Kid Icarus

Shout out to Manquillo for coming on and doing his job well again. Enjoyed him taking the ball off Richarlison and then just casually going past him. I think we'll miss Targett, but if it's not Burn coming in at LB I'm fine with it being Manquillo.

I have faith in him based on him getting in the right positions and this (at least for me) clearly not being his full potential. I think it'll click.

He looks refreshed in that interview like. Hopefully the pressure is lifting a bit.

Why does it always have to be like this? I just want to enjoy ASM for who he is without feeling coerced into talking about why he's not the same as one of my all time favourite Newcastle players.

Don't do this

Class knowing that we have 8 points in 4 and were close to having 12 in 4. Improved the team almost to a man, brilliant stuff.

Has the potential to be the best striker the Darren Huckerby Zone has ever seen.

Watching that free kick fly in was the first time in all of this that I've seen a level of quality that feels a bit alien to me. I know Cabaye and Raylor could bang them in, but that felt different. He's absolutely class.

One thing I will say to his credit is that on the second goal he's just behind Fraser if he hadn't been there and right at the end ASM could have squared it to him for a good shot on goal. He's in the right places a lot of the time. I actually think his headed chance is nowhere near being a sitter, it's just how tame the effort was that makes it bad, he has to be working Pickford at least.

Think of it more like a pessemism-ometer.

Do they turn down the mics for TV btw? For all the comments I've heard from fans and the commentators about the crowd being electric, it sounded really quiet/nervous on telly.

Still on a light 7, but it all changes if we beat Villa.

I'm new to Willock having ignored the Bruce era and I have to say I like him. He seems to start poorly then get better as games go on. Has a good knack for taking a player out of the game with his first touch, which I like. Similar performance to his Leeds performance tonight I thought.

On a sidenote, Everton were very shit. Didn't expect them to be anywhere near that bad.

ASM did. Hard to argue like, probably both should have got it.

Compressed so much quality into 3 minutes like. Could have scored if ASM squared it to him as well.

Stewie Griffin's a fucking ledge. Captain in all but name

Dubravka - 7 Trippier - 9.5 Lascelles - 7 Schar - 6 Targett - 7 Shelvey - 6 Joelinton - 6.5 Willock - 7 ASM - 10 Wood - 5 Fraser - 7

Howe

That header was honestly like a calm nod back to your own 'keeper like. Needs one to go in soon to give him some fire in his belly.

The stage couldn't be any more perfectly set for Bruno really. 1-1 with Everton losing players to injury, us needing to get a hold of the game, and Shelvey on a yellow.

Mad how quickly he goes from Zola to Shola as soon as he steps foot in the box.

Bottling the decision would be to start him tbh. He'd face absolutely no scrutiny for starting him so this is a ballsy move. That's not to say it's the right decision like, it's definitely one that's bringing my trust of Howe into focus. Hopefully it pays off. Will definitely be avoiding here as much as I can if we lose like.

FWIW, Five Thirty Eight, its algorithms, and Nate Silver have got a lot of things wrong in the last 6 or 7 years, at least in U.S politics anyway.