Lush Vlad

That would be one way to try and get the best out of Woltemade

Italy That second pen from Bosnia BTW. Woof.

Mourinho FFS there would be no point in that! I’m more Howe in, than Howe out. But part of me is intrigued to see what sort of coach we would go for and how much of a pull we could be to so called bigger names. I don’t really agree with people always saying ‘who is better/who should we replace Howe with’. Do people genuinely watch enough football to know who we could or should get in? Also, if people suggest a marquee name it is laughed at as unrealistic. But a more unproven gamble on a younger, less experienced manager. Then that gets thrown out too. It’s like for when Tino and Tonali leave? Do we have much of a clue who we should be getting and what they’d cost? Or how Wissa is a waste of money, but if we sign some bloke from Portugal. Who a few people have watched on Youtube. That will be a better bet? FWIW, I don’t think it is worth the risk trying someone other than Howe and unless we totally fall apart between now and the end of the season. He deserves a chance to right a fair few wrongs from this season. I’m just not as staunch in my defence of him as I once was. As the same old mistakes are getting repeated too often and I’m not sure he is learning or even wants to change how we play.

He won’t be doing much. Sweden are abhorrent. Outplayed by Poland for most of that from what I saw. Although I was channel hopping, TBF.

They’re fucking atrocious. Even England would beat Sweden.

Switched over to the Poland game. This is wank. I have an extremely tenuous link to Polish heritage. So Howay Polska.

Livramento’s defending since returning from injury has been terrible.

Signed in on my phone. Just to say Rogers has been worse than shite. I’d love to see what L’Equipe would give him out of 10. As it stands, I think -2 is fair.

It's the best of a bad bunch. Said it on here before, most of them seem like top blokes. But it is just 4 blokes talking through games like they're down the pub. There's not a lot of insight and they get a lot wrong when referencing stats, records, matches etc. I don't feel like I gain anything from listening. I think it is Mark on there that will always argue like fuck with Dekka for about 20 minutes over some trivial point which then means they go off track and the pod goes on for about an hour and a half.

I mean, I say all this now. But obviously squeaking 7th or 8th and getting into Europe next season. Would be better than a load of good performances, but only finishing 10th. I'm just trying to not look at the result and the outcome only and look at the bigger picture. But it doesn't usually work that way with football fans. It doesn't with me, anyway

This is the thing though. I keep thinking if he gets us into any sort of European football. Then you really can't then look to move on from him. He would 100% deserve another summer and season to get us back on track. But then on the flip side of that. Do I think he is going to start addressing some of the glaring issues with how we set up? Will he move on from certain players that are constantly letting us down? Do the club even have the funds for the necessary rebuild and is he the man to lead it? The more I think about it. The more I think performances are more important with finishing in a European spot. If we actually start competing in games for longer spells and there seems to be some sort of discernible gameplan. Then I'd feel a lot more positive about next season.

They're all average to shit, for varying reasons. POTT, All With Smiling Faces, TF, The Chronicle one.... I'm yet to find one that is worth listening to. I listed to True Faith now and then. But really depends who they have on and what the result was or what sort of run we are on. They're more reactive than this place.

Keep hopping down from the fence to one side, then back up and over again. This morning I keep thinking I can't see him turning it around. Whether we finish in the European places or not, I don't think he is going to tweak his style enough next season and we seem to have been fully found out. I think he has full belief in what he is doing, which is great in one way. He believes he can fine tune his system and make it better. I'm not sure he can. You can count on one hand the amount of comfortable wins we have had in the league this season. We've not had many memorable team performances in the Prem (Everton away, Man U home). In fairness, perhaps some great individual ones. But we used to be such a well oiled machine and worked as a unit. Every game feels like a slog and a lot closer than it needs to be. We don't come from behind to turn games around, yet we struggle to play with a lead. Regularly going to shit once we're ahead and not pressing home our advantage. Eventually throwing the lead and then often the point away. Usually with a heartbreaking 90+ goal from the opposition. Tune in tomorrow, where I'll probably be back to making excuses for him and why I think he deserves a chance to try and turn it around

If Slot stays put, he might as well look to leave. No chance he will ever properly shine in his awful system, IMO. He's a cunt, but he is a better finisher than Ekitike. His link up play isn't as good and he needs space to operate. Imagine him if Klopp was still there, he'd be racking up an insane amount of goals. I mean, he wouldn't because fortunately, he is injured. But you get my point.

