Lush Vlad

Well Pope was saying how much harder it is to keep hold of the Puma balls. So you may well be onto something there…..

I was talking to a Spurs mate the other day and said how defensively sound Spence and Tino would be as full backs. Fuck all would get by them. He then suggested Lewis-Skelly should start Forgot he existed TBH. Has he been injured? Or does Mikel Pulis just need a minimum of 3 CB’s on the pitch at all times?

He’ll score off a Woltemade assist on Sunday I reckon. Well, if he starts as he should do. Ahead of an injured and out of form Gordon.

I dunno like, plenty don't give a fuck about England. I care slightly more these days and it was down to Southgate getting me back on board TBF. But I'd always wants what is best for NUFC over any international. England or otherwise. I used to barely even watch the national side. Not that I think we should try and stop him, mind. It's only if he feels like he wants to stay here and help the club. After what was pretty poor from DR Congo in the first place. Him getting injured is partly down to them IMO.

Not in that God awful green kit. Thank fuck for that.

Bad move by both I reckon. Doing well at Boro and the fans like him (I think?). But then again, he could be getting a huge pay rise. Then the pay-off if/when they get relegated and struggle next season. That might be worth it alone.

He shouldn't be going away with them with this hip knock IMO. But I'm sure he'll miraculously make a recovery for Sunday, get an undeserved start, usual poor performance. Then go away and have two good games for England.

Pleased for him. Fully deserved on form this season and whilst he will be third choice, there isn't another English keeper ahead of him for that 3rd spot. I'd have him over Henderson and all.

Maybe a bit niche and one for the NFL thread. But refs just never giving fouls against Burn and Woltemade. On account of them being big bastads. Reminds me of refs seemingly having a higher bar/rarely flagging for roughing the passer when it came to Cam Newton. On account of him also being a big strong bastad.

Oh I don't think we should do it all the time. Teams are probably getting tight to the likes of Bruno and Sandro and blocking the passing lanes. We've always been bad at trying to play round a press. We just regularly seem to have congested areas down the flanks, then midfielders and players in general miles apart. Passes rarely even seem on and we don't seem capable of even semi-regularly creating openings in our build up. It's not a new thing. It's been one of my only gripes with Howeball since he joined. It's no surprise that we look so much better still when the game starts to open up. But that is quite reliant on us leading or maybe level until say the 60 minute mark and the other team having to take more risks.

Said it in another thread I think after West Ham, possibly before. But our build up is painful at times. Our players always seem miles apart and really slow to shift the ball. No idea if such a metric exists, but it feels like we have the most distance between our lines/players on average. The insistence on trying to build attacks down the flanks is a real head scratcher, and all. As it is usually where our less talented ball players have been positioned. We have two great ball playing CB's, various CM's that are comfortable on the ball and a striker that is desperate for it into feet. Yet we just slowly pass along the back, before either losing it, going long or trying to work openings down the line. Which often results in us losing it cheaply off a poor touch, pass or lay off. All that said, I think we are trying to change a bit this season and there have been some results. We have scored some slick goals from nice passing moves already. A work in progress, perhaps? Not meaning to be negative after another good result. I just saw this post and agreed with a lot of it.

Just a standard, polarising Jacob Murphy performance. Always looking to go in behind, head up looking for a cross, can he get a shot off. All positive in the final third, as per usual. But it's getting to the point where we can't give him the ball in our own half. He becomes like an outfield version of Pope in possession. So clumsy and wasteful.

Yep. Similar to Gordon starting, I don't get we we started Bruno. He confirmed that he was still rough and it was the night before West Ham game that he started feeling ill. Sort of good news in a way. As it gives some reasoning behind two poor games. I still don't get why both started, mind. An out of sorts/injured Gordon and Bruno with the flu. When we have some depth and options for once. Oh well. We got away with it, I guess.

TCD is such a Real Madrid fanboy. Proper on brand.

Yep, said similar in the match thread. Was trying to create and make things happen going forward. But he also did really well up one v one against their number 7 and seemed to relish the challenge. He was my MOTM.

He was almost flawless and despite their pressing across the back. His distribution was better than usual. Shame that long throw didn’t have Barnes on the end of it. Seemed like he lobbed it even further than the Benfica one.

