Southampton Banter Mobile

27 Oct 2021 14:16:13
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new player profile about, Youri Tielemans

26 Oct 2021 21:33:53
Lyanco absolute class!
What a partnership with Salisu!

27 Oct 2021 00:07:32
Great effort tonight but the obsession to bring on Walcott finally brought us undone. However I put forward a suggested x1 revised in the hope ( although admittedly cavalier) with 3 good ball players in the middle and two very mobile full backs we could unlock a free scoring formula which still has not been achieved to date. Forster KWP Perraud Lyanco Salisu Tino Diallo S Armstrong Tella/ Adams Broja A Armstrong. Romeu to stiffen up the rearguard on required occasions,!

27 Oct 2021 08:36:49
Johnny
It’s not cavalier if you have the defence to match the attacking threat.
Where once we needed to score lots to counteract our goals conceded, we now (assuming Lyanco is now picked) have a very solid defence.
To see both Lyanco and Salisu adding to the midfield and attacking threat, we’ll it was just heaven!

This is when all of us will now wonder, will Ralph keep Forster in goal and Lyanco in defence…

Djenepo once again proved his lack of PL quality.
So if we can keep away from the Ralph favourites Redmond, Walcott and Djenepo, we might just be a different team in every way!

27 Oct 2021 12:33:41
I enjoyed the 5-2-3 we played yesterday. Seemed to make the game more open, but we also had cover defensively, which allowed our CB's to be more expressive. I suspect Ralph went with this tactic as a test but also because it's the same formation Chelsea used, so maybe as an attempt to outwit Tuchal. Nonetheless we were great, the 4-2-2-2 seems so restrictive for us. I would like to see this starting 11 at some point this season.

GK: FF

RB: KWP
RCB: Tino
CB: Lyanco
LCB: Salisu
LB: Perraud

CM: Diallo/ Romeu
CM: JWP

RW: S. Armstrong
ST: Broja/ Adams
LW: A. Armstrong.

27 Oct 2021 18:19:52
I was on the verge of agreeing with you until I saw you select JWP! Other than nostalgia and the occasional killer dead ball delivery, what does he offer us. Basically, he lacks any inspiration or idea going forward and is content to play safe (sideways and backwards) .
It’s no coincidence we’ve looked more of a threat without him in the last 3 games.
I shall now seek cover from Team JWP!

27 Oct 2021 19:07:39
Millertime : no arguing from me re JWP
Ralph seemed so worried at losing that he played, regardless of opposition, two holding midfielders.
Romeu has proved he can up his game, drive forward much more. But never ever seen JWP do this, in fact he has nestled in so deep he has served very little purpose.
His constant sitting on the shoulders of the CBS and calling for the ball, has been a constant niggle in our teams play. I can’t see Lyanco putting up with it, in fact I can’t see him telling JWP to go away!
If Ralph plays kwp lyanco Salisu Perraud
There is absolutely no need to protect the back four anywhere near as much . especially with Forster who must play every game!
That leaves the option for a more dynamic midfield.
Why he replaced Tella last night heaven knows, but let’s get that dynamic, quick midfield going from now on.

Broja must also start; I’d like to see him alongside Adams who is a very intelligent player. I felt a Armstrong last night was way too greedy and a little headless chicken like.

COYR.

27 Oct 2021 20:12:59
I agree, JWP does have the tendency to play the safe option. But we all saw what he was capable of in the England squad. I think he holds back in our squad because of the lack of cover should he lose the ball. With a third CB he might be more likely to take risks.

26 Oct 2021 15:42:53
Am I alone in thinking we've got half a chance tonight, assuming Ralph opts not to play a weakened side. Chelsea are the sort of club with eyes possibly on bigger fish, but realistically, this is our best chance of revisiting Wembley.
Certainly, Wembley is a great day out and given that we are not eyeing a top 6 finish (top 17 in reality) I hope we give it all up at the Bridge tonight, including the manager.
COYS!

26 Oct 2021 15:58:49
Well if we don’t play Redmond, Walcott and Djenepo, we might stand a chance. Getting scoring opportunities against Chelsea are few and far between, so we don’t want these three blowing them.

Adams and Armstrong up front .
Tella and S Armstrong midfield a good basis .

26 Oct 2021 16:43:15
Another option would be Tino In midfield with KWP at FB with Tella playing up top with A Armstrong…

I have a funny feeling he will ‘rest’ Tino and call up KWP.

Totally agree that Redmond and Walcott should not be on the bus never mind the bench!

26 Oct 2021 19:15:45
Well I got my wish that Redmond and Walcott don’t start, but Djenepo is.
I’m going to try and be kind to Ralph.
He’s hasn’t picked Djenepo for his goal scoring, his assists, his crosses . just maybe he is hoping that once Djenepo gets a goal it might spur him onto better things ……
Imagine being Adams and Armstrong, given your chance to prove yourself up front, and you are relying on Djenepo to provide you with some service!

