Lush Vlad

100%. No issue with him earning that and he has been so important. But father time has caught up with him. He looked miles off it defensively the last two games. So he isn’t worth that to us nowadays. It sounds like he’ll be getting a big payday abroad as one of his last contracts. Can’t begrudge him that, if so.

Doesn’t he keep getting linked with Real Madrid? Assuming they have some daft, almost unfair buyback clause like all the top clubs get?

Trippier has always been rumoured as being on 6 figures. Ramsdale I’ve seen £80k and £120k a week. Both I find hard to believe

Oh yeah. How could I forget Targett’s £1m a week.

He was a boyhood NUFC fan. Gave it the big’un a few times at SJP playing for the enemy. Then signed for us, supposedly on big money. Then preceded to spend most of his time here hiding from the ball and shirking any hard work or responsibility. Terrible player and attitude. So it’s both for me. I hate the cunt and I hated seeing him in black and white

I know a good few will still need replacing. But you’d think we will be clearing some dead wages in the summer with Lascelles and Krafth going. Plus I’d imagine Trippier will be off and Ramsdale is supposedly on big money. Maybe even Willock. What would that be, £250k-350k off the books per week? Hopefully that will help in bringing the wage bill down and we can try and get the average age and wages down for the squad players.

I remember seeing him for the U21’s. Athletic and a right unit. But looked crap on the ball, from memory?

Bournemouth look decent so far.

It's nothing to do with what we've done in the summer IMO. Even if the jury is out on most of those transfers. Which is fair enough, considering it is only half a season in. More that we have needed a keeper for a while and the defence has been spoken about for a while and they're now all a year older and I am concerned that we will lose 1-2 of our big names, for various reasons. Hence why it feels like we might need a mini rebuild if we were to lose say Tonali and/or Livramento. Along with the likes of Trippier, Krafth, Schar, Ramsdale, Lascelles (does he count) and whoever else, Willock, perhaps?

I think even if we win on Wednesday. We will struggle to not be in the play-offs. Top 8 is looking unlikely based on who they are all playing and the fact we're away to the current holders in our last game.

See above.

Was pretty fed up watching yesterday and was trying to pay more attention to our shape and what we try to do in an attacking sense. When other teams surrender possession and are happy for us to have it, we really do struggle. More so away from home, as I think at SJP when we build pressure, the crowd do get behind the team and we can sustain attacks fairly well at times. So it does feel like a goal is coming. Yesterday, it felt like a 0-0 after what, 20-30 minutes. FWIW, I thought we were fine with our approach first half and hoped we might build on it. But it was just more of the same. This horseshoe passing shape that seems so in vogue to mention and highlight this season. With Liverpool, City and Arsenal being the main culprits. Seems to have made its way to us. Except when we do it, we seem to span almost the entire half, we move the ball very slowly from side to side, often needing a few touches and to carry the ball a distance before shifting it on. Regularly going back to our CB's, to then move it to the full back and out to the winger etc. You're not really putting the other team under any pressure doing this and there is a ginormous gap in the middle of the pitch. Someone posted up the passing map from the first half yesterday and I can only assume it was similar in the second. There is a huge gap near the edge of the box all the while where we just never find space for a pass or worse, we set up not work the ball into this area. Our striker isn't linking play from there and none of our midfield 3 or wide men are finding space there often enough. When we're not creating chances, it would be nice to rely on the occasional bit of magic or a long shot from the edge of the box. But if nobody is taking up those positions, then how are we supposed to even get shots away? When we do find ourselves in a shooting position, it always seems a bit laboured and like we haven't really worked an opening. Maybe just a fortuitous ricochet or clearance falling to one of our players. So it is just Gordon, Tonali or Hall for example just having a crack. Where it seems like they have a very high percentage of their shots blocked. I certainly agree with all the posters who were saying we need to get more shots off. But I don't watch us in many games and think 'he should be having a crack from there, he's got loads of time and space.' I didn't yesterday, at least. As for the straight swap with Woltemade and Wissa all the time. I find that baffling. Plenty of games where we have needed a goal and it is just like for like, two totally contrasting styles and then more of the same with our build up. So it almost feels like it doesn't really matter who is up there. As we are not getting the ball to them or creating chances for them. It was far from perfect, but I liked what I saw with Woltemade deeper at times against Bournemouth and Wissa's profile should work well with him. I'm not sure Howe agrees, mind. As he was uncharacteristically honest and pretty negative on it after the game: If he doesn't want to play those two. Then what about Ramsey? Someone who actually finds space and shows for the ball. Even Willock yesterday might have done something with the game opening up. We had a fair bit of space late on to drive with the ball. But we spurned the opportunity or did fuck all with it. We had 2 subs left and didn't use them. Which when you consider how important it was to get a win and how the fatigue and number of games keeps getting referenced. Why didn't we use at least one of them? Big Joe spent large parts of the game doing naff all, not his fault per se. Just not his type of game. He's also played loads of minutes since returning from injury and we're doing the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. He is such a beast when fit and firing. But it's been a good season or two of him playing through various ailments now. It always seems like the semi-pre-planned 3 subs after 65 minutes. Rarely before and rarely anything a bit different to change our style and shape. The corners have got a lot better and we actually look threatening. Thiaw and then Joelinton should have scored in the first half. It's a bad miss from Thiaw and then Joe is on his heels and just misses the ball. So it is good that we might be able to use these as a source for goals when we are struggling to create. The free kicks are as aimless as ever. TL;DR - our passing patterns in attack need a lot of improvement, we need more long shots, our subs often leave a lot to be desired and our corners aren't shit these days.

