Lotus

I’d put it in a plaster cast if I was his manager.

Really hate that thing he does with his hands whenever he’s about to put some effort into a pass or tackle. Drives me nuts. Seems to be especially the right.

He wasn’t as awful as some are saying but he didn’t influence the game much in any which way. Was surprised to his occasional poor touch and he seemed slow on the ball again. I would say he neither added or took away from us today, given that I would’ve liked to have seen a youngster try out but there you go. We will face teams this season where SL’s willingness to run will help us out. As for next year, depends on where we’re at.

If Alfie Harrison can’t offer more than that then he’s a dud as well.

Is there a risk to building a stadium by the river? Does the Tyne flood? Is a risk area with rising sea levels?

I think Wandsworth has a bigger population than Newcastle…. I mean, Wandsworth isn’t a particularly massive borough but I’m sure it has more people than the entire city of Newcastle (I did look this up once, long ago..). That kind of disparity in population density is clearly a problem for any football club trying to recruit as many talented youngsters as possible. If NUFC continues to seriously invest in and develop its academy until it’s viewed as absolutely top tier then I think it becomes a threat to all other academies throughout the North of England. The big 5 of Liv, Eve, Manc x 2 and Leeds will hoover up lots but even they will miss some. We need it to become 1st choice for lads from Northumberland, Durham, Tyne & Tees, N. Yorks, Cumbria, etc.

His commitment is absolutely immense and incredibly important in competitive physical match.

I don’t think he makes Bruno replaceable, Bruno is more creative and cuter with the ball but Tonali is very complimentary to Bruno in midfield. Tonali is also good enough that we can look capable even without Bruno.

Bruno F played well and he dragged the team up a level or 2. Despite Froggy’s relentless slating of Maguire I thought he was good too. He’s a decent defender. Dalot played like the Dalot I know. Tbh I don’t think Froggy’s a reliable judge of Manu players They're better than he gives them credit for. Except Hojland……

i can’t imagine how slow he’ll be at 34-35 y/o. If Kelly sticks around he outlasts him. Just hope Kelly develops into the type of defender we can rely upon when needed.

Burn won’t last beyond next season so I think Kelly will Sven’s backup by then. Unless one of the bairns make huuuuge strides.

was a bit surprised they hadn’t figured most of that out last year in training. Or even the preseason. Maybe there was a late change of plan. Anyway, seemed to have a rapport now.

Aside from that, have we heard anything else about new commercial deals?

Think the PL needs an independent regulator who sets the rules and handles disputes, punishments, etc. Who it would be to choose such a regulator I don’t know and how they could be kept free from influence of people with vested interests, don’t know that either.

Dortmund fans saying he never bothers his arse to press. Whether he would for another club, I don’t know..

TAA is a truly gifted ball player. It’s odd how below average he is at defending. I’m sure he’s had loads of specialist training sessions to improve but it just goes to show, no matter what you do some players just appear to have a limit on growth. Even with something like positioning and basic defensive decision making.

Sancho fooled a lot of people. Don’t know if it’s his attitude or he’s just not quite good enough (or as good as he thought he was…). I imagine the loan will become permanent so he won’t be your problem anymore.

Has he grown taller too? I can see he’s filling out some..

Think you said Antony and Sancho were the best 2 wide young prospects in the world or something like that. I’d seen a lot of Sancho at Dortmund and had to agree, if he could carry that form over and grow a bit as a player, great playmaker from the wide positions. He was often helped by having Hakimi sprinting down the outside but still, he also looked good with Guerreiro doing anything but . Antony I’d only seen for Ajax in the CL games. Thought he looked very useful. Was hoping we’d sign him but when I saw what you payed, we could never have afforded it. You’re in a different league with the spending power. Both players looked like they lost a lot belief which was a shame. Understand you were pissed off at Sancho for some unprofessionalism iirc.

Bit unfair I think, though. Dalot is good player. Just the whole team out of form I guess.

Yes, been a fan of Marco Silva for quite a while. I think he’ll have a chance at a bigger club soon enough. Might Spurs the way things are going….Theres something off with Spurs though. Don’t know what it is but something is amiss in the overall makeup of the club. Anyway, Silva has got a squad punching above its weight. Don’t know if he’s the kind of character that can handle a dressing room of big stars, he’d need that chance. He can make average players over perform though and he looks like he knows how to blend players into an effective team.

Wow….id totally forgotten Mount even existed! Got to feel for him. Must be really testing his confidence in his body to perform. Was his injury record this bad at Chelsea?

You were very excited about Antony for a while. Not a dig because I do get it. He looked tasty at Ajax. What do you think happened to him? Do you think he’d find his feet at another club? Maybe a different country with a different style of play?

They’ve still got loads of good players. There’s a good team in there somewhere. I don’t buy into the narrative that just because they’ve been off form lately wewill stroll it. I think the outcome is much more dependent on our mentality. No doubt EH will do his best and I hope our better players set the example early.

Hackers?!?! Who? Bruno? Soft lads over there.