Yorkie

Saying he's not a striker is just manufacturing a way to be forgiving, and also a bad shout in terms of finding a solution. He's a striker, and that's all he ever has been throughout his career so far. He's just very unaggressive, slow and clumsy, at least he is at the moment. Goes without saying that he and everyone else needs him out of the team ASAP.

Not especially but I'm not picturing months of misery. I can definitely envisage a drab exit from the Champions League, with us all concluding that it's an essential competition to qualify for but an uninspiring one to actually compete in. FA Cup, can't see it. If we even get past Bournemouth (which I wouldn't bet on) it's hard to imagine us having a good run given our inability to juggle tournaments. I do think the league is very difficult to predict; a lot will hinge on Wissa. If he finds his feet quickly it could re-shape our whole attack and that could be a catalyst for us finding some form. If he doesn't, we'll keep going in fits and starts and probably finish outside the European places. Opportunity knocks once again in the League Cup, as it has every year under Howe. Get through Wednesday unscathed and I can see us going the distance again.

Hes apologised ? Ah whey then thats ok, FFS See bit in bold. I'm talking directly about people whinging about his comments. I agree that it's all meaningless, that's broadly my point.

The important thing is that you were right.

That's a fair comment. You watch his highlight reels from Villa and there's loads of instances of him nicking the ball of opposing defenders or deep midfielders and forcing attacks. He looks very well suited to the 22-24 version of us.

I don't find it a baffling signing at all. We needed to replace Longstaff, he's a good player with a good track record in this league, and we paid a competitive price. What's baffling is that we can't get him in the team. The go-to continuously seems to be to question the decisions we made over the window but I'll stubbornly argue - until definitively proven otherwise - that the managerial choices game-to-game, week-to-week are the issue moreso than recruitment choices. Just can't understand why we don't play him. He's got the quick feet and attacking thread that we're so badly lacking at the moment.

Watched his press conference and fuck knows what anyone's whinging about with that. Anyone going after him for anything he's specifically said there is just searching for a punching bag. Not that it matters - but purely in the context of discussing people's reactions to his comments - he apologised, took accountability and was one step shy of calling his team a bag of shite. Nothing to see there, people can go back to criticising the things that should be criticised.

Stupid criticism. Anyone doing that sort of shit at a level any higher than the National League North would be a total moron, it's just not what you do.

Best away record in our modern history last season iirc. Maybe of all time? Can't remember the stat.

idiot

I mean it clearly is a transitional season because there's been a lot of changes in the squad. Howe deserves stick for the fact we're not a well-functioning team but losing Isak automatically makes it transitional because he was unbelievably influential to us. Other ingrained members of the first team squad left too. It's not an excuse, we theoretically should be better. But it's still a transitional season.

can we not. Both were absolutely wonderful achievements.

I haven't been convinced by him for a moment tbf, and the irony is that - for all the criticism of the transfer window - I wouldn't surprised if he turns out to be the worst of the lot, because he cost a ludicrous amount and doesn't look suited to the league at all. Thiaw is good, Ramsey and Wissa will find their feet (I predict)... Elanga probably saves him but you never know, he does have a good track record at this level. He just offers absolutely fuck all. Won't attack the ball, can't press, can't run beyond a defender, can't find space in the box. Absolutely useless atm.

Impossible to argue against the criticism but in a desperate search for positives, you just hope that he'll improve with the team. He's poor in a bad team, it's not like he's standing out like a sure thumb. Clutching, I know.

Seems incredibly premature for that like.

You've only got to look at the way other clubs bounce around from one manager to the next to see that a hasty sacking him would be in no one's interests at all. Right now it does kinda feel like we're in the universe where the Isak debacle is the turning point, and Howe's Newcastle doesn't recover from that blow. But my preference is that we wait and see if we're in the universe where we actually defy the odds and go on to defend the League Cup. I couldn't really give a monkeys about the league finish if that happened. Absolute sickener today, and easily the closest I've ever felt to answering the question differently. But I still have faith. There's still Wissa to get integrated, for one thing.

Won't defend him today. He is leading a team this season which just isn't very good. There's mitigation and I'll always believe that - regardless of who we signed - the Isak thing was the rug being pulled for so many reasons. But ultimately he's still accountable and we just aren't getting better. I can't believe how bad that performance was today. Adore him, he's a legend, but starting to wonder.

Indefensibly shit

Ah now the headloss. Nice one, lads Fuck off.

Don't think it's as simple as that. There's fundamental issues with the way we play this season. Not a well functioning team by any stretch of the imagination. I can feel myself turning tbh.

God we've been so rubbish.

Good Lord we are absolutely awful.

Absolutely all over us now

Great finish you daft shite Sigh.

Sadly true most of the time. They're far more aggressive than us but haven't done a thing. That moment a few minutes in when there was a loose pass across the backline and Woltemade couldn't decide whether or not to chase it down just summed it up. Just fucking go for it, please. Not because it's a derby; because it's a game of football. So fucking timid.