Novocastrian

Could have been worse but recent performances don’t allow us to post a ‘could have been worse, kept the score down performance’.

Saka v Burn isn’t something I want to see in the second half.

😉

We could probably get decent money for Osula now but I’d keep him.

PSR doesn’t make you bench £170m + of transfer flotsam spunked against the wall.

Is he trying to get sacked?

Holy shit!!!

When you drop £250m on 5 players and at times 4 of them are on the bench due to performance/attitude or just basic incompatibility it goes beyond the odd ‘duff signing’. Last summer’s window could put us back 3/4/5 seasons. The ineptitude was staggering and heads still need to roll.

Another one fumbled by the transfer team.

There’s just too many red flags with Howe now. To make his preferred formation and tactics work he’ll need a new striker and he’ll need to sort out the RW and probably the LW too if Gordon goes. His favoured ‘rotating number 8s’ system and indifference to a specialised CDM hasn’t worked all season. Despite having our nominal ‘best back four’ available at times they look leakier than a sieve and no combination of CBs have given us a sense of security. Both his keepers are accidents waiting to happen. With an ageing squad, purples seemingly agitating for moves, a lack of youth players on the fringes it just seems like a Herculean task to get us challenging for the top 6 again. Thats not even mentioning our tactical and technical failures, lack of in game management and waning motivation, players rotting on the bench for whatever reason. Its been one hell of a journey but that steel and grit we had a couple of seasons ago has vanished. I don’t have confidence in Howe to oversee the coming rebuild, I really don’t.

I was never convinced about Elanga, even at £30-35m. However, I was quite content when he came in as I thought his ‘more explosive’ style would suit us better than a more technical winger who slows the game down. That was predicated on the assumption he could control a football though.

I agree, but as someone said upstream. The wheels have seemingly come off for us now, Emery is still in the Top 4 and probably guaranteed another CL finish.

Howe and Emery have both done excellent jobs, but to be a whisker away from three CL finishes in a row, meaning you’ve cracked the ‘two games a week pitfall’, puts him ahead of Howe, despite our League Cup in my opinion.

Villa only missed out on CL last season through goal difference and they also went deep in the CL too. Emery was a fraction away from three continuous CL finishes. That’s extremely impressive. He started from a higher base than Howe as Villa have had solid investment for a good few seasons now but still. He’s done a cracking job.

Always seems to be playing within himself. He has the skills to pick up the ball in MF and drive though the gaps but seems to settle for the safe pass.

Just put them in the programme as ‘a trialist’

Ndiaye is really good.

Isak lumbering around the pitch, redolent of a late career Shola Ameobi.

Fuck sake

Van Dyke is a massive cunt.

Elanga actually wants to play for Newcastle. Which, as of this time, is his only redeeming quality.

How much have Bournemouth spent? The team that schooled us this afternoon?

I said this bloke had a touch of Michael Owen about him a few weeks ago and immediately got shot down. It’s been obvious for ages he is playing for himself with one eye on England/his next move.

Still none the wiser really about who is responsible for our disastrous summer transfer window. Who signed off on Elanga, Wissa, Woltemade etc?

The players are a disgrace, particularly the ones who’ve been shit all season but are now eyeing up a pay rise at a CL club.