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Posted
On 24/02/2022 at 16:12, HarvSFC said:

There's something rotten at Tottenham, and it started when Pochettino was there, players stopped playing for him, etc. Since then they've had Mourinho, Nuno and now Conte and have chucked a lot of money around, but they're still the same mid-table side expecting to push for the Champions League. Even Kane's stopped playing for them now after last summer, like Alli, etc. did in previous seasons. He turned it on against Manchester City for obvious reasons, but he's one of the best goal scorers in England, their penalty taker and at this moment in time he's the 18th top scorer, behind players like Gallagher, Zaha, Maupay, Bowen, Smith-Rowe and Dennis. He only has one more than JWP. 

It's a job that needs a mass overhaul of the squad, like we needed when Hasenhuttl first took over. Only, he won't be given the time to oversee it and players like Davies, Dier, Sessegnon, Hojbjerg, Emerson, Doherty, Sanchez, Winks and Bergwijn, who are their "unsellables" will outlive another manager.

Agree with this, Spurs are a particular type of short-sighted basket case. There is a big element in the current set up at Saints that things have been built around Hassenhutl, and right now this Is paying off. But it’s taken several seasons, enormous patience from the board and supporters, and assembling a group of players that are willing to work to a gruelling system and for one another.  It is great to see. If he goes to one of the traditional ‘big clubs’ finding the required level of patience and commitment is highly unlikely, and it ends in Ralph’s stock through the floor. It would be lovely to buck the trend and see RH at Southampton for a decade, see just how far things can go, but in top level football these days ego and cash always seem to trumps calls to logic and loyalty.  We won the cup in 1976 with a manager that had a series of rocky seasons before finding his feet and the right pieces of the jigsaw, and the decade that followed was superb for the fans and city - I want Hassenhutl to do that for the current generation and put himself in aspic as a Saint regardless of how long he stays. 

  • Like 5
Posted
18 hours ago, Dr Who? said:

Got to be manager of the month surely? 

I hope not, IIRC every time our manager has won it we go on a bad run after that. May be just my memory though  might not be fact.

Posted (edited)

I reckon this Jesse Marsch joining Leeds was high on our list for Ralph's successor. Very successful at New York Red Bull and Red Bull Salzburg. Another to have worked with Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig so of a similar mould. His time there was also cut short by mutual consent just like Ralph.

Edited by Disco Stu
Posted
40 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

I reckon this Jesse Marsch joining Leeds was high on our list for Ralph's successor. Very successful at New York Red Bull and Red Bull Salzburg. Another to have worked with Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig so of a similar mould. His time there was also cut short by mutual consent just like Ralph.

Was very poor at RB Leipzig, very risky appointment imo. I'd not be very happy with him as Ralphs successor as it stands.

Posted
8 minutes ago, TWar said:

Was very poor at RB Leipzig, very risky appointment imo. I'd not be very happy with him as Ralphs successor as it stands.

Maybe, hadn’t Poch just been sacked (or left) Espanoyl before we took a chance on him?

Posted
8 minutes ago, Billy the Kidd said:

Maybe, hadn’t Poch just been sacked (or left) Espanoyl before we took a chance on him?

Maybe, but I think he'd been there a few years and had been pretty good for them. This fella was sacked after less than half a season in his first job in a big league. Not sure he has the pedigree for the prem just yet.

Posted
20 minutes ago, TWar said:

Was very poor at RB Leipzig, very risky appointment imo. I'd not be very happy with him as Ralphs successor as it stands.

Leeds would have been better off getting someone experienced in English football for the next 6 months or so, they need someone to come in who will shore up their defence first and foremost as they play too on the front foot. I know Big Sam is ridiculed but getting him in for 6 months, tightening up that defense, then going again in the summer as a PL club for someone like Valverde is probably a decent course.

This guy is exactly the same, he plays a front foot style too and I don't think it really suits Leeds without Phillips and Bamford in their side.

Posted (edited)
17 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Leeds would have been better off getting someone experienced in English football for the next 6 months or so, they need someone to come in who will shore up their defence first and foremost as they play too on the front foot. I know Big Sam is ridiculed but getting him in for 6 months, tightening up that defense, then going again in the summer as a PL club for someone like Valverde is probably a decent course.

This guy is exactly the same, he plays a front foot style too and I don't think it really suits Leeds without Phillips and Bamford in their side.

100% agree. Bielsa played a really unique style and you can't really get a manager who will come in and replicate it, what they need is someone to build something new but that takes time. In the interim they just needed to either stick with Bielsa or to bring in a tried and true relegation specialist like Big Sam to just see them to the end of the season.

Maybe Marsch will surprise me, Lage certainly did, but I really think this is a very dodgy move.

