Minsk

Ralph's given his presser ahead of Saturday's match so it's time to do an update here. Match Day 11 Match Day Comparison: Last season we won match day 11, 2-1 away to Brighton. So this year's 1-0 win over Villa means no change in either points or GD. -6 points; -6 GD Head-to Head Comparison: Last season we lost 1-0 at home to Villa; meaning that this season's victory by the same score gives us an extra 3 points and an additional +2 on GD. +9 points; +10 GD Next up on Saturday, match day 12, is our away trip to Norwich. As they came up as champions, I will be comparing our results against them with those against Fulham (the team to be relegated in 18th position) from last season. Ironically, heading away to the team sat firmly at the foot of the table, last season we played the team who finished rock bottom on match day 12. It saw us gain a 3-0 win at home against Sheffield Utd. Our match away at Fulham was played on Boxing Day and ended in a 0-0 draw. With 2 wins and 2 clean sheets on the bounce we should all be feeling pretty good going into this match. Yes Norwich picked up their first win of the season last time out and have a new manager in place. However, Ralph got Saints to beat that manager's Villa last time out and, even with their injuries/suspensions, that Villa team was comprised of better players than those in the Norwich squad. Maybe Smith learned something from last match? But has he had enough time with his new players to implement anything meaningful? I guess we will find out soon enough. Given we have an almost fully fit squad, and the form many of our players are coming into, I am going for a positive 3-1 victory. That said, I would be more than happy with our favourite 1-0 win (if my nerves could take another one). COYS

Yet again you jump straight on a positive post and try to point to something negative. You really are are a sad, tiresome, little (SKD)man. As you have avoided answering before I will ask again, why do you always feel the need to do this? One can only assume it is because you are trolling, again. Unfortunately, I expect you have already created your new account for when this one eventually gets banned, as all the others have. As for your opening line, yes I am sure Ralph read your posts and thought he had better change things around. 🙄 Personally, I don't think we are playing any less 'open' at all this season. We have been creating lots of chances, just not converting that many - yet. We are, however, far better defensively - much to Ralph's credit for the way he has got the players performing. As for the rest of your drivel, seeing as Salisu is our best CB (so far this season) and Romeu is our most solid DCM of course it would be a loss if either were out for some time. That doesn't mean we would get carved open at will by all and sundry. Whilst not quite as strong in the challenge as Romeu, JWP isn't 'lightweight' at all. Go and look at some of the tackles he puts in again. We are definitely in a far better this season in regards to squad strength. The alternative would have been to put all our eggs in a couple of baskets. To have spent all the money on just a couple of players. That would have led us back to where we were last season. Which would you prefer, more depth or just a couple of slightly better quality (on paper) players?

Thanks OB. It explains a lot. Nice of the club to offer him support. Best wishes to him for a full recovery. Hope to see him doing well at a club some time next year - just so long as it's not that load down the road....

I fully agree. 'Only' 18 months is outrageously light.

The closest I have seen in this regard is Armando admitting himself (in the post Leeds match interview, after scoring his first league goal) that some senior players had given him stick about not putting enough effort into training. (Alluding to the fact that he taken the criticism onboard and had changed his ways, which is why he had now been given his chance.) I've seen nothing of an attitude problem, turning up late for training or that he is particularly lazy.

