Stottie

In case anyone's wondering, Harvey Barnes has no goals or assists against Arsenal but his record is P9 W4 D1 L4 Gordon's is P4 W2 D0 L2 with one goal.

Please please! Three in a row after Tchoumeni and Bellingham.

I keep hoping Tonali has some Furio in him. Externally suave and cool, but capable of next-level violence when the moment comes.

I thought we were too shit to blame the officials for our game. However, the Robertson one on Toney is as blatant a penalty you'll ever see. The Caicedo one on Doku looks like a stamp and is dangerous play regardless of intent. Right in front of the ref and he doesn't even get a yellow! The handball looks like arm moving to ball. I think you've got to give it.

Fine insight from Kevster. I agree on Pope as the biggest miss. Just on Burn, but my memory of him first season at CB when Targett was LB was that Burn was great until a big nosedive in form. It was around the time of that Chelsea game when we were robbed of a penna on Murph and then Havertz scored after Burn dived in and gone done. I can recall Burn overcommitting in a few games in a row around then. Anyway, my point is that I think he might be a confidence or form player, and its gone at the moment. He's not going to do anything going forward, he's not the type, but he would normally be more dependable than this.

It was a year ago, but the Amazon documentary was a bit like The Apprentice does football. Here are the money people on another conference call trying to get revenue up to make the club competitive. Not iconic football images like misfiring striker staying behind for shooting practice with the sun setting behind the goal. It's what FFP has reduced football to.

Just seen someone up it on Twitter. Its a wrestling throw in the 97th minute. https://x.com/NewcastleFansTV/status/1758212109387567598?s=20 I don't think you can blame the player for this. He's just trying to hold it up and seal a much needed win.

I thought Hall looked really good for Chelsea when they played us. I think there is a player in there, just not yet. He's also much younger than the others, and joined us for minimal upfront outlay, which is all we had thanks to FFP. If anything he is a scapegoat for what FFP is limiting us to.

If Ashworth is going to be playing with Man U money, I wonder if he'll try to buy Anthony Gordon. He's known him since England youth and Man U could pay the wages Sancho got. He would probably also magically appear in the England team. Realistically its 100M, so that's our FFP sorted, at the cost of our player of the season.

Its tactics, not training methods, but the sharp turns that defensive players must do when a simple throughball bypasses your high backline can't be good for them. It sounds like injuries waiting to happen.

Yeah my mistake. I thought it was that game he came on in, not the Man U one. The stats I quoted were calculated by FBref and will be correct. fwiw, I see the Everton first goal as a turning point in our season. The hard games Spurs and Villa have are mostly in April and May. While this creates high squeaky bum potential as the season end approaches, those bums are sitting on hefty points cushions over us. We need to hang in there to make sure that pressure will count. The title race looks like it'll go to the wire, so those fixtures will not be easy games for them.

With Pope starting, 26 points from 14 games. With Dubz starting, 10 points from 10 games. There is more to it than just the keeper, and the switch simply coincides with a collapse in form. This collapse started with the Everton game, which is included as "Pope". I don't think 26 points from 14 games with Pope was a fluke, so that a low sixties points total is still possible, possibly even 65 if we regain form. It will depend on Villa and Tottenham where that will place us. Its not in our own hands.

Fingers crossed that the midfield can cover the ground and compete. Quite a strong bench for the first time in a while.

Whoever said that was wrong. He's scored over a quarter of his goals with his weaker (left) foot, hitting xG with it. Click on "shot type" for the numbers. https://understat.com/player/6681 I wonder how much crossover there is between people who didn't rate Harvey Barnes and people who didn't rate Anthony Gordon. Just because you play for a struggling club....

I rate Barnes highly, but I think the biggest miss is Pope as the sweeper keeper. The back four fall back and that creates all that space our midfield has been struggling to cover.

Glass half empty says two dropped points to a promoted team at home. Glass half full says we were 2-4 down at home and still fought back and got a point. Defensively, what annoyed me was the first two, a simple knockback off a floaty freekick for #1 and then three missed challenges in midfield for #2. That's like Champo level. Someone skinning one of ours for pace, this time Dan Burn, doesn't really bother me. I didn't think Wilson did much but well played Harvey Barnes. Good to see him score, especially because it seems there are plenty who do not rate him.

A Spursy start to the weekend's fixtures. Sets things up nicely.

Peak Guardian here in the match report This expression has never and will never be used for any penalty claim for contact on a Liverpool player, all of who collapse very easily, sometimes after throwing themselves up into the air. This was six minutes into the game with the score 0-0.

KDB is back and Man City normally turn it on in the second half of the season. Arsenal are pretty solid and the next bests (West Ham, Brighton, Villa) should go deep in Europe too. Fifth might get CL after all. We lead the league in xG, and are fourth in expected points, so the stats say we can go on a run. Maybe a bit of Callum Wilson supersub action like last season.

Just on the playing slowly out, but Martinez was actually tackled on the goal line. It was nearly howler of the season. For them, I thought McGinn was lively and nearly shithoused his way to a headed goal against Miley. Luiz was very quiet. Maybe just an offday. Watkins was classic Watkins. Nowt all game and then bang! A bit like Callum Wilson. Great result from our lot. Hopefully its us turning a corner.

Big win today. With this one out of the way, we now have easier fixtures left compared to everyone else. Maybe we can grab another place or two. Main focus should now be the cup.

Gordon could easily play #10 in a 4-2-3-1. He comes inside so much he's half doing it already. Bruno and Tonali as the two.

Wow, Villa having to sell even having banked the Grealish money. FFP is savage. Billing is a bit Mo Diame isn't he. Someone often seen as a physical CM but probably most effective as a midtable AM.

Jan 28th, so getting close to the window slamming shut and "Harvey Barnes is like a new signing!" type clutching of straws. All this talk of FFP and balance sheets can't be good for the Premier League's "product". Its like watching the business news or shite like The Apprentice.

Just on the next Liverpool manager, but Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham suggest Liverpool do not automatically get what their fans think are destined to have, especially when Real Madrid are involved. If Alonso ultimately wants to go to Real, he may be better off waiting and not being the Liverpool manager charged with replacing Salah, VVD, and Alisson. Those three are world class, in or bordering on best all-time EPL eleven. I don't think their other players are anything like that level. Closest for a while was Mane. Luis Diaz started off like it, but maybe that injury has cost him half a yard. Have the English press mentioned that Alonso also happened to win the World Cup and Euros with Spain or multiple titles with Real and Bayern, or is he just "that bloke who played for Liverpool"?