LionOfGosforth

They like a good premature celebration do Brighton fans

Lambert almost had to drag Shaqiri over to acknowledge the fans there

Appropriate. Two hopeless teams, artlessly faffing around for 80 minutes then Crouch moving like a pensioner Inspector Gadget bundles one in.

This game is enough to make your eyes bleed, fucking dreadful

4 consecutive home wins and only 2 defeats since new year. Phenomenal.

Glasses in pocket

First time in years i've been remotely confident of not getting spanked by these tossers. Worrying.

It's not about pleasing a player though. Why on earth should we not seek to get better? Yes, we're doing well, but that's hardly mainly down to our strikers. It hasn't worked out for Mitro for a number of reasons. Even with that said, he had a decent first season here. With game time, patience and trust/love from Rafa, I reckon he'd do very well here. It's weird because i'd guess that Rafa would probably be the perfect father-figure type coach to put an arm around him and guide him. By all accounts, Rafa is not the cold distant bloke Gerrard claimed he used to be in his Liverpool days. We've excelled this year despite our strikers, not because of them. Everything behind them is so well drilled and yes, that is 1 million percent down to Rafa.

I think most accept it hasn't worked out for him, those questioning it are just wondering what could have been. Nowt wrong with debating that is there? We've done fantastic this year in the end, don't think anyone is arguing that. I don't think anyone wants to "please one player" over the team either. What if a young lad, from another league, plonked in a shit team and expected to score 15+ in his first season, was instead given a bit of time to integrate and learn the tactical discipline required for a Rafa team, instead of being tossed on our scrapheap? All that going on while Gayle and the other lump have scored like 5 between them. Well maybe Rafa just decided that he can't and that's that. Fine. Anyway, he's finished here, just hope we get a fair amount of dosh from the inevitable sale and it can be re-invested properly.

Nah, you're wrong Great argument It's ok to love Rafa and admit he's wrong once in a blue moon kinell OK, well first and foremost he doesn't fit into our system, despite what you think of Gayle and.joselu in front of goal they follow Rafas instructions and work their arses off, this has a positive knock on effect for the rest of the team - defend from the front and all that. This is the fundamental reason he was never picked. Then you've got the rumours of.him not doing as he's told in training, not really endearing himself to the manager. Last season there were a few occasions where he started where he showed zero striker.instinct He's also mental. That aside.i quite like him and hope.he does well but Rafa got this one bang on especially if we end up picking up 20million for him. First point - 21 year old moves to prem from foreign league playing up top for a shit team, isn't immediately perfectly disciplined. Kick him out! Jesus, can't tactical discipline be drilled into a lad over time? A bit of a season and a few starts in the championship is enough now to determine he's a lost cause? Second point - work with him, put an arm around him, fine him. Third point - show me games this year when any of our carthorse strikers have shown instinct He's mental. Yes, maybe. None of those points shows Rafa got it bang on at all. It's all opinion and rumour. Granted my opinion is also just that

This is exactly what it's about. You pick a team, not a group of 11 individuals. If Rafa feels the team is better off with someone other than Mitro in it, then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean he thinks Mitro is "worse" than Joselu or Gayle, it means (in his best estimation), the team is better off as a whole with one of those two (presumably based on who the opposition is and countless other factors), on that particular day/game. Obviously it's a decision made in the best interests of the team. But the fact is, Mitro has scored boatloads for Anderlecht, Fulham and Serbia (seems to score almost every game at international level). It's not unreasonable to assume he could do so for us, but Rafa has decided it's not to be. He prefers strikers that basically don't score (but provide other needed team-work and attributes) to a striker who would score given enough time in the team, but one who does not contribute in other ways. Most people think strikers who score consistently are worth their weight in gold but we'll never know if he could be that for us because he was never given the chance others have enjoyed. He was given plenty of chances in the Champo with us but the fact is, he was comfortably out performed by Gayle and even Darryl Murphy. If he 'd played like this for us last season, he probably would have started the season as our number one striker, but he didn't and then any chances he might have had disappered with that brain dead elbow against West Ham. I've never been convinced with him myself but have been impressed by some of the finishes I've seen at Fulham.....who knows, perhaps the penny has finally dropped for him and he's getting his head down and listening to his coach.....something that wasn't happening here. I'd have to check but I'd be surprised if he started more than 6-8 games as first choice striker last season. I don't think that's "plenty". Recall he scored 4 in 2 against Preston, didn't score in the next game and was back on the bench right after. Basically Gayle played when fit and got in a rythmn until the injury in January. Gayle has so far been a complete failure in the prem, Mitro has scored goals in the prem, and in a struggling side as well. But he's not going to get the chance for us. He started 11, 14 as sub, apart from that great week against Preston, he never looked anywhere near as good as the way he has played at Fulham.......and certainly nowhere near as well as Gayle or Murphy either. Some of his performances were terrible, Blackburn at home sticks in the mind in particular when he couldn't even be arsed to challenge for headers. Like I say, maybe the penny has dropped for in which case, I hope he's here next season to challenge for a place. My point was, he got dropped pretty much no matter what he did. Mentally that's got to be difficult, knowing you're not getting a run. He already displayed a maturity issue but I thought that was somewhat understandable given he was a young foreign striker, expected to provide the majority of our goals in a struggling team destined for relegation.

