Stottie

Bruce and Rafa should job-share. Rafa takes the away games, and Bruce, the home. We'd be champions by December. How about Rafa does all the coaching and Bruce does the set-pieces? It's the only area where I see any improvement.

Thought it was a foul on Gayle but that's like the Rooney one again. What a goal.

Jetro's scored against both Liverpool and Man City.

Great goal!

For sheer joy, something by HBA. The Papiss scoring streak was also outrageous. For a goal that symbolizes the Ashley decade though, I'm going to mention the Nolan overhead kick against the Mackems in the 5-1. A jubilant day under the soon-to-be-sacked Hughton, a hat-trick for Nolan, two for Shola, a young Andy Carroll looking unplayable, an early bath for Bramble, and Steve Bruce's face well and truly rubbed in it. Here we are nearly ten years later with him as manager, a worn-out Carroll as supersub, and 17th place as the height of ambition.

Shit game we lost because our defenders couldn't score two goals this week. To their credit, they came closer to getting one than our strikers. If Lascelles plays, I don't think they get the second quite as easily. We'll just have to deal with it, but him getting injured off that sly push does leave a bad taste. Given how bad our attacking play is, I think we are lucky to be where we are in the league.

Jonas at least had a magical ability at winning free kicks. It is clear that our attacking system has not been functioning. A standard tactical move in this situation is to swap the wingers over for twenty minutes. It's poor that we can't even try that.

It may just be confidence, but his whole body shape looks wrong when he is shooting. Our system, with few chances and him mostly isolated, is not designed to let him develop confidence either. The main thing though is the folly in not just signing Rondon, someone proven to work.

With Spurs, do you blame Poch from the problems with Eriksen and the center halves wanting away? They're at a club with a low pay structure. The cost of the stadium is not their fault. Would it have happened if Levy had simply said, "All right Toby kid, here's 100,000 a week like Valencia or Gary Cahill or ... (insert other high paid PL defender)"? Man City and PSG haven't been to the CL final and their players are minted.

Wow, tune out for a couple of days and this happens. With Poch, I wonder what happens if that stupid handball wasn't given against Sissoko. Small margins in football etc. etc. Mourinho strikes me as a completely busted flush. I can't see this ending well.

The problem will be when Bruce has to buy and coach a keeper and defenders.

I actually agree with him, they bossed it for long parts and were better at football than us. They started very strongly and got in behind a couple of times, but were poor after about twenty minutes in. We hoofed it back to them a lot, especially second half, but they managed little with all that possession. Dubs hardly had anything to do. Maybe it was just a purple patch last season, but Ryan Fraser looks to have regressed. He did next to nothing all game.

Since people are commenting on it, I've read the NUFC.com report. I don't agree, but I don't think it's too bad. Personally, I would criticize Bruce yesterday for us playing a lot of aimless hoofball once we were ahead, giving the ball away all the time and inviting pressure. However, I would praise him more for us scoring from set pieces. Along with the defensive lockdowns Rafa achieved, scoring from set pieces is a classic overachieve/paper over the cracks with limited players approach. Bournemouth's opener too was a fine example, but set pieces demonstrate whether a team is being coached. They were a rod that was justifiably used to beat Pardew, who was hopeless with them. He got away with it because we had fine goalscorers like Cisse, Ba, Ben Arfa and Remy in the team. For open play, we now have "give it to ASM" in a way that Pardew used to have "give it to Ben Arfa". You cannot praise the coach for someone dribbling three players. It also means that any off-day or injury will make a huge impact on the team.

8 -> 4 Not especially a vote of confidence in Bruce, but there are points on the board with Lejeune and Schar out and the strikers not (yet) scoring. Ritchie too if we need to go simple with cross after cross. Scoring from set pieces too, which is always a good sign. Six more wins out of twenty-six games and we probably stay up. This doesn't mean a season for the ages, just simple rinse and repeat survival.

AC7 kicked in the face.

Joelinton playacting in the age of VAR.

Miggy is cursed

Need to stop giving it back to them.

The only squad member who didn't make the N-O player of the season poll.

Didn't Bruce himself get 11 in a season once? Pissing myself here. A bit agricultural but 2-1!

HT. Came back into well after going behind. It was looking rough after 15 minutes but pretty even now. Some squandered chances, ASM missed a one on one and Miggy did an airshot about 10 yards out, but none as bad as Ryan Fraser missing from about three yards out. God knows what happened there. We won possession a few times very high up, and they look vulnerable to it.

Joelinton should score.

Great goal! Was coming. Fantastic run by Yedlin.

A couple of weak shots from the edge of the box. Both decent chances. Their keeper looks dodgy

Shit so far, but I hope we pick up, since they cynically crocked Lascelles.