Coffee_Johnny

Tripps left for dead there. Unusual.

Couple of chances in a minute. We got them worried yet?

He got targeted and roasted for most of first half.

ASM’s ballon d’or getting further away me thinks…

Can’t afford to miss the only chance we had, bar offside, and expect anything better there. Still only 0-2, get the next goal and who knows. If we don’t score soonish, they’ll remain fully confident and just settle into gradually demolishing us. They have put almost everything down the left side. Obviously preplanned.

Cancelo one of the players of the season. He’s awesome.

Feck…

Hang on for twenty mins, and crowd will get v nervous. Despite all they’ve won, there’s still a ‘it’s City what can go wrong will go wrong,’ amongst the die hards.

Just put £10 on a draw and £20 on 2-2. WTF!

It’s entertaining reading the who would you rather help/hinder opinions. I can’t help desperately wanting us to win. Even though it is against the odds and more importantly will lead to exponential increase in grumpy rage from my 13 old Man City mad son. We were sitting together in City end when we beat them in the League cup (we live in Manchester). He was very young and when our first goal went in a big fat tear appeared on his cheek. Had the odd experience of trying to console him (through my beaming smile…). When the second goal went in, he actually kicked my foot with a ‘I hate your team!’ (His supposed second team). Didn’t speak to me all the way back to the car (relations improved after stop for sweets/crisps refuelling). I was in away end and he was in home end (with family members) when we lost 6-1 (1-1 at half time, we should have been 2-0 up). Went to pick him up through sky blue masses, in my b&w top, to be met with him (still very young) hanging off a lamppost sticking the Vs up ?‍♂️ (Much to his Grandma’s shock). Said he thought it was a victory sign. I said I fell asleep at half-time and wouldn’t believe it was anything but a draw. Could be tasty tonight !

I’ve been thinking about best NUFC 11 and it is a struggle, different eras, divisions, appearances etc. so I have decided to list favourite players/ones I have enjoyed watching and admired the most in different positions. goalkeepers: Pav and Shay Given defenders: Roeder (leader and what a shuffle!), Woodgate (superb all round), Helder (not many appearances but class act), Albert (loved him), Trippier (best full back I’ve seen in black and white). midfielders: Speed, Lee, McCreery (what a terrier!), Solano (sublime passes and exceptional work rate), Gascoigne (pre-peak but had everything), Ginola, Robert, Roy Aitken (epitome of a defensive midfielder/CB, I wished we’d had when he was younger), Lee Clark (loved seeing him develop), and Bruno (could be a legend here). forwards: Mirandihna (I helped make up his song!), Varadi, Keegan, Ferdinand, Shearer, Asprilla. I’m sure more will pop into my mind once I submit this, but some great memories thinking through past heroes.

He was in my memory. Read the game beautifully, always seemed in the right place. Very cultured and composed. I do think (after a shaky start) Peacock was very underrated and complemented Albert’s play really well.

Not by his standards thus far. A few unforced errors and his normally sublime passing was a bit off at times.

No shame in the defeat, score line, or even manner if defeat. Can’t help feeling disappointed with our ability to keep the ball and craft more chances. Needed ASM to have a blinder and he was very far from that. Not helped by formation I think. Good job they didn’t start all their first choices.

Was just about to search for Cheryl’s phone number…

?

Price for a Wood equaliser??

We’ll have a spell. Need to do pretty much the same and hope they don’t grab another (few!)

Don’t worry chaps. I’ve put on my Ginola socks and Brazil-bought shoes, for extra luck (thus far unbeaten combo—although it is first time of trying…). We’ve got this

Closer it gets, more convinced I am we’re going to play a blinder! (Klopp looks super tense!). What a day. Would love to be there. Chance to derail them (Long overdue pay back). Lovely weather. The crowd will be up for it. We’re playing well. Howay the lads!!!

Our record (NUFC.Com) is better than I thought against these. We usually seem to win after a draw. On that infallible bit of reasoning, I am going for a newsworthy 1-0. (Yes, I did watch them Wednesday. Yes, I was a bit terrified).

Never gets old?

Depends what you equate with high level/top quality coaching and leadership? Getting lost in techniques and tactics does not necessarily equate to being a quality coach/leader. Keegan was a high performing manager at the top two English divisions and England manager. He pitched what he did out of the Shankly book more than the Paisley or modern technobabble coaching manuals, and he was fucking great at it in my opinion. He knew people, let them play, and they (by and large…) would run through walls for him. I think he felt he fell short, at the highest level, but I don’t agree with him. If all the England players had the work effort, fitness, desire to win, and plain old ability he had. His team would have flourished. He didn’t have them enough/the strength of relationship to lead in the way he was great at leading. In my opinion, obvs.

The point in there is that being a great player doesn’t equip you to be a great manager. You’d need to be mad/oblivious to disagree with that. However, Guardiola was a great player and Keegan was a great manager. They both serve as rare examples of excelling at both. I would actually chuck Bobby Robson into that rare group also. Two examples, from a multitude of possibilities who illustrate the norm, are Bobby Charlton and Jurgen Klopp (odd pairing but ?‍♂️) who each tried both roles, but were only ‘great’ at one.