It really doesn't. It's just an opinion on one aspect of the playing side. The man has worked miracles under this cunt of an owner, regardless of this. Yes, but maybe the reason Mitrovic had to go out on loan is because Rafa knew he needed quick results and to get a team playing a certain style of football with some immediacy. Had Rafa persevered with Mitrovic in spite of this, it could have been very damaging. Therefore it is hard to see it as an error, more as a cog in his great achievements with us this season. You could well be right, the results have been excellent since new year, a marvelous achievement on the pitiful budget allowed. The overall point is, nobody knows what he could have done because he wasn't given a proper chance, it's not like he was given 15-20 straight games and failed. So we'll never know and let's face it, not much point in debating beyond that because he's just going to end up a small footnote in our history anyway. Even the player himself has said he isn't suited to our style of play. What would have been the point of playing him for 15-20 games, to the detriment of the team? Ok, how exactly is playing Joselu dramatically different tactically (or otherwise) than playing Mitro? Both none-too-mobile big lads who play with their back to goal and who rely on good service? It's the same thing, only Mitro can actually hit a barn door. The lad is only 23/24, can't he be given time to learn some tactical discipline if that's the issue? I just don't believe this line at all. Maybe the penny will drop like you said and he's back next year. I'd think Rafa would be the perfect father-figure coach for a young lad needing some guidance.

This is exactly what it's about. You pick a team, not a group of 11 individuals. If Rafa feels the team is better off with someone other than Mitro in it, then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean he thinks Mitro is "worse" than Joselu or Gayle, it means (in his best estimation), the team is better off as a whole with one of those two (presumably based on who the opposition is and countless other factors), on that particular day/game. Obviously it's a decision made in the best interests of the team. But the fact is, Mitro has scored boatloads for Anderlecht, Fulham and Serbia (seems to score almost every game at international level). It's not unreasonable to assume he could do so for us, but Rafa has decided it's not to be. He prefers strikers that basically don't score (but provide other needed team-work and attributes) to a striker who would score given enough time in the team, but one who does not contribute in other ways. Most people think strikers who score consistently are worth their weight in gold but we'll never know if he could be that for us because he was never given the chance others have enjoyed. He was given plenty of chances in the Champo with us but the fact is, he was comfortably out performed by Gayle and even Darryl Murphy. If he 'd played like this for us last season, he probably would have started the season as our number one striker, but he didn't and then any chances he might have had disappered with that brain dead elbow against West Ham. I've never been convinced with him myself but have been impressed by some of the finishes I've seen at Fulham.....who knows, perhaps the penny has finally dropped for him and he's getting his head down and listening to his coach.....something that wasn't happening here. I'd have to check but I'd be surprised if he started more than 6-8 games as first choice striker last season. I don't think that's "plenty". Recall he scored 4 in 2 against Preston, didn't score in the next game and was back on the bench right after. Basically Gayle played when fit and got in a rythmn until the injury in January. Gayle has so far been a complete failure in the prem, Mitro has scored goals in the prem, and in a struggling side as well. But he's not going to get the chance for us.

