Raconteur

So... Carrick leaving Man U is NWOAP?

7 minutes ago, wormy said:

 

 And the decision to manage NUFC, as grateful as I am for him doing so, wasn't any more sane.  

Certainly can't argue with that! Maybe he's got a soft spot for basket cases and thinks he can fix them?

I'm one of those who won't have a word said against his time at the Toon, and the timing of the takeover is a sad sliding doors moment, but his time here is done and I'd like him to prove everyone wrong by turning it around at Everton. I don't think he'll see the season out, but there's every chance his methods take root by New Year and they get better results in the second half of the season.

9 hours ago, Jordan said:

I can see Lascelles coming back in as he’s captain but not a chance Ritchie should be. 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking will happen too. Expecting Manquillo - Lascelles - Fernandez - Lewis across the back

5 hours ago, Jaqen said:

You can like Rafa and still admit he went to China for the money, like. 

 

The narrative that he wouldn't have had any any better offers football wise from European sides is a bit daft. 

 

There wasn't really much for him to achieve there, the league is abit of a closed shop where a majority of your players have to be Chinese and the top sides can take their pick of the best of them. 

 

He was right to leave us but that and the Everton job have been poor career choices it's fair to say. 

Rafa, as we know, is a control freak. Yes, he was given a massive wedge, but he was also given complete freedom to bootstrap a mid-table team into the top tier of Asian football. Remember the training facility with 21 pitches and all the bells and whistles?

Then the Chinese FA changed the rules about foreigners and salaries. Then (evidenced in hindsight) the Evergrande financial collapse. Then COVID.

His time in China has come to be described as a mercenary failure, but I find that ignores a lot of things out of his control (similar to his Everton experience, but that's a story still being written).

3 hours ago, xLiaaamx said:

They really could have done with Sigurddson not being an absolute wrongun really. 

I’m wondering how much that is impacting on the Everton dressing room.

These players have sat beside an alleged sex offender in the change rooms, some probably had the Sigurdssons over for barbecues. They probably get every single rumour about him too. That’s got to be a heavy burden for the dressing room.

I remember ASM putting in a God-like performance against Burnley at home last year. More of the same please.

3 hours ago, joeyt said:

what is this nonsense. He didn't even play for us when we got relegated

 

 

 

Correct - he got relegated with Villa. The fourth choice centre half of a team relegated five years ago, still starting for the Toon

32 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

36 points would have kept us up, last five seasons. If we can pick up 4-6 points before the new year, we have every chance. As someone above said, under Bruce we picked up 26 points in the second half of last season.

We’ve actually put together sterling runs of form in the second half of the last four seasons - twice with Rafa and twice with Cabbage Heed.

That said, I don’t really put a lot of stock in that as a guide for this (very different) season.

Title update incoming…?

1 hour ago, Miggys First Goal said:

Probably be best if we fall at the first hurdle so we can fully concentrate on the league. Don’t need any other distractions. 

I’d rather go all out to win it and play in Europe next season.

Loves to get caught in possession or otherwise give the ball away. Noticed especially against Arsenal, but gave it away several times again tonight.

When we can’t get and keep the ball, we can’t play someone who is always turning it over.

17 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

I feel like that might be a tad early to come to those conclusions. 
 

If he automatically brings Ritchie and Lascelles back into the team. Then I think I’d agree with you.

 

All that said, it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be behind him. Rafa regularly left out some of the players I liked and IMO made baffling selections at times. But if it starts to get results, then it won’t be seen as such an issue.  

With all the calls for Clark to be replaced by Fernandez, it seems most have forgotten the club captain will be coming straight back in.

If Fernandez starts against Burnley, it will likely be in place of Schar…

4 minutes ago, Nobody said:

People going on about their goal like it was a massive howler. He should have done better, aye, but it's only because of an absolute thunderbastard two phases later that we're even talking about it. 

My thoughts too - I was more worried by Manquillo being sucked inside and leaving two free.

After recovering from his flap, Dubravka had to run all the way around Manquillo to get back into position, making it look even worse..

7 minutes ago, Sima said:

We’ve only lost 1 of the last 3. Are you not entertained?

I very much am. Just that your initial post wouldn’t translate very well in the relegation thread.

Just now, Sima said:

Can’t expect teams to be shit forever.

Doesn’t that also apply to us as well though?

Could have done without that

5 minutes ago, Dokko said:

Funny how worked up people get in this thread. Either way until the end of the season it's just opinions. Some have 1, some have 10 as usual the truth is somewhere in between but the thread is always going to be reactionary. The whole forum is when a game is on and after it. 

True, but no one has voted 0 and sworn blind that there is absolutely no chance of being relegated.

Considering the way I was called out last time, I thought I’d preemptively state that I’ve moved my vote from 1 to 2.

In my mind, it’s shifted from “we’re staying up” to “we’ll probably stay up”. Fail to win against Burnley and it will go to 3.

Between his brain fart red and Fernandez looking pretty solid, I’m hoping that’s it for Clark. Just unbelievably dumb.

Is… is Joelinton the answer to the centre midfield conundrum?

10 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

Surrounded by better players and coached correctly I'd like to see what he can do but right now when we have 2 must wins do we risk him? I'd be playing him in dead rubber games like arsenal, Chelsea or citeh. Just get him out there and see what happens. If he has a half decent game against a top side then he starts to pick up starts in important games where we need wins. 

With Ritchie suspended, isn't Lewis the only option we have? Unless we're going to shoehorn Fraser or Almiron into a left wingback role?

Knowing Ritchie would be out when he got booked, one corner of Eddie's mind will have focused on Lewis immediately in preparation for this match. It might be only two days, but Lewis will have received a lot of attention

I'm loving the stream of quotes that include "no disrespect, but..." Fucking Steve Bruce

1 hour ago, The Prophet said:

I think it'll be (3-4-3): Dubravka, Schar, Hayden, Clark, Murphy, Willock, Shelvey, Fraser, Joelinton, Wilson, ASM

Yep, not the team I’d pick, but likely the one we’ll see

21 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

If Ancelotti and Benitez, both former Champions League winners, can't get a tune out of this Everton side, you've got go wonder how deep their issues are.

Yep - they're obscenely rich and have had two of the best managers in the world. Something rotten in the state of Goodison Park

10 hours ago, mighty__mag said:

We only know of two relegations from the PL, and we know we won and returned at both times of asking.

 

The owners are minted, and they would literally do what Ashley did, but better, retain some experience in the squad, and add to it.

 

I cant predict the future, but from previous facts, I'd suggest we'd piss the Championship with these lot behind us.

 

 

 

Considering our lowest ever finish in the PL era is first in the second tier (three times), it would be pretty sad if we broke that record as the richest club in the world!

But we won't be relegated, so that record will be safe for a long time to come.