HaydnNUFC

Are you a Guinness drinker? If so, the Liffey. Looks naff inside but it's on a main street and has screens so should be no bother. I went in before and after the Everton game earlier this month. Have a deek in the Guinnonces thread to see what I mean.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cdxv9degk8qo When 6 of Tonali's 11 assists for Milan in his final season there come from set pieces I've no idea why he hardly ever seems to take them. Remember him only taking 2, one at the end at Fulham and one against Man City.

Joelinton and Willock's interchanging on the left was one of the positive patterns of play lauded by fans in 2022-23 which has disappeared. Both could play there. The only time I was ever really impressed with Elliot Anderson was away at Forest when he came on for ASM at LW. Even forgetting that and just counting Joelinton; there's two players in Gordon and Joelinton who are good enough for LW, despite Joelinton being more a CM these days. We don't have any good enough for the RW. Still don't. Barnes is a £40m outlay with other more pressing matters in the squad both now and when we signed him. Whilst in the present, the manager doesn't know what to do with him. Start him? Play him on the right? Put him on the left and move Gordon out of his best position for us? Sub him on as that's where the bulk of his goals come from? He's a good finisher but a poor signing in hindsight imo. That £40m should've gone on a RW and we'd have had a decent pool to pick from as we'd have had the lure of CL football in summer 2023.

We also had players that could play on the left as was evident in 2022-23 in Joelinton, Anderson, Willock and worse case scenario Isak. On the right two players who are not good enough remained, and still do.

Perhaps, we won't know until Botman comes back. But I don't see how Botman (and by extension, Guehi) changes much given Botman didn't when he came back from January-March this year. And aye but I think that further supports the view that; - Mitchell should be given the keys recruitment wise - Our recruitment literally wasn't fit for purpose prior I agree with both of those fwiw. I'm not particularly sure on what those things beyond Howe's control were, mind. We had the PSR issues sorted at the end of June. We were hopelessly bidding for Guehi over his value at the end of August. And that's fine, it's a difference of opinion Heza. I personally just don't have much faith of stuff improving as things stand. And honesty I sincerely hope to god I'm wrong.

I mean, I haven't. But I don't think Sean Longstaff is good enough to be starting for a side that regularly plays in Europe. Or wants to be. At £70m for Guehi? Not a chance when the room amongst PSR is so small. And Forest fans said they'd have driven Elanga up here for £50m due to a lack of consistent end product. He's more suited to a counter attacking side regardless imo, which we aren't. Its far more than just "wanting a RW and he is one". We need creativity on that side. And I don't get why we seem to be reluctant to explore markets outside the PL over the last few windows. We haven't had any reliable links outside of Thiaw and that total non starter of Tapsoba late in the window recently. And he's tried solutions such as? Not sure what you mean here. If Tonali doesn't fit into his system, I'm unsure why he spent ~£55m on him. I think that's the point folk make around the recent signings.

I don't think people are questioning their abilities, but rather the strategy behind signing them and implementing them into the team. Especially from summer 2023. Tonali is a top class player but that midfield 3 looks unbalanced. Perhaps more time is needed but I personally didn't think it looked right before Tonali's ban and we've won 1 game out of 8 with that as the midfield 3. Tonali also continues to be substituted by the manager. Unsure if he's the profile we needed in midfield given the collective recognition that a more designated DM would be suited. Barnes is another but the debate has been done many times now this season. Good finisher, but not the winger on the side we need(ed). He also continues to be substituted by the manager when he starts. Tino is a good young full back, but our system relies on Trippier still as seen by our appearance of more balance when Trippier starts due to a lack of evolution. Tino is a more defensive full back, but whilst our RW options continue to be as poor as they are our right hand side with Tino at RB may as well not exist offensively. Guehi and Elanga aren't the players that'd have sorted this either. Especially at the fees quoted given the constant mention of PSR about us.