It really doesn't. It's just an opinion on one aspect of the playing side. The man has worked miracles under this cunt of an owner, regardless of this. Yes, but maybe the reason Mitrovic had to go out on loan is because Rafa knew he needed quick results and to get a team playing a certain style of football with some immediacy. Had Rafa persevered with Mitrovic in spite of this, it could have been very damaging. Therefore it is hard to see it as an error, more as a cog in his great achievements with us this season. You could well be right, the results have been excellent since new year, a marvelous achievement on the pitiful budget allowed. The overall point is, nobody knows what he could have done because he wasn't given a proper chance, it's not like he was given 15-20 straight games and failed. So we'll never know and let's face it, not much point in debating beyond that because he's just going to end up a small footnote in our history anyway.

This is exactly what it's about. You pick a team, not a group of 11 individuals. If Rafa feels the team is better off with someone other than Mitro in it, then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean he thinks Mitro is "worse" than Joselu or Gayle, it means (in his best estimation), the team is better off as a whole with one of those two (presumably based on who the opposition is and countless other factors), on that particular day/game. Obviously it's a decision made in the best interests of the team. But the fact is, Mitro has scored boatloads for Anderlecht, Fulham and Serbia (seems to score almost every game at international level). It's not unreasonable to assume he could do so for us, but Rafa has decided it's not to be. He prefers strikers that basically don't score (but provide other needed team-work and attributes) to a striker who would score given enough time in the team, but one who does not contribute in other ways. Most people think strikers who score consistently are worth their weight in gold but we'll never know if he could be that for us because he was never given the chance others have enjoyed. And if you think he's wrong for that then that's your prerogative. It's my prerogative to trust that Rafa gets more out of this team as a whole without Mitro than with. Like I said above, I know I'd be on your side of the argument if it was any other manager but that's because aside from Sir Bobby and Keegan, we've not had a manager in my lifetime whose vision I trust. But Rafa falls into that category for me and for that, I'm disappointed it's not worked out for Mitro here but I equally have faith in whatever reasons Rafa has for not playing him. Totally fair and reasonable comment and I don't disagree with any of it. I just wanted the lad to be given a run in the team so he could be judged properly for us. It's not happening and that's that

It really doesn't. It's just an opinion on one aspect of the playing side. The man has worked miracles under this cunt of an owner, regardless of this.

This is exactly what it's about. You pick a team, not a group of 11 individuals. If Rafa feels the team is better off with someone other than Mitro in it, then so be it. It doesn't necessarily mean he thinks Mitro is "worse" than Joselu or Gayle, it means (in his best estimation), the team is better off as a whole with one of those two (presumably based on who the opposition is and countless other factors), on that particular day/game. Obviously it's a decision made in the best interests of the team. But the fact is, Mitro has scored boatloads for Anderlecht, Fulham and Serbia (seems to score almost every game at international level). It's not unreasonable to assume he could do so for us, but Rafa has decided it's not to be. He prefers strikers that basically don't score (but provide other needed team-work and attributes) to a striker who would score given enough time in the team, but one who does not contribute in other ways. Most people think strikers who score consistently are worth their weight in gold but we'll never know if he could be that for us because he was never given the chance others have enjoyed.

So he didn't play Mitrovic for months and persisted with Joselu stinking up our attack, losing us vital points week after week just so he could free up wages by loaning him out in January. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Some crackpots in this thread like. For some, it's impossible to say Rafa got something wrong, like they'll spontaneously combust if they say the words. Love Rafa me, imo he's wrong on Mitro. That's it.

Bit of a stretch but maybe mentally they switch off tomorrow and allow Birmingham to put the horrible cunts even more in the mire?

Nah, you're wrong Great argument It's ok to love Rafa and admit he's wrong once in a blue moon kinell

Huge difference between the prem compared to the championship , Look at gayle No doubt but we'll never know if he would score consistently for us in the prem because he's always in a rush to get him out of the team. Scored 4 in 2 games against PNE, didn't score in the next game against Cardiff and was then back on the bench for Leeds away. Nobody is scoring regularly or displaying the correct attitude if they're out of the team first chance the manager gets.

Rafa is just flat out wrong on this one, he doesn't get much wrong but fuck knows how he could prefer Hoss-a-loo lumbering around or Gayle to Mits. Just plain weird, he scores in every other team he plays for constantly. Couldn't care less if he's shite and lazy in training if he's doing his fucking job every week.

Having Marcelo in your team is like having Benny Hill playing LB