Rich

Precisely why I didn’t want him, along with the fact I wouldn’t want to be forced to listen to him talk multiple times a week. He may well serve a purpose there, but it looks like an amplified version of the Lampard at Derby scenario to me.

It is relevant, as much as I wish it wasn’t, and somebody’s profession surely doesn’t define the extent/limit of their knowledge? Who actually was it that asked the questions? Someone from Sky News?

The biggest thing for me is how sold he seems on the vision and what’s to come for the club. Exciting times ahead, can’t believe it’s actually happening. 35 days ago we had Mike Ashley and Steve Bruce, ffs, and not a pot to piss in.

I’m ambivalent about the source of our new money, to be brutally honest, as I would have pretty much taken any owners to be competitive again. I know that’s not great and probably says a lot about my character, but at the end of the day NUFC is about the football for me. My fury with Pardew and Ashley always stemmed from how they took that competitiveness (and a lot of the other things I loved about NUFC/football) away. However, this attitude doesn’t mean I’m buzzing about the Saudis and will defend them when sinister things like this rear their heads. We’ve got to be better than that, at the very least. We’ve effectively done a deal with the devil, pretty much as close to that as is humanly possible, so we have to accept the valid criticism that comes along with that. The questions today were fair and should continue to be asked. You can be happy with the football side looking up, as I am, but there’s really no need for anyone to completely sell their soul. Howe’s response today was perfect and will hopefully set the tone moving forward.

You’ve not covered yourself in glory these past couple of weeks, mind. Any more of this shite and it’ll be more than a warning next time. Think about what you’re supporting/advocating here, ffs.

Can we stop using phrases like “mongs” (and “spastics”), please? Totally unnecessary.

Thanks for that.

3pm Monday and 3pm Wednesday. Close enough.

Gonna get back in my lane and pull together average rankings from everyone so we can have a definitive N-O ranking list. Then it’ll be official.

Oh, howe the wum has turned.

Time to nut up and stop sulking about Bruce. He’s on the cusp of greatness here, hope he doesn’t fuck it up like Hatem did. Happily, I don’t think he will, even though his life is going to be very, very different from today onwards. He should be doing everything in his power to still be our talisman a year or two from now, and a regular in the France squad.

Something of a depth chart based on a 4-4-1-1: GK Dubravka Darlow Gillespie Woodman (loan) RB Manquillo Krafth CB(R) Schar Lascelles CB(L) Fernandez Clark LB Lewis Dummett RM Saint-Maximin Murphy CM(R) Shelvey Longstaff CM(L) Willock Hayden Hendrick LM Fraser Ritchie AM Almiron Joelinton ST Wilson Gayle Saint-Max, Ritchie, and Joelinton the only ones with “best” positions up for debate there, IMO. If Fraser is to be reborn, though, it’ll be on the left if his Bournemouth career is anything to go by. I genuinely think ASM is best on the right and though he probably disagrees, hopefully Howe won’t. That’s probably his best chance of getting into the France squad, too. Ritchie has always preferred to play on the right but hopefully will be bottom of the pecking order to play wide anyway. Who the fuck knows with Joelinton. I’d like to see him as the AM/SS, but not at the expense of Almiron eventually getting a run there.

Meanwhile, in the Bruce household, Steve has just rolled onto his back, rattled the walls with a post-kebab fart, and resumed snoring like a pig. His fourth lucid dream about bacon is about to commence.

Only 6 singles in L7 left now. We're not even close to being good (yet).

Would prefer him to get a P45.

