Memphis

This has Woltemade me very very erect

In our position, in need of a PL-ready goal scorer, we aren’t spoiled for choice. Just how it is. We can relitigate the Isak shit, relitigate how shit our summer has been regarding a lack of leadership, all of that is fine and does affect things - but we are here, and we need goals. This guy will provide them. So I’m fine with it.

I get that Strand Larsen seems pretty meh but I actually like the idea as a Wilson replacement. He gets goals. That’s what you want him for. He’s an old school proper centre forward. Big, strong, harasses CBs, can finish with both feet and his head. Really excellent scoring numbers in a terrible Wolves team. With the service we should be able to provide, this is the type of player we would want on the end of those crosses.

Seeing that incredible exertion while Isak is on his ass talking with his agent, it’s just disgusting what he has done to this club. Who knows how the players will react, but if it were me, I would have a very hard time sitting next to him knowing how much I had sacrificed while he selfishly watched us flail.

So proud of that performance. Deserved 3 points, certainly 1. I hope the squad fucking takes turns tearing into Isak and Gordon after that.

Fuck this shit

Cannot complain about the spirit of an Eddie Howe team. Inspirational.

MY FUCKING CAPITANO

and failing

Two things can be true at once: 1. Isak is a fucking piece of shit for doing what he has done and with him, we are a completely different team. 2. The club has known for almost two months that we needed another forward. Not getting one was a massive risk that has backfired. Stupid, idiotic, arrogant decision.

When you have a forward, it helps you score goals.

The more I see it, the dumber it gets. He had ages to avoid doing whatever the fuck he did to Van Dijk. Instead he steams into him like a fucking toddler. Surely you have to have enough common sense not to do that.

You cannot count on him when it matters. Compare Gordon to Bruno last year who knew he was one yellow away from a suspension and avoided it for two months. One guy has a strong mentality and the other is mentally fragile. Another dumbass red and a brutal suspension when we need him.

Gordon has got some kind of problem mentality in these situations. Too many times we are seeing insane decisions from a seemingly intelligent player. Appalling.

Barnes really needs to do better against Szobozlai. He’s been well beaten by a standin RB so far.

Completely dominant and down 0-1, typical. Wasted so many set piece chances. And so many other opportunities, too. With another forward, we could have had 3 or 4.

Have to assume we’ve been a little more coy over the last week or so but after the Liverpool game I assume we will pick up the pace. My guess (hope?) is that we have been taking this time to do one final assessment of the market as a whole, looking at different options we might not have originally considered, before really going after it next week. That would make the most sense. We don’t do snap deals so I’m hoping this is the part where we are laying the groundwork.

“Was Alex badly advised?” ”That’s not for me to comment on, that’s for Alex to reflect on.” That’s brilliant. The whole press conference is just a masterclass in communication. Exuding calm and control amid a storm. I can’t imagine what this would have looked like with some of our previous clowns in that seat. Eddie has consistently kept the door open and is making sure that Isak has a chance to reintegrate. Even if he personally disagrees, even if he personally hates the actions of the player, he is giving him plenty of public praise and almost portraying him sympathetically. That gives Isak an off-ramp to rejoin eventually without losing too much face. This is leadership at its best.

You’re going to hear the most aggressive “Alex is still a Newcastle player” through gritted teeth from Eddie Howe on Friday.

Cannot think of a player who has gone down more in my estimation so quickly. Always seemed to think he was a little too cool for the club, always a little detached, but I took that as something of a Swedish thing more than an Isak thing. Now it looks like that was just him being him. I wish Mitchell hadn’t fucked everything up. I wish the club had been smarter about handling this upfront. But that’s no excuse for him to make an absolute cunt of himself and to shit all over the fans and his teammates. He has made two amazing years evaporate in a few short weeks of selfish petulance. There’s no way back for him now.

Pretty sure Joelinton has justified his fee and then some in the last three seasons.

Related to Hojlund and some other targets, for me you cannot separate the signing from the club making it. Hojlund has been a disaster because he was dropped into a fucking cesspool with no consistent coaching, constant turmoil, fan unrest, etc. There's a reason why so many of their signings - pretty much all of them - went to shit. They weren't all shitty signings. They were signings in a shitty situation and had little chance to succeed. Look at Chelsea's array of wonder talents who arrived and immediately struggled. Take, for example, Joelinton. Big signing, lots of money, etc. Dropped into a shithole with fuck-all for a manager and no idea how to use him, fans on him immediately b/c he's an example of how inept the manager/club are. You get some stability around the club, new ownership, new manager, better environment and ideas, and the guy turns into a bargain. The opposite is true of a club like Brighton, for example. Very clear identity, very clear method of using players, very stable situation where a player can generally thrive and end up much improved in a season or two. Would Baleba, Mitoma, Caicedo, Trossard, Mac Allister, etc have made the impact they did had they signed in a situation like Hojlund or Big Joe? Doubtful. You cannot separate the signing from the team signing them. THIS IS NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OF SIGNING HOJLUND BTW. I didn't rate him before and still don't.

Woltemade playing against Bayern Munich in the Deutsche Super up right now if you want to do some live Dennis Wise scouting. Just missed an absolute sitter mind.

Big week ahead but lovely to see that our team ethos is still as strong as ever.