Heron

Think his defensive work has really improved since the start of the season and been quite impressed with him in recent games tbh.

Putting it here cause I need to vent... The (WorFlags) display today went to fucking shit. We played really well but couldn't finish our dinner and cue the fucking black brigade and the social media / knee-jerk-fucking -war of any fucking loss these days or anything where there's a foothold to be a fucking negative bastard that simply has to be repelled by the White light that folk are - simply trying to ensure we aren't consumed and crippled by such negativity. Why do we revel in such misery man. As a species? Is this what we're becoming? Grey no longer exists. Only Black and White. Ignore the opportunity of such a pun. Fuck me man. Just desperate for someone to blame. Desperate to say someone or something is shit. Desperate to say how were harsh done to or some shit. Why aren't we taking the lack of success in a game, or the lack of a good performance or the lack of perceived fairness or whatever and using it to generate something positive. We can and if we do we'll be formidable. Sick of us simmering away and sick of not using a fire that burns within us all to do something more. We're a positive people. We need to personify it.

I didn't agree with Howes subs but ultimately the game should have been put to bed by those on the pitch as they should have versus Everton. Fulham was more Howe for me of all the games...

It was arguably the best performance of the season. We would have comfortably won had we have taken our chances.

Err.....nope

If Wilson is available for these last two we have 6 points I reckon.

Is a huge miss for us at present

Anyways...away from my attempts to bait a response. My largest concern for Newcastle at the moment is around our confidence. I think it's shot to be honest. It has been since we got dropped out the Champions League. We've lost all swagger and faith in our ability both on and off the pitch. Like some form of dementor has sucked the soul out of us. Need a catalyst of sorts to get that back I think.

...wait for it... ....wait for it...

Cause he's shite.

Missed sitters and Tinos weak as piss challenge cost us.

See yous in a week's time

Heard there's been a match fixing scandal involved today like.

Nothing red cards. Fully appreciate why raising your hands is deterred and what not but, it's all just got a bit pathetic, hasn't it. Edit: Just any embarrassing clowning about on the pitch. You're grown adults.

I fucking hate Maddison.

You say that - but they (Spurs) got the goal from a counter attack. Not sitting back is what cost them.

What a save from Areola.

Quality song.

Enjoy all!

Maybe if the Saudi's bought the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He is. I'm not disputing that. It's just funny that when someone like Longstaff makes themselves available for the ball and gets in good positions that element of his game is entirely overlooked in any critiquing by certain folk and the focus then switches to how shit he was with the ball in whatever given circumstance. Yet for someone like Tonali, who we should rightly expect more of because he's a better player - folk switch to whatever positive spin they want to put on it. If a player is passing the ball lots and accurately then surely that suggests he is also readily available to receive the ball. Yet the same "makes himself available" seemingly isn'tever attributed to someone like Longstaff. Make no qualms about it. Tonali is a better player, by some stretch. I just feel that there's some discrepancy on how players are judged that's all.

I don't think so to be honest. Both he and Trippier were perhaps trying slightly more direct/dangerous passes that they are absolutely capable of but simply didn't come to fruition. It had nowt to do with the players they were passing to and it was simply sloppy by their such high standards. That's what is interesting about player ratings etc. It's arguably a bit of a grey area. For me, player ratings are (somewhat) a combination of how well they played within their capability and how much impact they left on the game. For example Sean Longstaff could play a 10 and be as impactful as Tonali on a 7, simply because Tonali has more "in his locker". What is interesting is Sean Longstaff as an example can play say an 8 (by his standards) and do virtually nothing wrong but because folk know he's not as good as Tonali they will rate him a 4/5 and they'll cite his "safe passing" etc. As a reason why his stats are high. But sometimes keeping things simple and retaining possession is just as important as trying a decisive pass that may or may not work. Whereas seemingly, Tonali can play something like a 5/6 by his standards and folk will say he was a 7 simply because he tried more difficult or quick passing which frankly lost us the ball, allowing the opposition to counter attack, and because folk know he is (of course) a better player than Longataff. Frustrates me to be honest. Doesn't seem to be a level playing field when critiquing players on a match by match basis and surely you can only do that based on the metrics I've suggested and not on who is usually the better player. This is my interpretation of folks comments following the Everton game as an example. Mind...by my own admission, there is some hypocrisy in my "level playing field" based on individual match-by-match player ratings. As I would more likely rate the Tonali's of the world more harshly simply because on their day they are absolutely unplayable.

Joselu.

He'll be hoping King Julian isn't on his best form.

Some did.