Altamullan

Week 8 Only 3 ten pointers this week, with the highest scoring game returning a stingy 88 points; half as much as it has been (... sadly this was our game, unsurprisingly nobody guessed the score!). Well done to the seven ‘20 plus’ predictors—quite an achievement with this lot of results—particularly NUFC54 (29) and Magpie (25). IMO, Supertoon edges tgarve for crystal ball of the week; they both were the only ones to predict a correct score in a particular game (Bournemouth game and Sunderland game, respectively) though Supertoon doubled –up. Average score this week was 16.5, and our ‘Group Guess’ produced a solid 19 points. Lawro would have done well (22) and his guest Osi Umenyiora (from London, American based, so I gave him Man U as nom...) would have got 13. Thought I would look at which team has returned the most number of points this season for us (who we have found most predicable) and which the least. If all were equally predicable, they would each have returned 5% of the points: Arsenal have been most predicable with a 7% return (Man Utd, next with 5.5%) and West Ham least predicable returning 1.9% of our points (The Toon were 14th with 4.4%).

Pessimistic = fatalistic, gloomy, defeatist, demoralized, hopeless, glum, suspicious, distrustful, alarmist.... Can't agree with you if you don't think that is an inaccurate take on previous posts. Though can't disagree with much else you say, LA. Things have been horrific for so long -- this article captures it for me: http://www.themag.co.uk/2015/10/newcastle-united-the-four-key-relationships-that-are-all-broken/? -- that it is easy to go beyond the normal despondency anyone would feel at being bottom of the league after 8 games. I just happen to think given what been happening with the squad, the fact we've played last season's top four, we have some decent signings, and this looks like Perez's season to establish himself, that things will pick-up. I am still personally looking forward to games in a way I haven't for a few seasons (perhaps in itself testimony to how s*** it has been). Trust me, can't imagine many feeling worse than me if we're relegated, or even lose to the Makems again. Just in the meanwhile, I intend to cross that bridge when/if we come to it and try and enjoy football again.

Top article. The cracks (chasms?) in relationships are always make worse by stress. Can't imagine even 'Relate' sorting us out if we don't win 2 (or 3, hopefully) of the next 3 games. If we do, I reckon the fans-players relationship will be out of the huffy bed. The fans-board/ownership is past saving.

It seesm to me that El Cid uses ‘facts’ the way a drunk uses a lamp-post: for support rather than illumination. We played very well, in spells, against two very good sides in Chelsea and Man City. We also drew at Old Trafford (hen’s teeth time) and although I didn’t see the game, the highlights/result against a good Swansea side looked ok to me. The actual facts seem selected to support a doom and gloom argument he seems intent on making, no doubt because that is all he can see. Fair enough, we're not all balanced thinkers; but some of the stuff focussed on is in the past and seems irrelevant, except for in how it decreases fans tolerance and players confidence: “like 1 win in 20...what I can say for certainty is that we will concede goals galore with this team as has been proven season after season” ...I look and WATCH this team and say can we score goals consistently and in numbers and I would say certainly no to the second part and arguably no to the first also... The majority of occasions we have been required to score more than one to even just get a result not even a win - can you see that really changing?” Cisse has been in miserable form/had a supreme lip-on, Mitrovic has been missing for half of the games and is still settling in. I really like the look of him, Wijnaldum and Mbemba, and am still hopeful (God forgive me for using the H word...) re Thauvin. So yes, I can see it changing. “...there is no way you or anyone else can tell me the see anything else when you look at what Ive pointed out above. This club is in total disarray from the top to the bottom and no matter what your opinion is in that it won't change... My opinion is based on fact.” This opinion to me, seems based on emotive language and an unhealthy dose of pissed-off-ed-ness (we’ve all had a touch of that lurgy El Cid) FWIW, to pick up another point (above) I think Palace, Southampton, West Ham, Tottenham and Everton have better sides than us at the moment, but I do think we can win 9 or 10 games, and actually do so with a bit of style—which I also expect to see leaking into the other 20 games, at times. That said, we don’t get 7 points from the next three games, I’ll be back on and also in full-on "We're Doomed" mode/as pessimistic as El Cid. If I am, it will still be opinion and catastrophic crystal ball gazing, not reality/facts.

Well I'm all for a bit of diversity me, a paranoid schizophrenic here.... a depressive there. All good. What isn't so good, is not being able to accept others have a different opinion, and not being able to see that yours, however strongly felt, is just that felt.

http://assets-s3.mensjournal.com/img/essential/holidays-in-a-glass/618_348_holidays-in-a-glass.jpg "Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o’ lang syne!"

Got it Daily Mail..

Can't find announcement. Where did you see/hear of EggNog's departure?

ElCid. We both no doubt hope you're wrong. 'Not being good enough' is a bit over general for my taste in explanations that might actually help clarify a solution and last season's results only influence here is on player confidence/tolerance of fans. It does make a difference seeing games, as otherwise how can you know what we're working with? Of course people see it differently, people actively perceive everything through their own knowledge and biases. What I've seen gives me some encouragement; I hope I'm right.

