Mattoon

Gerrin Cardiff

In the cold light of the dawn succeeding the derby day defeat it's understandable to be frustrated, disillusioned and angry at the "effort" of the day. It's also OK to see the signs that built up to this derby, the pattern of poor away performances and the lack of any serious plan or dimensions to our play, a lack of identity. However, we've been in a hole before, questioned Howe's methods, felt like maybe he'd reached his ceiling, been found out, etc... but every single time he has fixed it, he's reinvented us in some way and found a way to win games. Now is no different, he will get us out of this, my guess is around the time we drop out of the CL. Yes, it's pretty grim right now, we're a tough and nervy watch, it's just not clicking, but it will and Howe deserves the chance to make it happen and I have no doubt that he will.

Well.....10 of them

We've got to play to our strengths, it's as basic and simple as that, we make chances by pressing aggressively and turning the ball over high up the pitch or by hitting our pacy wingers at speed from a low block. We don't have the players to build up slowly while the other team resets and trying to play our way through two banks of 4, it's not a mystery why we are so toothless. Just go back to what works because even in 2023 with half the team out injured it was more enjoyable than this turgid lethargy.

We absolutely have to unequivocally smash them at home, no excuses.

I think the nail has been hit on the head tbh, we don't have wingers for the slow build up play we seem to have inexplicably adopted, we have fast, transitional wingers who look to get us up the pitch at pace, it could be down to conserving energy for 3 games a week or wanting to get big Walt involved in our attacks, whatever it is, it isn't working.

I don't think you'd need to argue very much, for all his faults Almirom would still chip in with the odd goal/assist.

He's been pony for too long now, it feels like he has reverted to the mean and the good games were a purple patch. Time to cash in and move on.

I haven't bad mouthed him once and been willing to give him chance to settle in and find some form, but he really has ended up being a donkey, literally no redeeming features to his game at all, he’s not brought anything meaningful to the squad and a downgrade on Almiron.

The moment we drop out of the CL we'll see us revert to our high press, high turnover, all action selves and have a strong finish to the season, but it'll probably be too little too late and see us missing out on any meaningful European football next season, which in turn will see us have a strong season next year. PSR will see us repeating this as the short blanket ensures we can't quite take it to the cartel on a regular basis. Yesterday was the nadir of this limbo of being good but not quite good enough, one game a week and we beat anyone, two and we beat no one, frustrating and depressing.

I love Eddie and everything he has done for this club, the guy brought us CL and that ever elusive silverware, he's earned a lot of credit, however you're only ever as good as your last game. Today was horrific, what was the plan? Too many away games this season follow the same course, slow, laboured and toothless. We don't break with speed and we can't build up play, we give the ball away cheaply and we struggle to make anything meaningful happen in the box, our press is easy to play through, we have no bite in attack or defence. There was zero positives to hang on to today and that's been an unfortunate recurring theme this season. Nothing is working right now and we're in danger of the whole season coming to an abrupt end very quickly over the next few weeks. I don't think getting rid of Howe changes anything and if anything it will probably make this season worse, he has to have at least until the end of the season but something needs to change and fast because talking in the press about things being unacceptable and learning lessons only to repeat the same thing ad nausea isn't changing anything. The season is recoverable but fading quickly.

I've switched off, toothless and gutless display, again.

WAKE UP!!!

Zero shots is pretty shocking tbf, the scum seeing out the first half with 11 on the pitch equally as shocking

Of course Arsenal choke when I've got them in LMS 😡

We just need to play the game and not the event, we need to concentrate on the football and not be dragged into the emotion of the derby, its a knife edge because the players need to understand the importance of the match without it becoming the main focus. We are the better side, man for man, I wouldn't take any of their players over ours and if we play to the best of our ability then this will be a routine win. Getting properly nervous for this one now, but I trust Howe will give us our best chance of rolling these over and leapfrogging them in the table to where we should be. INTO THESE!!

You'll do for me Rod, I think we'll take an early lead, we've got too much quality for them, my only concern is how we deal with their incessant pressure and tempo towards the end of the game, they have bags of energy and 2 games a week means we're not seeing the same energy in the latter stages of games. See them off in the dying stages and we'll win comfortably.

I know Gordon got his penalty and an assist last night but for me our strongest team with Barnes and Murphy on the wings. Miley now looks like hes the Joelinton replacement, we looked so much better when he came on last night. Tonali looks jaded and maybe needs a rest, a cameo at best if hes needed late on and Wissa needs minutes to get sharp. Man City dismantled them last weekend and Eddie will be studying that match all week and devising a plan to win ourselves, they will pile the pressure on late in the game, especially if they're chasing so we need a 2 goal cushion early on here. Properly nervous about this one, could go either way and I'd probably take a draw away from home right now but I really want to see us tear them a new one and shut them up after almost half a season of cockyness.

Felt like we showed enough in that second half to win it, twice off the inside of the post, a point is a very good result away to Levekusen who have dismantled some big names in the last few weeks, however it does feel like 2 points lost rather than 1 gained. Frustrating.

So pedestrian in our build up play and it never amounts to anything, just side to side until we give it away and every time they make 3 passes and they're in behind, so painful to watch, we're so toothless.

I thought the Isak video was the cringiest thing I'd seen this year, that just topped it. I couldn't imagine involving myself with other "football fwiends" let alone to create something so vomit inducing, literally the most bitter 3 in the league also, grim.

Woltemade had zero preseason with us, straight into the league and hit the ground running so that kyboshes that theory, then you've got Hall with zero preseason and several months out injured hitting the ground running too, there is no excuse for Isak's current form other than himself.

I don't know why people are still trying to make excuses for him, he's been pony since the cup final, we all thought he was injured and then presumed it was because his head was turned, but now it starting to look like maybe that's just him now? Yes, he was class for us for a solid couple of seasons, but you can't overlook the Howe effect, we made excuses for him because we were willing him to find that form again, but now I'm considering we got shot at the right time.

That Liverpool game was one of the most boring, drab, hate watches I've ever had to endure and they had no right in taking 3 points on the night. Having said that, the bald nonce gets a stay of execution, Isak had another anonymous display of sub-mediocrity and the downward trajectory of Liverpudlian malaise continues for another week. If you asked a disgruntled Newcastle supporter to write what they wanted to happen in the summer when the rat finally got his move I don't think even the most vindictive, evil and twisted one of us could have quite scripted this as well as has transpired. Karma is a Geordie.