Edited by TWar
Posted

Remember how our form tanked last season when key players got injured. I'm glad we had points on the board and Ralph learned his lesson and built a stronger squad. We're seeing the benefits now.

Feel for Leeds fans. Feel for Bielsa.

Every time someone suggests Big Sam, god kills a puppy.

  • Haha 1
Posted
2 hours ago, TWar said:

Maybe, but I think he'd been there a few years and had been pretty good for them. This fella was sacked after less than half a season in his first job in a big league. Not sure he has the pedigree for the prem just yet.

Oh maybe not, was just pointing out that sometime stuff happens.

 

Posted
On 24/02/2022 at 16:12, HarvSFC said:

There's something rotten at Tottenham, and it started when Pochettino was there, players stopped playing for him, etc. Since then they've had Mourinho, Nuno and now Conte and have chucked a lot of money around, but they're still the same mid-table side expecting to push for the Champions League. Even Kane's stopped playing for them now after last summer, like Alli, etc. did in previous seasons. He turned it on against Manchester City for obvious reasons, but he's one of the best goal scorers in England, their penalty taker and at this moment in time he's the 18th top scorer, behind players like Gallagher, Zaha, Maupay, Bowen, Smith-Rowe and Dennis. He only has one more than JWP. 

It's a job that needs a mass overhaul of the squad, like we needed when Hasenhuttl first took over. Only, he won't be given the time to oversee it and players like Davies, Dier, Sessegnon, Hojbjerg, Emerson, Doherty, Sanchez, Winks and Bergwijn, who are their "unsellables" will outlive another manager.

Tottenham's problem starts with L and ends with Y. 

Posted

One of the reasons I've really taken to Ralph was exemplified in his presser today.  He seems a genuine, authentic, plain-speaking decent guy.  His responses about Ukraine seemed heartfelt, genuine and untouched by any spin.  It's not enough on its own to create a good manager but I find his manner to be inspiring.

I am sure this is one off the reasons he survived two huge defeats and a disastrous run of form.  

  • Like 3
Posted
2 hours ago, The Left Back said:

One of the reasons I've really taken to Ralph was exemplified in his presser today.  He seems a genuine, authentic, plain-speaking decent guy.  His responses about Ukraine seemed heartfelt, genuine and untouched by any spin.  It's not enough on its own to create a good manager but I find his manner to be inspiring.

I am sure this is one off the reasons he survived two huge defeats and a disastrous run of form.  

Is the presser available anywhere?

Posted
Just now, Turkish said:

Who is never going to question a Hasenhüttl team selection again? 🙋🏽‍♀️

I'm ashamed for my one-off foray into 'glad I was proven wrong' territory. Never again :)

Posted
6 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Who is never going to question a Hasenhüttl team selection again? 🙋🏽‍♀️

I'll admit that it's possible he knows more about football than me.......

  • Haha 5
Posted

I'm normally a RH loyalist, but I admit I thought we'd get spanked when I saw the starting XI. 

Please strongest possible side from now on...

  • Like 2
Posted
2 minutes ago, StDunko said:

I'm normally a RH loyalist, but I admit I thought we'd get spanked when I saw the starting XI. 

Please strongest possible side from now on...

I think we're doing a discredit to the likes of Stephens, Perraud, Smallbone, A Armstrong, Diallo etc who are fully capable. We still had KWP, JWP out there too.

We've got ourselves a really decent squad full of depth at a profit, amazing effort by everyone.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, Turkish said:

If only Danny Rohl was still here........

He Ralph had the help he needs from a proper back room staff, we would have won 6-1 last night.

Edited by CB Fry
Posted
10 hours ago, StDunko said:

I'm normally a RH loyalist, but I admit I thought we'd get spanked when I saw the starting XI. 

Please strongest possible side from now on...

When I saw the team s election I was annoyed but when I hard Ralph's explanation I understood--he is training them hard and telling them they are valuable to him and that he trusts them etc and so he has to prove his words by giving them opportunity ==and it worked perfectly!

Posted

The sad thing is that Ralph will leave before he has taken the club as far as he can due to the fact his first seasons here were utterly wasted sorting out the mess that Reed and Kreuger had created where most of our wages were being paid to players on loan at other clubs.

Without that we would be at the same level Koeman got us to.

Posted
1 hour ago, once_bitterne said:

The sad thing is that Ralph will leave before he has taken the club as far as he can due to the fact his first seasons here were utterly wasted sorting out the mess that Reed and Kreuger had created where most of our wages were being paid to players on loan at other clubs.

Without that we would be at the same level Koeman got us to.

Let’s wait and see.

Posted
2 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Let’s wait and see.

