TRon

Good read, and there is a reason why has taken a long time for fans to turn the corner, mainly because there is always the risk of going backwards. It's got to the stage for me now where I'm almost as worried about the dangers of compounding the bad season we've had by doubling down on the same mistakes again next season. I don't expect to be competing with Liverpool and City at this stage, but it's galling to see some of the clubs who are above us this season, having spent a fraction of the money.

Liverpool. Beyond those two teams I don't really care, although I always want the cartel teams to lose. Sunderland are just a shit stain on the whole region. Without them there, south of the Tyne is actually pretty nice.

Would love to see someone who could carry the ball through the middle instead of us just funnelling everything out wide and winging crosses in. Ramsey threatened to do it in a couple of games, but he looks like he doesn't really believe in his own ability. Bruno is probably as close as we've got at the moment.

Just look at the difference in Murphy when he doesn't have Isak to convert every cross into a goal. He looks hopeless. In previous seasons, whenever Bruno or Isak were missing, it had a massive impact on our results.

I switched my vote in the last poll as well, a couple of weeks ago, after the loss to Palace I think.

Him singing the Tonali song on the moor was the highlight of the whole event.

I voted no as well. If the club backs him, then I will too, but I just see ordinary teams playing better football than we do now. There has to be a better way to utilise the players we've got than we're seeing.

I watched his last video and he says he has been calling this all season. It would be a hell of a climbdown to shift positions now. I think he signed off his last video with something along the lines of " to those who were having a go at me, I was fucking right and you were wrong"

I don't know much about True Geordie, never really watched much of his stuff before this season, but his criticisms of Howe have been pretty well reasoned tbh. He could deliver them a bit more diplomatically I suppose, but I imagine "telling it straight" is his schtick.

Jackson didn't really enter my thoughts tbh, but he makes sense. Not sure he's a finisher either, but would definitely work better than either Wissa or Wolt in a Howe team. If you'd asked me last summer I would have thought Wissa was much the better striker, although obviously being close to 30 years old, not one for the future.

We are playing one game a week now though, rotation was needed earlier in the season when we were playing two. Not that I have a problem with it, I'm just hoping there isn't more discontent behind the scenes with another player looking at the exit door.

Believe it when I see it.

The problem with that hopeful scenario is that successful strikers cost a bomb. You mentioned Gordon and Livramento, but they can be replaced, we already have Barnes here so it's not that desperate. Are you assuming that Howe thinks he can get Woltemade and Wissa to start firing next season?

I think relatively new posters get jumped on quicker than long serving ones even if they make the same point. @Yorkie is normally a patient mod, and without really getting into the personal spats which end up breaking out here, fans are very loyal to Howe and will try to back him as far as they can. It doesn't mean they are right necessarily, but it's just a matter of opinion at the end of the day.

If you are Howe In then you better hope that's not the case, because the way SCR is set up we just won't have the money tor replace that many first team players in one window. Last summer's transfer window will have blown a big hole in our budget, and missing out on Europe and PL money due to lower rankings will make it worse. At least with a new manager you could cling onto the hope that the players who don't fit Howe's system might look better under a different one. Although realistically the truth is probably they just aren't that good whoever the manager is.

We'll get three points, it's just at this moment it's difficult to see where. If we could even grab a couple of draws instead of constantly losing that will do.

I think either he goes or Howe goes tbh. He might be a really good striker in a different team, I just don't see how he fits in a Howe one.

With this season review coming up, does anyone believe we have actually explored alternatives or would the board keep Howe on because it's the easy option? I ask because they seemed quite happy to muddle on with Eales as CEO even though he was seriously ill, and in the end had to stand down voluntarily.

There's still 4 games to go yet.

I feel we should have found a way to use him more considering we've looked shit up front all season.

Arsenal were under a lot of pressure and it showed. They scored their goal from their third atttempt at a short corner where Eze was left to hit the ball with no one closing him down even though he'd threatened to do it just seconds earlier. We huffed and puffed in the other direction without ever really looking like scoring. It wasn't a terrible result or performance, but we lost again. Personally I'm worried that Howe has lost the players and too many have lost faith in the project.

Generally the idea is that you have an overall style of play and if you need a new manager he should fit that ethos so you don't have to keep overhauling your playing staff.

Couldn't tell he was playing in the first half because he was hiding behind Miley.

Another nothing game. He's in danger of turning into the midfield version of Murphy. Both called Jacob. How about that.

For some reason we never seem to be on the right end of those fine margins.