Decky

PIF are here two years and have spent hundreds of millions over four transfer windows. 8th should be worst case scenario now. I think we’ll easily finish top 8 and we’ll rally again after January and finish maybe top 6. Next season is the 4th season our owners are here and expectations are surely growing well beyond top 8. Especially after another two transfer windows. If Eddie can turn this round and get us top 6 imo he’ll prove he’s the man to take us on further.

Problem is we’ve spent a lot of money to the point that the owners probably won’t be happy with just a top ten finish. After two years and hundreds of millions spent they probably want European football regularly going forward, even if it’s just Conference League. Eddie has to turn this round in the second half of the season and it’s not just recent form, the away form for the whole season needs sorting out.

Everything we’ve done so far has been positive though, we haven’t seen them react to a failure to the magnitude of a bad league position.

Howe wouldn’t get anywhere near a relegation battle. We’re not a relegation scrap club now, any sniff of that and he’d be gone. Honestly a lot of us would be happy to give him another shot next season if he finished 9th or something but PIF would be furious that after getting Champions League football last season we’ve missed out on Europe completely this season and might think differently. We don’t know how they’d react to that.

I’ll be honest, my opinion on Howe won’t change for the long term but my opinion on our players will if they allow that to happen. If we lose it’s because they didn’t show up, and if they don’t then they don’t truly know the club tbh. Everyone of them has to know what that fixture means.

Losing to Sunderland is an embarrassment and a disaster lads I’m sorry. It’s not just another game to the local fans and that is largely what football is about. Losing to them is worth losing 5 games in a row and the lads deserve the shite coming their way to lose to a side vastly inferior to them know the implications of it.

I’m 100% for Howe being here next season no matter what happens but all this talk of top ten is ok is madness. We finished 4th last season, are people seriously saying 10th is ok after that? We’re not Mike Ashley’s club anymore lads, even Howe himself would say 10th or 9th was a bad season. Howe would want to forget that asap and move on but if we went and had a bad start next season off the back of 10th he’d be gone and that’s it. That’s where the club is now, we’re not midtable anymore we’re a club that wants to be in Europe. Tenth would be a disaster and Howe has enough credit to be given another shot but he’d be on the ropes. Our owners aren’t putting this kinda money into the club to be midtable.

Same 11 next week then? Howe needs to put these words into practice. Too many out there not doing enough and knowing they’ll be in again for the next match.

I do think we'll beat Sunderland but I'm struggling to see anything other than 3 more league defeats coming up. The team look shot to shit out there and its costing us against the likes of Luton and Forest so I don't know how they are going to cope with the high intensity and constant pressure of Liverpool (a), City and Villa (a), especially with our away form. Look at us for the last 20 minutes here, we can't even push Forest to try and get back into it. We're in big big trouble but regardless of what happens I still think we'll come back strong after January.

Massive month for him coming up. Losing to the mackems is unthinkable right now.

Nothing we don't deserve here. If anything Forest could have had 3 in the first half alone. A disgraceful performance today man. Totally out of character for them, what on Earth is going on.

Its ok we have City and Villa up after those.

Dan Burn man. Good God.

If we play anything like this in our next 3 league games we're in for a bad beating. This is shocking.

For the 100th time my arse. Only mention of it I can see was briefly in the prematch thread an hour ago and that wasn't official either.

This game would be totally different if we started Livramento over Burn. They're getting through us constantly down there. If that persists its down to Howe. Tino didn't deserve to be dropped to begin with.

We're winning but we're struggling for pace down that side. No point waiting for the.... Nevermind there it is.

I'm actually sick to death of Almiron man.

Tino needs to come on for that left side at half time. For the love of God Howe don't just send the same team back out.

We haven't been great here either to be fair. We're lucky Forest are crap.

Bruno.

Get Tino on at LB for the second half. Need a bit of pace back there.

Is Joelinton not on the bench anymore? Had him to get a foul on my bet and its void now.

I genuinely worry about those PL games in January man.

Something just isn't right with us is it?