I said we did improve against Brighton and we should've won the game, but that the second half, particularly the last half hour was poor. We didn't have a shot on target in over an hour's worth of football after the penalty miss at Everton. Still haven't watched that game back yet as I was there without the best view, but it felt like we weren't going to score in the last 25 minutes, and we didn't. Red card for Chelsea? When? If its for the Bruno thing no way he reaches that ball. Howay. That performance today was patchy at absolute best. Hardly enough to make me think we'll be good in our next away game, as the bulk of the sample size suggests otherwise.

We have slightly improved particularly against Brighton, but in all of these last 3 we've looked like we've ran out ideas in the seconf halves, particuarly the last 30 minutes. Brighton and Chelsea didn't need to be great to beat us and a poor Everton didn't need to be great with a makeshift back 4 to keep a clean sheet against us. Its hardly been uplifting in mood like Leeds away or Everton at home in early 2022 were or Wolves at home and Forest away were in 2023.

After getting those barely deserved wins/points early season we've regressed to the mean and our league position is a reflection of what we've served up so far. This squad is far better than what it's showing this season. That can be put down to them instead of the manager of course, but when it's 18 months of away games and 11 games in total this season of quite poor showings on a regular basis, I don't think it can be. We don't have any identity in playstyle anymore. It's almost November.

I think it's quite a big concern as I don't see things improving barring just hoping "I hope we're not shit this time" when the next game comes around. Can just agree to disagree in that regard. I'm at all 3 of the next few games and will do as always whenever setting foot into a stadium where we're playing and supporting us and him. But I just can't see how we improve under him now. I don't know what we're trying to do with the ball these days anymore.

Speaking for just myself, it's not just about today. It's 18 months of away showings. Loyalty and awarding of contracts to players that aren't going to get you into Europe regularly. Lack of a discernible strategy behind some signings from summer 2023. The performances throughout this season. Regression and lack of any real identity in possession this season. Dreadful set pieces. Weird subs. All combine to me losing a lot of faith in him. I don't want him sacked, I'm desperate for him to turn it around. He's given me my favourite ever days following us. But what we've been watching this season just isn't all there. A lot of which will be down to him.

As is thinking that he could do something he's never done and play with one, though. He could do now and he isn't. But it means playing one of our CMs out of position because we haven't signed one.

But it's far more likely that he won't than he will. He's wedded to this 4-3-3 with a flat midfield and Bournemouth fans have said how stubborn he can be in this regard. Its one of our and his shortfalls.

It would, but Howe doesn't play one. Never has.

I don't think Howe having his nephew on the scouting department is a positive either. Reeks of nepotism. Howe was holding the England job over the club's head in the summer coming out with Benitez-esque comments in Germany. But imo Staveley et al allowed him quasi free rein in the transfer market. Ashworth presumably part of that. That's now gone, Howe wasn't happy about it and the following friction resulted in that mess of a summer. Away from that for a sec, on the pitch we're consistently regressing with no clear way out. It's so stale, and I think the players know that too.

We were trying to pay almost £70m for Marc Guehi and bidding £50m for Anthony Elanga in the summer, like. And the signings made summer 2023 haven't particularly improved us either. We're consistently substituting the two big signings from that window, rightly or wrongly.

Just have zero faith that he's going to turn this around. There's no straws to clutch to or green shoots I can see like I could in Jan 2022. We are worse than last season and much worse than we were in 2022-23. Zero identifiable patterns of play with the ball and we're almost in November.

Isak chance aside, poor in possession. Again. As we always seem to be. We just look a poorly coached team. Don't see it getting any better as things are.

Never a pen that.

Longstaff Geordieing his Geordieness with that attempted pass to Murphy there.

You're having a laugh.

Fuck off. Awful that.

Set pieces still poor. Annoying. We've grown into it tbf. But that CB stepping up and Bruno filling in has got to stop. Moronic. Allows them into the final third with ease.

This CB stepping up has got to stop. Lifting.