LuckyNumber7

This Chelsea Man Utd game has been utter dross.

Judging by your posts before the match you weren't expecting any of those things, but hey any excuse to moan and slag off Ralph... I think we can all agree we weren't brilliant last night but neither were we as bad as some are making out. I'd love to see us playing attacking free flowing football and winning games 3-0 but realistically we don't have the players capable of that. Despite the number of shots Boscombe had I never felt that worried about them scoring and in the end thought we saw the game out quite comfortably. In fact we had the better chances to score again. And Bournemouth may be a bit crap but they were still unbeaten in their previous 6 games. I still think we need a change of manager but ffs enjoy the wins when they come. With or without a new manager we have a largely Championship standard squad so it could be a while before the next one.

Same old proven shite then. Why not give the likes of Edozie, Mara, Ballard a go, they couldn't be any worse than the likes of Elyounoussi. Even Djenepo started the season promisingly and now can't get on the pitch.

And yet are still below us. They have been utterly dreadful every time I've seen them this season. Last night it took them until just before the hour mark to have their first touch in the Brighton penalty area.

Bournemouth unbeaten in 6 games. We haven't won in 5 games. Quite clearly gonna be a Saints win, that's how it works right?

Not been impressed with him but he's been better the last two games. Really needs a clean sheet.

Tbf I'd take Solanke over any of our shower, but I agree with your overall point. Our whole attack is Championship standard. Ralph needs to go but I'm far from convinced anyone else is going to come in and do any better until we revamp the attacking positions, and I don't just mean a striker. God we are so awful to watch, no identity, no belief, no quality. The worst thing is I almost don't care any more.

I'm hoping he's been misquoted or it's been taken out of context, as that's really not a good look from the club's owners. Just compounds the current negativity with everything else that's going on.

That's the case at every Premier League ground, it's nothing new at all. In fact our fans are incredibly timid and passive these days compared to most PL fanbases. For context, over the last 6 and a bit years since Koeman left, our home form has been absolutely dire. In that period we have won only 36 out of 118 home games in the PL, over an extended time frame we have been utterly turgid and devoid of belief and that has filtered down to the fanbase, and I say this as someone who until very recently was very much a 'Ralph in' guy. It's been a long time since supporting Saints was any fun whatsoever, yet we're arrogant for a few moans and groans? They are lucky that's all they're getting, at most other clubs it would be worse but I think apathy has long since taken over. I think the vast majority of Saints fans realise our place and just want to see a team that we can really get behind, that gives it's all and is competitive. Right now we're playing and acting like a lower league team that's out of it's depth in the PL. I'm 39 and for all but 7 of my years supporting Saints we've been in the top flight, so to keep getting told by the club's own hierarchy and it's mouthpieces how grateful we should be just to be in it and how small we are is pretty galling. The whole club reeks of a lack of belief and ambition like we don't belong here, I'd like to think SR would change that.

Erm, we beat Leicester actually. Personally I'd go with a 4-3-3/4-5-1 as we really need to shore up the midfield area. Djenepo Che Aribo Diallo AMN JWP Perraud Salisu ABK KWP Bazunu

Ah my bad, fair enough. I still stand by the point though he was only here because of Cortese and his stock has risen hugely since. He has no deep connection with the club or reason to come back.

Absolutely no chance. He was here for less than a year so it's not like he ever had a really strong connection with us. He left for Spurs because they are a much bigger club with far more chance of success. He can hold out until a bigger job is available. Why on Earth would he want to join us for a relegation battle with a squad full of kids?

Glad I don't have a ST any more, feels like the club would be a lot happier if SMS was just filled with away fans. Never known a club treat it's own fans with such contempt.

I saw the first half of the Stoke game yesterday and Smallbone was pretty anonymous at best. Their fans don't seem too impressed... https://oatcakefanzine.proboards.com/thread/305919/smallbone

I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the image of him kneeling for BLM. Just sums the guy up for me, seems to be trying too hard to jump on whatever bandwagon will make him popular at the time. Plus I can't stand his whiny voice. Comes across as very insincere to me.

I don't regret voting Tory at all at the last election to get Brexit over the line. Now that's done I don't see anyone worth voting for. Clearly the current government are in a mess, I would have voted for Rishi who is at least competent, but Truss is just a simpleton. Conservatives only have themselves to blame for choosing her over Sunak. Labour are obsessed with identity politics and Starmer just looks weak and limp wristed, don't like him at all. I probably won't bother as it stands.

Even if we made the assumption that this utter nonsense is all true, it still in no way justifies Putin's actions of bombing civilians out of their homes and flattening cities - the same civilians he is supposedly 'liberating'. Putin has shown himself to be an evil cunt, and no sane or right minded person could support what he is doing, unless they have an agenda.

I got back from the US last week and was surprised at the level of support out there tbh. A lot of Ukrainian flags hanging from houses and buildings both in cities and rural areas, messages of support on trucks etc, floral decorations. I realise that has no bearing on government decisions and the like but for a conflict such a long way away they do genuinely seem to care.

Yes I was at Wembley, and the Liverpool first leg and the Arsenal away game in the quarter final. The cup run was good granted but we were like a different team in the league. I was in America at the time of the Inter game at SMS so unfortunately missed that, but as alluded to most of our best performances were away from home as we were set up to defend and absorb pressure. Doesn't change the fact that the home performances were dire and depressing. The Leicester and Burnley games you mention were two of only three home games all season where we scored more than one goal. In the remaining 16 home games we scored 8 goals. It absolutely was boring.

Because it largely is a fact, as a season ticket holder I was bored stiff throughout that season. The only decent attacking displays I remember were a 0-4 win at a dreadful Sunderland team and 1-4 win at Watford. Aside from that it was utter dirge, especially at home where we failed to even score in the last five games and in general seemed to be set up not to concede rather than take the game to the opposition. On the whole he did an ok job but there's no way I could have sat through another season of that boredom, football is supposed to be an entertainment business after all. Bringing it back to Ralph, this is where I'm losing faith in him as earlier in his reign we played some attractive attacking football on the front foot, if not always getting the results. Now in his attempt to shore up the defence we are becoming dull and negative to watch and the results aren't improving, that can't continue for much longer.

Agree with this. I am still just about in the 'Ralph in' camp, and prior to the Wolves and Villa games there had been decent signs of improvement. However we can't have any more desperate performances like the one at Villa Park, we need to get our identity back and at least have a go. With the new coaching setup and a lot of new players, I'm prepared to give him up to the World Cup break, if there's no consistent improvement by then it will be time for a change.

Can't believe all games have been cancelled, the queen dying has no relevance to football at all. So glad I'm currently out of the country so can avoid the incessant media circus.

Just scored his first league goal since December 2020!

Doku was brilliant at the Euros, not seen him since but surprised he's not gone on to a bigger club. Would love to see him at Saints but seems unlikely. As for Wirtz, he is the next big thing in German football. I expect he will move to Bayern or the like for big money, no chance he comes here.

Bayo joined Lille last month.