Chicken Dancer

Only gonna end up one way this. Snatch and grab.

Keep going between the two sides as to who I think is more likely to win. Both have dismal records in the playoffs - Sheff Utd are clearly the better side, but Sunderland seemed to match well against them during the season. Should be an interesting game. Either side will be comfortably relegated next season.

I’ve no problem with Spurs qualifying for the Champions League as a result of winning the Europa. It’s been that way for many years. It is ridiculous to have 6 English teams in it though.

Totally get what you're saying but nothing in my lifetime (37) suggests that they will ever be able to consistently been seen as a decent football club. They've had 3x top10 finishes (in the top flight) since the 50s, I think. All of which have been since the turn of the century. They've changed their approach and are essentially (trying to be) a poundland Brighton, but for me their absolute ceiling over the next decade is a yo-yo club. That's not me being biased either - they're a much bigger club than plenty teams in the Premier League now, but the likes of Wolves/Everton/other teams that generally struggle for large parts of the season will eat them alive. I naturally dislike the people of sunderland and that stain of a city, but I've some very good friends and family members who support them. Can't say I'm happy for them but I feel nothing either way. If they go up, financially it will obviously help them but in the grand scheme of things, they're lightyears away from being an established top-flight club. It says more about the state of football than them in fairness, but a long old season awaits either of the teams in the final. There's also no guarantee whatsoever they'd bounce straight back up. I'd seriously be willing to bet my mortgage on them going back down. Any investor would see it as an opportunity to make a quick buck rather than be in it for the long haul. The best bet would be that the hang onto our coat tails when trying to attract players but they never would because of the animosity - we all know they hate the mags more than they love their own team. What's the way to approach it anyway? From what I gather they're pretty conservative, which will definitely help. Sell your youngsters to get a bit of a kitty? Well their youngsters are their better players, so then they're weaker immediately. Ipswich spent well north of £100m and they haven't laid a glove really. The gap is far too big and the playoff winner generally is at a disadvantage immediately. The club & 'city' (joke in itself btw) will always be known as 'the one that's near Newcastle'.

Even so, I’m sure I’ll get over it when I’m in the ‘new’ Camp Nou or watching us lift another shiny thing. Even if they are bought, they’ll be pretty shackled up due to PSR and the state of their finances. It isn’t too pretty from What I remember? I could be wrong.

Genuinely feel nothing to them going up or staying down. We’re on another planet to them and will be for the forseeable. Sure, the may beat us in a one off game, but it will mean next to nowt in the grand scheme of things.

Aye they’re all very sure it’s job done. I definitely wouldn’t be counting any chickens in a semi final if we were only winning by 1 at half-time.

Surely the players and fans don't give enough of a fuck to let it damage the next 3 games man. Will have absolutely 0 bearing on how our season ends.

Absolutely gutted this one is 12pm. 1630 I'd be 90% sure we do them comfortably. That being said, we should win. Yes they're decent, but we're at home and we are a big game team now. Our record at home under Howe when we really need to win tends to result in... a win. 3-1.

Real Madrid are the biggest fish and any player at any club in the world would likely want to make the move if the interest was genuine. That being said, I don't think they'll be after him (yet), nor do I think he would want to move (yet). We'll get at least another year or two out of him.

We will beat Chelsea at home but I wish it was a later kick off. 12pm will mean it's flat as a fart. We will beat Ipswich, Chelsea & Everton and it'll be enough, though I'm hoping Everton expend a lot of energy at Goodison the week prior as they've recently been a bit of a dodgy team for us and they'll love to play party poopers. Still think if we need to beat someone on the final day, you'd take a team 'on the beach' at home all day long. Forest will have enough in their games as will City. It's a shame Chelsea play Liverpool after they'd have won the league, but if we beat them at home it should put them to bed. I think we will lose to Brighton and Arsenal, not being a negative twat here I just never fancy us down Brighton and think they're a bad match up for us. But win the home games and we will be OK.

I actually enjoy having no signal in the ground personally. Call me old school but I actually enjoy hearing the scores at HT/FT without any prior knowledge. Back in the day the fella would always read out the mackems last if they were losing, not sure if he still does tbf. Hate when someone nearby is loudly telling their mate that the scores in other games Betting culture is the reason. People can't resist checking the scores so they can check how their coupon is getting on.

Would have been delighted with 10th or below if it came with a cup win. Everything else is a bonus in my eyes. Win the home games and that’s all we will need.

