Chicken Dancer

Why aren’t they all training? Don’t give a shite if Joelinton is banned either, unless a family member is ill there’s no need for him to be in Brazil either. Bad look imo.

Never thought much of assists given you can give the ball to someone a yard away who then pings it top corner from 30 yards out. Obviously there’s something to them, but I’m old school in the sense that the eye test is the best measure of a player. His purple patch last season was purely that. He’s a lovely bloke and an amazing character who can proudly say he played a major role in this story and especially delivering glory to us for the first time in a fucking age, but sentiment aside he’s absolutely shite and shouldn’t be near a Premier League team, let alone ones with aspirations of ours (however lost they may seem).

I agree their achievements are nigh on mirrored, but last season Villa reached the points tally we're on now in gameweek 26 last season FWIW. The same game we played and beat Spurs away on the 10th Feb. You can say it's because of loan signings in Jan, but we also could have done that this year instead of sitting on our hands and trying more of the same shite every week. That's not necessarily on Howe btw. They did only win 5 of 17 in the middle part of the season, but at least they started and ended well. Also managed an FA Cup semi and CL quarters and finished level on points with us who played one game a week for most of the season, which I keep hearing is why we'll be good again next year. Splitting hairs but as of now, they've shown to be far more capable at managing European campaigns without turning to shit in the league. Emery also has bags of experience managing in Europe compared to Howe so that has to be factored in to why he's able to do it better.

If he wants to go let him go, don't drag it on, but it won't change the fact he's comfortably our best forward. I'll miss him. Seeing them 3 lumber round the wings on Saturday was rotten. Gordon's the best we have but his face doesn't fit with loads of our fans.

PSR is obviously designed in a certain way that will protect the 'elite' and keep the challengers in their place like good little boys. However, we sold our golden goose for a huge sum of money, coupled with the fact we hadn't spent in a few windows so we had an opportunity to at least bridge the gap. We spaffed the chance quite handsomely. I do rate Thiaw and Ramsey who most would agree are the two from last summer who are OK - nothing more than that. However, even they were never going to be the type of player to move the needle and bridge that gap. I'm a Newcastle fan firstly but I do watch a fair bit of football and even I could have told you that when we signed them, though granted hadn't seen Thiaw apart from the odd CL game. For context, the likes of Pedro & Ekitike would have definitely bridged the gap a lot more than the players we ended up with, but I also doubt Pedro/Ekitike would have helped us from squandering numerous points from winning positions, for looking like a defensive shambles every single time we're on the pitch or filled the gaping holes between our midfield and everyone else. Them continuous issues are on Howe and the coaching staff - we're seeing the same things happen in April with 5 games left that were happening in Autumn. It's been a really bad season from a coaching perspective, no doubt about it. Howe probably never wanted Woltemade but there was no excuse to persist with him in CM when it just wasn't ever looking close to working.

Suggesting a title challenge next season is almost as mad as the lad who was suggesting we were gonna win 6 or 7 of our final games (before Palace). We’ll be fine with no Europe and challenge for the European spots but then we will probably have another down year in 27/28.

York Rochdale is the same time as this… In all seriousness their heads have gone, if we weren’t the softest team in the league I’d fancy us to shithouse a draw or something. Sadly, can’t see anything other than a boring, comfortable 2-0 home win.

Yeah I hate to see them given but that doesn’t take away from the fact you move your head in direction of another player it’s a red all day in 2026. Haaland ironically done him a huge favour by not being a fanny.

Honestly can’t see it happening but it would be magic if we could help City out next Saturday. Some bottle job if they end up fucking this.

Enjoyed him having a pop at Elanga second half for not making a run. Need to see more of that from him.

But Howe has quite rightfully received bags of praise from everyone for the achievements we’ve accomplished in his tenure. Now he’s quite rightfully receiving shit when we’re playing like shit every week. That’s how it works. It can’t be Howe when we’re mint and the players when we’re shit. As for the Woltemade comment I think that’s bollocks personally. At home, we are statistically a better side when he’s started upfront. He was the golden boy up until the away derby and think people are just a bit miffed we persisted playing him CM when my 3 year old daughter could probably tell you it wasn’t working and never will. The seasons done now, we may as well try get the lad a bit confidence heading into the World Cup and 26/27.