How unlike you to jump on a positive thread about a Saints player and start running said player down. 🙄 Almost as if you have some sort of agenda about Saints supporters being positive about Saints players, or anything Saints for that matter! What does anything from the quote above have to with how Che performed for Scotland last night? Why did you feel the need to start with those sentences (before then admitting he scored a good goal)? Maybe you were craving attention? Or, dare I say it, 'Trolling'? Is Antonio 'streets ahead of Che'? He is certainly outscoring him so far this season. But let's look at some facts. Antonio is certainly a lot more experienced, and 6 years older, than Che. When West Ham signed him (when he was the age Che is now) he scored 8 Premier League goals in his first season. In his second he scored 9; in his third he scored 3; in his fourth he scored 6; in his fifth he scored 10. Last season, his sixth, he also scored 10. Thus far this season he has 6. As we know, after a very barren start, Che scored just the 4 Premier League goals in his first season in the top flight - but they were all in a 6 match spell. In his second season he scored 9, just as Antonio did in his. I would put my house on him scoring more than 3 goals this season! So, looking at in context, Antonio is in better form right now but I certainly wouldn't say 'streets ahead'. There's a reason Antonio opted to play for Jamaica, pal! As for Eduoard, what is that based on? His brace against a tired, 10 man, Spurs defence missing all 4 of their CBs? Or his goals for Celtic when they were running rampant up there? As for Broja - in another thread you claim that we shouldn't look at how good individual players are but how they integrate into a team. (This based upon Diallo having a decent match against a Leeds side missing their main midfielder). Yet here, you are saying the saying the opposite. That Broja should be picked ahead of Che because (you believe) he is the better finisher; whilst ignoring the argument about what each brings to the team as a whole. Can't have it both ways. Which is it? Better player or better contribution to the team? For what it's worth, I'm just happy we have the options. Going by form and fitness on Saturday we should start with Che and Adam. If he is fit, bring Broja off the bench for the last 20 or so. It's a squad game. Let them fight for their place in the starting 11. If playing well they stay in.

Beautiful scuff from our Championship level striker. 🙃 Just going by the highlights, it looked like Che had a great match and certainly deserved his goal.

Then we agree on something. And I fully agree with this.

Amazing contribution. At least he got an entire half in one of those matches and scored the 4th goal in a match already won when brought on for the last half-hour in another. Only got 2 mins in one and I honestly felt he was a waste of a sub in the final. You thought he had an amazing tournament, some of us think we would have been better served with other options. He really wasn't anything special. As for Lyanco, like you I was somewhat underwhelmed with his signing and also thought we should have gone for someone who could walk straight into the first team. I didn't write him off though (not saying you did) as I prefer to actually watch a player before making a judgement of him (although it was clearly obvious before we signed him that Carrillo was going to be a flop). It seems Ralph did know what he was doing re our defence and Lyanco looks to be a better player than many at first thought. I really hope he does come good.

What did Henderson do of note? All I can remember is him being a waste of a sub in the final. Did nothing when brought on and then taken off again before the penalties, because he is shit at taking them.

The older you get the faster time flies......

This is my take on it (as posted on another thread): I believe that the figure quoted for Saints is far lower than the reality will prove (i.e. that we will be able to spend more than the 37m quoted without breaking FFP rules - not that we have the means to do so, of course, so all a bit moot). My reasoning for this is: The article clearly states that the sums shown are for the upcoming January transfer window. It also states that only Man Utd have so far published 2021 accounts, and that all other club's figures could (I believe that should be will) change when theirs are also released. The January window spending should be based on profits/losses made from January 2019 to January 2022. The article is primarily basing its figures on profit/loss from 2017-2020. FFP states that clubs can make a rolling loss of 105m over a 3 year period. By the article stating we can only spend a further 37m they are indicating that we have 3 year rolling loss of 68m. Now, I don't know if this is true or not (I am sure there are some on here who are more knowledgeable in this regard) but, just looking at transfers alone, feel this is highly weighted against us by our transfer spending in the 2018/19 season. That year we spent around 77m on 5 players (Che, Ings, Gunn, Vest and Moussa). However 2 of those (Vest and Gunn) were in the summer of 2018, so that combined 28m won't (or shouldn't, by my reckoning) count in January. On the contrary, from January 1st that year, we sold players to the value of around 33.5m. Going by those figures alone, come January, we should be around 61.5m better towards FFP than the article has us at present - meaning we should be able to spend 98.5m to stay within FFP, which sounds far more reasonable to me. (From all subsequent transfer windows we have made a profit of around 6/7m in player trading. So if we are only able to spend 37m in January, as the article states, it would mean we have made a pre-tax loss of 73/74m without player trading. If my figures are correct that would be reduced to around 2-3m in losses. Seeing as we are supposedly being run in a self-sustaining way, I would say this is probably more accurate. The only reason I think of their figures being more accurate is the loan we took out, but that shouldn't come into play as it repayable yet). As I said, all moot in any event. I think we probably only have around 10m to spend in January. We possibly could push the boat out a bit further, but will be surprised if we even spend that much - or anything at all. We don't really do January incomings. Maybe an incoming loan at best.

