Stottie

Impressive research Ed. This is the kind of thing I want AI to do but I find is hopeless at it. If it was AI assisted, please tell us which one. I try asking questions like "NUFC record in games with 7:30 or later kickoff times" or "NUFC record with Tino and Hall at fullback" but get little joy.

This is a great post. Both Understat and Opta say our performances in individual games merit an extra four-five points, which would make a difference in this weak/competitive league but is not "massive". Our finishing has been poor, Ramsdale was poor, and we've not had the rub of the green with decisions. Woltemade has been heavily fouled and was elbowed in the face by the team currently in top spot. That Mackem donkey of a center forward got to stand on ankle on a yellow card at 0-0. I've been unconvinced by our performances, but the league is not full of other teams that are convincing. Several of them have been good at falling behind to NUFC before getting their shit together later in the game. The upcoming dilemma is the FA Cup, which offers silverware and a Europa place, but would be another distraction and additional toil from the league were only doing okay in.

Opta see Chelsea only getting 60 pts. Its a weak (or competitive, take your pick) league so fifth might be as low as that. That doesn't mean we're going to get anywhere near that, but its a much easier target than 65. In all comps, we are P28 W13 D6 L9 F47 A32 which if only league games would be 45 pts, 1.6 points a game with a very healthy goal difference, way better than Villa's and one that would normally coincide with more than 1.6 points a game. So we are pretty good as a club, just not good enough to compete on three fronts. We got statistically something like the fourth hardest CL draw, and have played Prem opposition twice out of three times in the Carabao. So the above totals have not been padded by facing weak opposition. I'm not massively hopeful, but am more hopeful Pope is back now. I reckon Ramsdale cost us at least four points. Tonali's poor form concerns me, as does losing Tino, and Gordon and Elanga's extended struggles. Wissa looks up for it and didn't go to AFCON, so that's a big positive. The Isak money means we shouldn't have to sell to buy, or at least not a purple. If there is money there, I'd like to see it used, not least because we are still competing on four fronts. If our league woes continue, going all out in the FA Cup to try and win it and get Europa might be a wise move.

We have many problems, but this is a major one and certainly a difference between us and Villa.

IN ONE! It's quick, it's slick, it's a meal in a tick! It's a microwave oven....

I won't comment on Villa's because I'm more interested in us, but I think the thing you have to look at with xG is game state, not simple xG totals. Your xG when winning is far less important than when level or behind. So having said that, here's ours. We've created more chances than our opponents when we're a goal ahead, but have somehow managed to only score four and concede eight despite us averaging a much higher xG per shot. That's eight of the points we've lost right there. Based on both stats and the eye test, Ramsdale's probably cost us 4 points on his own.

I don't think it has to be either/or with Howe and Emery. Just on us, but with lots of things not working, I'd be tempted to play Wissa as Isak part II, play Murphy, play Pope as soon as he is capable, and set up the midfield like last season. Woltemade's done really well, but it is not up to defending from the front or working best in our current system. It'll take time and probably better players to get the most out of him. He's been a great signing but its probably easier just to stick in Wissa and play conventional Eddieball. Just last three games but Brobbie should be second yellow for four studs on ankle, the Gordon one against Chelsea is a clear penalty, and the Man U handball is only arms in a natural position from pushing somebody. I'm not saying we should demand all three, but you'd expect to be given at least one of them. It never rains but it pours etc. etc.

I'd have liked Murphy to stay on when Wissa came on. Best crosser plus likely best player at attacking them. As it happened, we ended up with no width and sending in weak crosses from deep positions. Overall it was like the Mackems game, and even Leeds and Villa away if you go back far enough. Just no attacking penetration away from home.

I didn't realize but at least nine and potentially ten of our next fifteen matches are evening kickoffs, UK time. One of the others is a 5:30 kickoff UK time. Only four games out of fifteen confirmed in a 2pm/3pm slot. Sounds pretty tough for away fans. I'm nine hours ahead of GMT, so lots of very early mornings for me. On the upside, I don't associate evening kickoffs with our worst performances.

He gets nothing by staying on his feet. A "small tug" is a last man foul = a red card.

Eddie's record in this competition basically contradicts the famous Shearer utterance that Toon fans would rather win a Cup (the FA Cup?) than the League. Eddie is nearly unstoppable in this Cup but it does not make him Teflon with fans when it comes poor performances in the league. Does another Carabao semi compensate for what happened on Sunday? I suppose it depends on how many Mackems you have at work. (usual PSR grumble about operating with one hand tied behind his back)

I thought he looked great. Perhaps I should have known with him formerly playing as a winger for a hard-working team, but his movement is really good, he drops back to get the ball, and even tracks back to help. If both him and Wolte constantly show for the ball, then yes, it would be easier to play them together, esp. for a Howe team working the balls in triangles. I'm skeptical it will happen though, especially if we are in lots of competitions and Osula is not available as cover. I don't want to see Gordon up top, because I think it does his confidence in.

Finally it's us with a late goal!

Getting close!

Shite game. Absolute why-do-we-bother garbage. Architects of our own destruction in ultimately the only moment that mattered. Vexing to see a team that created nowt emerge victorious, especially one that dived all game and should have been down to 10 men, but it ended that way because we created nowt to threaten them. We deserved nowt either and that's what we got. I reckon Sandro is carrying an injury and looks like he's 50%. Given the nature of the game, hack and get away with it, Joelinton would have been useful in this one. The game plan itself, kind of a wear-them-out rope-a-dope, seemed to be working until we produced the top-drawer finish that was clearly beyond Brobbey or any of their other players.

Fwiw, we're still unlucky the ref can't see a second yellow five yards in front of him.

One of the all time blooper reel that. A howler for the ages.

No neutrals on here, otherwise I would apologize to them for the worst half of PL football this season. The plan to contain them worked very well, but our attacking play was shite, especially on the right. Should be 10 vs. 11 but that's about it.

Yeah, my confusion. He's a right footer who plays inverted. So outside crosses on the non-inverted side are stronger foot.

His weaker foot cross from the right to Isak for the header against Arsenal at SJP was a cracker, one of my favourite goals from last season. As wicked as any of Murphy's crosses. Probably no coincidence Gordon is playing better with Hall back, and then with Miley in too. If he goes onto the right now, he'll have Bruno and Tino with him. That hasn't always been the case before. When Gordon is on the left and cuts inside, his first look is usually for a vertical pass. I'd imagine this would be more valuable with Wissa making Isak-like runs in behind than with Wolte floating about in a deeper position like Harry Kane.

We were definitely lucky with that and it could have been curtains very early in the game.

The first half had the ball pinged about at high speed more impressively by them. However, in terms of chances, it was them scoring from their chaotic corner off Bruno's bum and us poking our chaotic corner narrowly wide. Flekken also impressively stopped their valiant attempt at scoring an own goal.

Unlucky to not get a third, made the most chances across the whole game, hit the post twice and forced two good saves, one stopping an own goal. In isolation, 2-2 is a fine result, but more points dropped from a winning position. Is that three leads lost in the CL to go with the PL ones?

FBRef says Salah is second in the league for completed passes into the box. And about third for throughballs. So Liverpool must pass it into the box, just presumably not to Isak.