Thumbheed

I think Potter could be tempted. I honestly think we missed a trick not pursuing him. In hindsight of course.

If Howe was allowed to take us down, I think I'd be massively disappointed.

Why would the loaning side ever entertain this? Seems like they only lose from this.

How does a loan work if you'd be out of contract by the end of it?

I thought about this too, but if ESL ever took off again we'd still not be invited anyway.

Yeh obviously like to avoid it, but I can't envisage a scenario where we wouldn't be able to recruit with enough quality to get us straight back up. Then once we're back up....

Obviously can't speculate on that but I'd be massively surprised if there's anything that could be legally done that could ever restrict our ability to complete on any level, if that's what you're implying.

I mean I'd love to avoid relegation but if we don't, pride aside it would be fun as fuck.

It appears the recipe for survival is basically: More defenders = less goals conceded More strikers = More goals scored Is it just me or is that not the most basic interpretation of how football works? What about the midfielders??

But there's an argument to be made that he wouldn't need as much time to get his ideas across or to get to know the squad in the 1st place as he already knows them all.

We haven't been watching the same team in that case but if we're taking the long view, who do you think stands a better chance of winning something? Because that's the criteria that should really inform your opinion.

Rafa's managed Everton for 9 more games than Howe has Newcastle. What have people seen in those 9 games - or the 10 that's Howe's managed - that makes them think that Howe is emphatically the better choice than Rafa? As for "we shouldn't go back", well why not? I've not heard a single decent reason that doesn't border on just plain superstition.

Drop Joelinton?! He's looked very good against very good opposition too.

He's also the starting point for a fair few counter attacking moves we've seen these past few weeks too.

Sick to fucking death of listening to commentators refer to his goal scoring record every single game. Would like to see him in the role Shelvey plays if we're not getting a specialised DM anytime soon.

Shelvey is not playing bad to be fair but a combative DM who plays his role would make a big difference to our team. He's always there or there abouts when defending that area, and does apply pressure quite well but doesn't have the skillset to dispossess like a true DM can. A CD, followed by a DM should be our absolute priorities, but a RW should be in the mix too to give us a bit of attacking balance.

He's done poorly at Everton, no doubt, but the same set of players finished 10th with one of the greatest managers of all time at the helm. That to me suggests there's something terminal at Everton which goes beyond tactics, formations and management style. I'd wouldn't think twice about taking him, either way, I'd fancy us more in the championship with him than with Howe at this point in time.

I think he'd have us playing to our strengths for a start.

Second point of note and arguably the most infuriating, is that he has actually had this team looking very dangerous on the break, but rather that build on that, he's continued to try to force an ill suited style of play onto us which is costing us games.

Didn't see anything today that was any different to anything I've seen throughout his time in charge and so still not convinced he's the right man, in fact will go as far as saying he isn't right man for us. What worries me more now though is our entire transfer strategy seems to be that better defenders will get us better results when in reality we are in desperate need for players who can put pressure on the opposition with the ball at their feet. Today wasn't about defending badly, it was meaningless possession with no clear vision of how to create clear cut chances.

Fuck! The table looks so sexy right now!!!

Still unclear what's being seen in training that make Howe think possession based football is the right tactic for these players.

Need someone who can operate in the hole. There's absolutely nothing going through that area which is allowing their CM's to double up on our wingers without risk of the space left being expoited. Longstaff off, Almiron on.

But we're not scoring 3 and big guns aside we're not conceding 4. Defence quite clearly needs improving, I agree with that, but we've arguably equally poor in the GS column. Woods won't magically fix that will he? And if that is the plan then hoping our consistently low scoring midfielders start to chip in seems like an I'll thought out strategy imo.

Why not though? We've not been creating clear cut chances for Wilson and our midfielders aren't putting away any of the chances we do get...Willock last season should be case in point for the value of midfielders with an attacking threat.