Theregulars

Stop pissing yourself by reading

Go and have a read of the Waugh and caulkin article. I don’t believe I’m over reacting, I believe those are fair questions that he should face. Perhaps you have the answer - can you make a case that Paul Mitchell has made a positive difference to NUFC?

They’re all questions that journalists should be asking. Perhaps you can answer - what’s he brought to the role?

A typically dullard response for someone with no imagination to engage with an argument. If you were hired to do a job and, in 2 months, made no discernible positive difference, would you tell your manager to stop wetting themselves if they called you out? This guy hasn’t made a positive contribution.

Not necessarily a plan for overhaul, but we expected the sporting director to identify players for purchase to improve the squad. There’s no evidence that he’s done that.

Why is he employed by the club? What does he bring to the role? What is he actively working on to improve the club? Why - as supposedly one of the best scout network bods - has he failed or declined to identify anybody who can improve the playing staff for a PSR-friendly package? There’s no analysis of the transfer window available that paints this guy in a good light. Zero fucks given at what he’s done before, at Newcastle he’s at best done nothing or at worst proved an active detriment to the club. As pointless as he is bald. Get to fuck - just another shill.

Simply not good enough.

Underwhelming AF. Why bother hiring him this summer?

Expect a fairly sound beating.

Almost makes you think that you could do other things with your time

I think part of the gripe is that the club is back to looking disorganised and a bit foolish publicly (rightly or wrongly). It’s not long gone since that was our daily reality, and nobody wants to go back there. The PSR point is a big part of it but I think it’s reasonable to have doubts that nobody was realistically available to improve the squad. The club simply have to get better / more realistic about selling fringe and deadwood, although I accept that we can’t just force people and that Howe would rather show inclusion and kindness. There are some things that are just ludicrous and unprofessional to me: the keeper situation, the handling of the Gordon thing in public, de-captaining trippier when it turns out we still very much need him and being involved in a pretty squalid saga with a blowhard chancer like Steve Parish. I had hoped having someone like Mitchell would mean people like parish could be fairly easily dealt with.

Great summary. Needless loss of vibe and momentum as well. Completely fucking needless.

Whatever the circumstances and whoever is at fault, guehi has passed up or been denied a major career opportunity. I hope we don’t go back in for him.

How this lot fail to appreciate how much Eddie Howe has contributed to them having a job is the most jarring aspect of it. Lacking in any measure of morals or responsibility.

What he omits from his narrative, or what wasn’t asked, was an explanation as to why the club felt there were only 4 or 5 attainable targets to improve the playing staff - not least when the club have paid (presumably) high dollar for one of the allegedly greatest scouting minds in the modern game. That’s part of why I say “gaslit” - I don’t think what Howe and the club are saying stands up to any journalistically responsible level of scrutiny. It can’t be stated clearly enough: the club has failed its objective of improving the playing staff for this season. That’s a serious failure and one which forms and unhelpful narrative about this season when we really could have done without one on the back of a previous season full of pretty bad narratives. As a result, the sentiment around the club - and apparently inside judging by what he’s said - is needlessly and avoidably negative. In my view it’s a stupid and irresponsible risk.

I don’t mean just that interview - I mean the whole transfer window. I don’t think Howe or the club have been up front with fans. I just don’t accept that there’s only a small pool of players that improve our team. His hissy fit about Mitchell set a needlessly awkward tone and came across as an unwelcome power play to me. As I said earlier, I’ve no idea what’s gone on, but in my opinion (and it’s only an opinion) Howe hasn’t helped himself this window.

I don’t think it’s pandering, I just would rather the club came out and said why they haven’t signed anyone as opposed to weird noises about small pools (which are factually inaccurate - there are so many players who’d improve us) and ensuring things fit for him. I don’t know and won’t know what the truth is but on balance I’m not sure Howe’s played a blinder with owners, squad or fans.

I read it as a pretty obvious bit of gaslighting tbh. Fans are rightly fucked off and, rightly or wrongly, he’s had some part in the problems and the badly managed messaging around expectations. We’ve been very united behind him and his team for his entire tenure, including a poor effort at times last year. The club hasn’t delivered on even the most basic of expectations (improve the squad), and fans are understandably miffed and confused. He’d do better to just say “we had a bad summer and made some mistakes”.

Seems pointless to me. Failed his first big test pretty badly.

I have to be honest, I think the club has gaslit fans a bit this summer. Really poor show from all involved.

A bouycoutt

Ah kanaaaaaht

While a lot of the negativity is over the top, I don't think it's unreasonable to conclude that something isn't quite right between the different departments of the club. Whoever is at fault sucks and has needlessly made our campaign a lot harder.

You are, of course, right - it is everybody else other than you.

Looks negligent.