Coffee_Johnny

Greta time to get your first goal. Well done JJ.

What a fucking Gail!!!

13 corners… they get one and score 🤷‍♂️

Sounds like a line from this classic ditty.

We are so fucking winning this.

I found it hard to watch him in the press conference. He looks hurt. And I think rightly so, but attention turning to his capability—the whole are you the right man for the job shite.

I’ve done a free hit adding Wolves and Arsenal players and generally tailoring the team to this round of fixtures. Not sure it was the right call, but I can’t do much worse anyway! Also captained Rice.

I caught some of the show, not all but she seemed to be saying that because she was, for a period, selected to appear amongst top presenters she is therefore a top presenter. Which is an outrageous take, disregarding the obvious that for whatever reason (EDI quota or initial promise) she had a chance but was found wanting. I’m sure she must have been a good footballer, but if that is her reason for thinking she was a good pundit then it is also ‘obviously’ (Pedro popped into my mind as if to prove the point…) an illogical self-serving interpretation.

How’s the bacon, did you say? 😉

Thought I would have a look at how this season compares to our best season, worst season, average and average under Howe up to end of last season, using points gathered per month. So you are looking at cumulative points total this season and what it 'would have been' if we had the same number of games per month in the other seasons. It struck me that after a tough Aug-Sep, a decent Oct-Nov meant we only really fell away from the 'Howe average' in December and January, during which we had an astonishing 17 games (11 PL, 3 CL, 2 LC, 1 FAC) falling to what looks like a bang average NUFC PL season on 33 points by the end of January. Risk is we fall further behind the Howe average (the new normal? at least expectation wise...) by the end of February. We really need a positive result tonight, win and lose at Etihad or draw and draw there (I know...) and either way a win against Everton at the end of the month, to ensure we creep back towards respectability in terms of normal Howe era points return.

It’s never in the corner either. Mid paced wait for the keeper to shift his weight, place it to the other side, is his style.

Normally I think there are signs in the previous season of one of the big guns dropping through the trap door. You were 17th last season and you haven’t had the turn around of Man Utd, for instance (15th on same points as Wolves). That said you were still 13 points above 18th. I just can’t see you being relegated.

Wow. Kept for posterity.

Well they beat us 4-2 away last season. We beat them twice at home, but I was at the CC QF and although we scored early and won 3-1 I recall feeling nervy until the third one went in. Actually, maybe that was just me. Just checked we had 21 shots to their 10, 4 on target to their 3.

I will always love Keegan. That is the feeling I have for him. From meeting him at a school football tournament in Hamburg and him sparing the time and giving our team a guided tour, to him again giving this time to come over to chat to me after a five aside at Gateshead Stadium, to him signing for us and seeing his first game, through the shock of him coming back as manager, through all of the joy and heart ache that followed, to me giving up on NUFC when they fucked him over. I love the man. You are right though, H. He was backed in a way Howe could never be. Also, when comparing their records here (which I am prone to do), we have to hold in mind that Keegan started the Premiership years with his team; a bloody good one who had accumulated 96 points and then achieved, what is still, the joint best ever first Premier ship/League season; finishing third with 1.83 ppg. Howe picked up a team who were nailed on for relegation, 11 points and 0 wins from 19 games. I still think that the second half of that season competes with cup win or consistency of performance, as his greatest achievement here. Metaphorically, he has proved he can make a silk purse from a sow’s ear. He can’t be expected to get a quart from a pint pot. In that we just don’t have the squad to play the amount of games we have. Either in terms of numbers or quality. Trying to embed five signings pretty much all of them some way down the list of preferred signings would be a magic trick too far. I defy anyone to confidently believe (realise we can’t set up an experiment here…) that any other manager could have done better. Including Keegan.

Gameweek 26 Chelsea 2-0 Leeds Everton 0-1 Bournemouth Spurs 1-2 Newcastle West Ham 1-2 Man United Villa 3-1 Brighton Palace 2-0 Burnley Man City 3-1 Fulham Forest 1-1 Wolves Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool Brentford 1-1 Arsenal Wolves 0-4 Arsenal

True, he’s ‘saved’ at least two off the inside of his calf/ankle this season. Guess it can go anywhere when it hits there; yesterday it was hit with such power that it stayed closer to its original trajectory.

He is such a good man. There’s pride to had had having him steer our club. Really hope he gets a little rub of the green; feels like a lot of stuff has gone against us and ultimately it is Eddie who shoulders the blame. Comes with the big bucks but would be nice to see him (and us) get some luck.

Totally agree, we have deficiencies going forward, but Tino’s ball carrying and athleticism really help.

We are really missing Tino, as we did earlier in the season when he was out.

There’s truth in that but can’t get past how inadequate we are in creating chances. It isn’t just the finishing I think we are lack the kind of player(s) to open teams up and score. Clumsy header from a corner and a penalty… neither Wissa nor Woltemade look like they can provide what we have lost; Osula, well, he definitely is quick is about the best I can say.

Yep, though The Juice signed a year before (July 2017) The Hunk (July 2018). (Might have just made up that latter nickname…).

There’s hope for us in the CL final 😉

Last man standing from the really challenging times: Struggle, suffer, endure, survive, thrive.