The Prophet

The angst at the last two performances is pretty understandable, we've been bobbins. It's the lack of support from certain sections of the fanbase that I find it hard to get my head around. These coaches and players have overachieved for three and a half years and dug us out of some brutal spots, delivering survival, European qualification and best of all a trophy. They deserve our unwavering support and patience when things don't go quite right for a spell of games. Yet is seems between the perpetual moaners, the entitled groaners, the chronically worried, the gasping to be right, those who openly want Howe binned and those would peddle him but don't have the cojones to say it out loud, there are decent sections of the fanbase that don't actually enjoy the support part of the fan experience.

Six points off 5th.

What are those expectations though? We're looking at a poor run of form at the moment, unless you're playing for the title, it happens.

He shouldn't need the pressure taking off him really.

The squad is alright, perhaps barring a spare full back. It's been made to look worse by Joelinton, Gordon and Elanga being out of nick.

Started more often than not when he was fit for Villa mind.

This is the mad thing. Champions League qualification and going deep in the cups might not be even on the radar if it wasn't for Howe. He's effectively moved the first team forward about five years of where it should be.

7th along with going deep in the cups would be decent.

Wouldn't be remotely surprising if we play well and get something v City, but follow it up with a below par showing v Everton. There's at least a kernel of truth in the idea that we've been a "big game" side for a while.

What might be best for the club?

Are we now at the "downplaying his achievements" phase?

Like much of the team, he's been well below his best in the last couple of games.

Weirdly while I've read OTT criticism of almost every player, Woltemade isn't one of them. Not sure where that's come from.

LCM. Pretty sure he'll be phased in for Big Joe.

I've never got this take. It's an Internet forum, nothing prevents anyone from posting an opinion, but the more out there, different or daft an it is, naturally the more commentary it'll draw. No idea why folk go on like they're being cancelled at times

One start, four sub appearances in case anyone was wondering.

I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel. Hall in for Burn and Ramsey or Miley in for Joelinton would be a start. I think the issues away from home are as much about mentality as they are tactical.

You said we have no know how of how to play anymore. We clearly do, we're just in a shitty run of form away from home in the league at the moment.

Apart from the comfortable win v Bilbao last Wednesday?

We're just being silly now.

We have to accept that we won't be in the Champions League every season. Pretty much only City, Liverpool and Arsenal have that guarantee at the moment.

22/23 was class, but as ever we're only ever a bad run away from fans beginning to turn on him.

Putting aside the transfer window and subsequent injuries. There's absolutely no excuse for the likes of Trippier, Tonali and Bruno to be playing like they haven't seen a football before.

Granted there's always been a minority like that, do you not think it's becoming more polarised? It feels like social media chat has bled into regular discourse. That's not exclusive football either.