Yorkie

Don't think that's true; he was an important player as recently as the last Euros. There's limited really quality options for that out-and-out CM role after Rice. With any international experience at all you're choosing from Henderson, Philips, Gallagher, Skipp, Ward-Prowse, Skipp. Curtis Jones and Lewis Cook have had some involvement previously. Beyond that it's players who've barely featured in the England set-up. Willock, Mainoo. It's a huge shame for England that Philips has lost his way.

It'll be Rice and Henderson with Bellingham as the 10 I'd have thought?

Assuming there's no fundamental fitness issue which has impacted his form, Longstaff should be kicking himself. It's an area of relative weakness for England so he'd have had an outside chance if he'd built on his form from a year ago.

Nine attackers. If only Gazza Souths wasn't so ruddy negative.

Tbh it's extremely important that our players get international recognition if they deserve it, otherwise they might consider they need a move in order to achieve it. Depressing but I think it's true. I'm a bit relieved every time Bruno plays for Brazil, for instance. Agree on Gordon needing the rest but it'll be better for us in the long run if he gets a call up. He'd probably only feature from the bench if at all.

"One of the reasons it is not fun is because we are not seeing games like PSG v Manchester City at the moment - we aren't seeing the big games yet," Rzouki told Euro Leagues. "It is either the big games or the fairytale story, which was Ajax, Atalanta, Inter before." Two of the most successful teams in European history there. Fairytale indeed.

God Luton don't half drop their arses at times.

I only ventured to the Town Moor a couple of times during my years up in Newcastle so I'm not well-placed to comment but will do anyway because this is the internet... but from a distance it seems to me that its big weakness (as a piece of public open space) is that it's severed from its surroundings by main roads along every inch of its perimeter. Some of them will be less busy than others obviously but it nevertheless means that the site doesn't appear well-connected to any other leisure networks (the sheer size of it is responsible for that too). So rather than being one 'bit' of a wider dog-walk, for instance, it's basically a destination in and of itself, and probably an undesirable one because it's surrounded by roads. If there was any notion to maximise its potential then it should start with getting more out of it as a piece of public open space rather than building on it.

Independent sellers to take stuff to your seat Half time entertainment - Zorbs… More screens We like pyro Fan Cam Improve wifi, so people can do quizzes before the game The people behind these suggestions, were they answering a different question or something? How the fuck's any of this improving atmosphere? Absolute garbage.

Yeah. The stuff about finishing 11th and equating it to Howe's first season is a really frustrating take that ignores all context. If that happens, of course it'll be a disappointment because it means we've failed in our objective to secure European football, but it's essentially just one fairly meaningless statistic. There are five teams rattling around a dice cup in the race for 7th; how they'll eventually land is anyone's guess. Besides optics and negligible prize money, the difference between finishing 8th and 11th is meaningless and belies the reality that all were in contention for the prize of European football. It wouldn't be an indicator that we haven't progressed as a club beyond that which existed in May 2022. It wouldn't indicate that we weren't meeting our aspiration to be in contention for European places. And nor would it be an indicator that Eddie Howe is not the right manager for us long-term. If you consider our performances on the pitch to be an indicator that he isn't the right manager for us long-term; I think that argument has far more weight and logic than defining our progress by pointing at the league table in May. I'd still disagree, mind.

Haven't watched a single kick of a ball but really sad to see that it didn't work out. Made the point a couple weeks back that their season has been utterly devastated by really late goals that have swung loads of games - including turning wins into losses. Do kinda wonder what's left for him at the top level given the results at his last three jobs. Certainly nothing at NUFC.

Howay, of course he did. We were talking about it on a weekly basis less than a year ago.

Incidentally we do keep this up to date.

Howe said in his last presser that he wouldn't be back until April at the earliest.

Couldn't believe my eyes when Murphy rushed over to check on Mudryk when he rolled into the boards, ffs. Our lack of bite and nastiness is just another symptom of the whole situation. Brittle confidence, no momentum, playing within ourselves.

Not to mention being limited to subbing-on three products from an academy that's barely functioned for decades. Straw clutching but it was one of the few pleasing things about tonight: finishing the game with a midfield comprised entirely of academy players. It serves also to indicate just how much we continue to be battered by injuries and absences, like. We do keep scoring when Joe White is on the field of play though... ?

"Off you pop." Pretty brutal considering what these lads have given the club over the last two or three years in-particular, mind. Thanks now FUCK OFF.

Happy to backtrack on my comments about him at HT. I thought he got himself in the way to good effect on a few occasions to begin with but he was absolutely brutal in that second half. I've been an advocate for keeping him in the team despite his limitations, because he's got great stamina, he's useful in the air and he's got a goal in him - but if he's gonna play like that it's absolutely pointless.

Neville was making the point tonight that everyone's had injuries. It's a great point - brave, even - which you can't argue with.

Think it looked pretty ropey in the way he winced when bending. If it's a meniscus tear or owt like that then the amount of football he's played has nowt to do with it.

Aye. Was absolutely abysmal between the pair of them like but if there was any moment from tonight which was 'schoolboy,' it was Dubs not putting his name on that. He drives you mad, like. The Bramble of keepers.

Tonight is easily the most annoyed I've been this season, but it doesn't change anything about my view of the manager. We cannot gain any momentum whatsoever and that is primarily because we cannot name a squad that doesn't feature absolutely major absences. For all we were shite tonight; all you have to do is stick Pope in and we probably come away with something.

I was just coming back to make the point that, although it's not the reason our performance was so poor - we definitely can still bemoan the injury situation. Trippier missing, Barnes missing again, Gordon crocked after a few minutes. Not to mention the impacts still being felt from having no Joelinton and especially Pope. Meanwhile Willock's still not up to scratch and Botman has clearly taken some psychological damage from his time out. Bloke's miles off the pace. It's great having the likes of Anderson and Murphy to choose from again, but they're still much worse options than our first choices. Like I say, it doesn't explain the sheer limpness of that performance - but still our season continues to be defined by injuries.

Just absolutely frustrating as fuck. Probably the most frustrated I've been all season. We can take solace from the fact it doesn't change a huge amount in the grand scheme of things; the skirmish for 7th will probably play out until the very end. Just maddening that we've pissed away a really good opportunity due to a thoroughly limp fucking performance.