Thumbheed

13 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

My lass's dad's mate (I know) is apparently a bit of a Blackburn itk (although maybe not considering ) and was absolutely convinced that we were signing him. 

 

 

 

I hope we're still interested

Adam Wharton looks a top prospect at 20. 

He'd be absolutely perfect for us.

9 minutes ago, STM said:

For arguements sake, with no incomings or outgoings next year:

 

PL:

                     Pope

 

Trippier    Schar    Botman   Tino

 

                    Bruno

       Tonali                Joelinton 

Gordon                             Barnes

                      Isak

 

Europe:

 

                   Dubravka 

 

Krafth     Lascelles    Burn    Hall

 

                      Miley

        Longstaff         Willock

Minteh                               Anderson

                     Wilson

 

Obviously I'm aware there will be players in and players out and also that you don't have to change an entirely 11 from one game to the next. But that European front 6 is decent but it highlights needing defenders.

It also highlights how far away we are from the squad quality of the teams we're hoping to be competing with long term.

We are still in the very early stages of our development. Incredible really. 

7 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

We're only 3 wins behind last season, which is ridiculous.

 

Would tend to agree that if we got 5-7th this season it'll rival last season in terms of achievement within context. Just ultimately a 'what if' season that was frustrating with some brilliant highlights.

Liverpool and Everton will haunt me the most.

Still can't quite process how we're in 6th having never been able to pick our strongest 11 at any single point in the season. 

I'll say it quitely but should we finish here it probably usurps what he achieved last year imo. 

Short of the Peps and Klopps, I think we have a genuinely elite manager.

19 minutes ago, STM said:

I'd have CB as job number one.

 

Under Howe, we score goals, we always have and always will. We need more quality in defence. Pace in particular.

I think our struggles this season have been from not being as affective winning the ball further up the pitch. I'd go for a CM first and foremost but I guess injuries take that out of our hands.

1 hour ago, TRC said:

I really don't think it is. For us Shearer was never the best striker in the world.

 

I feel Isak is the best striker in the world.

I mean even if that was true it was in an era of Ronaldo, Romario, Batistuta, Inzaghi, Del Piero, Vieri, Raul. I could go on. 

To actually be in 6th after this shitshow of a season is fucking phenomenal. 

On 26/08/2022 at 11:30, Thumbheed said:

Billy Gilmour is training with the Chelsea reserves, he must be available for decent price and would be unreal for depth. 

Shameless self plug.

Ffs

He's already been clear on where he stands on all this, so I doubt he'd lay his cards out like that without being crystal clear on the actual legality of it all. 

4 points behind 6th place.

If we could just hit that vein of form we know we have in us, then 6th would be ours. 

The sooner the Wenger offside rule comes in the better. 

Never understood why we punish attackers for reacting quicker whilst still being behind the defender.

Inject it straight into my veins

20 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

This is going to sound like it's reactionary based on last night.  But I think I've mentioned it a few times on here and others have.  But we are really bad at building from the back in possession.  I'd love to see that as the next step in our development and evolution under Howe next season.  

 

Teams have worked out to stop the pass into Bruno.  Meaning we struggle to move the ball up the pitch along the deck.  As he's the only real technician in the midfield capable of retaining  possession under pressure and progressing it upfield.  We then often rely on Schar spotting a diagonal or when Trippier is playing, managing to break the lines with a sharp pass into feet.  But all too often, we just slowly pass the ball along between the CB's, Dubs sometimes getting involved and sometimes we go out to the full backs, who never seem to have a decent option ahead of them.  It never looks like we're close to working an opening or setting something up.  It's all really ponderous and laboured.   

 

Again, injuries, fatigue and then more recently, constant, enforced shuffling of players hasn't helped at all.  There were actually some flashes last night with Murphy coming off the wing, Bruno when he found space, Anderson, Hall and Barnes all linked up well down the left at times, too.  So that is promising.  But I would like to see us go after players in the transfer market who are more technically sound and not just a team full of athletes who keep breaking down for whatever reason.  Whether that is because they're bodies aren't up to playing in the system, the system isn't fit for purpose for a long season, training methods, the medical team, bad luck or all of the above.  

 

I often look at players we are linked with and think 'wouldn't suit our system.  Not a Howe player.'  But I'm now starting to lean the other way.  Howe has spoken about wanting more control over games and more possession this season.  So for example, a player like Smith-Rowe, injuries aside.  Would be a much better use of finances than someone like Onana, who I thought was atrocious last night and is terrible on the ball. 

 

I don't specifically mean those two players BTW.  Just using a couple of examples that sprung to mind as we have been linked with them multiple times. 

He made a point about how Man City players were so good at working the ball in tight spaces so for me that's at least a great sign of him recognising the sort of qualities that make a team great. 

I'm hoping it's at the forefront of his recruitment strategy.

34 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

I don’t think I buy the Trippier argument -each time he’s been forced to play two actual fullbacks we looked more balanced and more effective as a team. 

We qualified for the CL with the tactic 'you don't buy'. 

14 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

I think there were posts suggesting it even further back than that. At times it has felt like stubbornness was the only thing stopping him from doing it because it blatantly wasn’t working - conceding 3 goals per game is absurd!

Who knows, maybe he just wants to see a couple of top Geordie lads living out their dreams before they’re moved on for better players. I would say there’s no room for sentiment in football but it would at least make sense of the situation and I could get on board with it more if that was the case. 

Think it's more to do with tactics.

Drop Burn and you can't push Trippier further up the pitch (where he's very influential) and have 3 sat at the back, which changes the entire dynamic of the team.  

Replace Longstaff with who? Miley? For how long? Is it the best way to manage a 17 year old?

35 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

Exactly, throw in TWO broken backs and a long-term gambling ban as well. How do you ever plan for that

I ultimately agree but I do still think there's questions to be asked though.

Freak injuries aside,we have also had numerous muscular injuries you could attribute to training methods, like Trippier, Wilson (unfair to include him tbf), Longstaff, Isak, Willock, even Almiron - who as far as I'm remember has barely been injured in his entire time. 

There's precedent with this happening at Bournemouth, so it does set off alarm bells for me. 

1 hour ago, The Butcher said:

He's played a handful of games in the last few years. Find it hard to be too critical of him.

 

Doesn't take game time to understand you can no longer make cynical fouls like that with VAR around. He's still a professional footballer. 

10 minutes ago, KaKa said:

 

We actually got clowned for "paying over the odds" for him 

Legit bargain

10 minutes ago, Newcastle Fan said:

 

I have not written that off at all and he gets a ton of credit for that and the previous season where he saved us from certain relegation. But football moves on fast and now we are a team who is planning to distrupt the top teams and based on how this season went its a hit and miss, so it will be naive to not consider all options.

"I have not written it off"

*writes it off in the very next sentence*

4 minutes ago, nemtizz said:

 

Looked shattered tbf

Hmm didn't really get that sense. Schar was pinging through balls to him minutes before he was taken off but either way, he had far more composure and control witj the ball than Longstaff had today, so Id have kept him on. 

Think taking Anderson off was a bit of a mistake

6 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

I'm really loving Anderson and Hall in this side. Bringing a lot of energy and fight that we've missed 

Those 2 and Barnes seem to have a decent connection down the left. 

how did we sign this guy

Doucore doing a man marking job on Bruno by the looks of it.