Beren

Is there any manager you'd agree replacing him with?

Question for those who want Howe to stay: if Alonso wanted to join, would you agree with replacing Howe?

Good question. I suspect if he did get CL next year, some fans would (understandably) be happy with that type of 2-year cycle. It would beat the hell out of the Ashley years, we've won a trophy that way, and arguably - without an Isak saga-blighted Summer - things might go differently next time. But my view is that the Isak-saga will happen again. Transfers of the likes of Hall, Tonali, Gordon could shape future Summers. Lynchpins like Bruno, Joelinton, Schar and Burn are getting older. And none of this really IMO satisfactorily explains the defensive frailty, transition-focused play and game management issues which require solving for the team to break out of that 2-year yo-yo cycle. Howe will always be a club legend for the cup and innumerable other moments, and should be respected for that. However, I've seen on here multiple times from multiple posters that if he wasn't as constrained by PSR, or if he had Arteta's budget he could do XYZ - I just don't think that's true from watching him have Newcastle's budget relative to the likes of Sunderland! Even with extra competitions as a partial counterbalance. Zooming out - taking domestic cups seriously and competing for European football is hardly "sky is falling" territory, but it's about ambition. I think ownership should see who is available if the ambition of wanting to be an elite club isn't just hot air.

Is this true? (Not clued up on this).

Seems to get far fewer pelters than the rest. Defensively very poor too I thought. A lot of crosses off his side with no pressure on the player.

Well done to Sunderland. A draw would have been a Sunderland win. A win (and sweeping Newcastle this season) is basically them winning a cup. Eddie Howe deserves to feel a lot of heat now IMO. If there's no one else to replace him, fine - but if it takes some heat to force him to see some of his glaringly enormous blindspots revisited, then good. I do hope the club are genuinely looking at this point. He's had two cracks at managing a European campaign alongside domestic, and it's gone really poorly both times. And more than that - you can't really say he's learnt a lot since last time in terms of how we play, how we control games. There are extenuating factors around the summer transfer window - but he also brought in players he wanted like Elanga and has overseen continuing defensive frailty and a team ethos that is focused on quick transitions to a painful fault. He's also had more financial backing than arguably any other manager in the history of the club (albeit in an era where there are multiple clubs with such backing, and a bit more). The buck stops with him. Willock. I'm sure he's a nice guy and sorry to pick on him - but I don't want to see him play again for Newcastle.. I can only imagine what the repeated injuries early in his career did to him, but he does not have the heart for this game now. Regularly loses 60-40 balls (when he is the 60). Eddie Howe now has to scrape this lot up off the floor - hoping no one gets injured on the international break - and try to get a run going to backdoor into the Europa Conference or something.

Great performance from Brobbey tbf.

Deserved. Bringing on Willock was a terrible, terrible decision.

Sub off Willock.

Trying to re-establish possession and confidence on the ball, and he gives it straight away

Fucking take Trippier off

He's been a bit questionable with his back to goal, but he's getting involved. Showing for the ball, making good runs (e.g. the header), been committed, dribbled aggressively (shot into the side netting). It's the simple stuff he is not very consistent with which is frustrating. He doesn't always know when he has time, and when he doesn't. It's a positive trajectory IMO.

Only quibble that half is that the match isn't sewn up. Great effort after midweek in particular. Hall, Elanga, Wolte and Gordon have been bright. Ramsey doing great work in midfield too.

That's enough of the hollywood balls please Trippier.

Howay Brighton. Be annoying to someone else for a change!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/videos/ckgzg0598ggo Pretty good analysis of the tactical mistakes. Not new - but the slowed down visual is useful/painful

I disagree. They showed resilience to dig in after going 1 down and 2-1 down. I think there is a bit of tactical naivety to keep playing basketball with Barca when you're chasing the game and have gassed players. It's going to end messy.

Conceding that second goal was the most annoying for me. A proper shoot yourself in the dick goal to concede. That is not hard to defend but we've been so susceptible to that type of shite playing in a league that has a permaboner for set plays. Annoyance will take a long time to unwind.

I agree. Too many players rotate in and out of teams for "teams" to learn lessons. Especially if we're not in it next year. Howe has a big job to be his usual dignified self and pick them up for the weekend.

Feel bad for the lad. Can't even brag about scoring a brace in the CL at Camp Nou to his grandkids one day. "Oh aye what was the final score?" "Nvm"

Back to the Stoke City league for a while I guess.

Ah well. Maybe next year. It is a shame that some incredible performances in the first three quarters of the tie will essentially be washed away into obscurity by the mega-collapse this second half. The goals conceded first half were super disappointing. But you can't really call them out-of-character or aberrations. They're every much a part of this team's identity as all the good stuff we've seen. It's a painful scoreline. Some learnings: - Similar to the Man City game, the gap to the elite remains jarringly huge. - Lamal knows in his heart of hearts Lewis Hall is better than him. - Football still hurts.

Bit of a hallmark of the season really.

Why is Tino not playing