midds

I can accept that to some extent Injuries did kill us 2 years ago obviously but I'd suggest we've got a much larger/better squad now and can rotate players a bit better as a result. That also doesn't explain why the team spirit and attitude is now completely gone. To fail to gain a single point after going behind in nearly half a season of League games is disgraceful - go behind = automatic loss is embarrassing. To decide that the very thing that got us a reputation and drove the club forward has been deliberately abandoned is a shocking decision from someone. Yesterday was an eye-opener for many, we went behind in a derby and there was no reaction whatsoever, not a wriggle of fight from them, just a pathetic acceptance that the game was done

I think the most disappointing thing to watch this season is the complete disintegration of our mentality. Howe's had issues to deal with but to watch us lose all of our edge, spirit and positivity has been borderline heartbreaking. We used to be a team of lions who never knew when they were beaten, gave every single team a game and we matched them physically to the point we became a nightmare team to play against. All of that has totally disappeared now, the attitude has gone and that's not down to finances or PSR or anything other than a deliberate shift in the opposite direction. The team looks disorganised, lacking in any confidence and belief and unmotivated too. They're not enjoying it and the atmosphere in the squad has changed, they can upload all the daft little training ground content they like there's something massively wrong during games. It's happened gradually over the last couple of years but it's certainly accelerated since the Cup Final

Given how little Wissa was involved in the last 20 minutes then I'm not pinning any hopes on him at all tbh. The entire formation, composition and mentality of the squad needs to completely change, it's totally wrong and has been for a while. Things have happened that have set the club back and that's been unfortunate but I just don't recognise this Newcastle team in relation to the last 2 or 3 Newcastle teams of recent years. This current iteration is lightyears behind the one from 2 years ago for example - and to flip all of that around in the next few weeks is beyond Howe and any other manager imo. Crossing our fingers and hoping for a good run at the minute is folly, it's not going to happen unfortunately, there's way too many things to fix. This is why I fear for Howe

I just feel results can be turned around if the performances are there, I don't think the performances are actually there but we've got some results regardless?? Last season we tweaked one thing (Sandro for Bruno) and it clicked and we went on an amazing run. This season it feels like the entire thing needs ripping up and putting back together with changes to formation, attitude and players and I think it's too big a problem to fix to get an instant change and go on the same kind of run. We've played so poorly for so long (despite getting the odd good result) that the issues are too ingrained and systemic to fix quickly

I know Howe's turned things around a couple of times in the past but I'm not sure how possible that will be with this team playing this way and with this mentality. I think there are huge issues with the mentality and attitude of the entire squad and club, it feels like there's a massive negative cloud that's constantly hovering over the club. The games are largely awful to watch, we look really poorly coached and organised these days, we're a piece of piss to play against and we're easily nullified. To flip all of that around and turn losses into wins seems like the biggest jump of them all, we don't need a tweak we need a complete F5 and I don't see Howe being able to change things enough, quickly enough to fly up the league. I can't see the 6 or 7 game run of wins anywhere, we're a million miles away from looking like a team that's good enough to qualify for the CL. Just not sure there's another rabbit in Howe's hat this year

Did he even get a touch today? Got 20 minutes and can't remember him even getting a single touch - mainly due to the chronic lack of service but even so, he just seemed to get swamped and surrounded

That's all I'm really interested in tbh Looks a really poor signing the longer it goes, it's a hell of a lot to drop on him and it's looking like a waste of money if this was the plan this season. You could have bought someone for a tenth of the price and had the same output/performances we've had out of Elanga

Videos of him training in the gym made him look sensational. Just a shame someone had to spoil it by bringing a football into the equation - that seems to have fucked it a bit unfortunately

His main asset is his pace but he's constantly played into systems that don't allow him to use it. What's the fucking point in having someone like him if he's going to play approximately 6 yards in front of his RB and get maybe 3 chances a game to use his pace to actually hurt the opposition? He looks a pointless signing if this is how we're going to play in the vast majority of games. If hard work was what was required then there was no point in replacing Almiron and I don't think I could possibly think of a bigger criticism/insult than that.

Gordon is barely even trying at this point. Continues to look disinterested and inept, fuck knows why and that's his own mental problem but as far as an asset to this club then his value is negligible. He's playing for himself when it suits himself, he doesn't give a fuck about this club and it couldn't be more obvious. I can accept a lack of ability if the effort is 100% there but we're getting lazy performances from a player who actually has some talent, it's not that he can't, it's that he simply can't be arsed Fuck him off asap

Well regardless of who is telling who to play in the manner we are the situation is going to rectify itself next year. Playing so passively - to prevent injuries - to keep the squad fit - to play all the matches - has meant that our play is so poor that we're unlikely to have this problem next season. Unfortunately failing to qualify for Europe will result in the better players leaving and trying to gild the lily the following season without our best players. We look fucking dire for most of the time in most of the games and the whole 'intensity is our identity' thing needs binning and forgetting about, that's a relic of the past when we had a team that showed up each fixture. We're a pale shadow of that side, we're soft as shite again and a dream to play against

I don't particularly give a shit what any of them say after a performance like that - if they genuinely gave a shit they would have performed today, when it actually mattered for the fans. The fact that so many simply went through the motions and phoned it in is starting to speak volumes about the characters that are currently wearing the shirt. Their insincere words and apologies mean absolutely nothing, I don't want to fucking hear it

