Ashley17

Kind of funny isn't it how we got DR Congo to leave him with us for the AFCON and now as they are about to play a World Cup playoff he's had hardly any minutes in the build up.

We had neither at Chelsea… bit of a different ask this time though

Saw that Di Marzio rule him out of the Italy games with a groin injury

Did you live through the nightmare that was Benfica/mackems 2013?

I have been watching the game from the Nou Camp in 1997. We started Disco Des in midfield ffs. Trying to upload the VHS but UEFA are all over the copyright. Here are the lineups from the most forgotten meeting

I fucking despise the either/or question because it usually ends up with us winning neither

This is all well and good but they will let us have it and sit deep. We don’t create well in that scenario and then we end up over committing and getting picked off. It’s absolutely the way to play against us

Very kind of you to say. The full list is here, I have been short of time recently so haven’t been at it for a few weeks.

Probably their first really bad result since August when they lost to Huddersfield and Burnley. Also I hate the DOGSO interpretation these days. How is it not a clear opportunity to score when there’s no goalkeeper? Yes there’s a defender but it’s barely relevant, as long as the ball hasn’t gone hideously wide or off the pitch entirely it is a clear opportunity to score.

Absolutely no chance given his age and history

Given the paucity of midfield options I wonder if we'll do the 3 at the back thing and have Botman pressing 60 yards from his own goal again. Would allow him at least to play Murphy as a wingback if he doesn't want to run Trippier into the ground but it seems like regardless of the minutes accumulated, Trippier and Burn will play along with 9 others.

Probably been analysed to death over the years but how Tino didn’t get a red card in this match is quite something. The head butt at the end and the proximity of the liner, who I can only assume is a Kavanagh

They are weird as fuck. I was sat in Level 7 right on the divide and their fans are basically AI generated. Support the entity and not the team. Young 20 nothing year olds singing about Shearer sending us down, other than a brief Casemiro song everything else was about the past, players who haven’t played for them for 20 years or more. They all left when Osula scored. Entitled fuckers.

I’m excited to see how this season can kick us in the nuts yet further. Defeat? Probably. Concede goal to failed transfer target? You bet. Start well in big home game, lose following totally avoidable mistake? Sounds likely. Terrible referee performance or late goal? Why not both eh

He is/was the director of football

A montage from the news at the end of 94/95, featuring some highlights from the European run and a couple of very 90s montages

Also he's 29 and there's barely an ounce of fat on him. 29! He's not dead. His legs won't fall off on his 30th birthday.

Everything about this screams miserable. Moyes, their decent away form, a low block, our general stupidity, king of the gimps in goal for them. Find a way to win because it’s not going to be pretty

Strange night. Not many of our players covered themselves in glory but hard night to give a fuck with such a huge lead. Absolutely fair fucks to the Strawberry Corner standing bit as they were the only atmosphere in the ground. Joelinton looked devastated to come off but he had played well. Nick was hopeless bar a great ball for Jacob Murphy, Alex Murphy was one of the better performers. The front line was very disjointed, Osula was found wanting really but nobody really shone at the top end of the pitch. Let’s never speak of it again, onwards and upwards

Trippier and Tonali again…

Anyone with kids or maybe just longing for the days of Corinthian figures, SoccerStarz are releasing a set of our players for the first time. Bruno, Tonali, Joelinton, Gordon, Burn, Botman, Hall and Livramento confirmed so far.

Any excuse to share one of my favourite NUFC goals but it was on the tape I was sorting out last night (oddly interspersed with the Queen visiting the North East to open The Riverside at CLS).

Ramsdale J Murphy Botman Burn A Murphy Joelinton Willock Osula Woltemade Barnes Gordon If Wissa is back he’ll probably tell Gordon to go nuts for a half and then bring Wissa on at halftime. This is my best guess based on minute loads but knowing Eddie we will get Trippier, Hall and Tonali all starting

An irrelevant point but I feel against these the liners flag us offside instantly whereas they let City play out attack ls for far clearer decisions. It happens every time we play them and it does my head in. Watched the first half, put my phone in airplane mode and watched the second half when I got home from a gig. Lad in front of me was browsing here at half time, sensational stuff. We had City wasting time from 60 mins, if we play them another 5 or 6 times we might nick a draw. But that was good tonight, need to back up the improvement away with a return to form at home.

He has had a couple of decent games, which is nice. Let's see how he does in a home game when the opposition are a lot deeper. I think any striker is only as good as the system, his earlier games this season as a centre forward the team wasn't really functioning. In this setup it's been almost a diamond up there with the 2 wingers a lot closer to him and Nick (or Willock at Spurs) playing in the pocket behind him. It just feels better connected now and we are pressing high up again.