HaydnNUFC

Going to be some forced boot licking ahead of kick off unfortunately, hope it doesn't ruin the atmosphere a la the Bournemouth home game.

Really like that Liverpool kit. Perfect example of simplicity being class. Back to their 70s kit.

16:30 Sunday on a bank holiday weekend. I for one will be shitfaced. Again.

At one stage after one of those draws 5th placed Chelsea were 1 point behind us with a far better goal difference. Think I prefer the situation we find ourselves in now just a tad. Also out of curiosity I looked at a couple of the .com match reports from those draws to try and gauge the mood. Ipswich (H) Villa (A) Fulham (H)

Genuine question for those still not confident/fretting, what were yous like in 2001-02? Hate to think what this place would've been like after those draws to Ipswich, Villa and Fulham.

Man Utd losing also has Liverpool's results putting more pressure on them than us. Their next game is West Ham away at 7pm on Sunday, a Liverpool win puts them 1 point behind them. We'll get at least 10 points from our last 5. Job's a goodun.

2 wins and avoid to defeat to Brighton and its done. Always has been the case. 7 points. We'll get at least 10.

He was pro Pardew iirc when he was having his initial bump at Palace. Shearer's obviously had words. Love the bloke to bits now.

The bold here, I always maintained at the time (I've spoilered posts of mine from back then to prove it) that we'd improved tactically and physcially but were still lacking quality due to years of Ashley neglect. Especially in defence. A few refereeing decisions were also screwing us over. I also posted before that Leeds game that I'd have taken a point from it, we'd have been 3 points from safety with a game in hand and a better goal difference than 17th with Everton (h) coming up after the transfer window had shut and the players have near 2 weeks of warm weather training. No one could've foreseen this season, no less than I. I thought we'd be around 7th, 6th, given the summer window and that we'd been in top 4 form since that Leeds game. But I thought at the time and I still think now that sacking Howe post Watford and replacing him with a just sacked Benitez was a lifting idea.

Not even close to being similar scenarios. Joelinton's improvement was unprecedented, though he had shown glimpses at Hoffenheim under a competent coach. Murphy's role this season has bafflingly good, again unprecedented. Despite his scoring run this season I still don't rate Almiron that much tbh. Mainly because of Howe these improvements had been made. But those players had been at the club from summer 2019, 2017 and January 2019 respectively, plenty of time to have made judgements on them. Howe then only had 10 games and it was mid way through January. Improvements could be seen and it was clear that we needed signings to implement what he was trying to do. Low and behold, that's exactly what happened. Getting rid for Benitez then would've been mental.

Wanting him sacked midway through January and after 10 games in charge and Benitez who himself had just been sacked by Everton on the same day as that Watford result to replace him was as shite a take then as it is now imo.

Reading back my posts from then and seeing I never turned on him and more or less what I thought should happen in regards to signings ended up happening.

Same. The Benitez thread from the same date is as equally a good read.

Ouseburn from noon for this one. Bank holiday n'al that. Some way to round off these 4 games in 3 weeks.

True but it'd be quite disappointing if we don't achieve it now. We only need 7 points from 5 matches, man.

You wouldn't have thought we'd won 8 of our last 9 and scored 13 goals in our last 3 games would you.

Libpewl were never not winning tonight. Brentford, Leicester or Villa will be who they drop points to if they do at all. We just need to look after ourselves and get those 7 points.

That high bar stuff is nonsense when you look at the one they gave Brentford v us via an overturn.

What I'd give for us to go to Elland Road next weekend and dish out a 0-3, 0-4+ drubbing to that odious tub of lard.

We need 7 points from 3 home games and 2 away games both of which are against shit teams. We've won 8 in 9, scoring 26 goals. No idea how or why there's such a song and dance being made about it. "But Ashley", "but 95-96". We're a different club now. Howay man.

Everything about the season in that month or so after the Southampton semi final win was all about it, you just couldn't escape it. "You got a ticket?" "You getting train or driving down?" "Hope he's alright for the final" "Hope he's not injured for the final" "Hope he's not suspended for the final" "We played shite today because they're all thinking about the final" "Letters from parents ahead of the final" It just got boring and the league form took a bit of a hit which put a huge dampener on it. Annoying thing is, until we actually get a trophy won that's what finals are going to be like every time.

Same, could hardly sleep before the Spurs game. Was fine for the cup final up to an hour before kick off as I expected us to lose throughout the entire build up to it. And to be a miserable twat I hated the build up to it tbh.

Forgot he agreed to sign for them. Bet he's buzzing.

If this season had 8-10 games left instead of 4, I'd put money on Lampard taking these down. They look as bad as anyone in the bottom 5.