Benwell Lad

Yeah. Needs a significant moment in a game, goal or assist to lift the weight off his shoulders. It will come.

We need to rise to this again. We were hurting before last night but we rose to the challenge and went some way to righting things. Sorry about the 12.30 kick off lads and lasses but we need to be so up for this and create an atmosphere that will rock the place to it's foundations. We're going to be up against it with so many players out, but often adversity has produced our most memorable performances. People on here have been hankering for an atmosphere lately. Let's everyone fortunate enough to be in the stadium make it happen, no open criticism just stick together as we do and unrelenting support from the first whistle to the last.

I always enjoy watching Fulham, they've got some excellent players and play some lovely fluid football. Maybe if they changed to a perma low block, lots of fouling and cheating, virtually no possession or shots like some other teams do, their results against us might improve.

He's been pressed into some service already for a 19 year old and as stand in RB against a very quick breaking Fulham team he coped so well, as he always has. His ability to come up with vital goals, as well as his all round game, makes him a truly exceptional player.

Thought the atmosphere was quite decent tonight considering many supposedly weren't too bothered about the result. Certainly better than a couple of recent games. Great reception for Woltemade when he came on

I agree. He's obviously a great coach and man manager, but he has been used to time between games on the training ground and he's definitely a first choice XI manager. Like anyone he will have to evolve, and in fairness he is showing signs of it, but its like one step forward two steps back for him at the moment, mainly due to circumstances outside of his control.

If not quite the perfect storm of negative occurrences so far this season it's not that far off. The pre-season transfer saga being played out so publicly, the proven striker replacement being injured immediately, the long awaited Almiron and Longstaff upgrades not actually being that (yet?), both fullbacks being injured and their replacements too, two of five CB's remaining, Joelinton and Tonali's (hopefully temporary) demise, a schedule too demanding for a club not quite ready for it yet, and all culminating in the most depressing and demoralising of performances on Sunday, losing to a goal beyond freakish. Apart from Sunday it's hard to see where EH could be considered culpable ? He remains the man for the job and we remain fortunate to have him, but right now is the biggest challenge he's faced in the four years here.

Yeah, it takes some kind of saddo to want to spend valuable time on a platform created for fans of a club you obviously despise. Like the saddos who want to take their children along to stand behind a line of police so they can gesticulate and hurl abuse at people they've never met before.

EH has to stay and I'm pretty sure he continues to have full support where it matters. It's been an awful season so far despite CL football and a cup QF, which sounds crazy as those things would have made it a brilliant season not so long ago. He really has his work cut out to turn this around in the short term though with a continuing schedule of two games a week, more injuries to key players and underperforming new signings.

Bit OTT that like I'd actually say our match going fans are a pretty resilient bunch in general. Social media is probably a bit different.

He's actually not. Deceiving really. That said, talk of a future at RB is nonsense. It would be a fill in at a time of need, if at all.

Any top level footballer is fit enough to adjust his position in that circumstance. He knew what he was doing and he knew it would do damage.

Yes. The brutal knee to ribs assault on Dan Burn took away our only real leader.

An away game in the CL midweek had a big impact. Unfortunately we're just not a club who are in a position to compete in three competitions at the same time and it tells. Clear weeks and focused preparation make a huge difference and it's undoubtedly what EH excels in. It's a dilemma. We strive for European football but right now it impacts negatively on our domestic season.

Compulsory ticketing was the beginning of the end for the crazy intensive atmospheres these and other big games once had. Back in the day 10,000 pus would set off without a single ticket to not just derbies but grounds all around the country. It was a young people's thing and hardly an older person in sight. The atmosphere and edginess reflected it. Then came 2,000 all ticket allocations going to the "most deserving". Sold out stadiums in the Premier League are easy to police and administer. It's not going to change as long as demand generally outstrips supply.

Except one player was sliding away from the other and one slid directly into the other and let his knee go hard into the other's ribs. It was intentional and cowardly.

Shit game in which a shit team got beat by another shit team by a really shit goal.

Yeah .com's report is bang on.

Six out of the bottom eight are north east teams. Could be a log jam for the Northern League. Wish I had nothing more to think about than which non league game to watch this afternoon

I don't know anyone who it really cuts to the bone with who enjoys these days. In fact I don't know anyone who doesn't hate them. Those with a more casual interest maybe.

Although they're not really that good and analysis bears that out, I do think Le Bris is a smart tactician. To think the fickle twats were trying to hound him out at the end of last season and even into the play offs as well. Much as I rate Miley and think he should be in on merit I'd prioritise experience over everything else in midfield today.

Are there three two town derbys in the PL? And sorry Palace/Brighton just doesn't count

I'd beg to differ. It's being hyped more but means no more to the fans or players than those other derbys.

I'd say no more intense or passionate than any other two town derby like Forest/Derby, Pompey/Saints, Cardiff/Swansea, Burnley/Blackburn, Ipswich/Norwich, Wolves/WBA or others further down the leagues. It's just hyped more by Sky etc because Sunderland are a bit of a novelty in the Premier League and love indulging themselves in the underdog role.

You really only have to walk around and look at the architecture and history of the city and then walk around the pretend "city" to understand how they came about.