HaydnNUFC

You could go one step further and say the whole of 2025 tbh. I can only think of the first half against Forest last season but the second half display was vile in that we contrived to blow a 4-1 half time lead at home. EDIT: Liverpool this season which we lost regardless and Palace last season were the last good league displays against half decent or better opposition. Villa away this season maybe as we had no striker though we did show an inability to create anything against 10 men for 25 minutes.

Didn’t seem to bother Villa as much last season. Lowest they dropped to was 12th after the 13th game and they remained in the CL until April. If we’re basically not training then it makes me think that Howe is so scarred by 23-24 that we’re basically not running. Looks like that in games yet at the same time he doesn’t use the depth that he’s spent a fair wedge on. That he thought Joelinton could start 3 games in a week is just madness. And it’s also clear that Gordon should not have started against Bilbao.

Agree that it’s mid April onwards rather than the year but those games; If you can find them and bare to watch them, watch first half against Ipswich again and the second half against Chelsea. They were excruciating and lacked any form of creativity and didn’t scream ‘never in doubt’ to me like. Similar to what we’re watching now. The latter was against 10 men and both were with Isak up front. I don’t find ‘we’ve been terrible at venue x in the past so it’s fine and acceptable if we are once again’ a reasonable way of thinking, like. Regarding the Arsenal and Brighton results that is. If we won at Arsenal who had only beaten Ipswich in their 6 games prior we’d have had top 5 wrapped up with a game to spare. Yet we barely threatened again, as imo we have as a club a mentality issue when going away to top sides in the league. I thought Howe had cracked it with the wins at Man Utd, Spurs and the first leg at Arsenal but yet we served up what we did at Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea. That’s a different discussion though.

Unsure, like. Since the Palace 5-0, we were awful and punished for it at Villa. Fairly poor against Ipswich, who had 10 men for 60 minutes and we still couldn’t score from open play against them. Thankfully it didn’t matter. Thought we were all bluster at Brighton when we had top 5 to play for and they had nothing. And it took a 89th minute penalty for us to score. Don’t capitalise on an early goal against Chelsea and them getting an early red in the way we hoped. A late deflected shot wrapped it up but thought we were really poor in that game. Barely remember an attack worthy of the name at Arsenal who’s season fizzled out and then some. Atrocious showing against Everton which could’ve cost us top 5.

Thought he was shite today but he hasn’t been average at all as has been suggested. He also shouldn’t be made to defend as much as he is against opposition like that, such is our inability to string passes together in the middle third.

He should be starting games tbh. Joelinton needs phasing out now. We’re a season late with that imo. However he’s not the type of midfielder we needed profile wise. Think we could’ve made better use of £45m tbh.

This also crossed my mind, though if we wanted to play at a slower pace we needed to sign technical players with quality on the ball to help us retain possession and create. We went after the opposite, continue to start the opposite whilst trying to do it at a slower pace. Absolute madness.

I agree and it’s been a dreadful part of our transfer policy this summer. But I do now wonder why we went after Maddison in summer 2022. Madness in the difference in profile of player to what we’ve went for.

You can include the whole of 2024 in that as well tbh. Aside from Forest last season, we are incapable of beating half decent sides away from home in the league. 4 league wins all calendar year and 2 of those were against sides who now play in the Championship.

If these performances continue and we lose the derby for a few I reckon. And tbh I’ll could well be thinking we need a change if we drop into the bottom 3 which is quite possible. I’m hoping there’s just a turnaround based on nothing similarly to last season (despite us being much better early last season than we are now) but that’s based on nothing whatsoever as we look rancid at present. Us potentially being in the bottom 3 in November/December after the money spent is just totally fucking unacceptable.

We are utterly fucking vile after spending £300m on players and he looks like he hasn’t got the answers. That there is a chance of us dropping into the bottom 3 in November/December is indefensible and if that happens is sack worthy tbph.

Indefensible and unacceptable. Again. We are fucking horrendous. 15th, could well be in the bottom 3 shortly after the break, 3 away wins in 2025 - whilst £300m was spent in summer. And this is what are. Absolutely rancid.

He’s having a fucking stinker today and another one last week. We’re a total fucking mess and it’s not acceptable.

Jesus fucking Christ. On Howe leaving him on this long. Absolutely fucking shit.

We waiting to go behind to see some changes? Superb.

First bit of football we’ve played there. Only took them 20 minutes into the half.

Got away with one. Get him the fuck off.

Totally indefensible from all involved. We haven’t been as bad on the ball here since Bruce was in charge and Benitez had inferior players.

We are unacceptably fucking terrible.

That kick off can get in the fucking bin along with the long throws. So shit.

Leeds against us was just as bad if not worse tbh.

Happy to be winning but we’re so turgid with the ball, still. Painful, unimaginative stuff aided by a bit of quality from Barnes. I still feel like we’ll need another to win the game and hard to see where that comes from. I understand he’s in the team for this game for his height against long throws but Burn should play either at CB or not at all. And he shouldn’t be getting ahead of Thiaw or Botman either.

Right, don’t fucking sit off like a pack of cunts again.

Get in. Fucking excellent from Barnes there.

Joelinton injured again? Shock.