derry

I'm not commenting on the authenticity of the two sites commenting, however it's the mere fact it's out there alongside credible sites shown on news search sites such as Newsnow. These things have an unfortunate way of generating more news. Even if there are leaks there is no way they will ever be attributable. I have no idea what is happening behind closed doors. I am sure there has to be conversations within the club and so there should be. I hope he has the pragmatism to address the problem and stop these unnecessary mistakes from players placed in easily avoidable situations. We'll soon see with the United game.

I can't see the owners don't see the same problem that we are seeing. I also can't envisage that his management superiors will just sit on their hands. I feel sure despite the apparent non movement that there are conversations happening behind closed doors. Either way his set up for the MU game and the way we play will show his position. No change in the way we play, irrespective of team changes, in our penalty area and how Ramsdale in particular plays, will either show his intransigence or pragmatism. If its the former and results don't pick up I'm afraid he will be on borrowed time. Results are everything now. After spending circa £100m plus wages the owners aren't going to be sitting back and repeating the previous relegation debacle of 2022/23.

If that is the case then his sacking is inevitable. Media sources are indicating ownership reaction to the results. I think he will be instructed by the ownership group to cut out the cause of the mistakes we are making in our own penalty area. If we continue and he has defied the ownership group he either won't even make the next game or the owners line up a replacement before making a move. I hope he sees sense. A lot of what he does is good but taken to the extreme leads to failure. His judgement appears faulty such as placing his trust in Manning and Stephens. Supporters have been more right than he has. Wood is another player he required but doesn't look that great to me more Manning / Stephens than Greaves.

Nor can we continue to turn a blind eye. His ball watching and giving the ball away or hospital passes often under no pressure we can do without. We certainly don't have to put up with.

Personally I'm not anti RM, nor am I for an indiscriminate sacking. I like possession football especially rapid passing in the opponents half leading to overloads, incisive crosses and chances to score. For me that is what football is about. My big criticism is how we play to maybe get the ball into the opponents half. For the life of me I don't understand how rotating the ball in our own penalty area into tighter areas and increasing pressure is either necessary or even sensible. Our half isn't the place to take risks. The manager has to shelve his purist ambitions. We cannot be reliant totally on possession to the point of obsession. There needs to be an adjustment made. Can RM do it? Of course he can. He only has to see that a more pragmatic approach is necessary. Stop the ball rotation in our penalty area. Allow Ramsdale and the centre backs to play the way they are comfortable with. That may well be getting the ball up to the forwards and through the midfield as quickly as possible. Cut out the totally unnecessary midfield on receiving the ball passing it backwards almost every time. Any danger immediately hit it as long as possible out to the wings away from the opponents central defenders and create a multi press to win it or contain it. I want us to play within our limitations not some pie in the sky meaningless possession statistics. The aim of the game let in fewer goals than we score not the other way round as it is at the moment. Inviting a situation that pressures our defenders into making mistakes has to be avoided.

Now we should integrate him into the squad and use him when we need pace especially against the better sides.

He doesn't have the right to make that choice. He is employed to do his best not experiment and justify defeats on the back of stupidity. It's only three games, 5 goals conceded and one consolation goal at Brentford. All of those goals were errors in possession or failing to clear the ball. The throw to our near post was an obvious flick on, when it came we had nobody on the post or on the goal line. Never mind the obsessive possession in our penalty area the organisation defending the set plays was poor. He doesn't have to try another system he just has to stop rotation of the ball around our penalty area. We can play possession football in the opponents half.

More my impression than a theory.😇

Maybe how he sees himself.

Of course time will tell, it always does, however stubborness is a major impediment to the changes you are seeing. I'll believe it when it happens. With all the signings there has to be major changes in the team. Retaining the kamikaze passing at the back will still relegate us. Personally I think lose at home to Ipswich and away to Bournemouth could be too much for SR. Graham Potter anyone?

No, just observing Stephens over the years. He really isn't good enough. His ball watching has lost us a host of goals over the years. Specifically he allows his mark to get blindside then win the ball while he is watching it. He never positions his body so he can see his mark and the ball.

With due respect RM was managing a team going into the playoffs after falling off a cliff and if my memory is correct facing Leeds away losing three on the trot incuding Cardiff, 0-5 away to Leicester and Stoke at home. That was a rude awakening. Do nothing and we were likely to crash out of the playoffs. As it happened we caught Leeds on a good day for us then WBA and Leeds in the final. A narrow one goal win but enough. Not only was McCarthy who is incompetent playing out, in goal, we did very little rotating the ball as we are doing now. The mere fact he was insisting that McCarthy conform now against Newcastle was a step too far leading to our defeat. I don't want his sacking but I do want to see more common sense. We have stepped into a bear pit as one of the weakest teams in the league at this moment in time. I love possession football in the opponents half not kamikaze passing in our own penalty area. Personally any team that plays purely short possession football is going nowhere. Apart from Man City all the best teams play a mix of long and short and have no problem hitting it very long if pressed at the back.

