Geordie_once_removed

Well that was both very predictable and very disappointing. It might have been too deflections but we offered precious little in attack.

He was a rare positive. I liked the way he pinged his passes.

I can't even bring myself to have a cup of tea in my "lucky" NUFC cup. I don't want it tainted.

Can the thread be changed to "Europeometer" as top 4 is just delusional after the repeated sh#t sandwiches fate has made us eat this season.

100%. Until he slotted it home I thought he was the left back!

True, but it also highlighted his biggest weakness. That pass was perfect for hitting first time with his right foot. The touch no matter how good gave the keeper time to close him down.

Great to see options off the bench. We were losing control a bit then good players came on and we wrestled it back. Schar was my MOTM, he was solid at the back and his interception and ball out set up the crucial first goal.

I can't work out his dribbling. He looks rubbish at it yet on numerous occasions he's waltzed past players. Anyway I love him and can't wait for his to be a regular.

Wilson is like a group of other players in our squad (Longstaff, Burn, Almiron, Murphy). If after the summer he is ok being downgraded to a squad player then he can still offer a lot. Wilson is complicated by his injury record, so he would have to accept being 3rd choice and the fact that his wages are likely too high for this role in a team with our revenue.

My position on Barnes is this. He's not a bad player, but given 1. our financial limitations and 2. the relative strength players who could play in that position in our team before he signed he means may turn out to be a mildly bad signing. Nothing happens in a vacuum and I feel the predictable knock on effects of his signing (i.e. not counting the unpredictable injuries) on other aspects of our overall team mean the money should have been spent elsewhere. I guess he'll be a 6/10 signing, but the way the deck is stacked against us due to FFP et all, means we can't really afford to have 6/10 signings.

Is there not a 1 in 64 chance of drawing 6 cup games away from home in a row? (Scum United, Chelsea, Sunderland, Fulham, Blackburn and now City). I'm a big believer that your luck evens out over a season. But this season is really testing that faith!

Fuck me sideways.

I put Longstaff into same category as Almiron and Murphy. In that I love them as players/people (in so much as I know them) but if we are to kick on next season they need to no longer be starting regularly. Specifically to Longstaff while his breaking the line runs are great his final product, be it a shot or a cross, isn't good enough to be a starter in a team aiming for the Champions League or higher. All three can be great options off the bench, however, the one Longstaff specific concern I have is that is that he seems to play best when given a run and I don't recall seeing him be a particularly effective sub. I can see two out of Longstaff, Murphy and Almiron being sold in the summer to raise money for those "next level" signings the club will need to make.

This has nothing to do with his ability but it dawned on me yesterday that he is the spit of Morty from Rick and Morty. Time to get a new barber I think.

This isn't really a reflection on his performance today, but still don't really get signing him. LW was arguably our strongest position given the way we play and as much as I like them both Miggy and Murphy's should have been playing an impact sub in this team behind a new RW. I like pie, and I don't mind saying I'm wrong. So hopefully in a year I can serve myself a big slice of humble pie over this comment.

I was at the club shop on Monday as my daughter wanted a shirt with her name on it. Initially they said they couldn't do it as they didn't have any 'N's, then the lass said "Wait we've loads of Tonali templates, I'll just cut some out of them." Every cloud and all that...

Like others I think that is him done for us. Shame. When fit a great striker and arguably the best smile in football. He's no good enough to be first choice and there is no point in having him as backup due to his injury record.

Not that I really think that this has happened but it would be brilliantly Machiavellian of Newcastle to have loaned Hall on the "commitment" to buy, but to have snuck in a get out clause. Chelsea then go spend thinking there is money coming in. Newcastle then avoid the steps to make it a permanent transfer. Chelsea are doubly fecked. The points reduction takes them out of contention as a challenger next year and the cherry on top is Newcastle pick up a LB at a cheaper price as the market is somewhat deflated.

If Pochettino is sacked which manager of the calibre they are looking for would actually go there? It looks a poisoned chalice if I ever saw one. A team assembled by spreadsheet and FM predicted potential. Presumably limited money to spend as Chelsea owe all the money to pay for these players but have declining revenue due to no European football and poor league finishes. Also their commercial revenue was pretty maxed out so no much scope to cover cost/raise money that way. They look like a cautionary tale in the making. Normally I'd feel for the fans a but it's Chelsea fans.

I'm a big Burn fan but it seems past time for him to switch to back up LB and back up CB. His lack of pace is increasingly being exploited. It's not just the one on ones, he's increasingly laborious just generally getting back during threatening situations.

Surely you want to be watching, better placed to dodge the wild shot that way.

Ok, what is with Klopp's turning his back on penalties? 89th minute in a final, maybe it's ok, though I can't imagine it instils confidence in your players. But when you are 2 nil up at home in the first half, why?

This thread is basically: - This lad looks great - He's injured - Ok, at least we have player X - Player X gets injured - Well I suppose that at least player Y will get more games - Player Y gets injured Seriously I put him in the same bracket as Murphy in that he's not talked about much but I feel he's been a big loss. This was looking like his breakthrough season and he can play a few positions so could have really helped with rotating players.