Lush Vlad

Hell of a next 6 games for them. If they come through that still right up there. Then I can’t see them dropping out the top 4.

Why would it be him being dropped? ‘Different games. Different needs.’

First one in straight out the gate

Have a day off Wyn FFS.

Could do with a draw or Man U winning. Keep teams like Brighton a bit away from us. But also. Fuck Man U.

Just on the negativity stuff. I thought for large spells yesterday. You could hear NUFC chants loud and clear on the TV and seemed like we stayed with the team until perhaps right at the end? You got the groans and anger when we misplaced yet another pass or let them in for one of their many chances. But that’s par for the course at basically every ground, I’d say? I take people’s point about the moaning and the almost expectant nature of the crowd. Certainly seems like that when I’ve been over the last couple of seasons.

Yeah I guess you’re all correct. Bournemouth having no options on the bench might have even played into their hands. Hard at it from the off. Like we often tried during our injury crisis last season. Try and get a foothold in the game and a lead to hang onto. Didn’t treat us with any respect and played without fear. It paid off for them with the early goal and all the success from their high risk, high reward pressing. We never really recovered from that and were on the back foot from the 2nd minute.

I used to love it up there. Had my ST there for a couple of seasons before Ashley split it up. Great decision extending the family section next to the away end. Not the best being so far away. But the atmosphere was usually quality and could always have a bit of back and forth with the away fans. Villa 6-0 Sunderland 5-1 Arsenal 4-4 Being up there for those games was something else.

I agree in some ways. But I don’t think he offers ‘what he does and more’ or a similar profile. The output in terms of passing, chance creation things like that, I agree. I’d like him to get a chance as whilst he doesn’t have the power and drive that Joelinton does. Along with all of his unquantifiable qualities. I think he might bring a bit more calm to proceedings and some quality on the ball. Joelinton is often playing at a 100MPH and like a bull in a china shop. It’s not really going to happen with Gordon always on the left and Murphy doing so well of late on the right. But it does feel like he is at his best in that hybrid LCM/LW role.

Usually I’m fuming and totally irrational in the minutes/hours after a defeat. Felt reasonably measured yesterday and not too down. Yet today I feel more pissed off about it. Like I can’t quite get over how unprepared and bad we looked against how they setup. Howe may have some flaws. But I don’t think we have very often looked so bad tactically against what the opposition are trying to do. Hoping it is just a combination of quite a few things. Resulting in a perfect storm/nightmare for us on the day. Get back on track next week. I’m sure Howe will have had some choice words for them after and he will be working even more ridiculous hours than usual to fix it.

Said this across a few threads now. I know it would bring it’s own problems and we could have been surrendering possession at times. But I feel it might have been better than slowly passing along the back until we lose it to their press. Not his game at all. But might have got Isak a bit more involved. We have players who are good on second balls and are quick. Joelinton is a good target against midfielders and wide. We have used him successfully in the past doing this. Dubravka has been great at the medium range sort of stuff. But it never seemed like something we looked to use yesterday.

Whether he was below his recent performances is one thing and I’d tend to agree. But not a chance he was as bad as the rest. I thought he was the only positive performance from the game.

This place is fucking tedious. Every thread seems to be WUMs galore.

Arteta is absolutely fuming at the end. Cheered me up after our game at least

In a game where most of our players barely got past a 3 or 4 out of 10. Where our star striker didn’t get any service, but was still below par, for sure. I’m not sure Wilson coming back is going to change fuck all or that Isak has gone ‘stale’ after a bad 90. Wilson won’t ever be back to any meaningful level as he’s shot to bits. He’s looked miles off it for over a year, anyway.

Not you here. Clearly just being a bell aint ya. But Wormy keeps getting bites all over the forum. Quite apt with his name Someone saying pre-game our midfield is our weak link. Someone saying we need Wilson back as Isak was so poor today. I can’t keep up. What is real and what is fake?! I blame AI.

WTF is going on with this place? Seems like every thread. Some fucker is making an outrageous WUM comment. But it’s just about disguised well enough to have you doubting yourself for a minute

Arsenal are going to bottle this. They might get a new manager bounce before the second leg at this rate

No. There were too many individual mistakes. But we did look totally unprepared and like we had no clue how to deal with them or had any answers as the game went on. It was like we weren’t ready for how they were going to play. A bit like how Leicester and Ipswich set up with suicidal tactics against us and it was as if they’d never watched us play before. We weren’t that bad and naive. But not far off. Like others have said and I agree with them. This will hurt Howe. He will be trawling through footage between now and Southampton. Plus we are slowly getting back to a game a week. So more work on the training pitch to work on some of the shite we served up today.

Arsenal have been pretty comfortable. Suddenly they’re on the ropes.

Martinelli has been really good on the right. Usually flatters to deceive on the left. Rice also playing well. As is Partey, unfortunately. Rogers is a whingebag, aint he?!

It is a real shame that Willock has been so out of sorts and Miley had so long out and away from the first team. As in games like today. We could do with a different option in midfield.

I thought he was bad overall on Wednesday, despite his goal and some lovely moments of skill. Similar today. I know teams give him more respect, sit off and double up on him. Plus it is the team’s fault for not making space for him and being a goal behind most the game. But he was at his best last season when he just made his mind up and committed. He always looks unsure of what he wants to do and I think he lacks technical quality (hell of a volley, mind) on the ball when the game is tight like that. He seems to slow the play down to survey the field. Then doesn’t really create the opening. Bruno gets stick for having too many touches. But Gordon is just as bad.

Either him or Miley, possibly Longstaff, although I doubt it. Are going to get a couple of games to impress soon. As Joelinton is a walking yellow and he’s already on 8. Might even get sent off and give them 3 games the way he’s carrying on

Yeah. Getting into half time level would have felt like a robbery. But something to build on. As the captain and one of our best players. It was braindead from him. I still think we could have played longer at times though. Constantly playing ourselves into trouble from the back and could have just missed Bruno out altogether in that passage of play.