'Best interview by far': Inside the meeting that secured Eddie Howe the Newcastle job Howe was of interest to the consortium and their advisors, but until a critical Zoom meeting he was seen as a peripheral candidate Eddie Howe did not just interview for the Newcastle United manager’s job, he explained why he wanted it, what needed to be done to keep the club in the Premier League and what he would do to improve the team in both the short and medium term. It was not a sales pitch, it was a comprehensive and detailed plan, addressing the immediate needs of a team that has not won a game since May, the type of players he would want in January to strengthen the squad and what his vision was for the summer and beyond. Nobody else who was given the chance to impress Newcastle United’s new owners were able to match it. Howe was already of interest to several members of the consortium and their advisors, but until that meeting over Zoom he was seen as a peripheral candidate. Bigger names, along with some boasting a few more varied and trophy winning CVs were seen as the front runners. All of that changed on that video conference call just over a week ago. Every single member of the consortium including and, most tellingly of all, chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, were won over. Howe was, in the words of one witness, “superb.” “It was the best interview by far,” a senior source told Telegraph Sport. “He had prepared meticulously, he knew the Newcastle players, what they were good at and where they needed to improve. “He has studied the squad and done his research. He was fully prepared for every question and answered everything thrown at him. He also knew about the club, the fans and what is expected of a Newcastle manager if they are going to succeed here. “Where other candidates talked in general about their principles, methods and philosophies, Eddie Howe was specific and tailored everything to what he would inherit at Newcastle. He had already identified where the strengths and weaknesses were, what the squad would need in January, as well as the type of players the club needed to improve. “But he also talked about his training methods, the tactics that would work best with the players we have now. There was a vision for progress. How he wanted to play and why. It was just a really, really strong and persuasive presentation. We all agreed how good he could be.” For Howe, time is of the essence. The plan is in place and now the 43-year-old is keen to implement it. “This is a wonderful opportunity, but there is also a lot of work ahead of us and I am eager to get onto the training ground to start working with the players,” he said as he was unveiled as Steve Bruce’s successor on Monday. “I would like to thank the club's owners for this opportunity and thank the club's supporters for the incredible welcome they have already given me. I am very excited to begin our journey together.” So why did Newcastle move for Villareal manager Unai Emery before offering it to Howe? It came down to profile, according to another source: “Emery was better known outside of England,” they said. “He is a big name manager in Europe and he was likened a lot to Rafa Benitez. That swung it in his favour initially but it was a split decision.” As a result, although there was embarrassment when Emery turned an offer down last week, after there had been briefing from within the club that he had told them he was coming, there was not too much disappointment. Howe had been the first choice of two of the five people who had voted. Even those who had preferred Emery had been conflicted. It was genuinely a close call. So when the Spaniard turned them down, Newcastle turned immediately to Howe. “He is a great fit for what we are trying to build here,” part-owner Amanda Staveley said when confirming Howe’s appointment. “We are delighted to welcome Eddie and his staff to St James’ Park and very much look forward to working together towards our collective ambitions.” It is worth noting that the reservations about Howe largely stemmed from two concerns. The first was that he had not managed a club of Newcastle’s size before, under the same media scrutiny and public expectation. The second, was the doubt caused by the fact Howe had suffered relegation with Bournenmouth in his final season as manager and his first priority would be to ensure the Magpies stayed up. The Saudi Arabians who run the club and effectively own it too through the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) do not want their first notable act to be relegation to the Championship. It would be a humiliation. There is no escaping the fact that Howe will be under more pressure than ever before at Newcastle. It is a demanding club to manage and the list of names who have failed and or been hounded out, is a long and illustrious one. Every decision, from team selection, to tactics, to substitutions, what he says in press conferences, even what he does in his social life around the city will be examined, debated and, in time, criticised. It comes with the territory and is on a completely different level to what he experienced and handled before at both Bournemouth and Burnley. The consortium who run the club, though, feel he can thrive in this environment rather than wilt. They believe the time was right for Howe to move to a bigger club, mainly because he stressed that was the case. He sounded ideal, as well as ready. He served his time in the lower leagues, winning promotions. He has kept a small, unfashionable club in the top flight for several years, now he is ready to show the manager people thought he could be at Bournemouth has arrived at Newcastle. Howe also brought vast knowledge of English football, the players, the personalities and top flight rivals. The one thing the new owners so obviously lack - and which has already been evident in a blundering start - is football knowledge and expertise. Howe will immediately add that. It is a huge boost, particularly ahead of the January transfer window with the Magpies yet to appoint a sporting director or a chief executive. Newcastle will have around £50m to spend in the winter window, and will also utilise the loan market, but they will not be making superstar signings. They need pragmatic ones; good players and good characters too. Howe made it clear he had the expertise in this field to make an immediate impact. He knows what is needed to grow as a football club, not just as a team, because he was so much part of the decision making process as Bournemouth rose from League Two to the Premier League. He already has an idea about who should be their main transfer targets. All this was given to his new employers during his interview. Every manager appointment is a risk, but Newcastle appear to have minimised theirs in choosing Eddie Howe. The time was right for him to return to football after more than 18 months out of the game.

He's my brother, you dafty. (I've clearly got no pals.)

Joked with HUGZ that if we get Emanalo the PL will suddenly change their rules on loans.

Can we not? We've just hired a new manager after years of Bruce, ffs.

Only about 150 tickets left for this now.

1) Klopp 2) Tuchel 3) Conte 4) Guardiola 5) Bielsa 6) Benitez 7) Rodgers 8) Moyes 9) Potter 10) Arteta 11) Lage 12) Vieira 13) Howe 14) Dyche 15) Ranieri 16) Hasenhuttl 17) Frank 18) Solskjaer

Was he definitely Gallowgate End? If he was, then fucking hell. A new low.

Lewis isn't right-footed, like.

Dubravka Manquillo Schar Fernandez Lewis Joelinton Shelvey Willock Saint-Max Almiron Wilson — Only doubts I have are either Fraser/Murphy instead of Joelinton, and not having a clue what the most suitable midfield pair would be for Howe’s style.

Other than Spurs, are any of them comparable to us in terms of media interest generally?