StrangelyBrown

Couldnt agree more with the formation, but can't help feeling we'll play to our weaknesses and go 3-5-2.

My hope is he's being pragmatic while he's working out how to get the best out of the players at his disposal plus whomever we manage to sign in the window and we'll see something better at the end of January. Worst case is the Lincoln performance is as good as it gets, but again my hope is that SR have seen enough to suggest this won't be the case. He certainly deserves some time to implement his ideas.

I'm trying to stay positive and hoping we'll be pleasantly surprised by a much improved performance and some exciting and intelligent football.

How did that work for us tonight? 3 centre backs compromises us in attack and relies on us having good players up front. When one of our attacking players is Armstrong we really are in trouble. I was hoping Jones might have something a bit better in his locker - hopefully he has a plan B.

Oh goody more 5 at the back shite - I wonder if this is the Sport Republic way and it was forced on Ralph earlier in the season?

Redmond and Tella back from loan spells???

Agreed. While I get why people are underwhelmed by his appointment I find it bizarre that some people are desperately looking for any opportunity to criticise him. What I do find odd is why the club have decided to put this video out there? Seems ill judged to me.

I hope I'm proven wrong, but I've not seen anything in Armstrong that suggests the premier league is his level. He thinks far too slowly and doesn't seem aware of what's happening around him. He's got workrate and pace, but he needs a bit more to be effective at this level.

Agreed - I just hope he can deliver on what he's saying.

While I'm sceptical about NJ being the right candidate I'm coming round to the idea that he might be a gamble worth taking; he does seem to have a plan and is being realistic about how he'll bring in changes. If he doesn't get backed in January to get a decent striker it won't really matter.

I don't mind poor football if it is used to get a occasional result, but watching dire hoofball week in week out when we lose more than we win is depressing as hell. For me good football is a joy to watch even if we lose as long as we're competitive and I feel like we have a chance - I long ago got over losing more than we win.

I don't think it is out of line to raise concerns us choosing a manager who hasn't got an inspiring track record, whose teams play an unpopular style of football and who seems to be lacking inspirational qualities (just watch his interviews). We may not be a big premier league club, but we are a struggling club in the biggest league and therefore I would expect someone who oozes leadership, has an exciting brand of football and some experience of working successfully under the spotlight. Were you happy when we brought in Ian Branfoot or Paul Sturrock?

I simply can't believe that Nathan Jones is the man the club has had lined up for some time as we've been led to believe. He seems like a big gamble to me at the wrong time, plus from what I've read so far he plays a brand of football that I'd hoped I'd never see again at saints.

He's not wrong though is he? like it or not we're a small premier league club with small investment who try and punch above our weight by unearthing talented young players. Unless we have a dramatic change in investment we will still lose 15 games a season. This doesn't mean I support him saying it....

Trying to be fair about this our recruitment just hasn't been anywhere near good enough: we just don't have any good attacking players - Edozie looks a year or two away from being good enough, Aribo just isn't good enough, Mara isn't anywhere near premier League level, Che isn't clinical enough, A Armstrong is nothing like a premier League player, Elynoussi is only good against the ball, djenepo is hard working but nothing else, ... Its simple to see what is wrong - we just don't have the quality to consistently compete. And to think I thought we'd had a decent window...

We have a fundamental problem in the attacking third - we only have one player who can retain possession (che) everyone else gives the ball away really cheaply meaning we're constantly defending. Stuey, aribo, JWP, elynoussi all very guilty of this. Aribo really is a waste of a shirt IMO

He might have a mistake or two in him but his quick feet and speed of thought are a considerable upgrade on McCarthy and Forster. In time I think he'll sort the mistakes out and then we'll stuggle to keep him.

I thought Billings looked decent. Some of their players were utter gash though - Christie most notably.

Always seems to me that he doesn't think quickly enough and therefore gets shut down by defenders far too easily.

Will done saints ground out a result - hopefully we can take some confidence from that. Substitutes were absolutely bewildering, but we got away with it. Hope stuey starts over aribo against the arse. Bournemouth really are proper shite though. Very difficult to judge us against them.

Team selection looks ok to me. Can see the logic of not putting aribo and stuey in the same lineup - both are good on the ball and not so great winning it back. Although I would have picked stuey myself. Otherwise not sure what I'd do differently

Djamel Belmadi - looked like he was head and shoulders above everyone in the few games I saw him play. Thought he had enough to be a decent premier League player then just disappeared when hairy redcunt got the boot.

I hope we rediscover the drive and energy that has been missing for the last few weeks, but can't help thinking this will be more of the same. If it is then this has to be the end for Ralph. Result wise I can't see us winning this one, but the approach is far more important for me - if we show some spine, some fight and a willingness to attack then there might be a glimmer of hope. If not then we need to make a change.

That's not a million miles away from our best side (with Lavia injured). Only question for me is where is stuey.. Somehow djenepo, elyuseless and Armstrong will start. Fuck knows how though.

Having thought overnight I'm now of the opinion that we are really missing a leader on the field (I know this has been said many times before on here - perhaps I'm just catching up :)). Ralph and the players comments are about a lack of intensity and it was there for everyone to see. What I didn't see was anyone leading on the pitch - we desperately lack a Jimmy case type of player who can drive the youngsters to up their game. Instead we have JWP who leads by example, but when his example is shit, we also seem to be shit. I'm not excusing Ralph for this... He should make sure he has a proper leader on the pitch