KaKa

Leeds play some nice stuff man.

I'm almost 100% certain the team would function better with Miley in that position ahead of Tonali. We'd for sure keep the ball better, and string together more convincing passages of play with the football more often. He's also far more likely to get you a goal or an assist even from that position. All I consistently see Tonali do that really stands out is running back to take the ball off someone when a team is coming at us in transition. Even with winning the ball back he doesn't tend to do so as much outside of those transition moments. I cannot believe the fuss made over this guy. I keep watching and looking for more and I never see it. I really do wish he was actually as good as we keep being told he is, especially by the media. That would actually be really nice.

Would be a really good move for him. Would be playing in a team with a bunch of good players and could just play off of them. Think he'd do really well there and they'd like him a lot. Would be somewhat similar to the Luis Diaz situation at Liverpool, as a good few of them had decided he wasn't good enough and now they all wish he'd stayed instead, as Gakpo drives them mad. Hopefully Newcastle would find someone better than a Gakpo to play there if Gordon goes. Just think Gordon really could do with playing somewhere where he doesn't get so much stick and he can just enjoy his football more freely to reach his absolute best levels, and it's never going to happen at Newcastle.

Daniel Levy thought he was so cool sucking up to the "big clubs" all those years. Not to mention putting the idea of Ashley buying Newcastle in his fat head. Now he's been kicked out of Spurs and they're about to get relegated. It took a while but karma has come at last.

They are coming off a big win at the Emirates and last lost in the league on the 3rd of January ... Then when you consider how badly we match up against them with how poorly we play when pressed, and with what they did to Newcastle in this same fixture last year, it's not looking good. Especially as Bruno will be out again for this game. Would actually be very impressive if we manage to get a result tbh.

I'm happy with either tbh. My main concern is with the approach to signing players. Provided they sort that this summer I'm fine with whoever. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Howe will be able to hang on with the games coming up and the anger that is going to be coming his way if they go as I fear they will.

I know you know

The same sort of argument used against Howe when he was hired is now being used to defend him funnily enough.

They're not in the CL mate.

You can have Arteta instead once he's sacked

Iraola lost Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez and then Semenyo in January. Kluivert has been injured most of the season too. Crazily enough they are now unbeaten in their last 13 league games. They're now 3 points off 6th. If they finish strong Iraola will be shortlisted for manager of the year and deservedly so.

It's for sure a training issue. Especially now they've made the World Cup for the first time in forever, I suspect he'll be preserving himself to make sure he's fit enough to go. No point putting him on the pitch I don't trust him to give max effort at all.

Thankfully he's got a bit of hype still and just have to hope a disastrous end to the season doesn't spoil that. At the moment it's looking like it will be more around the £80 million to £90 million mark. Maybe he goes elsewhere and is played more as a box to box midfielder alongside someone else in a double pivot, and that works better for him. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like any kind of different setup is going to be tried with him at Newcastle, and so it's all just become a bit pointless.

I think I moreso liked the balance of the midfield three at the time. I wanted to believe he was top class, but as time has gone on and we've had more evidence, I'm just not seeing it. To some extent I also blame the setup, as I'm not convinced he's a 6. And at this point I just don't know what he is, but it's just not working.

Would actually pay good money to see our lot try to play Maresca's horseshoe side to side football it would be the best comedy show going. Maresca's dull possession obsessed football managed to turn Palmer into a complete dud and so I can't wait to see what it would do to our already ordinary attack.

While the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth sign these guys for the first team. Newcastle are better positioned to be bringing them in as squad players that should be rotated in and out regularly when first teamers need resting and can then eventually push for a first team place. And even then they've still been so risk averse to these moves, even when they don't cost much fee wise or wages wise.

I don't rate Christie at all. I'm afraid my mind is made up on Tonali. I've seen enough. Just my opinion though I guess.

Once he leaves I'm almost certain this opinion will change drastically. He has benefitted massively from playing alongside Bruno, and has gotten way too much credit for his contributions in that midfield.

Tonali is actually the bigger problem in that midfield. He's not good enough to initiate any play from the back as he needs to do in that position.

You see someone like Alex Scott bossing the game away at the Emirates, playing in a Bournemouth midfield alongside Malcolm Christie for goodness sake, and with Hill and Senesi behind him at centre back, and he's still finding pockets to get the ball and make things happen for his team. Getting them a victory. Then we have Tonali who has the luxury of Thiaw and Botman behind him, who are far more capable of finding him with a pass if he can be bothered to make himself available, not to mention Joelinton and Miley alongside him to combine with, against a Palace side sitting back and looking lethargic most of the game and the game just passes him by. It's a damn shame really. When you take into account the fact he didn't even play a whole season with the gambling and then how this season has gone, spending £60 million on this guy was regrettable. Thankfully there seems to be a lot of hype around him for some reason and so hopefully there's a sizeable profit to be had this summer.

Don't think it was just last summer unfortunately. The squad build has been poor. Good players have come in but the money hasn't been spread out evenly enough across the squad over time. As far as Howe goes, the remaining fixtures we now have are Bournemouth and Brighton who are both fighting for Europe and who are somewhat bogey teams at this point. Arsenal fighting for the league title. Forest and West Ham fighting to stay up and then Fulham who are well capable of beating us too. If we get beat in the majority of those games with some particularly embarrassing score lines as well, it's going to be very bleak for him.

The decision to continuously spend larger sums on a few positions while neglecting the wider squad has been an absolute back breaker. We actually went into this season with Dan Burn as the backup option at left back and Trippier as the backup option at right back. We still don't have an alternative option to Bruno, that can give anywhere near the type of creativity he brings. We still don't have a true defensive midfielder that can control a game to any extent. A weak squad playing a high intensity system like Howe prefers is just ridiculous and always has been. Or does he genuinely still see the likes of Burn and Trippier as viable options in the full back positions? That would be far more concerning. The money just hasn't been utilised effectively enough. Ultimately I agree. The recruitment decisions will likely be his downfall. He seems more open to a different approach going forward now, but if the season ends on a really bad note, he might not get the chance as it may be too late.

The Wissa signing at his age and price and with how badly it has gone is going to be a killer for Howe. The Woltemade club record signing who looks completely unsuited to how the manager wants to play, with no viable plan to fit him into the side or accommodate him with a change in tactics, will not be far behind as a disaster either. It's hard to believe how catastrophic these two singings have been, both in different ways. If the rest of the season goes like yesterday did, Howe is going to be under immense pressure, and he likely will not survive. Crazy to think we would have been better off insisting on Darwin Nunez on loan as part of the Isak negotiations, or getting Nicolas Jackson in on loan with an option like Bayern did.

He's still the best attacking player at the club currently, but it's just all a bit toxic and pointless with him at the minute. There'll be interest and decent offers for him, and so might as well cash in at this point.

The team as it is currently, demands him to be the leading man in the attack, and he is just not that player. At his best playing off other better players around him, as was the case with number 14. Might as well sell him along with Tonali and Tino and get a bunch of money in and try and rebuild the squad in multiple areas. Too much is required of him and he cannot carry that load. If anything it turns him into a bit of a try hard and it leads to him messing up more.