austsaint

And yet it seems he keeps his job, no matter what. The thing I found baffling about yesterday’s disappointment was the way the team was set up. Against the bottom side, a side which had conceded more goals than any other RM plays five at the back and deploys Manning as a hybrid winger, AA as the other wide player and Archer isolated up front. This left the impressive Fernandes with a bit of help from the ageing Lallana as the only creative players …little wonder there was such little threat on the Wolves goal.

Loved Niemi and Ramsdale is every bit his equal in my view. With a different Manager (soon) and a tweak in defence and midfield, Ramsdale could still be our keeper 25/26.

Well said Charlie. The Club needed a slice of luck and fortune to “get on the board”, and got it today while playing some nice Football mixed up with the familiar mistakes. It was apparent early on that Everton had come to play conservatively; let Saints boss possession and look to mount occasional counter attacks. It was therefore, a surprise to me that we persisted with three CB for so long, even if Stephen’s drifted into midfield at times, Manning as a wing back for 70 minutes also struck me as odd - it just seemed to stifle our attacking quality. That said, replacing a spent Lallana at h/t was the right decision and holding Dibling back after recent exertions fair enough too - though perhaps Dibling on earlier and Stephen’s off earlier was the better approach. Thought KWP was outstanding - got forward, picked out progressive passes and defended well when called on. Ramsdale made some key saves, Fernandes again impressive as an attacking midfielder, Armstrong’s goal well taken and he played well in the wide role. Harwood-Bellis the pick of the CBs and the Airibo, Dibling Sugawara cameos all contributed something positive. You’d have to be a complete meanie not to feel some relief and happiness towards RM getting his first Prem win, yet fair to say there are many continuing doubts about his capacity to manage at this level.

You are rapidly earning the mantle of the Black Knight of the forum….and there’s a trickle of competition too. Thanks for the clarity.

It would be the looniest of looney tunes for SR to play if they (a) leave Martin in the job all season (b) green light him to manage Saints again in the Championship 25/26. There was a lot of noise made about the broken club we were when relegated in 2023 with 25 points , and the resultant “scar tissue” Martin inherited. What state is he going to leave the Club in? Surely the damage control needs attending to now, ( 2 or 3 games ago ideally). Make the change Sports Republic.

Needs to happen. Is not going to happen.

And only cost 90k from memory.

True, but he was bloody good by the time he went to Klopp.

Sadio I meant, not Sadie.🥴

You could probably say the same about Sadie Mane. Klopp got all the credit for turning him into one of the world’s best attackers yet he was already a class act; just needed the bigger stage.

That was my take too. On the surface it was a plucky performance; an honourable defeat, complete with praise from Pep. Scratch the surface though and it looked like Pep’s boys coasted to a win without getting out of third gear, even if our five-at-the-back defence dug in well most of the afternoon. it reinforced my view that that Saints have enough quality to still have a slim hope of staying up if the players are unshackled from Martin’s style of play. Fernandes, despite the one misplaced pass underlined what a gem we have on our hands. Dibling had moments in the first half but his substitution was justified - at 18 he might need resting after so many high pressure games. Harwood-Bellis and Downes were both impressive; Archer, operating on scraps, made several incisive runs and hit the woodwork with our one genuine chance. KWP and Ramsdale were up to standard and Airibo once again showed strength, touch and control in his cameo. Everton and Wolves await. 3 or 4 points a minimum pick up. Surely RM is shown the door otherwise.

There’s many reasons to doubt RM’s competence to manage in the Prem; but his continuing belief that Smallbone is a Prem midfielder ranks high up for me that he has to go.

Indeed. This is the Smallbone who had three abysmal performances in the first three matches of the season; is out injured for weeks and is then brought on by Martin to replace Saints best player on the day, Fernandes. Smallbone did not touch the ball; didn’t make a block, tackle or interception. He’s the player Martin said he’s happiest about when he’s on the pitch. For that remark and decision alone RM should be packing his bags.

I feel the same way. We are wasting time In maintaining the status quo with RM. There’s no guarantee a better manager can save us from the drop but it’s a change which has to be made and will give the Club a chance, if it’s done soon. There’s an inertia about SR decision making which we’ve seen before. Is it reluctance to take the financial hit of sacking Martin? Is Dragan getting the right advice from Andersen, Kraft and co? I can’t believe things can just meander until Nov./Dec. by which stage the bird may have flown. Can anyone seriously see RM managing Saints in the Championship next season?

If he said that he’s a dead man(ager) walking.

Not a bad time for a manager of Potter’s profile to take over. The Club’s at a low ebb and favourite to be relegated. Plenty of time to steady the ship and build some coherence, yet he wouldn’t be expected to work miracles. If we were relegated, he might fancy a project similar to Marco Silva with Fulham a few years back and bring Saints back to the Prem with an overhauled squad and a style and strategy which works.

In the unlikely event of us not reaching the final, is it a free cancellation?

Strongish?

Maybe them next 🤞. One plus with the “bloated” squad is being able to field a strong line up while resting the best X1.

Sorry to hear that Farmer. Dogs have been ever present in the lives of my four kids - through good times and rocky. All the best.

Nice preview though.

Amen to that…. No Diaz wide left. Was Liz Truss the PM in question?

Fair enough, all very reasonable points you make. In an ideal world I too prefer a FB on his natural side, and Taylor did a reasonable job defensively; would still prefer a Bertrand type (they don’t grow on trees) to give the side more attacking balance - particularly against the weaker sides like Ipswich. One thing most of us would agree upon is Sugawara’s playing well enough to keep his spot ahead of KWP. Does seem bizarre though to have a player of KWPs class sitting on the bench.

Well the Roller didn’t start yesterday but are you saying if the Roller does start it won’t be performing to usual levels?