Interpolic

I think I made some awkward eye contact with you in the Leazes concourse btw @AyeDubbleYoo, I was just about to say hello but you were wandering past then the moment was gone I wasn't at my most socially confident today, sorry.

I was beneath the away fans in the Leazes and tbh where I was sat it felt impossible to compete with that relentless fucking drum That seemed to kill the atmosphere as well as Dortmund being the better side first half. There was no music on at HT and it was eerily silent, just no energy in the ground at all. Our fans seemed like they waiting for the team to lift them rather than the other way around, which isn't really good enough when our home atmosphere is our best chance of progressing in the competition.

Think we will need more points because the bottom 5 look like picking up far less than last season and those extra points effectively get distributed across the rest of the league.

it's massive. Last season we transitioned from a clean sheet machine who often struggled to find the net to a goal machine that always let one in. Now we seem to have the balance just right. The Liverpool game was a freak event that dented our confidence for a few weeks and I bet they all regret showing Man City so much respect the game before that. Since Brighton we've been mostly class.

I'm a recovering alcoholic and if a cancer patient said to me they were insulted I call my alcoholism an illness I'd tell them to STFU. Funnily enough, none of them have. I'm not sure that conversation has ever happened.

Surely the fact you know first-hand it runs in families should tell you it's an illness rather than a "character trait" or a "weakness"?

Yeah, @LiquidAK

Declined. Thank you though.

Those quotes from Howe are magnificent like. What a classy person he is.

Sorry @FLUMPO235 I had just skimmed the thread and hadn't realised I was making the exact same point you had

It's a funny one tbh as much as I'd like to bash Merson. I'm a recovering alcoholic but if I had to do a campaign at work where the client was an alcoholic drink manufacturer it wouldn't even cross my mind to say "No" because of all the damage I did myself. Just because I can't do it in moderation doesn't mean that applies to millions of others.

Keith Downie saying NUFC are "surprised and shocked". Wonder what Tonali and his agent told the club this week before the hearing, probably not the full story.

Oh they needed an Al Pacino reference.

Show this match to Al Pacino in Insomnia and he conks out within seconds. Film over.

Relentless

Class news, that. Hadn't realised his contract end was imminent. Whatever you think about his abilities on the ball, he's clearly a good defender and a brilliant character at the club. Us being more than the sum of our parts last season was due to a whole load of intangibles like that. Ideally I'd like to see him as more of a squad player eventually but we should keep him in the squad as long as we can. And very happy for him living his dream like this when he probably never thought it was possible.

Rattles cages Bets his wages Against fucking Sunderland Seriously though this is bad news

oh fucking hell you just reminded me I forgot to put my black armband on for the rest of the day. Will stick it on now. Re the game anyway, the spell we had second half had me thinking once again what a fun time it is to support us. Absolutely battered them for about 25 minutes and the second goal in particular was brilliant. Wish Isak had managed the hatrick. First half we dominated the ball but looked a bit toothless and last 20 minutes we decided to mostly let them have the ball. Whether that was tactical or due to fatigue I don't know, but we probably thought we could ride it out and get the 3 points. Overall annoying to lose 2 points right near the end but I thought we played alright and am fairly happy. It's a performance that continues the momentum rather than halting it, and in a long hard season where we're not full strength then that's priority #1.

He's taking the piss I think, pretending to misremember what you said. I thought it was funny anyway

Needs to be less of this like. Can't be digging out personal posts from elsewhere on the forum and using them in a tedious football argument.

Nope, thought we were the better side for the vast majority. Not too bad a point though.

Don't think we've been too bad but we are mainly passing it around prettily and struggling with ideas to break down their low block. West Ham won't change plan second half so we need to come up with something. Wilson up top with Isak on the left will presumably be the setup for 30+ minutes at least.

Catrick Kluivert

I can't, sorry.