Trippier has supposedly been wanting to leave and get a megabucks contract somewhere for a while. At least that is how it has been portrayed in the media. He'll be on 6 figures a week you would have thought, so not really comparable. Krafth I could see it if it was a cheap option. But he's had injury issues and Howe rarely uses him when he is available. So I'd doubt that, too.

He may well like a settled squad. But surely he isn't going to offer new deals to the likes of Trippier and Krafth. Schar I could maybe see getting another year. I also think we'll lose 1-2 regular first teamers. Along with Ramsdale going back, as it would be madness to sign him even for half the reported fee.

Seems like there is media speculation around him leaving all the while. Often back to Italy. I think his agent has even referenced it this season?

I plan on trying to compile a post of all my muddled up thoughts about the tactics and the lack of long range shooting or shooting opportunities at some point. But I agree. I think he could actually start chipping in with goals from around the edge of the box. Something we are massively lacking. Joelinton seems incapable of it, Bruno scores but is rarely beating the keeper from far out and Tonali seems quite unlucky with his shooting. As he often catches it sweetly, only for it to be just off target or blocked. Along with a couple of belters off the bar last season. Not seen enough of Ramsey yet, but he's barely had a shot and Willock's shooting is abysmal.

Do you think we're due for a bit of a rebuild this summer? At least one new goalkeeper and Ramsdale back to Southampton. Quite a few ageing defenders who are going to be out of contract and more than likely moved on. Lascelles, Schar, Trippier and Krafth. As great as Burn has been, should he be a guaranteed starter still, or more of a rotational player? The rumours around Tonali and in particular, Tino, aren't going away. Could they be on their way for decent coin? It might just be projection from me. But I don't feel like Gordon is particularly happy here, nor is he playing anywhere near his levels of two seasons ago. Maybe he could be off at some point? I might just be overthinking it. But the squad needs a bit more than a refresh. So I just hope that Howe can turn around the unacceptable away performances and results and get us into the Europa or even the CL (seems unlikely). So that he gets the money and the chance to manage the next version of this team. With how inconsistent and open the league has been from 4th downwards. I think if we were to finish outside the Europa League spots, it would be a failure and Howe might come under pressure from those above. Even if the expectation was say top 8 and decent progression in the cups. It has been wide open for us to push into the top 4 and time and again we have fucked it up. Which I know can be said for a lot of other clubs, but not all of them would have the same expectation level as us, nor would they have spent as much on fees and wages.

I mean, they didn’t really. But I take your point that Liverpool have been pretty bad at home this season. Hopefully we can get up for it. Seeing as it’s a European game against a big name. But the last two games have been a bit deflating and based on their Liverpool win. I think they will cause us no end of bother on the break.

Draw or a loss. They looked mint at Anfield. Played them off the park at times.

Look at the player threads after a game we have won. Even if it has been a bit fortuitous and we’ve not played well collectively. They’re usually fairly quiet or they’re getting praise. Possibly undeserved at times, even. They might have even played better in a draw or defeat. Results massively skew our perception of how they/we’ve played and how we then critique them. So you’re never going to get a balanced or objective view on the players after a shitty result. Most of them will just be guilty by association All that said. Pretty much all of them and the tactics were shite today

He had a couple of great early moments down the line, TBF. He skinned their full back at one point. Cruyff turn through the legs. Faded out of it as the game went on.

Disagree. Had plenty of games where we have had up and down performances across the pitch. Although the results have a massive bearing on how much we moan. Away from home though, barring Everton. There is a recurring theme and pretty much everyone does look bad.

Yep. Loads of co-comms do that. But nobody as bad as him. “He HAS to go across the keeper there. WHAT IS HE THINKING?! First time volley over the shoulder on his weaker side from 25 yards. But he can’t hit that near post. What a waste.”

I thought he was crap. But basically everyone was bar a few. Our away tactics would make prime Messi, Henry and Zidane look bad.

Don Goodman is bad. Lee Dixon is unbearable. But nobody is as bad as Hindsight Hinchcliffe. Awful human being. Get Grumpy Gary Birtles back on. GET THE BALL IN THE BOX