25 Oct 2021 07:39:05
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 25th October 2021

23 Oct 2021 17:15:36
Redmond was back to his bad ol self today .
In one period of 15 minutes he wasted 6 of our attacks! By playing or not playing a good final ball .
Nothing else to say.

23 Oct 2021 18:11:41
Depressing actually - a spontaneous poll of supporters around me agree that Ralph needs to go and please, please take Redmond and Walcott with him.

We should have taken 3 points today, no question, but for the wasteful aforementioned duo.

The good news is that we were more on the front foot - the bad news is JWP will no doubt start next week and we will revert to backwards and sideways.

23 Oct 2021 18:33:43
Funny thing is Redmond seems to be passed to so much more than Diallo (might be my imagination) . but Diallo is so much more productive, much more vision, excellent passes … but totally under-utilised! With his vision and passing ability, he should be our focal point.
But nope good ol Redders had so many opportunities to create and flunked it!
As for Walcott? Question marks are all that is needed.
As for not starting or bringing on S. Armstrong early enough, I’m guessing he’s Ralph’s latest ‘naughty schoolboy’ he’s punishing! If it wasn’t for the Scotland game he was picked for, I think Ralph would have played the ‘not available’ card longer.

If he removed Dallio and replaces him with JWP then
Ralph clearly can’t see how more fluid we are without JWP!

23 Oct 2021 20:32:27
Now I’m starting to believe there is a real sickness .
‘Being blind to how bad Redmond is’!

Lots of fans sticking up for him on various forums. Even more bizarre, Adam Blackmore …
‘He worked his nuts of for the team and been excellent against Leeds and Burnley’?

Yes Leeds, but today he was awful! Wasted so many attacks I lost count, with terrible decision making. shooting instead of passing, crosses failing to beat the first man, failing to get past first man’!

23 Oct 2021 22:46:13
It’s a disease South Hants Rich!

23 Oct 2021 22:59:09
When you have Stu on the bench behind both of these and seemingly also Djenepo, there’s clearly something not right in Ralph’s thinking.

The other problem with most of this team: consistency. McCarthy has had a few games, poor today. Same with Bednarek. Too many errors at the back. We can’t be conceding two goals to shot shy Burnley, and should’ve killed the game. Last week, granted we got the win, but our xG must’ve been 3.5+.

Positives: Tino is ridiculously class. Diallo is becoming something special. Romeu is also excellent. Broja, when supported correctly, will do well. Shame we don’t have an option to buy for £10-12m.

Negatives: Redmond, Walcott, Ralph, being clinical, and the return of JWP. We’ve had a few good games without him, I fear we will slow right back down next week at Watford.

Norwich are already down, it’s between Burnley, Newcastle, us and Watford for the other spots. So next weekend is already quite important that we don’t lose.

Also. For the love of god play KWP. Put Tino at RM, play 4-1-4-1 with Broja up top and Stu and Diallo in the advanced CM roles. JWP, Walcott and Redmond are not in our best XI that will win games as a unit, yet guess who will probably be playing next weekend.

Also haven’t mentioned Che or AdamA - good to have options off the bench but again, not good that some youth players from Chelsea come in and become our best players.

24 Oct 2021 01:40:38
WHOOPS HE’S DONE IT AGAIN! , 74 mins played before Ralph discovered his General (Stuart Armstrong) was still on the bench! But fair play he did try to win the game by bringing on Adam Armstrong
with one minute of normal time remaining! Is selection favouritism still rife? Are Players injuries hidden from supporters? Or is Ralph angling for a prospective Large Settlement Payout? He plays entertaining Football but continuously squanders winning opportunities by not selecting his best x1.It appears that RALPH has chosen to ‘WALK THE PLANK’ by selecting his ‘WEAKER PLAYERS’ With JWP available I guess He will get his Shoehorn out again! whilst Redmond should be locked in a SHOOTING GALLERY for a few weeks!

24 Oct 2021 13:43:43
Why Ralph decides to wait until 80+ minutes to make subs baffles me. This is something you realise when playing PlayStation that you need at least 20 minutes for impact subs to change the game. In ten minutes you’ll do well to touch the ball five times let alone create several good chances against a team defending a result.

25 Oct 2021 09:57:22
Saturday's match was a frustrating one from a fan's point of view. Burnley was there for the taking! They maybe had 10-15 minutes of the match where they were the better team, apart from that we were mostly dominant. But again, Ralph failed to utilize his subs? Walcott, Redmond, and Elyounoussi barely created any chances, I can't understand it, we have plenty of good players on the bench. He took off Redmond for A. Armstrong on the 88th minute. That's the kind of move you pull when you're up and you want to run down the clock, not when you're trying to get a win.

