greydos

I watched him a lot today and his role in this team is so difficult. He’s basically being asked to play like a target man, he has to stay high and wide left with Willock upfront so in line with him and Burn miles away in the back 3. It means he receives the ball back to goal with a full back tight on him as the opposition have ages to read the pass coming (having pressed us out of a right-side possession). I think we saw him play better under Bruce as he picked the ball up deeper and ran at defenders, rather than receiving the ball back to goal and having to hold off the defender, turn them beat his man, with no-one to pass to. I think this is one area where Howe’s tactics can be questioned. Maxi should be allowed to drop deep and get the ball on the half turn from Joelinton/Longstaff before progressing it on the dribble.

It was a lovely stadium reaction to Howe, and Tindall who left the stadium on foot out the front door and signed loads of autographs. We played really poorly. We’re a bit like England at the EUROs in style in that we’re solid and competitive in midfield but we don’t have the technical quality and control of Italy’s midfielders where we can progress the ball upfield through the midfielders. We always have to go round the side through the full back or play a channel ball. Someone like Jorginho at DM would’ve massively improve us in the short term. Burn’s 3rd centre back role means it’s so hard for Maxi compared to Almiron. Maxi always receives the ball from the 30/40 yard pass on the deck fizzed into him, with his marker close buy and he’s back to goal. Almiron gets nice short passes from Trippier’s with Longstaff an option nearby. So you can’t really compare the output of the two players as the system is completely different for them both. We really need the LCM (Willock today, Gordon nominally after, though he played as a 10) to get much closer to Maxi when he’s going to receive the ball. Just my perspective that it’s not his fault he isn’t creating much or contributing much as the system’s letting him down badly

Yeah teams seem to have worked out that you can’t play traditional crosses against us, I.E above head height for players to attack on the penalty spot as our giants win the first contact. So they’re going for low shoulder-height crosses to win the near post flick and it’s working time and again against us.

Jonjo Shelvey was taken to Forest because Steve Cooper loves the was Shelvey: “doesn’t want to coast through games!” Mwahahhahaha ridiculous https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/10/jonjo-shelvey-leaving-newcastle-was-hard-but-i-cant-say-i-regret-it

Byker? I always thought that was a fictional place but I’m from Cardiff so what do I know?

No way does Bruce risk a slow player allowing his pies to go cold. He has the pies with him; the player sprints to fetch the ketchup

Think Agent Mitro’s well and truly blown his cover! edit: spelling

I’m in the Bournemouth box for this one. Apparently we get an interview with a player after the game. Hopefully I’m asking them how it felt to chase shadows on the way to getting tonked 4-0!

Surely Robotman? He doesn’t seem feminine at all to me! Or is that just you reflecting the fact you’d love a cuddle of him?

I don’t care just win. Even if it’s cause Rashford misses the decisive penalty. Just win!!!

Home (Bristol). Because, I’d rather win in Bristol than lose amongst Manure fans in London. A manure supporting mate asked me if he got 2 tickets would I want to go with him. The thought of being in the red zone if we lost, no thanks can’t face that!

I must admit I was right in the “anyone but Gordon brigade” but I’ve completely turned like the fickle but loyal newcastle supporter I am. Helps I have experience of doing that with Bellamy, although I was aided by the fact he was from Cardiff like me so easier to like him!

You probably can imagine: just close your eyes and think about what you do when your partner invites a new friend around for dinner? You put a bit of effort in, cook your favourite bolognese dish or whatever, use the posh plates and cutlery, make the odd spillage in the kitchen, or when setting down the plates on the table, make nervous uninformed chit chat. It’s all okay but frankly amateurish. That was Ashley’s United, pay the people as little as possible and provide no resources so that their output is no better than an amateur’s. (No offence if you’re a top notch cook and host, I’m more commenting on me to be fair!)

I’m almost as pleased we have Tindall as I am we have Howe! Guy’s a proper character

I'd prefer Bruno to stay deep. Gives us an edge over the opposition to have a DM who can pop up with goals and assists. It's a much bigger point of difference against say Man City (Rodri), Manure (Fred), Arsenal (Xhaka) whose DMs you know are unlikely to directly harm you. Plus, to have Bruno at 8, you've got to have a DM who he [Bruno] is fully confident will be press resistant and able to play good progressive passes, otherwise Bruno will have no confidence to advance ahead of the ball as if we lose it he's out of position.

Joss Stone was known for it!

Just cause he’s Scouse it doesn’t mean he’s gonna rob something or assault someone!

Please no sign this guy. Please no sign!

Pope saves Tchouameni’s goal against France. For all Pickford plays well for England his hamstring and glutes can’t always make up for his tiny arms

16. Plus 1 for the goal difference improvement

Soon

I want to sign players who’ve been class elsewhere, and the only question is will they be class here? (Bruno, Botman, Isak). Gordon has been anti-class in his minuscule career. it’s great Howe can work wonders to improve players, but going forward we should give him better players to take a fair fight to the Big Six.

There are plenty of photos of him walking about wearing Granny’s blouses and trousers! Some of the pics are earlier in this thread

I mean, can we really stomach placing the beautiful emergence story of Bruno, his dad’s taxi, thinking he wasn’t good as football as a child, leaving home at 15 in Brazil as an only child, struggling to make friends in a new city, then moving to FRANCE, establishing himself as champions league Quality, persuading him to come to Newcastle’s project adding to him Sven Botman, a wonderful player who left Ajax to forge his own character as the world’s most cool and destructive defender, signing Isak, Sweden’s great young hope, so Bruno’s thinking this project is worth the hard years of sacrifice as like quality is being added to the squad, only then to follow up that project with Anthony F&*¥ing Gordon! It’s abysmal!

He’s bang average. A little gas on the dribble in open space but that’s about it. And he seems like he’d be a horrible git in a worse than Bellamy/Barton way. He’s like a git without loyalty. He’d be a git to the club, teammates, Howe, everyone. He wouldn’t be our git, he’d be a git in our midst! Frig that!!