Ralph's problem is he is so streaky. In the good times he's great, but in the bad times he has no answer. Top managers find an answer...
Our performances in the second half of games is consistently awful, and tbf this was an issue before Ralph.

I agree with comments above. We miss KWP and Walcott, but these players missing shouldn't be such a big issue! Leeds had more injury problems tonight

6

A decent goalkeeper would have saved at least two of those goals tonight.
What is Redmond doing in that team? His end product is zero.....apart from one thro' pass last week. He deserves to be rested for the rest of the season.
Surely Forster must play in the next game. I'm having serious about our manager now....he seems to have lost the plot.

4

Should have bought in a right back in January if Ramsay is not good enough to play. Tonight Bednarek was given the run around at right back and he plays a lot better in the middle of defence. Our defence was opened up time and again by Leeds and none of them had a good game. McCarthy needs dropping to as he should have done better with the goals. Looks like Romeu is another injured player to add to the list. Ralphs substitutions of Ings and Minamino did very little to change the game. Things are starting to look bleak and I cant see where the next points are coming from.

7

First half ok, goodish open game on a terrible surface, a couple of unlucky decisions but they were proved to be correct - just: Second half it could have been a lot worse most of the team were running around like headless chickens once the first goal went in. Caution thrown to the wind, the game was only going one way and in the end it could have been 5 or 6. What was the strategy? if we carry on like this, there will be a mass exodus including, of course, Ings. The positives were the professionalism of Romeu,( now injured) and the promise of Tella in the first half . Whatever tactics that were discussed were reckless and no example for the younger players. After the great end of last season and the start of this, this calendar year is so very disappointing, FA Cup not withstanding.. We must question Ralph from the mistakes in the transfer window to his game planning as soon as things start to go wrong : we are lacking leadership. The Brighton, WBA, Fulham and even Sheffield games could now be 6 pointers.

7

The pitch was a disgrace. In cricket you lose points for an unfit pitch. Romeu's injury was entirely down to it. Not acceptable - but nothing will be done.

Other than that we didn't score when we were on top and then didn't look like scoring when they were ahead. The inadequate cover at right-back is a gift that keeps giving to the opposition. Leeds weren't anything special tonight but they beat us easily in the end. Dropping the only two players likely to score during our inevitable early dominance was an interesting one. It has to be said that the NIL was more important than anything else today - our lack of goals is beginning to kill us.

Finally - the ref whistle thing was a storm in a teacup - of course it wasn't a goal and Adams would have probably put it 10 feet over if the GK hadn't stopped. I am not absolutely sure, however, that the penalty was actually a 'clear and obvious error'? If it was then the Villa and Wolves penalty fiascos were too weren't they?

And very finally - I have come round to the idea, touted by an increasing number, that McCarthy needs a rest. The first and third should probably have been saved. The only problem might be that those goals were just the sort of ones that Forster struggles with too...

And very, very finally Che needs a rest too. He seems to have disappeared as a positive force.

9

This performance was absolutely disgraceful! Southampton fans deserve better than this and need a new owner. One that has an interest in the football team and willing to put money into it. The team has been under funded for several years and this needs to change if we are to stay in the top League. After 25 games last year we had 31 points now we have only 30.

4

Absolutely useless. If, and a big if, Vesta had nodded home and Tella had been more positive when through on the keeper, we would have only lost 3 - 2!
We may as well have done without forwards and we have nobody else to come in. Walcott is just another Redmond but faster at doing nothing.
Sell Ings, Redmond, Stephens, JWP, Bertie, those out on loan and maybe a couple of others and bring in reliable strikers who can score and a fullback that can play either side.
And for those saying replace Ralph, just one question: with whom? Nobody, but nobody, is gonna do any better.

2

Ralph should have started with our strongest team, forget the rest of the season you got to put your best available team out in every game, especially on the bad run we are on. The first half was an even game but if we had our strongest 11 out we could have been ahead and took that confidence into the second half and who knows.
After 4 years of watching Redmond I just don’t see what he brings to the team. Mcarthry and Forster are good back up keepers but we need to invest in a first choice keeper. When KWP comes back I think we have a good back four with Bertrand, Vest & Salisu (he looks the real deal). I like Adams but how long do we have to wait for him to come good, we need to bring in another striker( maybe 2 if Ings leaves). I can’t understand why we are so bad at the moment, it must be mentality, I do believe we are a decent team and a 10-12 finish is still realistic.
Just to finish on VAR, it got it right tonight on the penalty which it should but why does it get it wrong against for us so many times in the past, the inconsistency is frustrating, if that tackle was made against a top 6 team would it be overturned, I would like to think yes but it would depend of who the referee is.

8

Pitch was a shocker, Leeds should be fined.

Loaning Valery out was brain dead as Bednarek at RB worked against Chelski but not in this one, we need Bednarek in the middle. Salisu is good long term but needs to be introduced slowly.

FF should have been given a go 2 weeks ago already.

Long would not have given up in the 2nd half, need someone who runs their socks off to help stop the traditional 2nd half collapse. Either letting him him sign a new contract for 60K a week was brain dead or loaning him out was brain dead - choose one.

Things started going South when Ings and Bertrand did not sign new contracts, should have sold them in January and got people in who want to play for us long term. Letting Target go instead of Bertie was brain dead.

Matty Cash handball still upsets me the most and that was weeks ago.

Do we have recall clause in Lemina's loan?

8

Held our own again for one half but collapsed with a whimper in the second. Bielsa and Leeds found the formula and had the skill and talent to break down Saints. In retrospect Saints probably should have kept most, if not all, of the Chelsea line-up possibly with Forster in goal. Trying to press in the second half was a disaster.
I feel that Ralph's now at the same impasse that Puel, Pellegrine and Hughes were at when they just didn't know how to organise the players that Saints have in the squad. From now on Saints need fighters to win a game by hook or by crook. When 2 of our next 3 games are Man City and Everton - time's running out quickly.

9