pinkeye

I often wonder if we - as supporters - look at things with different eyes to a coach or football manager. Honestly I have hated watching Clark play for us since day one, I have never seen a player less comfortable to have the ball at his feet, he never wants it and when he does end up with it we usually see an aimless hoof up the field. Yet, time after time, manager after manager, he gets a start and he is never any different. I mean Dummett is uncomfortable on the ball as well but, he has pace and a good tackle in him so I could half forgive his weaknesses. Clark on the other hand is terrible. I see 16 year old kids with more football brain than him.... Last night was the climax of shitness..... to miss the ball so clumsily and allow one of the slowest strikers in the Premier League to get a step on him was rotten and then to pull his shirt in full knowledge of what would follow was just thick, I mean really thick!! I would have preferred to go one nil down at 8 minutes than to have to play the rest of the game with 10 men.... luckily Norwich are terrible and didn't capitalise at all. Our 10 were incredible, Shelvey and Joelinton..... what the hell has happened to them both? They were everywhere and put in shifts that deserve high praise. I am still hopeful that we can avoid the drop - 24 games left and a transfer window. It wont take a lot to get us to be better than the rest of the rubbish at the bottom of the league, it is hard to see it now but, maybe 10 or 11 wins out of our final 24 games might be enough. Got to stay positive, that team performance and the crowd deserve better!!

Lee Johnson 05 Dec, 2020Present Andrew Taylor29 Nov, 202005 Dec, 2020 Phil Parkinson17 Oct, 201929 Nov, 2020 James Fowler08 Oct, 201917 Oct, 2019 Jack Ross25 May, 201808 Oct, 2019 Robbie Stockdale30 Apr, 201825 May, 2018 Chris Coleman19 Nov, 201730 Apr, 2018 Robbie Stockdale03 Nov, 201719 Nov, 2017 Simon Grayson29 Jun, 201703 Nov, 2017 A couple were very short term when I look at it properly, caretaker style but, hey.... they all count and would have definitely been hounded out in time! haha.

I think 8 different managers since November 2017 (16 since Steve Bruce was there) tells a different story!

Is it not tomorrow yet? I cannot wait for this one, feels like it did before the Spurs game but, with a hope that we might win!

I 100% don't doubt you but, isn't grass already green? Surely having loads of that on a football pitch would have some effect on superimposed graphics?

Cover up the Sport Direct advertising.... now that would be something!!

That Mail Tweet is rotten.

Haha, you're right! I meant his contribution seems to have little impact in the game, he does not seem to make anything better but, also makes nothing worse... Is fair enough, he was decent at Bournemouth, decent enough to attract the attention of Man City... I just personally don't rate him but, I am not an expert! (just a regular punter). I just don't see it in him, apart from the wonderful hair. I do concede to all the comments above that he is probably an upgrade on what we currently have.

Do you rate Ake? I think he is average at best and would be disappointed to see him play for us, under any circumstances and not just now that we can seemingly afford players who command high fees and salaries. Whenever I watch him he seems to be at half pace and never actually does anything positive, >90% of passes are sideways or backwards, he doesn't put in a hard tackle and rarely seems to have any impact (positive or negative) in a game. He - to me - is just a player making up a number on the field, does nothing wrong but, equally does nothing right. I would be open to having my mind changed about him but, that is how I would view him as a player today!

He clearly has some bridges to rebuild with Howe and wanted to be here when he took the first training session to start that process... And yes - I agree - there is a world of difference between training and playing a competitive match..... why would they even feel the need to ask?

Not being weird here but, Amanda is ripped!!

Apparently Howe is not even an upgrade on Bruce.... Apart from when he is......

So just to be 100% clear the "shoes off if you love the Toon" - that's a no, right?

It must also be noted that some of our players natural positions are no where near a football field!

Yeah, I have family in Essex and it is similar there. Get on a train to London on a Saturday morning and you have West Ham, Millwall, Spurs, Arsenal, fans (depending on who is playing) all sitting pretty happily together on their trip. Pretty good banter quite honestly on the very occasional time I have done the trip up to London for a match when visiting....