Given he's said he's not signing a new deal and there's no way the club will just let him see out his contract, it's difficult to think next season won't be his last.  (if Spurs don't get to him before that).

Posted
9 minutes ago, once_bitterne said:

Given he's said he's not signing a new deal and there's no way the club will just let him see out his contract, it's difficult to think next season won't be his last.  (if Spurs don't get to him before that).

Like I say let’s wait and see. When push comes to shove he might not want to walk away - people can change their minds. 

Posted (edited)

Been trying to think how to describe our football, at least when it goes well.

In my mind we try to play a very aggressive/attacking form of anti football (i.e we stop opponents playing - as in, we play high up the pitch, will absolutely flood the central lines of the pitch/midfield and/or squeeze the other side to the bylines). When it works, we suffocate teams. And as soon as we win the ball we are on the front foot running at teams, probing around the box, recycling possession. Absolute joy to watch us at the moment. The team have really matured into not just the pressing game, but also defensive discipline, and using our possession of the ball.

So much of it is about the wing backs / full backs (sod it lets just call them wingers and be done with it) - and their pace / recover speed. Equally the CB's we have now are significantly faster - when you compare all of that to Vestergard and Bertrand it really highlights the significant improvement this season. The tactics, the players, and the drilling/discipline/familiarity we have now are all really paying off. We don't need great players to kill teams with these tactics, every player knows their role in a set position and they function as a well drilled team - but the players that really fit the system are shining none the less - all over the pitch!

And its not just the above, but the fitness of the players is immense, we've been playing extra time in the cups, then going to tottenham and united and running them off the pitch by the end of the game. Playing games with 10 men and still running teams ragged by the end etc. Its impressive.

Its hard to see us struggling currently, at least until someone works out how to counter our play style effectively or we get bad injuries (hard hat prepped if this changes!!). The signs were there (just thinking about 2020 form) that it could click like that. But 2021 with the injuries and fatigue we really dropped off and obviously at that point the doubters/concerns grew in number and volume, but right i do think we really do have one of the best managers in the prem and i think more people are starting to seeing that. I just hope we can keep it up and keep him - I am sure united must be looking at him at the moment.

Edited by Saint86
  • Like 2
Posted

Given that we should make the FA Cup our number one priority doesn't it make sense for Ralph to save his experimenting for league matches and pick his best side for the upcoming quarter final?

  • Like 1
Posted
9 minutes ago, Teddeer said:

Given that we should make the FA Cup our number one priority doesn't it make sense for Ralph to save his experimenting for league matches and pick his best side for the upcoming quarter final?

Next round is slightly different I would think, as it's a weekend and it's just before an international break.  Would expect us to rotate fewer players, but with 5 subs I still expect us to rotate.

Posted
On 20/02/2022 at 22:02, The Kraken said:

Nonsense. I love a bit of niggly aggro between two regular combatants on here. Keep it up.

 

 

I got a 2 week ban for this exchange. If you think Putin is a ruthless dictator, wait until you get on the wrong side of Lighthouse…

Posted
47 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

RH on Man Utd's radar according to the press.

I thought they'd be all over the champions league winning legend of the game Rafa Benitez. 

Posted
12 minutes ago, Turkish said:

I thought they'd be all over the champions league winning legend of the game Rafa Benitez. 

Doubt it, he's a Liverpool legend.

Posted
Just now, Turkish said:

Didn't stop him or Everton

Should have, it was one of the main reasons he struggled there, alongside injuries. Fans hated him from the get go. Doubt he makes that mistake again.

Posted
Just now, TWar said:

Should have, it was one of the main reasons he struggled there, alongside injuries. Fans hated him from the get go. Doubt he makes that mistake again.

Do fans pick the team, do the coaching and chose the tactics then?

Posted
Just now, Turkish said:

Why would the fans not liking him have an impact on his performance?

Lost the dressing room earlier than most, losing the fanbase does that. I think if he was generally well liked they would have kept him in to turn things around when injuries subsided.

Instead they replaced him with a manager 10% the talent and now are probably getting relegated. Not that it bothers me too much, be funny if they went down.

Posted
4 minutes ago, TWar said:

Should have, it was one of the main reasons he struggled there, alongside injuries. Fans hated him from the get go. Doubt he makes that mistake again.

Bet his bank balance wouldn’t mind the mistake.

Posted
1 minute ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Bet his bank balance wouldn’t mind the mistake.

True true. Everton job was kind of a win win for him. The club on the other hand are probably going down due to drastic mismanagement 

Posted
2 minutes ago, TWar said:

True true. Everton job was kind of a win win for him. The club on the other hand are probably going down due to drastic mismanagement 

Continual mismanagement at that. If they go down I think I’d be laughing all summer.

  • Like 1

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