Come on now.

Yes agreed. We’re lucky we had that late winner against Man Utd tbh, else we would genuinely be looking over our shoulder with Forest and West Ham to play.

Since we played wolves in Jan we have the same amount of points as them. Ouch.

It’s not necessarily what they’re saying but you can just feel it’s bubbling and has been since the Brentford game. There was a point in the first half yesterday not long after they’d scored when they had a ball fizzed across the goal at the Gallowgate end and you could really feel it in that moment. End of the day we’re losing home games on a pretty consistent basis whilst also playing like shit. It was always bound to happen.

It’s that thing off Batman isn’t it - you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. He doesn’t deserve to be ever seen as a villain but I’m telling you now if we serve up another shitty performance against Brighton (you can forget arsenal next week. Basically a bye week for them) and lose yet again, it’ll turn nasty in there. Been bubbling for a while now, certainly around me in the upper Gallowgate.

Yep. It was about to turn first half when they almost scored a second. My biggest fear is it turning nasty for Howe and it’s bubbling imo. Last few home games I can feel it coming.

Yep I do agree with this mind. I think a lot of the frustration- certainly personally - is how absolutely shit we look week in week out. Said it more than once but we’ve played well for 90 minutes an absolute maximum of 5 times in the league all season. Our best performance was probably Liverpool back in August which is telling in itself.

Mitchell might have been a fucking cock but there’s absolutely no way he’d have signed off spending £110m on Elanga and Wissa. It’s clear Howe won the power battle - justifiably so - but we can’t be absolving him of blame for last summer. He had the run of the show which is why if he is to stay on he needs told he can have an input but not the final say.

No, but you can get the next Wissa ( ) by scouting properly and paying for younger talents from abroad. Probably for less than £30m too.

Of course, it would have an impact on any team in the world. But who truly believed Isak would kick another ball for us after he missed that friendly at Parkhead? He was sold on deadline day but he was gone long before that if we’re being honest. We’ve 5 games left and it’s still being used an excuse, yet the team that’s just beat us lost 3 or 4 of their 11 and haven’t looked much different. They’ve played a lot less games of course and expectations are a lot different, but the two players we bought to replace said strikers sat on the bench today as we lumbered to yet another defeat. At what point will we stop using Isak as an excuse? Not a pop but a genuine question. If it gets to late 2026 and we’re still shite is it still his fault? We’ve had 33 games to figure it out and failed miserably. I also understand what you’re saying, I’m also reluctant to say he outright HAS to go, but I’m running out of excuses as to why we shouldn’t look in a different direction. The only thing keeping him here in my own mind his credit in the bank which is completely earned and fair enough.

Being able to play in Europe consistently for sure, without being 14th with 5 games left would be even better. For some reason people hate using Villa as an example but they’ve shown you can play in Europe without being absolutely shit in the league. I also understand the leagues been a bit queer this year in the sense the points difference between say 6th and 15th isn’t that great but it doesn’t take away from the fact we’ve been absolutely dire in the majority of our league games. I’m also not sure we can really whinge about PSR too much when we blipped so much money last summer.

I keep hearing this one game a week thing, but what about when we get back in Europe? Goes to shit again? If you can’t manage a European campaign for a club that aspires to play it in every year what’s the point?

Absolute legend but clear as day he can’t get a tune out of them anymore for me. Bloke deserves a statue and has been the best manager in basically all of our lives - including me fatha who’s 66. Does he deserve a shot to sort it? Probably. But he absolutely can’t have a free reign in the summer. He should have a say but not the say, it’s the way football works in 2026. Today was literally a carbon copy of 90% of every game this season, I wasn’t shocked at all. We could quite easily lose every game we have left and I wouldn’t be shocked either. There were people saying we could win 6/7 before the Palace game man, I’m sure people haven’t been paying attention this season.

I’ve said it before but whoever signed off spending £55m on him and then £55m on Wissa should be sacked on the spot. Absolute shite the pair and could be devastating enough to set us back a couple of years in the world of PSR. Shocking business.