Whitley mag

The fixture list is brutal coming up and we look short of confidence and ideas, not a great situation. He needs to change something as this rinse and repeat approach isn’t a great look and looks similar to his final season at Bournemouth when he looked lost. I suspect now Burns fit and we’re top heavy in tough away games, he’ll revert to 5 at the back and hope Wissa can stretch the pitch, as Isak used to.

Poor planning and pursuing players that were never going to join us has cost the club massively. However, not one player joined this summer without Howe’s approval, who do you think chose the players in the summer?

In the first half Villa found so many spaces between our defence and midfield, they just passed around us and it all looked very inevitable.

I think in an organisation like PIF getting authorisation to spend will be multi layered and it’s the one thing Hopkinson needs to gain more autonomy over.

No but they’re process driven and it’s not suited to the fast moving world of football. Selling a purple like Isak was meant to herald the next stage of the rebuild if it had to happen. Unfortunately, they move at a snails pace and we should have had a DOF in place to oversee everything. I’m not sure what top 5 club would have allowed the Howe’s a free run to spend 200 million. It looked like a scattergun approach at the time and so it’s proven.

Joke aside loved the fact he went attacking after Dorgu went off. Very refreshing to see in the modern game.

Night and day in comparison to what we signed unfortunately. I can handle losing out on those players, but our plan B options were lazy, not what we needed and have set the club back massively. PIF are ultimately accountable and the trust they put in Howe to spend the money a massive mistake.

I think Man U had a vey good window and with a competent manager they’ll now make top 5.

After today I’m of the mindset to just leave it until the summer now. Fair play to Howe for acknowledging he needs to get the best out of what he’s got. Some big questions and analysis required after last summer before we spend again in my opinion.

That’s pretty damning though, especially considering they were missing McGinn, Kamara and had a days less rest.

Thought they were by far the better team, it was all huff and puff from us for the most part. Most depressing result of the season for me and real alarm bells with the upcoming fixtures. They had 3 good footballers who stood head and shoulders above, Tielemans, Rogers and Buendia. We can’t use PSR as an excuse with Villa and it further highlights that the summer transfer window has set us back massively. I see nothing to suggest Wissa, Ramsey and Elanga are anything but a huge PSR noose around our neck for the next 3 years.

Scotswood Road is on the Russian hit list if they attack the U.K, good to see the Toon is ready to repel them.

Least the club have noticed it’s flat. There’s a simple fix make the whole Gallowgate safe standing, or Leazes level 7 corner and the corner below. Think making the level 7 corner and below safe standing would generate a great atmosphere next to the away fans.

Should be our Teddy Sheringham behind a pacey striker. Think he can unlock defences but would require a big change in tactics. Not sure that’s ever going to happen and Howe’s system works better with a quick forward who can press. If he’s happy being another option when we need something different, brilliant, not sure he’ll be satisfied with that long term though.

Nope just adjusting plans for refurb at Benton in meantime.

Home or away end tomorrow @Wallsendmag? Remember the home game against PSV in QF years ago and all hell broke loose outside the Gate when their lads walked by? Always entertaining when the Dutch teams come to Town.

He’d be the boy like, or someone like him with a bit flair. I’m bored fucking stupid watching us at the minute.

Ticks every box for the Howe’s.

Worst window in the clubs history since Willie McFaul wasted the Gazza money. For all Mitchell might have been a cunt he wasn’t wrong and Howe proceeded to prove him correct. PSR wise it’s a fucking disaster.

Isak was in the argument for best striker in the world it’s a huge gap to fill. Sometimes a player is that special it elevates a team to be greater than the sum of its parts. A lot of his goals were half chances and moments he created himself. We’ve got some great players, but we don’t create and he compensated for that massively.

His brilliance covered up a lot of the deficiencies in team and system.

We’ll only be 8 points behind Villa if we beat them next week, could have been even closer if we’d done the business today. We could do with CL football again next season to fund the rebuild needed. I think we need a keeper, CB, fullback, creative midfielder, winger and striker. Massive summer ahead and will tell us a lot about the direction of travel.

Needs to alternate between Joe and Tonali in midfield. We are devoid of any creativity, or someone breaking into the box to support the striker (this should be Ramsey’s role). Needs a creative midfielder and a winger who can dribble past people in the summer.

Never in doubt.

That young kid will play on Trippier all day could bring them some joy.