Away Toon

Just buy Maddison. His goal threat from outside the box would make us so much more dangerous. We never have this much possession i dont think we know what to do with it.

Howe on signings and Newcastle's striker hunt: "Hopefully you can see what I tried to tell you at the end of last season was the truth. FFP will impact us for a number of years. We're not in a position to pay wages or fees some people think. We have to be creative & smart. "We're in a position where if any player gets injured, we'll be stretched. But in that area, yes, we do have players who can stand up in [Allan] Saint-Maximin & Joelinton." Howe on Sean Longstaff and his role this season: "I'm looking for a big season from him. Since I've started working with him I've seen someone who is committed to becoming the best player he can be. Every day in training he gives everything - he loves the club. He's got a big part to play." Howe on Sven Botman: "I think he's ready to play. I've seen him during pre-season and what a talent he is. I think he's going to be everything we hoped he would be. He's technically very good, very strong and very good defensively. "We look at every player individually and try to make the right call for them and the team so what I do with Sven you'll find out but I've been very pleased with the signing." Howe on injuries: "Jonjo [Shelvey] is in London tonight for another assessment so we don't have a clear, defined timeframe on his injury. Jamal Lewis and Federico Fernández are working their way and shouldn't be too long. [Javi] Manquillo is back in training too so we're not too bad." Eddie Howe has been speaking ahead of Newcastle's Premier League opener against Nottingham Forest: "That excitement is there but it's important for the players to be cool, calm and collected and thinking about the things we need to do to perform. I think if you get overhyped, that's a negative."

If we are looking for someone to come off the bench to get us a goal, he’s as good an option as we have at the moment.

All this twitter shit should be in the stupid twitter thread not in here. No wonder Elon doesn’t want to buy it.

So the BBC has us finishing 9th and the Guardian 7th. In the article in the Guardian this caught my eye. If Netflix did a Newcastle doc … Planet Toon would be fronted by Sir David Attenborough and detail life on a particularly peculiar parallel universe. The soundtrack would feature music by the manager’s favourite band, A-ha, and Saint-Maximin and Guimarães would compete for the most airtime. A specially extended episode could centre on the squad’s mid-winter break to Jeddah and refuse to gloss over Jonjo Shelvey’s deportation following an unfortunate breach of etiquette while in the company of assorted Saudi Arabian royals. Anybody know what the Shelvey bit is about?

Who is saying we were surprised? There is so much bullshit posted at the moment on this forum, it's time to call it out.

I live in Antigua but not there at the moment.

I’ve always thought our biggest problem is playing three midfield players together that compliment each other and allow us to keep possession and control games, we are definitely one short. A high class midfielder is just as important as cover for Wilson.

They were way better nothing undeserved at all.

So far we are more in control this half than we were in the first.

They look to be a way better team especially technically, however we are level so maybe it doesn't count for much this time so far. I don't like to see Bruno doing so much defensive work, he's rash and a bit slow. I'd love to see someone like Kamara anchoring the midfield to allow Bruno to play further forward.

That Eagle would definitely eat a whole packet of Magpies

He's an average wide left player which is where he prefers to play, a pretty shit centre forward and an abysmal finisher. Mind you he's quick.

I can't see the point of making any predictions until the transfer window closes.

And how exactly do you know this?

If we want to finish in the top half of the table we do.

Pope would have been trying to get out to that, Dubravka just waited to get beaten

Tripper too much hair, not enough brain

Can I be the first to say that the fact that the transfer window is open for another 3 weeks after the season starts is absolutely dumb as fuck. An industry ran by cretins to make money

I might be wrong but I get the feeling that the transfer fees are not necessarily the problem but that the wages are. A 30-40m player is around 100k a week maybe a bit more, the 50-60m players are looking for 200k a week. Jesus reportedly is on over 200, Sterling more no doubt. So the Isaks, Diaby and Paquetas who are all valued at over 50m probably want way more a week than at this point we are prepared to pay. Sooner or later we will have to or we’ll be stuck in mid table forever.

I went to school in Seaham so I know exactly what they are like. However they are so small time now why bother even thinking about them. Same with the Steve Bruce thread, who gives a fuck about him anymore.

Arsenal can and probably will offer him double the wages we will so I wouldn't be so sure about that.

I know lots of people on here live in the NE but the infatuation that some posters have with Sunderland is not healthy. They are irrelevant.

Very Star Trek

Unless we buy a top class midfielder, preferably defensive minded and mobile we'll continue to struggle to control games and keep possession. When was the last time we averaged 50% in a season?