LionOfGosforth

All joking aside, he is very good. Speaks well and intelligently, understands the game.

You can keep Dubs, we've got the soothing tones of Efan Ekoku

Ah the joys of listening to Derek Rae attempt to pronounce every player's name in some mangled accented version that exists in his mind only

Krafth on now, Christ can't get away from this cunt

Even the Swedish females are boring and unappealing today

Tepid game, Larsson hasn't even been a total shithouse yet, another sign it's a poor game.

WTF Mbabu, hopeless cross

This club is really just not good for your health under Ashley. Stooge managers lacking even a smidge of humility and integrity and constantly on the defensive telling the fans to eat humble pie because a few games were won, regardless of the season being 90% dog shit, an entire media (save for the odd journalist with a bit of common sense and perspective) that tells us to stop moaning and be grateful for what we have, fans of other clubs constantly telling us we're deluded for wanting our club to try to be a bit better (Leicester never happened looks like) and on top of all that, a good percentage of our OWN FANBASE licking up the projectile spewed from the manager, seemingly unaware or too thick to notice the depth of the decline. At a certain point (reached pretty much the moment Rafa walked away for many and before for some), there's just no sense in involving yourself and being emotionally invested at all until the ownership changes. Not news I know but the realization dawns at different times and on different days sometimes. I've reached the point where his every statement upticks my blood pressure. Bruce is his own worst enemy. I've said it before but the man is incapable of learning from his mistakes. 20 years in management and he's still coming out with the same cliched nonsense, the same defensive tripe, the same rhetoric that is never challenged and only amplified by media, and when it is challenged, he just cries and whines about being attacked like a big fat baby. After a largely dreadful season, saved only by individual performances that brought a smattering of eye-catching results but to those who watch every week, no obvious design, plan or strategy, Bruce could have had someone knock up a decent statement about wanting to improve next season, to build, something to at least give a semblance of indication that deep down he knows it's not been great. It wouldn't have convinced everyone but it would have been something out of the ordinary, a recognition we can and should do better. How surprising he didn't bother and instead came out with more insulting rubbish. Another kick in the bollocks for the fans. Never known a supposedly professional man be so oblivious to his own failings, so thick and condescending. Has nobody in 20 years that he'd listen to, ever told him to change his fucking pathetic tune? It's all very sad when you boil it down. Myself and many I grew up with (many many on here as well i'm sure) have been going to games since the 70's in some cases. Weekends made or ruined by the scoreline, magical memories made throughout the Keegan playing and management eras, the Bobby era etc. This current shambolic era just isn't worth it to your health bottom line. I've tried not to care about results, tried to wish relegation on us so Ashley would go. It's exhausting and terrible. WE ALL KNOW WHAT THIS CLUB IS CAPABLE OF WHEN RUN PROPERLY AND WE DON'T NEED OUR THICK AS PIG-SHIT MANAGER AND OUR FUCKING AWFUL AGENDA-DRIVEN MEDIA TELLING US OUR PLACE. Sorry for the caps, this has boiled up within me a bit this morning. When i'm pissed off, brevity isn't my strong suit. Started out a short post on the effect on personal health and it evolved a bit tl:dr - Bruce, his son, the media at large and a percentage of our own fan base are cunts and if it gets to this point, which it has for me, it's all just not worth the toll on your physical and emotional well-being.

Clip of Jones there, looks like Stan Laurel

Watching the Leicester highlights. I know it's been done to death but Christ, what use is VAR? If it can't be used to determine that Vardy's cheated a pen (the second one), what the hell use is it? Most obvious simulation i've seen in ages, literally and deliberately locks his arm around the defenders arm and then propels himself into the air like he stood on a land mine and VAR couldn't overrule the award? Fucking useless.

Christ, Schmeichel with an own goal

It's like feeding time at the zoo. "Blah blah blah, ye asked we to torn up the day, wheah we yoo the day, Charlie Whyke telt us to fuck off". Can barely understand a fucking word they say

Anyone who lobs David Speedie into the stand is alright by me, Mackem or not

I think as funny as this is, i'll postpone the real celebration until after the second game like

lerl.

Actually hate them more than Sunderland. Always been a loathsome club. Filled with tosser players in the 70's, the 80's brought the Ken Bates era, Nazi bastard fans, electric fences, they were an irrelevance in the 90's apart from hoovering up quality Italian players thanks to their location and then Abramovich happened. Cuntiest club in the world.

I'd pay to watch Fred on a regular basis, like a one-man comedy show.

This could be an avalanche of goals if Liverpool keep attacking

State of that defending, Jesus

Mr Intensity marking with all the conviction of a dying jellyfish, Firminho scores

Pogba should be called Jogba, never seen a supposed world class player have such low intensity in the way he plays

There are many reasons to miss a manager like Rafa (and the other managers we've had down the years who truly worked their bollocks off to make us the best we can be). Almost too many to list. But when I listen to this man-baby spout his cliches and drivel yet again and talk down to the fans with a breathtaking lack of humility for how predictably shit he's actually been this season, it truly drives it home. I just miss having a manager I trust. Someone who I know is working behind the scenes tirelessly and endlessly to make my club the best it can be. Someone who gets the club, the privileged position he is in as the figurehead of a sporting institution. Someone who understand the importance of the community links and goes out of his way to always try to improve that. A real professional in every sense who always did his best to harness the support and treat us with respect. Contrast that with this immature, incompetent, embarrassingly unkempt, self serving, thin-skinned dickhead who's only priorities are himself, his bank balance and maintaining his undeserved reputation with his media pals. Melodramatic maybe but the man just sickens me with every breath he takes.

His face looks like a bowl of Ribena and look at the gut on this shambles man, looks like he swallowed a pillow

He's a male version of Karen.

This is what I cannot understand. Obviously he is a terrible manager, always has been, his record proves it. It's obvious he has zero integrity, has left clubs in the lurch several times for a bigger wedge, fine people do that, he's not the first. He has no qualms whatsoever about managing literally any club that will pay him enough, doesn't matter about clubs being arch rivals, he'll manage the lot. Again, not unusual, people without integrity do anything for money. I personally wouldn't manage Aston Villa or Newcastle, if i'd already managed Birmingham or Sunderland. Maybe that's just me. The main thing that gets me is, he NEVER learns from his mistakes. He just repeats, over and over and over and over, like a fucking worn out VHS tape. Even when he's smashed over the head with why he's a cunt of the highest order and a rubbish manager and a poor human, he just plows on regardless, doing the same shit. He NEVER EVER learns. Most people learn from mistakes, this bloke just refuses to. Then he has the gall to be smug about a couple of decent results too, instead of just shutting his trap for once. Relentlessly rancid is a good description.