Geordie_once_removed

It's one of those games and results that looks so obvious/inevitable with hindsight. They were essentially given the weekend off by their league so they could give a better account of themselves and would have been hugely motivated to do well. Our lot were a mixture of tired, not wanting to get injured in essentially a foregone conclusion game and overly desperate to grab a Champions League goal or two (see Big Joe's reaction to getting substituted). The crowd was subdued but what do you expect in a game like this when there is so much football. We won, we're through, no one was injured so a decent enough result.

Jesus that brings back unpleasant memories. I'm from Huddersfield originally and for about 4 years in a row I couldn't believe my luck when the fixtures were announced and we had Wigan, Blackburn or Bolton away on Boxing Day. I would get to go to a game while visiting my family at Christmas! Then came the game. Usually a depressing shitfest 1 nil loss and a very hungover drive over the Pennines and the back of my Dad's too warm and stuffy car 🤢.

I wonder if their keeper is up for being our number 2. You assume he wouldn't be that expensive and he seems decent.

Man U are going to do something stupid again and give Carrick the job on a permanent basis aren't they and I'm all for it. Is it too much to ask for them to offer the contract with 5 games left only for a total collapse over these 5 games, costing them the Champions League, while the ink is slowly drying on the contract and Jim is desperately ransacking empty stationary cupboards trying to find the last undried up bottle of tipex?

He's been great but he has to start adding assists to be considered in the elite for his position. For the attacking positions he often gets in his final ball can be poor.

100% Speedo! I need to see blurry videos of that salmon-esq leap.

How about my childhood hero John Beresford.

THREE keepers and no kids on the bench. Howe OUT. Beat that for miserable bastardry

I thought he was going to be such a good signing a perfect Wilson replacement/upgrade (on the 2024/25 version of Wilson). My only issue was we should have gone for him before Mbeumo went to Man U so he could have been settled in over the summer and push up the price for Mbeumo for Man U. So far he has been really disappointing and not far off a total waste of money. Of all the summer signings he looks to be the worst, as he was signed to make an instant impact and for that you were sacrificing resale value. He just hasn't done this at all.

Piss off.

Thank fucked we needed that on so, so many levels. It's embarrassing how much a couple of shit Newcastle performances affect my mood. Very happy that against the draw and the ridiculous decisions we won. I feel another Wembley trip coming on...

I thought his dead ball delivery was good but otherwise it was more of the same unfortunately. I don't blame him I blame father time and the fact that a blindingly obvious need wasn't addressed by the recruitment team during the January transfer window. He can still just about do a job if not expected to play more than 90 minutes a week. The current schedule would ruin a RB in his prime let alone one at the end of his career.

Quite a few times in this thread it's overreactions to subjective calls we're on the wrong end of, but today, wow, just wow. The officials had a shit with their kegs on pretty much from minute 1. It's lucky we won or the North East would have been suffering from an epidemic of rage induced stomach ulcers.

A broken clock and all that.

I think it is exactly that. There is no way a coach as good as Emery wouldn't be targeting Trippier.

I've said before I just don't see a lack of effort at all. I see concentration and execution issues for sure, these could be tiredness related. I don't expect an Isak mark 2 type situation, he may leave but it will be better handled by everyone I'm sure.

I feel a big game coming from him. He just needs to focus on breaking up play and keeping it simple, let that build confidence then he can start doing some of those moe ambitious balls. We'll really need Ramsey and Willock to take on the creativity role now.

Wouldn't surprise me, it felt like a reluctant sacking forced by how much the fans had turned on him.

So would I take a dodgy backup striker who would want wages in excess of either of the two main strikers? It's a no from me.

Do you think they just have mini chalk or white boards for the manager's name on a door? It would save them a lot of time and effort.

I thought he was a good appointment and that they would be more of a threat, how wrong I was. I'm in a charitable mood so I want to put this out there for anyone slagging off Spurs fans. I wonder if there are parallels between Frank's appointment and Allardyce's here. To outsiders they saw a coach who had shown their worth at a smaller club and were ready to step up to a bigger club. Fans of the club were less sure, they saw a practitioner of dour football who didn't align with what they wanted to see from a club they ultimately went to see for entertainment. I find it hard to criticise any fan base for wanting to see their team play exciting football (except Liverpool, Man United and Chelsea fans, they can f**k off into the sun the entitled w*nkers 😉).

To me his current struggles are down to traits, such as taking a bit too long on the ball at times and trying a pass that isn't really on in a dangerous position, which were there from the start but seem to have been turned up to 11. He now frequently gets caught in possession due to a lack of awareness (which is also affecting his break up play and make a midfield with him in very sieve like) and his passing can be very wayward even when doing short simple passes. But he's still clearly trying, i.e. running to the end and closing down players, so I don't buy this whole his head has gone line. There is obviously an issue but it's more a confidence one as opposed to a want away one for me.

I couldn't watch the game. Was it like the last few games where he looked to be trying but just seemed to have lost the ability to pass and read a game or was he not even running any more?

Not getting in a RB in January was insane. All they were looking for was a Krafth replacement/marginal upgrade and that will need doing in the summer anyway. That was very possible in January.

Of the three reasons I suggest for why I think he's been part of a weak defence I'm inclined to agree with you that these are the bigger factors but I do think that the defence lacks leaders and overall organisation at the moment and he's part of this issue. I also pretty sure he can develop this over time, he's still looked like a really good buy so far.