Bellis. Slow. On that showing, saw nothing to excite me. Armstrong. When he got away the once I didn't think he'd score, I thought he'd miss. Lacks precision and speed of thought but does make a lot of runs off the shoulder that aren't picked up.