McCormick

My point is that’s what we used to do and, for the most part, it worked well. Hoping it continues and we don’t go off in a new solely Brightony direction from now on.

We used to be. I’m just hoping- with a new Sporting Director- there isn’t a massive overcorrection on the back of a difficult summer where an, ordinarily stellar, transfer policy didn’t exactly work as intended.

Yeah, certainly looks like a Brighton/Brentford play than a “break into the cartel,” one even if the ambition is meant to be higher. Those clubs have great models, but they’re not really built for sustained top-end competition. The frustrating part is PSR effectively forces everyone, to some degree, into similar constraints unless you’re already at the very top.

I hate myself for always cracking up at this bit .

Thought he was off to Brighton?

No pleasing some people. It’ll obviously be the first one, unfortunately, but that 2nd one is lushhhhh.

A-b-d-e , Ezza as Al zalouli, 1-2-3, baby you and me girl! Writes itself.

It’s getting a bit tiring now tbh. An underwhelming summer and suddenly his entire transfer record is being written off as if it never happened. Howe’s already been involved in bringing in players who would comfortably be in the conversation for an all-time NUFC XI; Trippier, Bruno and Burn among them, alongside strong signings like Livramento, Hall and Tonali etc. Even Thiaw, from what’s being labelled a “disastrous Howe-led summer,” looks like a solid addition and was reportedly a player he’s wanted for some time. Not saying there isn’t room for improvement but at some point it’s worth stepping back and recognizing the scale of what he’s actually built here, rather than dismissing it on the back of one difficult window.

The only thing Rashford’s better at is hitting a ball cleanly.

What constitutes a technical player?I know his physicality stands out more but I’d say he’s got a lot of good technical qualities, sure.

I think that’s a little unfair on Howe. To the average fan it can probably seem like there’s only one way of playing because the intensity and work rate are constant, but tactically he’s already shown plenty of adaptability depending on injuries and the personnel available. And the technically gifted players we already have (or have had) like Bruno, Isak, Tonali and Hall have all flourished under him. He’s clearly not opposed to technical players; he just expects them to match that quality with work rate and intensity, which is something most top managers demand anyway.

Agree with this but it works both ways really. One poor season and suddenly some of our own fans are telling players to leave the club or acting like they’re not good enough anymore. Hard to preach loyalty and “become a legend here” if players feel disposable the minute things dip a bit.

I think Gordon’s really underrated by some of our fans, honestly. Replacing him would be far from straightforward imo; players with that combination of pace, work rate and relentless pressing in the final third are pretty rare. Even when the numbers aren’t quite there, he still stretches teams and suits the way we play down to the ground. There’s a reason why top top clubs are high on the guy.

As a Newcastle fan, I can’t really hate Man City tbh. If anything, they proved the established elite can be disrupted. For decades the same legacy clubs dominated football financially and politically, then City came along and forced their way into that circle. Funny how spending and financial power only became this huge moral issue once clubs outside the traditional cartel started competing with the old guard.

Sounds like we played well. Hate to ruin things but I just got in and I’ll be checking out the 2nd half now. Historically speaking this has been a bad idea