Getting 'a reaction' from the same set of players immediately after the game you 100% needed 'the reaction' in just won't cut it anymore. There has to be a change of formation, attitude & mentality or personell or there will be a change of manager. Something major will change very soon with this squad and Howe. If Howe can't get a tune out of this squad then he'll get his cards, it feels like it's coming to a head recently and although today was only 1 game, it was a vital game and it was also one of the poorest performances we've given for years. No one should underestimate how badly losing a derby in the manner in which we did today affects fans. Today was massively damaging for Howe

Not sure what to say after sitting through that heap of shit, felt like I'd already seen that game a dozen times already this season. Yet again it was listless, passive, slow, no movement and negative. There was no zip to our play, no bite in the tackle, zero sustained team press at all, caught in possession constantly, passing was shocking and the crossing was worse than that. No invention, more individual mistakes, struggling to defend set pieces whilst simultaneously struggling to create chances from our own work that cunt out. Zero points when going behind combined with the most points lost after going ahead and all of this dogshit whilst playing the same system week after week, home and away regardless of opposition - we've become a dream to play against - both predictable AND passive, we'll give you time on the ball, space to knock it around and we won't try anything you've not seen in the hours of footage you spend preparing to play us too, aren't we nice, eh? And Howe just appears to just watch it unfold seemingly incapable or unwilling to change anything during the game or at HT, he watches his players tire, sit deeper and deeper and if he's brave enough to make the subs he largely goes like for like, it's just not fucking good enough and it needs to change at some point. How many more games like that will it take? This squad he's put together needs to get it's collective finger out asap or Howe's going to get sacked. That today, given the circumstances and nature of the game was fucking abysmal, an actual disgrace of a performance and I'll 100% include Howe in that too. I don't want to hear a single apology from the gutless cunts, their apologies are as meaningful as their own performances. To produce that standard of effort and passion in that type of game is unforgivable imo. Pressure is on Howe just to keep his job now and I'm not even joking

Genuinely think his refusal to sub tired players is now costing us points on a regular basis. His lack of intervention in the last 20 minutes was embarrassing, he just stood there and watched us give up the lead yet again, drop points yet again, didn't change formation, refused to sub off players who were obviously wrecked until it was clearly too late. He watched it all happen yet again. I love the bloke but he's got to take some blame at some point. It's his team 100% and if there's a constant issue then it's his job to fix it, that's why he's there. This issue has been there for months now and he's not even close to fixing it. He can't play the games himself but he's the one at the top of the tree and he needs to do a 180 on the mentality of his squad. Repeating the same mistakes game after game is going to get embarrassing, if it's not already. Thought Howe was shocking tonight

Got absolutely no idea why we were even bothered about getting CL football if we're going to play like that in the first half. What's the point in grinding out 38 games of PL football to qualify to then simply go through the motions like that pigshit in the first half? Why even bother if you're going to be so passive, so static, so impotent and so lethargic that you simply slip into flat lines and shuffle across the pitch when losing. How many more late goals will it take before we see a shift in mentality too? It's not unlucky if it happens several times a month. We're weak as fuck when trying to see games out and it's crucifying us in the PL and the CL. How can Howe stand there and watch it happen again and again again and still wait until we concede and then make subs in the 92nd minute after the horse has bolted and fucked off over the horizon? That's 5 huge points given away in this competition in the last 2 weeks, those points would have put us 3rd right now. Yet again I'm fucking livid with watching the same shit happening. I don't expect perfection but this is now endemic and a repeated and ingrained part of this team. Teams know we're soft as puppy shit and will roll over under the slightest of pressure and it needs sorting asap

The complete and utter refusal to acknowledge that Isak 'missing' his pre-season was 100% down to Isak refusing to take part in pre-season because he wanted to force his move through is massively annoying. Cunts like Warnock are trying to make it sound like it's some kind of unfortunate accident that he's unfit in December because he's listened to his agent and Slot and essentially gone on strike because he's a greedy snake cunt. The fucking spin this club manage to get out into the public discourse is ridiculous, I'll say it again, they're all absolute cunts

Can't wait to see that particular manufactured argument drip fed into various social media platforms over the next 24 hours

Absolutely loving the fans, Isak, Salah, Carragher and slot chewing bits from each other and spilling blood all over the parish, it's amazing. Don't particularly have a dog in the fight I just need it to continue and be as brutal and damaging for as long as possible really. The way this fanbase, Slot and Isak behaved towards NUFC in the summer was disgraceful and this is now the karma coming right back to them, I sincerely hope the whole thing turns to utter pigshit and they lose the fucking lot - money, players, managers, respect (stop laughing), future targets - the lot. They're fucking scum

Match their effort and we'll be ok. It's a huge game but we're much better at handling huge games these days, have a sneaky feeling the occasion could well get the better of some of the Sunderland players and they'll be waaaay too hyped up for it. Just hope the ref is strong and switched on

What a shame. Dreadful developments

Just didn't track the runners, simple and soft goal to give up

That'll do, pig

Swear that Konate looks fucking dogshit every single time I watch him. I maybe have just have been unlucky and caught all of his bad appearances and missed all of his great games but he's dropped a major rick in every game I've seen him. No idea what France or Real are thinking tbph