Fulham, Spurs and City in them 3 games please. Still think City will get there regardless, so best to keep Villa at arms length. If we beat Ipswich, we’d be 5 clear of them with 4 to play (if Man City beat them).

Shit happens. Had a horrible feeling all day we’d run out of steam. They’re a really good side, fair play. Hopefully Fulham and Spurs can do us a favour and we’re back to square one. It would be lush finishing as high as possible but 5th will do it. Win the home games and it’s done.

And the rest!

It does make me wonder that when we do upgrade at RW that we'd prefer to keep a right-footed player there. It isn't the norm these days but we/he have shown it can be hugely effective. Actually love how him, Schar and Joelinton - all signings from the previous years - are mainstays in a class NUFC team. Shows the importance of coaching, confidence and belief.

I'd definitely be interested at a (much) reduced price in the summer. He's a good defender playing in a mid-table side. Understand they've just conceded 10 in 2 games but they also recently went 6(?) off the bounce without conceding away from home. He's quick and reads the game well. He's Premier League ready and an England international. If we could get him at £40m I'd definitely bite. Unfortunately, defenders who can spray it like Schar are few and far between. Though that being said, I do think Schar has at least another season of top-level football in him. He's like wine him, both in body and in footballing ability.

I get what you're saying for sure, but I don't just mean this season. The final was a neutral venue and just reaffirmed my view that we can absolutely hang with them, so why not go to their place and play the same way? I'm not being too critical, most teams go to those places and approach the game a similar way. But beating one of them away would change the mentality for us as a club and probably the wider perspective of us too.

I can see anything here tbh. Loss, draw or win all seem as likely as the other. Anything other than a defeat and it's done. A defeat just delays it by a couple of weeks. If we do lose, then City/Villa sharing the points on Tuesday and us beating Ipswich and we are essentially back to where we are now, with 2 games less to play. We're in a great position, so won't get myself too low if we do lose.

I mean he did lift a trophy as captain but hard to look past Shearer, for now at least. Consistently bagged shitloads in plenty average teams. But if you ask that question in 10 years, I suspect the answer might be yes.

I was worried that it was never going to work. I feel like a fool now But seriously, last season and even when he first came back this season, of course there were glimpses but I just always felt he was too similar to Bruno for it to work. Moving him central changed the trajectory of our season. He's comfortably in the top 3 midfielders in the league and I don't think it's outrageous to say he's the best player I've ever had the privilege of watching in Black and White. The engine, the drive, the intelligence. He's just absolutely mint and I'm buzzing he's ours. With him, Isak & Bruno we have a trio of players that can take us wherever we want to go. Add a few this summer and we really are cooking with gas.

I think the day we go to Anfield/Emirates/Etihad and beat them (in the league) will change everything. Without being too critical of an absolutely amazing season, I still am not entirely comfortable with how we consistently roll over at Anfield and the Etihad without laying a glove. We've shown time and time again we can give these teams a game at St James, so I'd like to see a mentality shift away from home in the coming years. We've at least 2 - maybe 3 or 4 - players that would start for any team in the league. It will be a huge hurdle to get over for us mentally, and will give the entire club belief that one day we can win the league. I'm sure it will change, it's easy to forget this is only the 3rd full season since the takeover/Howe, it really still is in it's infancy. But we absolutely can win the league. Never, ever thought I'd think that way in my life, but with the cup win and that, the sky really is the limit. I've never been so excited for the future, it's beyond anything I could ever imagine the belief I have in the current squad and coaching staff. Strap in because it's going to be fucking amazing. Praying for a trip to Madrid in autumn!

This April seems very reminiscent of April 2023 when we just turned it up a notch, scoring goals for fun at West Ham & Everton then dismantling Spurs at home in 20 minutes. A 0-3 defeat at Villa was sandwiched in the middle to be fair, but we still bounced back the week later against Spurs. A defeat this weekend - despite how bad it will feel at the time - is definitely not the end of the world. We've built ourselves a little cushion. I actually think we get a draw on Saturday and we win all our home games. Should be more than enough given we have the buffer of finishing 5th. Aim high now - hunt down Arsenal. If we finish 2nd and win a trophy there's a massive argument that it's the greatest season in our history, given the competition these days. Even if we get Champions League football and a trophy there's definitely an argument.

Funny the money argument man. For one, we’ve not spent that much yet, and secondly, if it was that easy why aren’t Man Utd and Chelsea not pissing the league. Fucking idiots