Minhosa

Strongly suggest @midds DOES NOT listen to the podcast (it's currently free to all) for fear of internal combustion.

Unreal. He could literally suffocate an old age pensioner and Caulkin/Shearer would say it wasn't his fault.

Aye - ridiculous is the word. Laughable the other. I sat there shaking my head thinking these cunts are merrily re-writing history purely to protect their mate. Impossible job Alan? Aye right. Bloke before him did ok.

I used to love his work at the Times but he's been shite since moving. The more the mask has been lifted, through podcasts etc, he's proven himself to be just another bloke in the football world who's completely compromised between doing his job properly and protecting his friends. His massively obvious avoidance of saying ANYTHING negative about Bruce is totally laughable and he also had mini-Ryder doing the same thing. You'd think the wheezing mess that facilitates the podcast would talk more like a fan but he's too busy trying to get cheap laughs out of sausage jokes. Bin the fucking lot.

See the Athletic lot and Shearer defending their mate again on their podcast... Interesting that Payne, the wheezing mess, didn't have the balls to say in that podcast what he'd said on Twitter about Bruce during his tenure. Fucking mouthbreather.

Agreed but I'd be interested to see their respective stats this season. Without looking, my gut feel is that Harrisons would, at the very least, be comparable. Raphinha seemed to go through a bit of a barren spell in mid season whereas Harrison feels like a fairly ever present contributor...

Yeah, gut feel is that ASM's season next year will go one way or t'other. I think he'll either 'fit' into the Howe way or he'll find himself victim of some tough love and strop off in January having spent weeks in the press moaning. FWIW, I think he's actually shown far more maturity in his last two performances and seems to be coming around more to the way Howe wants him to play. I draw some parallels with Kevin Nolan here (and bare with me.................., I know, not an example anyone was expecting) but I would always say with Nolan "When he's not scoring he's a fucking pointless body in the 11, you just carry the useless cunt". Whilst ASM isn't quite in that category, I do feel that when he's not providing moments of match winning quality, he's someone we almost carry to an extent. The question is whether he's worth carrying for those games because of the brilliance he brings in others. I guess the challenge he has (and Howe/the coaching staff) is how we get him to contribute in the games where he's not taking on 9 players and sticking it in the top bins... Right now, he's either an unbelievable asset or a liability. We need to get him to the point where he's either an unbelievable asset or a minor contributor who doesn't cost us too much. That's a hard balance to strike with the way he plays the game but I do feel the last two games he's progressed in that direction broadly. What will be interesting to watch is his reaction to having to slightly alter his game. He's obviously got a bit of history with managers trying to change him/his style (Vieira) so it'll be a test of Howe's man-management as to how ASM comes through next season. FWIW, I think both KK and SBR would've loved him and provided an environment in which to shine. Can Howe do that and do that without it being to the detriment of the collective? That's the question....

I'm by no means offering a defence of GW, I've just got no time whatsoever for Sissoko and he is one of my most disliked NUFC players, as you can probably tell. I do think both of them represent a specific time in our history when players were bought for non-sporting reasons (clauses, future value, stepping stones, damaged goods with upside potential) and think both of them fit very much into those brackets. They, and every other player, at the time would almost certainly have been let down by incompetent coaching, management and leadership. That leadership/management, in turn, failed by a shocking executive and owner and a club ran with the intention of survival and minimal investment for maximum return. BUT..........that's a whole other subject, moan etc. Anyway, happy to agree to disagree...

Games are won and lost in midfield imho. I've always believed that and still maintain it nowadays despite all of the wider discussion around systems/styles/Klopp/Pep etc etc. Ultimately a team with an effective midfield wins more games than one without. Almost regardless of what's behind it or in front of it. He's been a key component in two midfields that have been relegated. Contrary to some inferences on here, he's not and never was highly thought of at Spurs and I can't imagine Watford fans are too keen to see him grace their midfield next season. I can't talk for his international reputation because I've not followed it particularly closely. I can say having watched him closely for NUFC that he called it in on many occasions and was probably why he was very widely booed on his return to SJP. He was also publically criticised by Poch after his first 18 months at Spurs I believe so he's not pulled up any tree's anywhere (except internationally, arguably) despite the defence of him on here. I'd rate his time at NUFC as 3/10 and think he's a bit of an advert for the NUFC we were at the time. I don't really see the value in comparing him to GW tbh but I know which one I'd take back at the club if forced.

You literally cited Sissoko making a CL final appearance as justification for your defence of him and then slated Gini W despite him winning it .

By far the most accurate when it comes to transfer stuff.

But but but he's won a CL.....

We must have very different definitions of hiding....

The Spurs fans I know (ST Holders) would all have happily driven him back to Newcastle at virtually ALL points of his career there other than a (very) short spell under Poch. He was a figure of fun for them for the most part and booed on many occasions during his tenure there. IMHO, he took more from NUFC than he gave.

Whilst I wouldn't be averse to Nketiah, wouldn't be just become the new Dwight Gayle?

Sissoko was fucking garbage man. So many people hoodwinked off the back of that debut. Technically fucking woeful and only ever any use for a counter attacking team on the transition because he could run a bit and had a bit of an engine. It's no coincidence he's been part of a starting 11 that's been relegated again imho.

Weird one given he stated how much he wanted to stay a couple of weeks ago. I wonder if he's been told he'll be battling with another top LB and he'd prefer to be a guaranteed starter at Fulham, which is also closer to home? Either way, he's been superb.

Where can I buy this?

Fuck. That's a huge offer.

They're (AS/MG) are already on the record as stating they're planning to stay front and centre to drive things along more quickly....

Up there with Pardew levels of smuggery.

Anyone remember when he said he'd disappear into the ether as soon as the deal was completed?

'You've done this Keith....'

Fuck. This guy is special.

Who made her name in.............errrrr.....GEORDIE Shore. M(tv)agedia!