I keep flip flopping on how I feel about it all. I've fully been in my own head on the dog walks this week feeling a bit down on football in general. If I'm being a pessimist and looking at it negatively. I think we are repeating the same mistakes over and over and I tend to agree with others who are suggesting it has gone a bit stale. We don't seem to want to move to a more possession/control based approach, or we are incapable of doing so when the game requires it. The same midfield issues that have been hurting us for the last 3 years, are as apparent as ever. We try and blitz teams early on with our intensity, then we just sit right off and get hurt. We sit off without actually defending particularly well. We have done it in previous years, but the defending has usually been a lot better. We don't have a link to the forward line and creating good quality chances on a consistent basis feels like an ongoing issue. TBF, I'm sure our xG has us mid to upper end of the table. But I'm not opening that can of worms on here The summer transfer business, whilst not all being on Howe, of course. Was pretty crap in the main. Only successful signing so far has been Thiaw. Even he is starting to show some limitations and bad traits. I'm a big fan of Ramsey. But for £40m and what has he actually brought to the team? I'm not sure it has been a great signing. Do we trust Howe to get it right or sign-off on the right kind of players this summer? A lot of players feel like they are regressing or just struggling with the physical demands of playing in a Howe team and also so many games. Whereas for most of Howe's time here, it has felt like he has got every last drop out of his players or got them to realise their potential. It doesn't feel like that this season. I think the team needs a real refresh and a bit of a rebuild, some new ideas and a different approach. I feel like we have been found out to a certain degree. Teams have adjusted to how we want to play and/or caught up to us physically. But then looking at it with a more positive spin. I can counter almost all of my gripes with a genuine excuse or reason for it being that way. Along with reasons why Howe will get it sorted. I feel like he deserves a shot at what will be be the 3.0 or even 4.0 version of his squad at NUFC. I think he will right at least some of the wrongs of this season and with a decent summer and what seems like at least a semi-functioning setup above him now. We really could kick on again next season. But then back to the nagging doubts. If we were to finish say, 9th to 14th and we end the season the same way as we have played for most of it. Not very good or wildly inconsistent. Then I start to be a bit more pessimistic about it all again and wonder why it will suddenly change next year. Probably a bit of a moot point. As all the noises in the media make it sound like he is here to stay. He will have my backing if that is the case, for sure. I love the man and it would take an awful lot for me to go full HOWE OUT. Even then, it would be with tears in my eyes. He is such a decent and genuine bloke and he has done so much for the club. It would be nothing like under Pardew, Carver and Bruce. Where I had genuine disdain for the person, as well as the shit football that was being served up.

Said similar in another thread about players not taking responsibility or acting as coaches on the pitch and adapting. It's like any autonomy and individuality has been coached out of them. We were talking about it in the pub yesterday. Modern players are like robots. Probably one of the reasons why modern football is becoming very boring to watch.

Brobbey, Thiago and Beto have all caused us no end of bother. Beto last season and this. Probably some more I've missed, too? Seems our super tight, very aggressive marking of forwards and following them all over the pitch man to man. Can get massively exposed by clever movement like against Barca. But also against big old units like those mentioned.

He is still quite raw. But he looks fucking rapid and defends really aggressively a lot of the time. I agree with you. I think he would have been perfect for us.

When people get done blindside it is annoying and sometimes feels avoidable and like players could have more awareness. But he is looking at Brobbey the whole time FFS. Nobody behind him to pick up, not that he checks. Yet he doesn't even challenge him for the ball on three separate occasions. The midfield and defensive shape and the non-challenges before that were also awful. As was Willock's pass to start off their move

Not brought myself to watch the first back yet. But the second is a war crime. Imagine the analysis piece going back through that. Half the team would be getting torn to shreds and rightly so.

Good question that. I think the way he is and how he goes about his business. Gives him even more credit in the bank with me. How I have felt watching us a lot of the time this season and how many games have felt like Groundhog Day. If he came across as a bit of a twat or made outlandish comments after games. Then I think I'd be leaning heavily towards wanting another manager. It's hard to dislike him and not root for him. FWIW, I don't really know any fans of other clubs that don't like him. It helps that Tindall acts as a magnet and a bit of a shield for Howe. All the flak is directed at him

I can't make my mind up. I keep thinking we're going to finish around 10th and that just doesn't feel good enough and with other doubts I have about the way we play, some of the players we target and sign etc. I think maybe it might be better to move on. Then I read stuff like this post and find myself nodding along and agreeing. I'm like that Fast Show character in the pub that can't make his mind up and is easily swayed by whatever his mates say

I don't think he was bad, either. He was just alright. He just isn't mobile enough IMO. But like I said, it was nice to have someone in there willing to get hold of the ball and try to do something with it. We were worse after he went off. Out of all of the subs, only really Murphy contributed anything positive.