Match Day Thread Everton v Southampton 01/03/21 8PM Sky Sports

I have to add, that Salisu being nearly in tears every time he got bossed by DCL wasn’t a good look. You looked far more solid when he went off.

 

Yeah, but all those factors aren't mutually exclusive. They're inextricably linked.

 

He's going to be a very good player, but it wasn't his best game. He's also only 21 and this is his fifth game - and the first one against an 'old school' number 9. He'll learn from this, I have no doubt.

 

Oh didn’t like being asked the question again? The one you didn’t answer again.

Easy for me, I just won’t bother trying to engage with you again. You normally seem a reasonable chap, hence me asking who you think would do better than Ralph in this current situation.

Klopp has a similar situation and had lots of financial backing, but comparatively similar to us in terms of how it’s going.

My message is simple: think about getting rid of the manager when he has all the tools available for the job, but doesn’t do the job. Right now he hasn’t.

 

(Feel free to have a look back. I commented just as frequently when we were winning, difference is everyone was happy and we were all in agreement. You're going to be more aware of posts which you disagree with/piss you off, so this idea that I'm only here when we lose is demonstrably bollocks)

There's been every excuse in the book thrown out in the last 8/9 games
VAR
Referees
Injuries
The pitch
Transfers
Squad size
Now tiredness?

Is there ever going to be a point when you guys actually blame Ralph? It seems like a cult has been built around his personality because he's the most affable manager we've ever had. He talks a brilliant game, says the right stuff and for some reason this shields him from a **** tonne of criticism

If Puel, Hughes, Pellegrino, Koeman even Poch were responsible for setting the Premier league record defeat TWICE and our worst ever run, there's no ****ing way they'd be defended on here. Not a chance. It extends so far that people are totally blinded to just how much trouble we're in, just to avoid criticising him. Its bonkers

 

... I agree, yet you suggest the manager should/could go?

That just underlined my point and why I don’t understand people suggesting he should. It’s utterly bonkers

 

The only reason to sack Ralph would be the ‘new manager effect’ just to get us across the line.

How can we expect someone to come in and do better with the dross available?

 

To those saying there's no chance we will go down I agree its unlikely but there's every chance. If our run of injuries doesn't improve we could be in this situation till the end of the season. We aren't losing players freakishly we are losing them consistently all over the pitch and they are getting repeat injuries. For Ralph its getting dramatic now, the return of KWP and Diallo will be a huge boost to the morale but neither of them will be getting us goals and our forward line needs serious shakabuku. They didn't look like scoring if Everton brought on a cream tea and sat down. Change is needed. Redmond has to drop to the bench until he can show that he is able to influence a game positively. Tella has looked twice the player.

 

More bonkers to blame a manager who has shown what he can get the players to do, when all of a sudden he doesn’t have those players.

If he had them, then I wouldn’t be defending him.

PS I’ll go back and check if you promise to go back and check on me defending Puel and Koeman, (particularly during his two month **** run)

 

I’m not saying to get rid of Ralph, was just putting a question out there to say that how many previous managers would get as easy rides if they had similar records? Two 9-0 defeats, worse losing run in SFC history etc.
To say that was our best 2nd half performance this season? Maybe, maybe not, but we’ve now only scored 1 goal in the last 14 2nd half of matches.

 

No. That's just fragile confidence which encouragingly didn't fracture this evening. Still not good enough but, you know, small steps and all that...

 

We're still in the Cup, chaps

 

I'd rather go down with Ralph in charge than revisit the seasons we had before he arrived TBH. I think the players know they've been shafted and are letting him down. if he was sacked I think we would not see a bounce.

 

But this is by no means an ordinary season. And as Fats says, we need to judge Ralph when he has the majority of his players vaguely fit - he's shown when that's the case he's really rather good.

It's as bonkers as a Liverpool fan calling for Klopp's head right now (I know you're not asking for him to be sacked) in that it just shows a lack of appreciation for the masses of grey right now that sits between the black and white.

 

Gonna keep us up, win the FA Cup!

Marky Marky - oh hang on.

 

According to some that’s a waste of a game. We should withdraw and give Bompey a bye.

 

I agree, and it is again showing it’s ugly head in diverse times, that many of the players are not good enough. You can see Ralph constantly frustrated on the sidelines, but in all honesty that is not going to change unless we get a new owner willing to invest.

On top of that Ings and Bertrand will probably be off in the summer and we’ll be lucky to get £20 million for Ings with RB free.

 

@Brixham Saint

This is the post that I replied to that started our little conversation. Re-read it.... it is very leading towards suggesting he should go, especially “I’m going to say it...”

I assumed your answer RJ that last question would be “no”

 

Puel, Hughes and Pellegrino never showed the potential to take the team on it's best ever run either. None of the above mentioned managers set the record for taking Southampton top (a record that is equally as relevant as the defeat record).

All of the 'excuses' you've listed are valid this season.

I will criticise Ralph, and have done in this thread. I think he can be too stubborn, and I think he makes changes too slowly (perhaps as a result of the former). But that's pretty much it.

Given a normal season, and two more players, he would take this team of pretty average premiership players to Europe. I'm pretty confident about that. And he's shown he could. Which is why it's utterly, utterly bonkers that anyone should consider moving him on.

 

Ive replied above with the first post I responded to.