TK-421

Wonder if he can wear a mask with little pointy ears on it, when he comes back. Clubs missing a trick if they don't sell 'Botman Masks'.

So Big Dan gets broken ribs/punctured lung down there, and now this. Dirty Mackem Bastards.

Anly leygue matches matta, marra. #FTM

If only matches were only 45mins long. The first 45, of course.

What's happened to Jamie Rueben, too? Not heard much from him for a while.

Look at the lad Brentford signed to replace Wissa and/or Mbuemo.... Thiago. Where is our scouting for players like that?

Said it last night, we/he pursued Wissa most of the summer. That wasn't desperation, that was a targeted choice. We/he could have walked away at any point once Brentford kept rejecting our offers, but we kept going back, all the way to deadline day. If the range of strikers was so narrow that it was Wissa or no-one, then that's on the recruitment staff in place last summer, one of which was EH. But the financial rules didn't force us to overspend on Wissa.

But as I said above, he's not been given a decent 'run' in the side since he came back from that injury. Just looked on NUFC.com, and I think the most he got was 2 games in a row starting. All others it was him or woltemade starting up top. Only once in that initial period (Bournemouth at home in the cup) did EH start/play them together. That wont have helped his progress, and getting used to playing in the side and them playing with him. Not excusing lack of effort and stuff when he has come on, but it won't have helped him. And again, we are where we are.... two expensive, confidence shot forwards either on the bench or playing out of position, with a left winger up top, because arguably the two expensive forwards have been mis-managed (once both available), to a degree.

I don't think the selections since he came back from that injury have helped either. He was pretty much alternated with Wolte, and never really given a 'run' in the side to get up to speed. Not saying he doesn't have other issues (attutude) that have contributed to his selection (or not), but from the oustide, just seems he's not had the chance to be given a run in the side. Think the same selection/rotation issue impacted Woltes progress, and now he is where he is... looking out of sorts, low on confidence, playing in midfield.

Still got Vlachodimos & Pliers to come back off loan at Seville, too.

I don't think the club did either, but given the age profiles, thats how the respective targets were generally perceived. We still had Isak, albeit on strike, saying he wasn't for sale when we first pursued Wissa, so had we called his/Liverpools bluff and sorted things, we may have just stuck with going for Wissa who'd then have been the 2nd striker (Wilson) alongside Isak.

On Wissa, I dont remember there being much issue geenerally when he was linked at around £35m initially, as many saw him (after last season) as an upgarde on Wilson, he certainly wasn't seen as the Isak replacement - that being Ekitike/Sesko. It was when Brentford started ramping the price up that eyebrows started being raised, but we stuck with it, kept upping our offer. We had plenty of time to say, 'no thanks' and look elsewhere for the 'wilson replacement', but we didn't. We actively chose to stick with the pursuit of Wissa. Strand Larsson was then chased as the Isak replacement, with us finally panicking on Woltermade late on. But even after he signed, we still went after Wissa too, at stupid money when there must have been better, cheaper options available. Wissa was defintiely a choice, not something we were forced into by the rules.

We/He pursued Elanga for a long time, then went to £55m for him. Same with Wissa. Those were choices, in fairness. We could have walked away as the prices got stupid, looked at other options, not 'PL proven' of course.

Which xmas though?

The Geordie Journos mentioned it on their post match video. A couple of players (e.g. Gordon) did the TV media stuff for Sky, MOTD, etc. But then the club also puts some forward for written media, such as the newspapers, online stuff, and none were put forward for that after todays match. So it will have only been the contractual TV stuff they were 'allowed' to do today.

Sorry if already posted, but Tindalls' daughter has spoken. seems reacting to todays game/result is being 'fickle'.

Time to log off for a bit, now the petty name calling is starting!

Yep, generally always reactive, not proactive.

^This. If the club have any doubts about him for next season, we simply cannot give him the summer, with spending and bringing his players in, just to get rid after a few games if its going shit shaped... again. Thats what the club did under shepherd, and it just ruined a season. If there are thoughts of getting rid, and the club have someone in mind, it needs to be done so a new 'head coach' has a full pre-season and recruitment is aligned for that person.

Cant wait to hear Eddies positives from this one.

Another cracking half time team talk then it seems.

I had to change river (to US coverage with Michael Bridges co-comms), couldn't put up with that 'Sky Sunderland' biased bullshit.

Kicking downhill 2nd half anyway