I wonder if the good people of Reading have any border conflicts with the people of Basingstoke??? In a similar way to the mackems claiming bits of our geography into their red and white domain......

Well.. it is a very well trodden path of big clubs approaching youngsters (as you as 8 years, maybe below) via their grassroots club and parents to get them to agree to sign to an academy on something like the old schoolboy forms which basically ringfence them from an approach from any other club.... very nice for the child and probably even nicer for the parent who suddenly start to believe they have a potential Wayne Rooney on their hands... There is a huge fundamental problem with this and that is probably out of the thousands that are retained on schoolboy forms that only a couple will ever make it as a professional. There is space in football for all kids with talent, and by the way I believe that kids at such a young age can be spotted and some really do have exceptional ability. The top tier teams will of course attract the best and select the best and I would love it if Newcastle became an interesting club for these top prospects but, as a parent of a very decent 16 year old footballer myself I would prefer to keep all options open until they have at least left school. The level my son plays at now is seeing academy scouts visiting regularly and occasional invitations to go and play against academy teams. I could see one or two from my lads team being picked up during this school year as long as they maintain their focus and do not get any injuries. Swerved way off topic here in the Sun'lun thread but, at 15 - 16 for some reason young lads turn into glass and get injured so easily.... I have never known a time with so may kids in my lads teams out with strains, pulls, knee problems and so on!

I think that anyone with a brain would be watching how our takeover progresses and would view the possibilities for NUFC as well as the smaller regional clubs to be massively improved by the future status of our team in world football.... One of the biggest kickers will be at grassroots level because the money that will be directed into that area will be incredible, it will benefit all teams, clearly with the starting point being our own foundation and academy but, rolling downwards from there. I was speaking to a foundation coach this morning and he said that the facilities at the very top level of NUFC - if compared to other Premier League teams - are about the level of the current team in that league, not exactly a cryptic message to say that our facilities need huge and immediate investment. He also said that Amanda Staveley has promised to invest heavily in the academy and the Foundation and he is incredibly optimistic about the immediate future - the long term is actually hard to properly imagine! We spoke specifically about Man City and the way that they attract the best youth talent from around the world because of the set up, they have hotel style accommodation for the kids and their families, education facilities and even mentoring to help the kids understand about life outside of football, clearly not all of them will make it and the academy needs to prepare them for other potential futures.... If we can emulate what they are doing and there is no reason on earth why not, given time, then we will have something here that the whole North East will feel benefits from.

Literally the first reply refers to us.... what the hell is wrong with those idiots?

Almost like a real professional football team....

If attack minded means that we an close down our opposition earlier than the edge of our 18 yard box then I am 100% in.....

That pretty much captures everything we all need to know, we are shit, we have always been shit and have no right whatsoever to expect to be anything but, shit ...... However, if you are part of the Premier League elite it is fine to expect more.... So, how would someone enter this Premier League elite you speak of? Oh sorry, sniggers, no no no.... no one is allowed to join. All places taken and no changes planned...

Mate, you can believe what you want, this guy has never given me any bum info before. He is a really straight up bloke and I have known him for years. Yes, he is linked to Sunderland but, he is a professional. Also not a child. In no way is he trolling me and no way am I trolling this board. I never share anything I hear but, this news is important to all of us and the only reason I even shared it was to add some back up to what was already being shared by Ando who broke this well before. I also now know who told him the news and with that knowledge it is cast iron fact. Again, believe what you like, I will do the same. I am only passing it on.

100% no doubt whatsoever that Bruce is gone.... I have some further details that leave me with zero doubt... As I am not the actual source and just the delivery man I will not divulge anything else. The news was supposed to be released by the club between 5pm and 6pm last night I do not know why there is a delay but, thoughts are maybe linked to a new manager being close to being appointed (that is just an assumption and not based on anything) I am not being an ITK or trying to act smart, I am just sharing news that I have been given by someone I really trust and who has links.

Yes. It is up to you whether you believe it or not. I trust the guy, he has never given me any bum info before. I am just sharing and - believe me - I thought long and hard about doing so. I only did because someone else had already broken the news. For what it is worth... I fully believe the story. Looking forward to the official confirmation.