I’m obviously enjoying us being in Europe and as a neutral. I do like seeing the super clubs play each other. But the format is still crap. Less is more.

I think it may be seen us too soon. But if he does start, Burn will be shifted inside as the 3rd CB I reckon. With their long throws and set piece threat, I don't think Burn gets left out. Nor should he, really. I don't like the 3-5-2/3-4-2-1 at all. Bar Arsenal, it has been almost exclusively shite. But Trippier and Hall as the wing backs and getting the right players in and around Woltemade could make a difference. I also think Howe will see how solid defensively we are in that formation and perhaps try to get some away form going off this. We don't create much with the back 5, but we don't give up much, either.

Seems likely. Seeing as there were 2000 odd of them marching through the streets chanting NEWCASTLE NEWCASTLE NEWCASTLE. Either that, or it was a bit of a Burns/Boo-Urns situation. With fuck/up the Mags.

I think this is a bit reductive. I'm sure it is the case for a some people. But I couldn't give a fuck what he looks like. I mean, I don't like all the diving and his body language seems shit a lot of the time. So I guess that does make him a bit more unlikeable than some. He fully won me over with that season where he basically carried us most weeks and ran his bollocks off. As he also spoke really eloquently and seemed to be maturing as a player. Since then, he seems to play like he is sulking a lot of the while, he shies away from 1 on 1 battles when he doesn't have the edge over the fullback, the workrate is massively down (could be a tactical thing TBF) and he seems to be trying to adapt his game. But whatever he is adapting it to isn't working and I don't think technically he is good enough. He has NERF'd himself. He is almost ineffective as an attacking force in the majority of his games. What made him good when I saw him at Everton early on and then again for us when he got player of the year. Was how energetic and aggressive he was. He wasn't afraid to keep going back at the full back over and over and there was plenty of needle and attitude there. You very rarely see any of that from him now. He seems like a shell of his former self. But the books down, get a short back and daft cunt lid and crack open the Monster. Radge Gordon is better than Woke Gordon EDIT: Added a safety smiley in case you thought I was being serious.

Not what I would do, as overall, I think the 5 at the back has been a lot more shit than good. I just think it will happen though. Hall is too good not to play and Howe has shown time and again Burn is virtually undroppable for league and any big game. Ramsey could actually get a run, anyway. As it depends if it is more 3-5-2 or that 3-4-2-1 which we have seen a bit. The latter we don't really have the players to play in the 2 at the minute, if at all.

He isn't involved enough for my liking. As when he does get the ball, he always seems to make something happen or is very close to getting away or putting someone through on goal, down the line etc. Even when he loses it, it is usually a contested ball and his touch is very good. I'm sure there are many reasons for this. The team learning how to play with him, him adapting to a new league, teams wising up a bit to how good he is on the ball and trying to get tight/physical, teams getting away with fouling him all the while, his own physical limitations/playing too much in a short space of time and also our inability to actually build from the back, into the midfield and into his feet. If we could actually use and play through our much vaunted midfield at times and stop trying to attack down the wings every 5 seconds. Then he might not be so isolated and he'd see the ball more than every 5-10 minutes or so.

Feet like Ben Arfa a good few times. Barely played this season, yet he came on and decided he was never going to just clear the ball. But beat a man or two and then play it into feet. What a tidy footballer. Will help loads with getting the ball up the pitch. I'd usually say from his passing, similar to Trippier. With someone like Tino being more of the type to carry it upfield. But Hall was going on some mazy runs himself last night. Very comfortable slotting into the middle to give us an extra man in there, too. Like others have said, I think he might be playing wing back to keep Burn in the team as the third centre back. If not Sunday, then after the break.

I know sometimes last ditch blocks are not fashionable and it can highlight poor positioning or an earlier mistake. But made two last night that weren’t even his side. He is pretty quick once he gets going. Very aggressive with how he presses. Possibly our best passer between the lines. Only real weakness I’ve seen so far is him being a bit rash when he is caught up the field and out of position. To think there was a bit of a mixed reaction to the signing and Milan fans went on like they’d had us over.