Even the goals we scored were lucky. For the first goal, Redmond puts it into a good area and Tino attacks the ball. The second goal, Burnley gives it away and Diallo plays in Broja (take nothing away from his finish, he does a lot)

But it's sad that our best player this season is an 18-year-old RB that has never played a professional game before. Shows the quality of the rest of our team!

Walcott seems to have lost his rapid pace, which was his biggest asset that made him a quality player. But his runs are awful, his passing is terrible.
Redmond likes to run at players and try to beat his man. How often does he attempt this in a game and how often does it come off? It's frustrating to watch. He'll get the ball on the left, with loads of time, and draw in his man. This allows the opposition's defense to get back into position and the opportunity is gone.

25 Oct 2021 10:13:54
As you rightly point out, bringing on A Armstrong with 2 minutes to go, is bonkers. If you’re looking for a winner then give him (or Tella) 20 minutes minimum.

That’s why I would say goodbye to Ralph and get a new manager in around the next international break so he has plenty of time to assess the squad and the gaps which need plugging (or hopefully upgrading) in time for the next transfer window.

25 Oct 2021 12:46:29
Every week we have two not at the game yes it’s usually 2 from Redmond/ Walcott/ djenepo imagine if Armstrong fella or others filled those spots. Why if stu is not fit he doesn’t play kwp and Tino in the right is beyond me. 2 outfield players and a suspect goalie is to much for any team to carry anyone else think the second goal was poor from mcarthy? If Johnstone rumour is true he will be first choice.

25 Oct 2021 14:00:07
Unfortunately Millertime, I think even if we were to sack Ralph, a new manager wouldn't get the opportunity to assess the squad and plug the gaps in the January transfer window. Just because we're not in that position where the club will invest that money.

I think the club are all in on Ralph. Unless there's a circumstance where relegation is a genuine possibility. For example, if we're in the relegation zone with 8 games to go and they need someone to pull off "the great escape".

25 Oct 2021 14:38:42
You’re probably right Saintjay in terms of the lack of financial resolve by the Club but IMO Ralph isn’t good enough tactically as a manager. That begs the question would someone new get more out of the existing squad and my view is most definitely, yes. So, without investing I think it is still possible to finish mid table with a team who play to their strengths. As an example, JWP is playing in shackles. I would hope that someone like Eddie Howe would get him playing far more progressively. He would give Tella game time and boost his confidence. He certainly would not be picking Walcott.
My reservation is around our 2 GKs - we certainly need an upgrade. Their distribution is probably the worst in the PL. - have you ever seen either turn defence into attack?
Anyway, I digress, I think if we carry on playing with Redmond/ Walcott we are relegation fodder simply because they won’t get the goals. That is why I would have kept Ings because his 20 odd goals would have made the difference. He certainly would have made the difference between 1 point and 3 on Saturday.

25 Oct 2021 15:20:39
It’s quite ridiculous that some fans can see that there is a far stronger team unit available to the club than what the manager is being paid to put out and get results with. Granted we don’t know if that team would be as successful because we don’t get the privilege of watching them be selected, but this team should be in the top 12;

McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Salisu, Bednarek, Perraud; Romeu; Livramento, Diallo, S Armstrong, Elyounoussi; Broja.

Impact players from the 55th-70th minute to come on and affect the game being Tella, Adams, A Armstrong, JWP if we get a free kick, and Djenepo. Walcott and Redmond I don’t really want near the match day squad.

No doubt we will get a team similar to this in the cup, then at Watford we’ll have 2 right backs, 3 poor wingers and 3 holding midfielders in a game we need to be winning.

25 Oct 2021 16:07:04
Following on from all the excellent posts above.
Reality is simple, Djenepo and Walcott are passengers in any game they play. Yes I know I’ve bored you with the stats a million times, but they don’t lie; Djenepo one goal and two assists in two years and an average of one successful cross a game.
Redmond is SLIGHTLY better but against Burnley he did everything that we all can see clearly.
6 times in the last 15 minutes he had the ball out wide in dangerous positions. Not once did he get the ball to one our players. His desire to try and best someone and his desire to shoot, far away his desire to pass to one of our players, let alone get the ball to one!
Walcott - unable to get past anyone, too slow, poor decision making .

These should never be in the starting 11, but do they really qualify as ‘impact subs’? . what impact?

Tella the hottest academy prospect in years sitting on the bench?
Redmond picked up front ahead of Armstrong and Adams?
S. Armstrong on the bench behind Redmond .

Nope it’s time for Ralph to go… he is not picking players based on merit or performance and he is not dropping players based on performance

So what is he doing?

Lost the plot bringing on Stuart A with 2 minutes to go.

25 Oct 2021 16:37:03
Correction : one successful cross ie to one of our players, per NINE games.

23 Oct 2021 07:39:15
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 23rd October 2021

22 Oct 2021 07:39:07
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Team Review - Brighton & Hove Albion

20 Oct 2021 07:39:10
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 19th October 2021