Because of the possession obsession we have turned the game on it's head, THB, Bednarek and Stephens have the most possession, how rediculous is that. Over his whole career, Stephens has had problems, specifically ball watching and concentration together with making stupid passes that drop colleagues in it and giving the ball away. A lot of it when under no pressure. Now he's playing in a system that is exposing him to pressure more than any other time. Not only has he been made captain he is shoehorned into the side on a regular basis. How does this equate with the theory that this manager is cleverer than most?

Better not mention it but Manchester City played a 4-2-5 formation in a friendly in Japan V Bayern Munich. For three minutes Ederson move up into the back 3.

Apparently there is still no approval with suspicion the paperwork wasn't handed in before the deadline. He may still be a Saints player.

Nailed it, not much more to say!!!

How long before our opponents use their kick off to pass to our back four then press.

I feel sorry for Sulemana. He has lightning pace and needed a team to play to that strength, early through balls to feed him. We didn't. Playing tippy tappy and receiving the ball facing his own goal just destroyed any chance to use his pace. The same theory with TP he needed to get into the goal area and get across defenders and first to the cross. We didn't play to him either. Our one trick pony style doesn't suit them so it's better they go where they are valued and understood. Alcaraz was also a wasted talent. In a way an indictment of the manager. Rather than designing a style to suit our strengths and weaknesses we get a one size fits all approach that the players have to fit whether suited or not.

Possession statistics are a nonsense because it is a count of passes made by each side irrespective of where they were made, how short or long or more importantly their value. A two yard knock on has the same value as a sublime forty yard through ball that splits the opponents defence. Most of our possession is short rotational passing keeping possession until we lose it or have to lump it. It is mind numbing and not clever because sooner or later under pressure as the press tightens the passing becomes hurried forcing mistakes in our penalty area. Possession in attack is good but in our penalty area a nonsense. In this league we are becoming cannon fodder and a laughing stock because of it. 70% possession and lose, what a nonsense.

IMO he has to ditch Stephens and raise the tempo moving the ball upfield rapidly, but not leaving us outnumbered at the back like MU v Liverpool often 4 v 2.

I just watched the Sky analysis of Liverpool v Man Utd. Liverpool did to MU what Brentford did to us. On numerous occasions bypassing the high MU full backs and putting in four forwards against two centre backs. Liverpool played possession at times moving up the field but often played long or two pass direct and tore MU apart.

You missed the main point, yes, he maintained the play off formation but he reverted to the tippy tappy in our area whereas in the play offs he abandoned it and went more direct. Now the tippy tappy is back and killing us. What's worse the players know it and have nowhere to go.

Martin didn't win promotion finishing fourth. He won the promotion lottery, how? he ditched the style he's reimposed and went pragmatic for four games. We won the shootout at Wembley with a goal and a clean sheet. He get's the prize, a place in the Premier League then promptly reverts to the tactics that despite his boasting hadn't won a thing in five years. Having lucked out and had £100m to spend we are back where we started, playing the same stupid way. Usiing the same pragmatic formation, playing stupid, proves to me that if we hadn't cut out the stupidity we wouldn't have made it through the play offs. He needs to change or be changed. We need to play clever not like a poor man's Manchester City in a rich man's league.

Personally I don't buy bullshit. The ball rotation and resultant mistakes in our own final third have resulted in far more mistakes than the goals we've conceded. Playing out from the back is all very well provided it doesn't involve intricate ball rotation. One of the big faults with the system is that we are destroying the natural self preservation whilst endorsing the taking of stupid risks. The players are literally brainwashed that a pass is better than a clearance even if it's increasing the risk, well it bloody well isn't. A further fault is it is turning the forward players into spectators whilst midfielders are guilty of returning the ball back into our danger areas. The message to any opponent is that it's the way we play and we accept any risk. What utter bollocks. All opponents have to do is press our defenders because they know two things, one we will eventually give them the ball and two we aren't trying to break their press because if the ball does come out the midfield may well return it into the danger area, especially Smallbone. Anytime a defender is threatened and there isn't an out ball there should be a clearance into wide safe areas where we have players and it's their job to press and win it back. Even row ZZ is better than rotation. Even better put it out of play so it rebounds back onto the pitch as it stops a quick throw. Personally I believe in playing smart not stupid which this is especially with the level of ability in the Premier opponents.

However the letter says look into wallets it doesn't say they have to handle them.