Chicken Dancer

Loves a yella card the boy. Also a bit of an FM23 legend. Only seen him play 3 times, looked decent against Spurs & Arsenal.

@magvicar he had a Villa team with Grealish, Abraham et al lingering mid-table in the Championship. More recently, he took a West Brom team from pushing for the playoffs to bottom half. He's got jobs for 20 years for having a decent playing career and being a relative big name in English football. Nothing to do with tactics, shape, philosophy or identity (none of these exist). He's a charlatan who quite frankly is completely finished at any capacity in football, at least at a decent level. You might see him wheeled out as Huddersfield manager in a year or two or something, but that's if he's lucky. He's probably a decent enough fella to have a pint with (not for me personally) but he's pretty much despised at NUFC, SAFC, Villa & both Sheffield clubs. I'm sure there is more. The only places he's probably held in any sort of regard from his managerial career is Hull and Wigan - places where football isn't even their primary sport. Nowt against them at all but they're small clubs he had them punching above their weight, granted. He should never in a million years - Ashley or not - been given the NUFC job in 2019. He's fucking shit and you know it, you just won't admit it because you've went too far and you will die on this hill now, which is fair enough. Anyways, I don't want to win this battle. I'm outty. Tell these people something they don't know about me.

I'm still annoyed the cunts beat us twice. Be hilarious watching Klopp if they don't make Top 4.

Yeah, the amount they're carved open does give me confidence. I suppose I'm more worried about us imploding, which I know isn't exactly to type this season or in fact since Jan 2022.

Thank you for making me feel a tad better. However memories of that Alisson 95th minute winner at WBA in 2021 still has me absolutely bricking it.

Come on mate, I think others have tried to reason with you and I completely respect your right to a different opinion, but he is and always was shit. I'm starting to think you might be baiting here, and fair play if so. Hull? Wigan? Maybe a season at Sunderland? That's where he's done OK in recent memory. Let's not pretend there was a queue to get him from Sheff Wed when he came here. As for mixed-opinions? If by mixed you mean you against everyone else then fair enough. He was pretty much universally seen as a shit, cheap, rank appointment symbolic of our owner at the time. I'd guess 95% of the people I know support NUFC - 0% of them were in favour of the appointment. It was a shocking decision, but I don't begrudge him taking the job.

This is my worry too. Surely 12 points is enough to see them off with 9 left? I know they've been shite all season but if the gap is down to 5/6 points with 5 games left I'd be fucking bricking it. Their fixtures seem to be very kind. I'd be ill for weeks if we missed out to them by a point or so - that 90 + 8 winner back in August. That being said if we can get 4 from the next 2 I'd be very confident, would push Spurs further back and keep Liverpool to a 10pt gap with 7 left.

So sorry for your loss, mate. Sadly quite experienced in loss if you ever need someone to chat to - I'm all ears. I'm sure he'd understand that we have pressing matters to attend to for Champions League!

Where can you find a price on us not to make the top 4? Or are you just considering backing Spurs?

It's just great to have 2 strikers both equally capable of scoring. I do think that international break done him the world of good, coupled with the fact he's watching Isak completely rip it up. They'll both score important goals between now and the end of the season.

I think it's definitely worth a go at 66/1. You could actually be within touching distance (or even in the playoffs) this time next week if you win your 2 very favourable home games whilst others play each other. I know your home form is shite, but if you can get 4pts + going into the West Brom game you have a hell of a chance, which deserves huge credit given you've not got a striker. Hell, yous deserve credit for being this close despite not having a striker for so long.

I can't take the credit sadly. Somebody else in this thread spotted it the other day. No doubt the cunts at SkyBet will try tell you that it was priced incorrectly if it wins like

Since it's been debated a fair bit on social media since the weekend, are we buying into the assessment from Carragher that VVD is the best CB in Premier League history? Definitely not for me. Had a fantastic few years and I know stats don't always tell the full story, but there's at least a few I'd have ahead of him.

You can get 66/1 on Skybet for them to 'win the playoffs' (someone else pointed it out the other day). Either a mistake or stupidity on their part!

This needs to stick. Simple and effective. Hopefully @SteV can get it started at Villa on Saturday, assuming he's going!

Mark Lawrenson is a senile dinosaur who's opinion means nought. Clearly hasn't watched us much, just going off when we wasted a bit time at his beloved Liverpool back in August. Fuck him.

Exactly this, and I didn't pack in my Season Ticket when Benitez left...I gave them the benefit of the doubt for a short while. A combination of the Trust's scheme and especially Bruce getting the job made me chuck a ticket I had for 16 years and over 150 points. He was literally the most typical appointment of the Ashley era so I don't even know why I was surprised. Obviously I wish I still had the ticket now, but it's hard to regret something when you know at the time it was something you felt you had to do to try and initiate change.

3. he was a fucking shit manager who deserved to be nowhere near the Premier League, let alone Newcastle

Wonder if they’re almost conceding the Top 4 if that’s the case? Be interesting to see where he ends up, thought that was nailed on.

Yeah I think time has made people view his time here negatively, completely forgetting how he was shit on like messrs Keegan, Shearer and Hughton before him. He really was one of us, and like someone else has said, 10x the Geordie Bruce will ever be. Sadly I think his stock has fell to a level he won’t get another ‘top’ job, and I do think coaches like Benitez have been left behind by the modern game. Guardiola and Klopp (and others) have revitalised the way everyone tries to play now, and in my opinion probably the only way to be successful is to play the ‘modern’ way. Conte is the next bloke who will be seen in the Rafa mould. Fans won’t stand for being pragmatic now, especially those of clubs who think they should be at the top end of the table.

Completely agree with everything you’ve said. He definitely had flaws of which I think stubbornness was the worst. You sort of know what you’re going to get with him too in terms of how you’ll set up, you just need to buy into it as a fan which thankfully we (mostly) did. St James’ never turned under him from what I can remember. I’m sure Bruce would have had some awkward afternoons had it not been for the majority of his tenure being behind closed doors. I do remember though always having confidence during the bad runs that he’d get it right eventually. Genuinely - despite league positions - I was never once worried about getting relegated under him (excluding 15/16). Just knew he’d get results when needed. The only time I ever really wavered was Leicester at home (think it was the 125 years game), but quickly remembered it was December and we would definitely stay up. Special bloke who was one of the only shining lights of a rotten period in the clubs history. Love Rafa me, always welcome at mine for a drink.

Aye, we’re 3 or 4 windows away from having better options than Murphy as squad players.

They only dropped points in 6 games that season to be fair. That was the best version of Pep’s city.

4 points in the next 2 and even this pessimistic prick will start to believe. Would absolutely take a point now but no reason why we can't get all 3. 12:30 should help us in terms of atmosphere - always find home crowds a bit flat for them.

I think Fulham replaced Leeds - was originally meant to be Leeds (I think).