Kid Icarus

'Everyone lapping up us asking these questions of football manager Eddie Howe and not Boris Johnson proves that deflection works' See also, concentrating on only footballer's wages as being undeserved.

I've already said that they're not comparable circumstances in terms of severity man, I'm not mental Maybe it's just me like, but I don't think analogies should need to meet a BBFC severity-match threshold to be used purely to make a broader point. The Saudis came in and the choice for Newcastle fans was to either carry on as normal or change something about their support as a result of that. Unless I've missed something, that's a binary choice that we all made. Another thread ruined.

Everyone is forced to choose when the choice is binary Agree to disagree I think.

This always happens to me man. I'm not comparing the severity or nature of the situations, I'm just using it to illustrate that it's not really a choice for a lot of people. Here's another one, partly to be annoying partly because it holds some truth to it. We all technically have a choice to walk away from our jobs, that's doesn't mean it's a realistic choice for our overall wellbeing. Likewise for a lot of football fans have the choice to walk away, that doesn't mean it's a realistic one for their less severe wellbeing. And yes, you'll say the situations aren't as severe, but it's a lot closer to being as severe as that for some people than it has been for you and therefore isn't really a choice for them.

I thought it was a great one tbh - about as extreme an example I could have chosen about someone not actually having a choice, which is the only point I was hoping to make. It's probably fair to say there are push and pull factors and that you've had enough push factors to make the choice you mention a much more natural one to make. Although there'll be Newcastle fans in similar situations (I know I've had a bit of an existential crisis over what it means to be a Newcastle supporter since the Ashley Out campaign) the overwhelming majority are nowhere near that - at least yet. While they might have big reservations about the ownership, they aren't in a position where that 'choice' is the one you made. I hope you're dad's okay btw.

I think there are a few points to make about what you're saying here like. First, you're saying 'you really do have a choice' but so did Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice. That's not to trivialise or in any way draw a direct comparison, it's just to make an extreme point about the scope of there being an actual choice for most fans - i.e in reality they don't have a choice and couldn't walk away if they wanted to or tried to. Sportswashing works because they're worming their way into institutions they know people have deep, mostly irreversable emotional connections with. Second, the way you describe your situation, it doesn't sound like you chose either and got to the point of walking away naturally - and similar to those that can't walk away because their hearts are tied to NUFC, you walked away because your heart was broken and didn't have those strong ties anymore. That's not a criticism or anything, I just think, well rather I know that it's not as simple as making a choice. If I walk away - something that I don't think is out of the question in the coming years - it'll be in the same way that I think you have - because I'll have been a passenger to how a feel, not because I made a moral choice against my will.

I'd have been impressed with that performance with Joelinton, ASM, Shelvey, Fraser, and Willock playing. The fact he got that performance out of the players out there and we were absolutely robbed is incredible really.

Fantastic memories of being in Japan and waking up the couple next door with my scream when Ben Arfa scored that.

Someone on Reddit made a point about the clear and obvious error part of it that hadn't occurred to me and makes the lack of VAR intervention even worse.

No it's not, we're making a moral judgement on it. Sorry about that.

He was on Pod on the Tyne the other day saying how he was pleased Chris Wood had got his first goal after he'd missed chances previously! He then said he hadn't seen the match because he doesn't watch illegal streams. Hans' joke about how he probably doesn't actually watch football seems to be pretty on the money tbh. Wish someone had asked him what the chances Wood had missed were.

Will never understand the hype over that Ramsdale save from Maddison's free kick.

They also have games in hand, but not sure when they'll play them

4th is Arsenal's to throw away really. It'll be interesting to see how they'll do it this time if they do.

You're probably right. He maybe set a rod for his own back in that he set his level so high throughout the rest of the match that it's disappointing that he didn't cut it out like he did with everything else that was thrown at him. He had an absolutely brilliant match yet again.

I feel like we'll finally get the oft-predicted 2-2 here.

They tried to claim Rodri didn't handle the ball a few weeks ago. They've set a precedent where none of their bullshit reasons, always backed up by Peter Defaulton, are as bad by comparison.

Ex-referees have openly admitted in the past that part of their role is to 'protect the brand' and that they knew if they gave a big decision against one of the top 4 as it was then, they'd run the risk of not getting another big game for weeks. About as close to obvious conscious bias as it gets really.

But for that one moment that was the most impressed I've been by him and he was on course for it being a 10/10 performance, he was absolutely class. He probably feels far more robbed than we do.

Haven't felt this mugged off for a really long time tbh, I guess this is what comes with caring more.

To protect the top 6. I know people want to believe that that's conspiratorial, but it's clear as day.

The sickening part of it was purely that it was right at the end with the added bonus of it being that emaciated smack rat scoring. If we'd got a deserved draw I could have lived with the shocking non-penalty decision and him still being on the pitch.

Thought he was very good at pressing, winning possession, winning headers, sticking his foot in, and at times holding it up. Once he actually had possession though, he was really poor with it.

Play any top 6 team and you can guarantee there's a higher likelihood of incompetence that conveniently falls in their favour. Unconscious or conscious bias, it's a distinction without a difference.

Denied a draw we were more than good value for because of 2 key decisions - 1 contenscious, 1 clear as day - going Chelsea's way, and a moment of imperfection in an otherwise flawless display from Dan Burn. Compounded by it being the player who could have easily gone off. Chelsea were poor and without the top 6 bias from the officials we'd have got another point imo. Dubravka - 6 Manquillo - 6 Schar - 7.5 Burn - 9.5 Targett - 8 Bruno - 7 Longstaff - 6 Murphy - 6 Wood - 6 Almiron - 6