Sifu

It is Lee doing those ratings mind.

A distinctly "meh" performance. He can't play in a midfield two, doesn't get stuck in as much as he should. The fact that Shelvey is our best CM atm (and fair play, he's played out of his skin since Howe came in) should say something.

While tonight's result is an absolute downer and things look rather bleak next month, there's still that hint of hope in my mind that we'll stay up - we've improved little by little as a team so call it blind optimism or whatnot but once we become a real cohesive unit with Howe's ethos fully instilled (and with the right individuals in the team), I can see our fortunes changing. For the first time in a long time, all fans are fully into it all again with a sense of hope. The fans will be just as important as the players. It's going to be tight finish come May and it won't be pretty along the way but I'm still just about of the opinion that we'll stay up. 4/10 atm.

Utter fucking cunt.

4-2-3-1 I reckon.

I notice Wilson is captain tonight. Must mean Shelvey has been relieved of vice-captain (good)

Currently making my way up for the match, feeling ok at the moment but fully expect to shit myself with nerves once I get inside the ground...

I think that's the plan long term, it used to be a separate club until 2016.

4-0 NUFC win. A dominant performance, by the far the better team and could have easily been 6/7.

FA Cup today! Only a 12 minute taxi from my flat so will be in attendance.

We'll stay up by a point.

Fuck off Stuart Atwell, you fucking cunt.

No Fernandez anywhere...

I'd forgotten how strenuous it is walking up those stairs to L7 Regarding the line up, wouldn't have Clark in there but will trust that Howe will have them set up fine

Was basically what happened with Son before our game against Spurs...

If, under Howe, Shelvey decides to change his attitude and approach to actual games (that is, significantly reducing his "Hollywood"/lazy long passes and developing some form of awareness of his surroundings when we're defending [and therefore actually concentrating]) then fair play to him - I'll go even as far to say that I might start liking him and I'll be content enough to keep him in the squad until his contract expires. However, I don't hold much hope that he'll change his attitude and ways owing to how he was under Rafa in the 2018/19 season. It's make or break for Shelvey for the rest of the season.

Once Howe sees Shelvey blowing out of his arse after 10 minutes in a competitive game and not track back, his opinion of him will change instantly.

Officially going to this now! 15 tickets have shown up on the box office website (spread between Leazes West and Milburn).

My mate will be happy, he's about the only person I know who rates Shelvey.

I wonder if she caught sight of the banner of her?

My first game since the Rafa era too. I'm not expecting much from us but really, what I'm looking forward to the most is just walking up those steps to my seat and seeing St James' Park in its full (cleaned up) glory and finally being back home.

The main improvement I've seen so far is we seem to be actually closing down the opposition a lot more defensively compared to previous matches (though that should be one of the basics anyway).

Not too keen on the personnel chosen but Jones did say yesterday that the players will "know their jobs" so I'm hoping that it'll be more the system/tactics that gets us through today.

GET IN! Good riddance to the rotten cabbage.