greydos

You’re 99% right. Just need to change it to: “The guy was and IS despicable.”

With a card like that, you have to think “how many women could I get!” Lol, no I’m being a big kid. When I was a child in the early 1990s, my bedroom wall was covered in posters of newcastle players from Match magazine and the like. Steve Watson, Clarke, Super Les, Peacock, Ruel Fox etc. That card makes me want to do that all over again! (Must put them up when the Mrs is away)

Next year Big Joe can be on the bench. His best attributes are basically ball-winning. That’s fine in a team that can’t hold possession as it means we always need to retrieve the ball. But with a more capable team, I feel we only need 2 very good ball winners in the middle. Merino-Bruno would achieve that. Then we can have a more luxury progressive midfielder to join up with the attack taking on Willock’s role. Say Paqueta.

For 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 Merino is my ideal holder/DM. Can win headers which means Big Joe can get out of midfield (and the team), loves to free himself in tight spaces and make simple passes. He gives us Shelvey’s ability to switch play between fullbacks, with better running, and the ability to naturally get the ball into our dangerous left side of the team (Maxi<>Bruno). Please let it happen!

For the free kick, I love how Trippier gets stuck into Allan, deals with the ref and then has the presence of mind to pick all the mud out between his studs so he doesn’t slip for the free kick! He’s a proper boss! Edit: Allan not Gordon

Is this actually for sale? I want loads of them!

Scandalous how most teams only had 1 or 2 men on him. Put 4 men on him and give him the respect he deserves man! It’s like sticking Houdini on stage in only a bit of rope and 2 padlocks. It’s still impressive when he escapes but I wanna see him break out of Fort Knox!

He seems the kind of rabbit that would drop kick the headlights as the car drove passed!

Can we have a flag celebrating the grit, class and determination of Mandy?

It is weird to say but I kind of agree with you. Shelvey’s basically playing as a midfield sweeper. Willock and Big Joe are the attack dogs that mostly press high. But there’s also an alternative phase play press where Willock and Joe sit in and Shelvey presses high by himself (ok he saunters forward, gets nowhere near the ball, then saunters back). Possible problem with Bruno sitting in is will Willock and Joe still feel able to press high given a new holding mid behind them? If one sits alongside him like in the formation a few posts up, it takes away the effectiveness of the double-high press from Willock and Big Joe Interesting problems. I’m looking forward to learning the answer from Eddie in the upcoming games

That’s an excellent reference! Let’s hope he cottons on and changes his initiation song from wonderwall!

Agreed. I think Howe has within his own mind an intricate understanding of the game and how to build a team to play well. It feels like Gerrard has that knowledge in his support staff, not in his own mind. I would love a journalist to ask Howe whether he fancies one day locking horns with Klopp, Tuchel, Guardiola, and how he feels he compares with them re tactical knowledge and team building. Also I’d love to know whether he thinks there’s a different style of football for succeeding in Europe. Hopefully these questions are answered in the next 3-6 years as we rocket up the table and tear it up in Europe under Eddie!

I hope you’re right. But I think Gerrard might go a full year from appointment until his team starts to nosedive. Gerard seems like a modern-day disciplinarian, who demands a lot and with high standards. Players normally tire of that trick after 2 years; but if he can keep buying new players to integrate and turnover the jaded ones he may keep up the performances a bit longer.

He needs to start positioning himself to nod headers down into Joe and Willock’s feet instead of flicking on as Fraser and Maxi won’t run beyond. In time Willock might do that. I think some people look at the best team at the moment (say Man City) and then judge all of our players by that perfect standard. Unless a player makes the perfect pass all the time, he’s called terrible or written off. It’s so needlessly binary. There’s a big sliding scale of playing ability. ASM is close to the top end. Wood is middle-ish. He’s not terrible and has room to improve as we learn to progress our team higher up the pitch consistently.

I’m shocked how much I really really like Matt Targett the full back. It’s like admitting your favourite flavour ice cream is vanilla. It’s dull as funk and unimaginative, but it’s the simplicity and reliability of it. You know what you’re going to get. It pairs well with sauce, sprinkles and other toppings. Fits well with hot brownies, sticky toffee pudding, crumbles, basically all heated desserts. It enables you to appreciate the flair stuff around it. Matt Targett is vanilla ice cream.

FYP

I think we might end up with Bruno in Joe’s position, and Joe in Fraser’s position, which is where he impressed with his pressing in Howe’s first few games. You’re right though, Bruno G. looks like he wants to go and win it up the pitch rather than wait for the attack to breach our midfield line and reach the defence. He’s not a shield he’s a sword!

“Probably” lol! Nice admission

Has to stay in the team. As the weeks go by he’ll be the key to linking the team with Wood. Wood plays nothing into teammates - we really should be putting balls into his chest and feet. I think getting Bruno in the team is massive. Willock will be able to move further up the pitch knowing there’s a good chance we’ll retain the ball and get quality service into the final third. I reckon he’ll get 3-5 goals by the end of the season.

You can see he absolutely loves defending. He just loves winning the ball back and blocking players off. It really comes across like that’s his favourite part of the game. He’ll do for me!

When i started supporting Newcastle in 1992 I never dreamed of receiving game-day content from a midfielder like that! Technology, professionalism in football, and most excitingly, Newcastle, has changed and improved so much since my youth! He better play well is all I know. I’m almost looking forward to his post-match celebration video more than the game itself tonight!

This is really Andy in accounts isn’t it?

Question: “clean sheet (so a possible draw) or match-winning goal/assist? (guaranteed 3 points)” Targett: “clean sheet! Yeah, just, just defend!” The exact opposite of the stereotype of our fanbase!

Don’t worry, years before that I told my mate that SBR was going to make Lomana Tresor Lualua (think that was his full name?) the best player in the world full stop just after we signed him! Didn’t turn out so well that prediction lmao

It’s a clip in the first 18 seconds here: https://www.nufc.co.uk/nufc-tv/latest-videos/shelvey-weve-had-a-good-couple-of-weeks/ Noticed Willock’s with the Brazilians as well. My midfield of choice that!