Yep, it's all pretty crazy - and far from being financially fair......

Whilst the article does keep talking about the past 10 years it does also state that the period of time taken into account for FFP is 3 years. So I don't think the 10 year thing has anything to do with it. I do, however, believe that the figure quoted for Saints is far lower than the reality will prove (i.e. that we will be able to spend more than the 37m quoted without breaking FFP rules - not that we have the means to do so, of course, so all a bit moot). My reasoning for this is: The article clearly states that the sums shown are for the upcoming January transfer window. It also states that only Man Utd have so far published 2021 accounts, and that all other club's figures could (I believe that should be will) change when theirs are also released. The January window spending should be based on profits/losses made from January 2019 to January 2022. The article is primarily basing its figures on profit/loss from 2017-2020. FFP states that clubs can make a rolling loss of 105m over a 3 year period. By the article stating we can only spend a further 37m they are indicating that we have 3 year rolling loss of 68m. Now, I don't know if this is true or not (I am sure there are some on here who are more knowledgeable in this regard) but, just looking at transfers alone, feel this is highly weighted against us by our transfer spending in the 2018/19 season. That year we spent around 77m on 5 players (Che, Ings, Gunn, Vest and Moussa). However 2 of those (Vest and Gunn) were in the summer of 2018, so that combined 28m won't (or shouldn't, by my reckoning) count in January. On the contrary, from January 1st that year, we sold players to the value of around 33.5m. Going by those figures alone, come January, we should be around 61.5m better towards FFP than the article has us at present - meaning we should be able to spend 98.5m to stay within FFP, which sounds far more reasonable to me. (From all subsequent transfer windows we have made a profit of around 6/7m in player trading. So if we are only able to spend 37m in January, as the article states, it would mean we have made a pre-tax loss of 73/74m without player trading. If my figures are correct that would be reduced to around 2-3m in losses. Seeing as we are supposedly being run in a self-sustaining way, I would say this is probably more accurate. The only reason I think of their figures being more accurate is the loan we took out, but that shouldn't come into play as it repayable yet). As I said, all moot in any event. I think we probably only have around 10m to spend in January. We possibly could push the boat out a bit further, but will be surprised if we even spend that much - or anything at all. We don't really do January incomings. Maybe an incoming loan at best.

Did Cardiff ever pay the transfer fee?

Ha Ha Ha 🤣

I think he will do a better job there than Howe will at Newcastle. No reason for this. Just a feeling. Might be wrong. It will be interesting to see how he does in a far more competitive league though.

Even more reason to throw him straight in as a 10 against Norwich then!!

van Dijk was definitely already top notch while still with us. Don't see that he has improved in any way since being at Liverpool. As for Norwich, sure I read somewhere that Lampard tops their list. (I do realise your words above were tongue in cheek).

2 goals in the last 2 games (1 for B Team, 1 for U21s), and an assist to boot. Can I be the first to complain about Ralph not yet playing him as a 10? He could add some attacking threat ahead of KWP, or even Perraud, or something. Something similar to Bale about him, or something. Madness Ralph hasn't picked him for the first team yet....... 🙄😉

To be fair, your username is about as fishy as it gets.

Good post. Saved me the effort. My views exactly.

You're right, he did. I stand corrected. So a bit pacier than Lyanco, who himself looks more mobile than all our other CBs bar Salisu.

I'm sure the likes of Lord Ducky, SKDman, AlexLaw, et al, would have doubled down at those odds, in the anticipation of a luxury holiday next summer. Madness for them not too, seeing how certain they are of our relegation this season.

Posted this last Tuesday. Didn't think both would be gone in less than a week. That's 1 in 4, 25%, of Premier League managers sacked 11 matches into the season; including 2 of the 3 who got their teams promoted into it for this campaign, and those 2 being the ones who earned automatic promotions!