Super Duper Branko Strupar

Integral. We were noticably worse without him.

One injury

Absolutely no chance we'd let Wilson go this January. Lots of content being created from purposefully misinterpreted messages from the club imo. Its not like theres much newsworthy transfer content elsewhere.

I think you're getting your knickers in too much of a twist over our FFP worries, Beth. It's not that bad.

Have you spoken to him, like?

What would letting our first choice RW leave in January acheive? We're not going to be able to replace him with anyone ready to come striaght in you'd doubt. Aye we have Murphy comeing back and Barnes too and Gordon can play RW, but we'd be weakening a position we're not strong in. Makes much more sense to be doing all of this at the end of the season. I know we need bodies in, but we'd need even more by letting people go. Just seems all a bit far fetched to me. I'm sure he's fairly comfortable finance wise as well.

This whole short saga sounds like a lot of noise about nothing to me. He has no desire to leave, we'd not look to sell. Bid comes in and its reported, then all the bluster about recouping money and FFP is spun to bulk out the story. "Newcastle REJECT Bayern bid". I mean, of course we did, it's peanuts and he's worth more to us than that and 13m gets us nothing in terms of transfers. Then the Eales interview is wound in to it, Newcastle in the FPP mire etc etc, which again I'm sure is shorseshit. We're probably tighter than we'd like if we dont get Europe but I'm sure we're fine, we're not stupid. Might be wrong but I dont see him leaving at all and I dont see us accepting any mid teens bid for our captain and talisman and best player (maybe not lately).

He'll be sound enough to say "If you want to sell me for the money then I'll go", I reckon.

Yep, but we were limited in our play back then. Both at Bournemouth and since he's had the personel here, Howe seems to rely on his CMs being interchangable to give us some unpredictability. Of course that means you rely on the players managing that situation themselves rather than it being dictated, because if it's dictated you've become a bit more predictable in the centre of the park. Limits the high press too. Im also of the opinion its a weakness that needs addressed. I just dont see us buying someone to specfically fill that gap I suppose. In Tonali and obviously Bruno we should have 2 players that can fill that role, but to retain the dynamism in CM it has to be up to them to do it, and that'd take time between them.

Oh yeah I agree, I'd also like them to be a bit more aware of when one of them has to drop in to that role, or for one of them to maybe be the *wink wink* nominated DM for particular games (Bruno, really), as that hole is a weak point for us against better oppostition. I just dont think Howe would ever want a specialist DM with limited ability elsewhere.

Dont see Howe every playing a specialist DM, personally. Never has from what I remember. He relies on the CMs being able to interchange and share respnosibility.

Ideal situation for me is we get whoever we need in this window, Miggy stays for the last part of the season and fires us in to the top 6, deal made end of the year with Saudi club for the same money we'd have got if he'd went this January, Miggy says his goodbyes at the Brighton game (Home win, Miggy goal) to Wor Miggy flags everywhere.

I think we're being proactive. Finish this year without a European place and we could be in trouble, so I think we're giving ourselves some wiggle room. I think we'll make Europe though, and if thats the case then any sale now will just mean we have more room within FFP than we would have without it.

Good beginning, decent middle. Ending needs work.

It's clear as day Trippier is the biggest leader in and ambassador of that team, like. To claim otherwise or say there's others who do/would do that job as well if he left is dogs doodoo.

Shhh, you'll spoil clueless people's fume.

I don't get why only after a couple of years of moving back to England for family reasons, they'd want to up sticks already and move abroad again.

Andre Gomes

CL will be a noose until we're Liverpool or Man City level squad options and we're not seeded 4th. Man Utd were seeded higher and did worse than us against lesser opposition. Arsenal struggle but are lucky theyre so highly seeded. I dont agree the Conference League or Europa would be, though, we wouldnt have to put out full strength theams from the off for those. Fucking hell even in the semis or final we could afford to rest a big player if you look at last season comps. To say the management of this season around europe was a distaser is canny ott imo, like. We fell short by the smallest of margins and should have had 2 more points anyway. In a just world we'd be through to one of the CL or Europa. Disatser would be crashing out wihtout making a mark. Just because we've lost players to injury doesnt make it a disaster either. 2 of those injuries weren't even fatugue based (shoulder dislocations). Targett's was a freak not caused by being over played. Barnes was pre CL. Tonali not caused by style or selection... You cant conflate 2 things when there's no correlation. It feels very doom mongery mate.

What was a disaster? That's a canny big word.

Course we can blame all those things, including Europe. But "Same Europe we couldnt handle" is unfair. We handled it canny well imo and we were unlucky. Couple of poorer performances, couple of bad decisions, couple of mistakes, but that's football. And it's a competition, if you dont win enough points, you dont progress. You dont give up and say "May as well not bother again then" though, you aim for it again. We're not going to win anything immediately, might not win anything for ages, it wouldnt change anything though. That's competition.

Give awa, we beat PSG twice.

All the best, Javi.

I don't understand how some people proper buzz at just getting angry. Must be a miserable existence. We were canny high up in the form table a month and a half ago or whatever. But now we're a shit team and a shit squad with a shit manager. What a strange anti fantasy world people choose to live in. Robbed against PSG, decimated by injury, unlucky errors or mistakes to lose us a couple of important games. Small margins which would flip everything on it's head. All seems quite easy to understand. But nah, at least we have the "tell it like it is" folk to tell people exactly how it fucking isn't and dump their stinking excrement in front of everyone then bitch and whine when people tell them they're dumping excrement. Boggles my mind.