Saint86

And agree with this. It's a little embarrassing to see posters blaming Stephens for today. I think it's debatable whether we should actually be playing him with kwp (at least until bree is back fit) in most games atm. Would make the defence a bit more stable and simplify the tactics. Plus Manning can be an absolute liability at times. It's that or Meghoma plays at LB for me. Its been said to death, but the reason we're losing imo is because Martin has developed an allergy to a balanced and settled midfield 3. We need a holding man, and we need a all around cm imo... We can't keep going every game with smallbone as the holding man, and then effectivley 2 CAMs... Its completely imbalanced both in and out of possession. Add to that the frankly constant level of changes between the two other midfielders (smallbone is at least constant) and the 3 attackers, and is it really any wonder we've lost all flow and tempo with our attacking play? I don't think he knows what best side is at all atm, and the side feels like very unsettled - I wouldn't bet significantly on being able to name our starting 11 in a given week out it that way!... And opposed to the classic "if it ain't broke don't fix it", he's gone full Rasmus recently!

We scored 1 goal vs a relegation threatened side at home. In all seriousness, I don't think Millwall could have asked for an easier game vs a side chasing automatics...simooy not good enough... Leeds would have absolutely murdered them!

Id far rather have Ralph as manager this year than any of the 3 that have proceeded him... Should not have been sacked imo. But obviously that doesn't fit with Sport Republic's vision (possible wet dream in fact) of having the highest possession stats in the football league (sadly). Outside of the whole martin debate is where people sit on SR if we don't go up this year... especially given the club's ever darkening prospects the longer we stay at this level. Buck ultimately stops at the top.

Only small silver lining i can think of, is that playoffs are basically assured, so if we're going to miss automatics maybe its better to have a blip now and sort it all out. The alternatives would be to potentially burn ourselves out chasing automatics only to lose form going into the playoffs, or potentially lose out on the final day.

Should have been 5 points of top after Hull and Millwall, instead we're 5 points off 3rd. Absolute bottle.

Was thinking Liam Rosenior has done an impressive job at Hull. Wouldn't be adverse to him if we don't go up.

He'll be manager until the end of the season regardless. But if he can't get this side promoted this year he certainly won't manage it next year - and for all our games unbeaten, we were rarely convincing (enough) to seriously justify the difference in squad quality vs the opposition. Next year he/we won't have that advantage as we will lose so many players that have been carrying us this year through individual quality. What's worrying me, is that he's repeating the same patterns he had at Swansea and MK (before that), with runs of poor form multiple times per season - where (with us at least), he has seemingly lost the plot and started tinkering and unbalancing the side too much. He needs to badly get his shit together and get his tactics and selections back on track. He is still a young manager and saints are a step up for him... but we've had too much change and poor balance in recent weeks and its showing. Its almost certainly cost us automatics, but we really should still be going up through the playoffs. Earlier in the year, it would have been ridiculous to sack him (and i voted to keep him at that time). But honestly, if we fall out of the race for automatics and then don't get promoted, he's got to go in the summer imo. Sadly though, i think the club's future will be pretty bleak (promotion wise) at that point regardless, and it will be the last throw of the dice for a swift return to the prem next year. What i do not want to hear from him is, "proud of the players, they're so brave, its my fault but i'll learn" etc. he needs to shove the fake humble bollocks about "being so grateful yada yada", and just sort it out on the pitch.

The most damning thing about him actually is that I don't have any faith that he will learn. This is his ideal football. For whatever reason, he really didn't fancy Alcaraz, but its a shame because he was a real creative player in the middle of the pitch; always getting his head up to run and drive forward, picking a pass, and able to finish. Sure it didn't always come off, but he had something a bit different that we badly miss. Without him, our creativity is limited to when stu gets a bit of space, and outside of that its just pass pass pass and wait for a run in behind.

Alcaraz scores that all day long, and we could have had a full back or CDM covering player in the squad 👿

So so easy this, for a side at the bottom of the table ffs.

Over 95% of this forum voted to sack him earlier in the season...

Really? Where to even start with this post. Its almost like there was no material difference in setup between the west brom game, and the bristol city, huddersfield, hull, and millwall games for you? We've lost all balance because we seem to refuse to play with a proper anchor man. Everyone saying, "we've been unlucky today" etc. Sure. Millwall have taken their chances... But as with the above mentioned games, we have just gifted millwall their chances due to once again being so so easy to just play through. We've lost all semblance of the attacking/defensive balance we've had most of this season. Teams like millwall, who are just above the relegation zone, should not be getting these kind of chances, this often, and with this success rate, vs a side challenging for automatics. If people can't see that we've been poor defensively that's one thing. But it should be pretty obvious that just one actual defensive player in midfield would have improved that.

But its okay though, we downgraded Alcaraz for Rothwell with our last loan slot...

Good pen, in off the post. Again, just laughably frail at the back.

Stephens is very well suited to this style of game - doesn't take any of it and certainly gives it back. Whereas a couple of rough tackles on edozie seem to have him intimidated and playing in his shell a bit atm.

Cracking goal there. Lovely weighted cross by Stu, and good run and goal from Che...

Too much rotation and an allergy to playing an actual CDM/Anchor. That and weak full back and cdm cover generally in the squad. Both easily avoidable errors.

Better now, started to put our foot on the ball and make runs.

Yup. Clear on the replay he took player before ball there. poor from the ref. How many injuries are we going to get!

No no mate, as Galway says, Millwall aren't threatening at all, its all goalkeeping 🤣

You're in cloud cuckoo land mate. We are wide open defensively and have been for weeks. We're home to a side that have just sacked their manager and are 1 point of the relegation zone, whilst we're chasing automatics.

I think we'll still win this. But serious questions emerging over squad management for me. We're weak in defensive midfield and full back, we've wasted a loan over the whole Rothwell/alcaraz situation (clearly other areas needed strengthening over any debatable upgrade there - alcaraz is better regardless imo). And then... more importantly, for weeks now, Martin has demonstrated a total inability to manage the squad... Routinely making wholesale changes of 4-5 players each week, rather than minor tweaks of 1-2 players every week to give players a proper rest. The result now is really disjointed teams and loss of form, for a tactical setup that needs complete fluidity to work. I know he's a young manager without the previous experience of such a large squad to balance, but we've got sort this out for the playoffs!!

Never a free kick. Indecisive keeping. Although the millwall player never played the ball or even jumped, just ran in to bazunu who was in the air.

And better than manning.... 🤣

Any news on KWP's injury scare from the other night? Looked like a potentially nasty one although he did manage to finish the game. Wondering if we might rest him for this and go with Stephens and manning at LB (i'd rather seem Meghoma). Isn't bree also meant to be approaching fitness?