HaydnNUFC

Qualified for the second group stage when there were two, and we were. Until Atalanta did it in 2019-20.

This all feels slightly surreal still. How were people for this in '97 and '02 if they can remember? I'm fucking giddy like a child. (will then proceed to be the most miserable cunt on the planet if I can't get tickets but cross that bridge when we come to it)

Got 77/100, not bad for someone who wasn't alive when a lot of the things on there happened. Is from 2020 so some questions are slightly outdated. https://www.sporcle.com/games/NUFCThreatLevel/nufcthreatlevel-xmas-2020-quiz

Come on, man. Sunday was bad enough.

Totally get the sentiment, like. Bloody love Dublin to the point of where I'd travel over without a ticket tbh if we got there and we're more likely to get to the final of the EL than the final of CL. But if Liverpool are arsed about it the EL is theirs imo (especially as top 4 for them is not wholly a given, the EL is another path into the CL for them) and I want to avoid playing them where possible atm. As long as we don't get a nightmarish group tomorrow of PSG or Bayern and Real Madrid I think we'll get to the QFs. European football into April, be bloody chuffed with that.

Think I'd rather stick pins in me baals than have to play Liverpool in either a final in Dublin or in a 2 legged European tie.

That scenario is why Livramento is a very good signing. Otherwise we'd have had to play Trippier in all those games or Manquillo against Man City. Wouldn't fancy giving Krafth Man City as his first competitive game back.

By the time the Pot 4 teams start to be drawn we'll know which group(s) we're going to be in. The groups are split into 2 really, A, B, C and D one one side and E, F, G and H on the other. Man City & Man Utd can't be on the same side, so we won't be on the same side as Arsenal. Those 3 clubs will all be drawn before us so that'd leave an absolute maximum of 3 groups we could go into by the time they start drawing the Pot 4 clubs. That'll narrow down the later on we're drawn. On top of that, when there's 4 teams from the same league in the CL, only 2 can be on the same side of the groups for TV reasons. When there's 2 teams from the same league in the CL, they will be on separate sides to each other. So Italian, German and Spanish teams (Sevilla being EL winners skews this slightly but it still applies) plus the Dutch, French and Portuguese teams may also limit the options we have by the time our name comes out. So there probably will only be an option of 2 groups or even just a solitary group for us to go into. So we'll likely know where we're going well before our name is drawn out. If that all makes sense.

Aye, same.

Get tae fuck.

No spaces tonight. Fuck sake.

Everton Spaces have been naff so far this season so hoping an early cup exit will light the touch paper for fume which when channelled correctly could be used as nuclear fission.

Now am glad Nunez scored and now gutted Castagne's shot was saved in May.

He should be kept away from the sport for the rest of his life but a sick part of me wants him to get employed again and have to come to SJP as the away manager.

Still to have sorted out the CL/UEFA font for player namesets and numbers afaik. The first CL game is 3 weeks away.

Trent House used to have Exhibition on not that long ago as well. Heineken must have fucked all the other S&N beers off besides bottles of Derg. Shame, like.

Something tells me you have quite the experience in this regard.

He's still going trying to justify that tweet's nonexistent argument in the replies, almost 3 hours after it was sent. Never has this rung truer.

Someone shit, please. Would normally want them at home but the home games next month are clearing my bank account out so an away draw against someone shit wouldn't be the worst draw in the world.

Company building it went bust I think.

ah beg, pls

It's a valid point but with Joelinton you could see his development, most could tell he wasn't and out and out striker when Bruce was here fairly quickly. He was never used as such under Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim. With Almiron the issues of lacking real technical quality, missing more chances than he scores, not creating much for his team mates et cetera happened under Benitez, Bruce and now Howe. That got papered over by that scoring run he had last season imo, since then so far in the whole of 2023 he's scored 2 goals and has 1 assist in a front foot side that finished in the top 4 last season. Almiron has improved under Howe as opposed to where he was under Bruce but it boils down to whether if that's enough.

I thought the stick he was getting post match across socials for Sunday was OTT tbh as he was looking like our most likely source for a second goal. But he is an incredibly limited footballer and lacks serious technical quality; 5 assists and 20 goals in 147 PL appearances with 9 of those 20 goals coming across a 9 game period last season. There's nothing to suggest from the other 138 league appearances he's made for us that he'll repeat that. My God I hope he does as it seems like he's still got that starting spot but I doubt he will. Even away from G&A I think his general play is poor, is far too one footed which ends up hindering attacks. I think a slight mistake was made in giving him that contract in February; I'd have cashed in this summer assuming there would've been takers. His value would never have been higher than it was after last season and he's not getting any younger at 29. Then we'd have been able to use the wriggle room from the funds from the sales of him and ASM for Barnes and someone like Diaby or Nico Williams whom we've been linked with. Do also find it slightly bizarre if Barnes isn't starting soon, otherwise I've no idea why we spent ~£85m on two seemingly LWs in the last 6 months, especially after we sold ASM to finance one of them. Whilst the last recognised RW we signed before Almiron (who came as a #10 really) permanently was Murphy 6 years ago. We've needed an upgrade for a while now imo; I know FFP and that limits what we could do and we could well have went for one if those limitations weren't there but another window has gone by without one. Slow build and all that, I get it, but it's slightly frustrating for me.

Eddie Howe can be criticised for in game decisions that he makes as well as team performances without it meaning that people want him out or don't think that he's good enough. I haven't read much of the last few pages but I think criticism of a performance or setup or substitution gets conflated with being against him or wanting him gone or not thinking he's up to it for whatever reason. He's been absolutely phenomenal and done a job so fantastic it's pretty much unprecedented. I've always been a fan of him, remember calling for him even pre takeover (as if he'd even have came then, but you kna), was fully behind him in the stickier early days when we had 1 win in 21 or something and still am fully behind him now. He's took us into the CL for the first time in my conscious Newcastle supporting life immediately following a season which we started with Stephen Roger in the dugout and battling against relegation. Unbelievable. On top of that he's made us into one of the best teams in the country playing a high tempo, nice on the eye style of football. I love him and he's made me as proud as I've ever been of being a Newcastle supporter, Saudi baggage aside. But Sunday was poor. A goal and a man up after 25 minutes and we not only end up not winning the match but losing it, it was canny shit. Against a team we finished above of last season and a few expect us to be mixing it with this season. You'd hope that he'll learn from that. Disappointment will also always come from that in spite of the bigger picture. I still am now and probably will be until 5:29pm on Saturday. That's part of being a football fan and that's fine.

You have a posting history of lifting takes and of just being inherently miserable, also one of ceasing posting when things are going well; "x is shite", "can see where this is going", "wonder how we'll bottle this", "no wonder, not won a trophy for years." Genuinely wonder what you get from this tbh.