Chris_R

Yeah I'd not want them coming to SJP with a low block for 90 minutes, that could be hard to watch. Hopefully we get enough of a result tonight to force them to commit men higher up the pitch in the return leg.

Is it the new stadia? Or is it because atmospheres generally have declined as the matchday experience has become more "Family" oriented? Because we're always moaning about how the atmosphere was better in the 90s at SJP and as far as I can tell we're still playing at the same ground. We've just changed as a fanbase, as has every other fanbase. If we'd have simultaneously moved stadium during that time, we'd be blaming that. But is that the full picture for those clubs who have moved stadium? That's not to say stadium design isn't a factor, of course it is, hence why I wrote quite a bit about how I'd like to see the ends of any new ground to maximise the sound volume in there. But also the game / matchday eperience has fundamentally changed. No terracing has been one factor of course, but pricing models, appealing to families/women etc has all changed how fans behave in the ground - sometimes for the better but sometimes it makes it less hostile and noisy.

Saw this leaked on Twitter earlier... Quite like it myself.

Absolute guff. It's about the people in the stadium, not the stadium itself. Plus as has been mentioned already, SJP isn't exactly condusive to a great atmosphere with the Leazes and Milburn being too high different levels and broken up seating areas. That said, it's still rocking when the right games come around so you can get a good atmosphere in any ground if the fans are up for it, which is the key point. A new stadium with a better design - steep stands, with big blocks and one level all the way back creating a wall of fans a-la Dortmund etc would be awesome. Add a roof coming in close to trap the sound and it'll be cavernous and loud, I'd love to see something like that. One of them at each end, and then let the corporate sandwich munchers have their bit at the sides. Everyone wins. Location is key though, although I'd be happy to move it really needs to stay central. I'd be a bit gutted if it ended up outside the centre of the city and I say that as someone who's never lived closer than Whitley Bay. But the metro journey in is always part of the fun and being able to go out around town before/after, walking from the stadium, is key.

To be fair, irrespective of the safety aspect those screens are fucking awful and a complete eyesore, and they benefit absolutely nobody except greedy corporations trying to flog you stuff to increase their profit margins. I'd be delighted if they were all banned.

Let's try £15.5m then.

We should be all over this transfer if he's available for anywhere near that. Seems a great prospect.

This is my worry. They'll get a good few shots on target and I don't trust Dubravka to save them. I can't see us getting anything tomorrow, sadly.

The cartel will wise up to this. Chelsea kinda have, hoovering up all the youth in the world and trying to flip them for profit. They've gone to extemes though and fucked themselves a bit in the process but the intent was there and it might yet work out. And we've already had Man U take Ashworth off us. That'll be the next stage, that instead of buying our players for silly money they'll buy our recruitment teams and scouts. There's no long-term benefit in being held back financially.

These are features, not bugs. System is working as intended.

I don't think that's an over-reaction. Bruno, Tonali and Isak are all players who could play in any team in the world. That's not to say they'd improve any team in the world, but none of them would look out of place or out of their depth at elite clubs. To have 3 such players is a real boon and a sign of how far we've come and how much we're closing the gap on being described as an elite club ourselves. Add potentially Botman into the mix too and we're putting ourselves in a great position to compete. And THEN there's the "Already great but still improving" list of Gordon, Hall, Livramento. Genuinely exciting times.

Since you keep referencing page numbers as some kind of badge of honour / legitimisation of the existence of this thread, I guess you're saying Liverpool are 3x as big as Man U? Got it.

Sorry what, sold it to who? If it's to a third party, that absolutely stinks. Because if Arsenal can't / won't pay it and West Ham need it, someone's dodging a punishment here. That should be illegal, if that's what's happened.

I think the PL and even the cartel 6 like a Newcastle / Villa / Forest / Leicester occasionally being in the top 4. It allows the cartel to point at that team and say "look, the rules are working" and "anyone can succeed!" - which they can get lucky as a one-off but can't long-term because those very rules are designed to pull them back in again and give the 6 their massive advantage. Problem is that if Forest finish in the top 4, that'll be the 3rd year in a row that another one of the cartel has to miss out. We're also in with a shout which would make it even worse.

Trippier's too short to be a centre back, surely? No thanks.

No. None of them. That's not because I don't think any of them would improve us, they surely would. But fuck them. They're in a PSR hole, let them rot there. It's great to see and we shouldn't be thinking about helping them. Remember how they were over Lingard? They can eat shit. There's plenty of good players elsewhere.

This is the key. Dubs has looked great but has barely had to get his kit dirty for 4 games. If we just want someone who can play a bit on goal and we won't be facing any shots, you might as well play an outfielder there. Stick Miley in nets, he could do with a bit of game time and is good with his feet. Dubravka has shown in the last couple of years that when he needs to stop a shot, he can't. Lauding him for games where he's had almost no shots to stop is fundamentally flawed, and I doubt he'll have that luxury against Spurs who, despite being leaky at the back, are all-out going forwards. Whilst ball-playing is lovely, we need a keeper who can actually keep the ball out of the net too and I don't think Dubravka is that man.

Are you suggesting Zirkzee is a midfield powerhouse?

Re: Schar's card, I thought he took one for the team. They looked about to break, and he hauled their man back to stop it. I thought it was a clever foul, but a definite yellow that we had to take. Only seen it once and I'm 5 beers deep right now though, so maybe I'm wrong in my recollection.

What happened in Isak's interview? My dodgy stream cut off as soon as he spoke.

Harsh on Larne.

Yes, that was the point I knew we'd won. Part of me expected "8" to go up on the board and us to be under siege for the remainder, but that "3" just calmed me infinitely.

No. They've looked soooo much better since the first-half sub, think they've created everything of note since then. Not that that's much, but we've created nothing since.

Me too.

Couldn't give a solitary shit.