May seem odd, if you're smarting from the score line/only seen highlights, but I thought Anita was excellent in the first half yesterday, and continued working/kept his head-up in the second. I was near the back of the away section (way up high) which gave a great view of the shape and who was doing what off the ball. Really impressed by how much work he did closing down and supporting defence: left and right. Really covered the distance and put in some crunching tackles. Credit where it is due; well played the lad.

This! Had this argument with many braindead idiots. Not saying we would have gone on to win ffs, but to deny that it would have been a different game had we gone in ahead by 2 goals at HT is just stupid. It wasn't even a borderline decision, or a dubious sending off. It was a clear goal. A well worked move and a finish at the end of it. Boils my p*ss tbh. Your piss. My blood. Same pan. what a f**king image!

and i think you're kidding yourself - no chance with the current regime Well...wouldn't be the first time. However, I've seen six games this season and the way we have played (in spells) has been really encouraging (3 points, I know...). The second half collapses against Chelsea and Man City, seem to be more about confidence that competence. I don't think I am being unrealistic to imagine we can win 9 or 10 of the remaining 30 fixtures. The Makems stayed-up last year winning only 7; as did West Brom, the year before. Our confidence with pick-up with a couple of wins. I am as anxious as others to see this happen, but at this stage I am personally not panicking. I think we'll see better football than last couple of years, though doubt we'll amass more points than 2013-14(49, 15 wins, 4 drawers, 10th place).

I thought Anita played well. Gouffran was clearly a liability, even in the first half.

We've got 3 points from a possible 24; that's 12.5%. Carry on that dazzling return and that would mean another 11 of the available 90. Obviously, a total of 14 isn't going to happen; but it does show just how dire D3 L5 is. Maybe the bit to focus on is 90 points available. To end-up on 40 points, we need to take 41% of the available points; a total of 43 points would require a 44% return. Watford's 10 points is pretty much a 41% run of form; Southampton's 12 points represents a 50% run of form. I think we can do somewhere between the two.

He sauntered over, the last man over to applaud the fans--looking knackered. As he raised his hands and clapped us, we were singing his name (MI-TRO, MI-TRO...). He looked genuinely moved/humbled: kind of half shook his head and turned back for the long trudge to the dressing room.

We were immense first half; crowd was rocking, Gini was taking the p*ss, Mbabu was in control, Mbemba was colossal, Mitro looked like a train, thoroughly enjoyed it. We seems nervous (crowd and players) when we came out. Too many unforced errors, some by players who had been great (Mbemba passing to them for instance). Really f**king shell-shocked to be honest. Crowd excellent once recovered and doing Ole's for our passes, and singing we're going to win (6-5...then 7-6). Just imploded man...similar in kind to Chelsea, but just more dramatic.

Fell into deep sleep/dissociative state for the second half, did I hang on to my three points??

City's pre-match angst and braggartry is worth at read: http://forums.bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/threads/city-v-newcastle-pre-match-thread.316241/page-14

Hoping you're not 'THE' SMc...me thinks we need a tad more positivity in the dressing room

This is the third week in a row I am now imagining Man City losing... I am also aware (all too keenly) that I have always, even if only fleetingly, developed a kind of pre-match delusional optimism (yes, even with bitter recent experience). Soooo, do I change my prediction of an honourable loss to a low probability bookie-baffling win? Or stick with the pre-delusional compromise...welcome to my troubled mind (must go and add something-up to distract myself... ). Happy Saturday folks!

My kids would love to play Minecraft on that oversized tablet stuck on the wall.

After 25 sets of predictions our group guesses (median home and away goals, turned into results) look like this: Crystal Palace 1-0 West Brom Aston Villa 1-1 Stoke Bournemouth 1-1 Watford Man City 3-1 Newcastle Norwich 2-2 Leicester Sunderland 1-1 West Ham Chelsea 2-0 Southampton Everton 2-1 Liverpool Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd Swansea 1-1 Spurs A lot of 1-1 draws this week. In terms of the safest place for our nomination/double-up, our game is the favourite again, with 10 of us nominating it (again)—and a good spanking predicted (again). Nobody has nominated the games at Everton or Swansea yet.

Fear not my Macnamara Marras, although not to everyone's taste (Urrrgh flashback to my Aunty Ethel's New Year's Eve bash... ) apparently you can easily make your own Egg Nog/DIY manager. Destructions here: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/11/diy-vs-buy-dutch-eggnog-advocaat-brandy-christmas-drink-cocktail-party.html If you find it isn't very effective at leading your team, you can always dip your Little Dick in it and hope for some attention from one of Big Dick's favoured Amsterdam window decorations.

Father Lawro Jessup: "I've always REALLY enjoyed watching Newcastle at Middle-East-lands.... NO I'll be taking Newcastle to win 3-0..." http://www.azquotes.com/author/8584-Mark_Lawrenson "Vurnon Anita isn't the tallest of Lads, but his height more than makes up for that."

Happy to mate, though may have City fans in tow. Where are you going pre-match?