Tiresias

and fucking benched for 2 years. Absolutely criminal what cabbagehead did to 2 of the prime years of this guys career.

Say we achieve a miraculous result and end up in champions league places, what are peoples thoughts on the repercussions of that. I imagine it will bring forward spending plans, the champions league income will help us with ffp, but also the significant extra workload on the players. How would this affect peoples expectations. Look at West Ham, they are really struggling this season partially because last season they got to european final and it exhausted the squad (from a west ham fan I know's explanation at least) and now competing on too many fronts. I would anticipate going out in group stages and ending up in europa league in first season, even with boosting squad would think managing a bigger squad which rotates more, i think we could have a little tougher of a season. I wouldn't be upset, even if we do that well this year does not mean will always be the case and will be steady going before we are consistently pushing for top 3 spaces. I do worry though, what happens if Howe really struggles first european campaign and out league form suffers too because of it? I hope owners and fans will be patient, but...will they?

I should have some comment beyond looking at that I really miss living in newcastle

think Partey is more important for them, kind of think they're mostly poor when he's injured and then good again when he's back

No no i think we're 3rd on merit, I just am naturally skeptical that we won't have a bit of a slump at some point and i think it's true liverpool and chelsea have been unusually poor this season. I'm not saying we aren't good.

They're good this arsenal so far (this season, not this game which seems a bad example), good defensively and more creative attacking then they have been, they're much better than the team we beat end of last season, but they do look ragged and tired this game. Still think we'd certainly run them close, few teams press as effectively as we do

I would draw the line at the surrounding the ref constantly thing that Man U in particular do. (or did, not sure anymore). I feel it somewhat contributes to teh toxic atmosphere there is around refs up and down the leagues

I also want to see what happens now everyone is doubling up on Miggy, if they double up on ASM too, I mean who is going to be marking Isak/Wilson

Yeah I do agree but we lack penetrative left wingers to compete with him on that mind (Joelinton is many things now but not penetrative). I would absolutely be happy for a player to come in to compete and do better when we are pinning teams back and have him as option when chasing. But we do need more sparks of creativity in the team and he can provide that. I think it's healthy though, when we are reliant on him his inconsistency is infuriating but if we are playing well without him he can a brilliant option. No doubt he will want to leave if he isn't an automatic starter but again all players should be desperate to start.

I partially agree mind in that Chelsea and Liverpool have been sub par, but arsenal have been way above par. Man City are...doing man city things of not actually being that good right now but kind of still with feeling they are going to win 10 in a row at any moment. Man United aren't underperforming though, where they are is where they belong for quality in that squad I feel, they always have the capacity to vastly improve as they have resources but are a clown show. This season is I feel Arsenal's big chance, but hmmm still not sure they can see it through. It is too soon for us to likely finish even 3rd realistically. Spurs are just going to spurs and will forever be oscillating between champions league and and europa league places. I don't think it's crazy to say the quality in the league isn't as high as it has been though, I think liverpool and even City are both in transition a bit (City just adapting to hoof it to haaland ball), and West Ham and Everton who would traditionally be providing the competition are also shit this season. it's a very meh season for quality I feel tbh. It's just we're way ahead of schedule for where we are, we are going to improve as the league improves regardless

It's on him to prove he does but think that's a wild overreaction for a player not coming on who is on his way back from injury, played midweek further limiting how much he could play and lastly not suited to the job needed of the substitutes at the time I agree he is an odd fit, but at his best he would be a brilliant asset, and Howe is clearly fucking brilliant at getting the best out of players

I'm still so angry about the liverpool game

Didn't score. Worrying.

I have really come to the conclusion that the reason players are costing way more than they should across the board is premier league clubs for all their data and extensive scouting departments are actually full of shit and end up spewing money waaaay too much on total mediocrity based on favors for shit powerful agents.

There was a fair amount of rolling around on the floor pretending to be injured in the last 10 minutes to disrupt the flow of the game. I would have a problem if we are doing this in 5 years time with all the superstars and are 10 points clear in the league but we play the position we are in ffs.

I'm sure he would have come on if we were chasing. I am sure he will get a chance again though. Just before he got injured he was really putting the effort in again. Remember he absolutely beasted Man City FFS.

I can't remember conceding 7 or 8 goals

Here I go round in circle again. I hope there can be some positive cultural exchange that way of course but I seriously doubt it, but if it happens that's cool. Having said that I am not sitting here thinking yes the western culture needs to dominate rest of the world. It is more a case that the values of locking up anyone who disagrees with them and lgbtq folk (and worse) is reprehensible to me and I makes me queasy to think that we are being used to make that look good. Nobody has any pretense that protesting will affect PIF. the main thing is it might do some light pressure to force them to adopt positions like the rainbow laces campaign and the like that then filter backwards like you say above. As I have said many times I don't think football clubs should be owned for political purposes, and I think some level of keeping this in public conversation is necessary to avoid it just being super normal that fucking saudi arabia own a football club and to undermine attempts to sportwash. I do not think one is morally obliged to love the owner of your football club. But I had no say nor did any fan and it is too important to me to have my enjoyment of the club taken away from me. I am sure non NUFC fans will say that is a moral copout, I largely agree, but so is my eating meat, driving a petrol car and enjoying western civilisation built on plenty of blood money. It's a lame compromise that doesn't stand up much but I'm just a human trying to stay above water not a saint. I have compromised that i will enjoy this somewhat but I will also not shut up that I don't like that our owners would chuck me in prison if i was in Saudi Arabia (fyi, I am gay) I also do not for a second resent any toon fan who wants to not give a shit about this, everyone should enjoy it and I am not saying anyone should feel bad. But saying people shouldnt protest cos it doesn't do anything and if we do nothing saudi arabia will become lovely is absolute codswallop.

I wouldn't say whatever it takes I'd be disappointed in the future if we turn to Mourinho tbh. It's just we are overperforming where the squad 'should be' so there is going to be some shithousery to secure the wins which is great. I do think any winning team needs a nasty edge.

We've scored 4 goals a bunch of times. any narrative that we are overly dirty and and negative is nonsense regardless. This was a big game against a good team with deep resources off the bench we don't have. I will complain if we are timewasting at home against Brentford in the first half.

You don't get anywhere being nice. I want us to play with as much flair and joy as possible, but we are attacking, we are fun to watch, and insinuations we are just super cynical are just nonsense to me but it is symptomatic that we fight for every point. Noone whinges nowadays about the Invincibles team being shithouses.

Motm for me. There was a moment when we gave away the ball in front of him twice in succession and he just mopped up and must have been fucking fuming at what was going on ahead of him

Fair weather players have missed their chance, no dickheads policy needs to stay!

I've taken against him too but I think it's just that shit mini beard

Agree with above, but also illustrative that we don't have a jorginho type who can recycle possession and defensive side, and Bruno is asked to do that when it is not quite his game. He is more than good enough for most premier league opponents but in games like this I think if we sign a new mid it would be someone to do all that dirty work for bruno and let bruno play further forward.