Abacus

Terrible news. Wish him all the best

Not really trusting rumours, but if that's so, surely all teams would know this?

I suppose we don't really know how the fans of those clubs feel, those decisions are on the owners. Can be little more dispiriting than bumping around in mid table hoping for the odd big win, a cup run, maybe a run at the fringes of Europe. On the other hand, you look at the option, which would be to let other teams through the glass ceiling and reduce those ambitions even further. Can see it both ways really, but I do feel for the better run teams, say a Brighton, likely always being roughly where they are despite how they are run. It's why the Leicester miracle season was so important, to show that it could be done, to most semi- neutral fans.

Went to a bottomless brunch where I had literally three drinks as the staff all pretended to be busy. Even though it wasn't at SJP or anything to do with NUFC in the first place, I still blame Paul Mitchell, Saudi Arabia and most of all Richard Masters and the ESL six.

Emotionally, I don't want us to move away from SJP, so a proper revamp and extension would be my personal preference, however that is done, and that's how I'd have answered it at the time. But I've been kind of persuaded by some of the arguments on here that Castle Leazes and much bigger capacity might be the best option. Outside the city centre is a no-no for me. Also, if PIF don't want to be in it for the long term and just want to maximise their investment, then that's fine. More than fine actually, given what went before. I'm probably more fussed about the training ground and academy etc as that's something shorter term they could add lasting value to, if they do recalibrate ambitions or move on. Think we've lost a lot in terms of vision and ambition with Staveley going, which is probably why I'm even typing all that. Eales has big shoes to fill.

Top tip - pre-load on Greggs and ignore all the annoying food they try to foist on you. Then just stare menacingly whenever your glass of cheap supermarket bought prosecco is empty. I suppose we've all got a system.

These bottomless brunches are a reet con. Add a go-karting rink for afterwards and then we're talking.

Totally agree, and they are likely doing more than we can see. Would like a statement from Eales at some point re the club's ambitions but that's probably for when they're ready to announce something re the stadium and / or training ground / new sponsorships etc.

Just a couple of minor tweaks I can think of. Then again, we haven't seem to have the same levels of fitness yet either. But it was a bit of a tongue in cheek question as going back to his job description in the post on page 1, I think it's broader than that, including stuff like the psychology dept etc. Main thing I'm wondering is what a performance director actually does day to day. It's not meant as a criticism - I genuinely don't know if he does get involved directly or is mainly there to provide stats, analysis and new ideas to the manager, and then to what extent the manager has to listen to those.

Person wise, it's got to be Howe every time for what he brings on and off the pitch, what he has done for us and how he fostered a collective spirit and, up until recently, a style of play. Mitchell so far has done nothing, but hasn't had much of a chance to. If it's about the role though, do you trust a DoF model or a manager led model, I can see why many/most would be opting for the former. But even that kind of relies on a series of assumptions - the first being that they establish a long term footballing vision and that everyone else is then a replaceable part of it. I'm just guessing that's why anyone who has voted for Mitchell has gone that way - not on what he's done for us, but on the principle of how it should work ideally. For what it's worth though, I can see why that model should work but it doesn't always. Especially if a DoF doesn't stick around that long and a new one comes in with their own different 'vision'. I think that vision actually has to come from the owners, not any employee, as they are there longer and I'm not sure what ours is other than a stated desire to be the best and win stuff. Which is quite vague. I also think if you look at some of the best managers over the last few decades, they have basically not just been a coach told to stick to what they're best at, but involved at all levels of decision making. I'm not convinced many of the best and most successful ones would have put up with it any other way. Yes, I'm told that football has changed. But has it? How many fully DoF led clubs have been that successful compared to the number that are out there? Most successful club recently being Man City, and yes there's been huge money there, but also under Pep who they'd have bent over backwards to accommodate and played a canny game in only extending his contracts when he wanted to and felt the conditions were right to stay.

This fella sorted all the performance issues out yet?

Season one - Miracle worker. To take us from disorganised relegation fodder rabble to comfortable safety was quite incredible Season two - Miracle worker. Some astute signings, yes, but to gatecrash the top 4 and send shivers down the spine of the PL elite whilst playing in a coherent, consistent way with a squad still mainly inherited and improved beyond recognition was not something your average manager does. Season three - very, very good. Coming off a transfer window where the main signings either weren't ready, were banned or injured, with a series of ridiculous cup draws and a crowded fixture list with some of the hardest European games, some bad luck with injuries, to take that squad to a position which would normally have gotten us Europe again was amazing. Season four - jury out so far. Very good points tally, but performances not yet there, albeit with a squad still largely from season ONE, unbalanced, unstrengthened, and seeming off field issues, players looking either not ready or not motivated or clear in their roles or system, with odd selections at times. So far, it's not quite clicking but how much of this is down to Howe is very unclear. There's plenty of time to get this right despite the start we've had performance wise, but based on what's gone before, I think anyone calling for Howe's head is daft. I haven't seen much of that on here tbf.

We think Hall is the long term plan, whether that works or not is a bit up in the air. In the meantime, we have Kelly, Burn, Livramento and Trippier who can all, at a push, cover that role effectively enough. We don't have that kind of cover at ST or RW, so I guess it's about priorities and seeing what Hall develops into.

Haven't watched the CL games much if at all really this year. Group stages even under the previous format weren't all that exciting, as they were always weighted towards the bigger teams from the bigger leagues. Should always be a knock out where every team has a chance to go out and the minnows have a chance to go through. That's what cup football is all about, though I suppose it's not really a cup any more, hence champions league. Never really was a true champions league after they expanded and expanded the number of teams that 'qualified' instead of being the actual champions. And somehow fourth place (or now sometimes fifth if you're from a big league) became as good as a trophy. Not only that, but player fatigue and therefore poorer tournaments and viewer apathy with the sheer number of games are becoming more obvious. And on that note, I'll take my old fashioned opinions away.

A win here would make this a sensational start points wise. Excited for this. So now watch us get 3 serious injuries and two red cards.

I love how Schar sometimes takes it on himself to win a game by surging forward and firing in an exocet when the rest of the team are struggling. "That's how you do it, lads!"

For about two or three games he was superb. Don't think you can blame him for the time he was playing in and I'm also glad he enjoyed it here and also put the effort in when it would have been easier to have given up and hidden like a few did. Did like that article.

Taunting Enrique was one of the best bits of that day

She couldn't have stayed on the board for this, you'd have thunk.

Yeah, actually I did wonder about this one straight after I wrote it I'd just like to have heard him talk through a game, but probably co-commentator wouldn't have been his thing, I'd imagine you'd be going down all sorts of routes. OK, new idea, let's say you watch a full game again, like your favourite special edition film on DVD when those existed. He'd have been one of the ones you'd have picked for the directors commentary.

Get it televised, and I'll be VAR

Was trying to think who I'd like on co commentary during the match. It's a shame more decent managers don't do it - Bobby Robson would have been good value, I reckon. Mourinho also, Benitez too. Alex Ferguson might have been a laugh to hear from as well.

Sky Sports soccer Saturday. Some of the only matches you can't see then being commentated on by some of the least articulate men in sport.

Hoping he starts against Wimbledon, with Tonali starting the two PL games either side of that. He probably needs a goal too. I'd like to see Osula in that game too fwiw. Subbing him at HT is such a rare move for Howe, so I'd guess (no rash bets here) that this will be the case. I don't think he's a bad player - to my mind he was very good in the season before last. He seemed then to have an engine to gradually play his way into games and was maybe suited to the pressing system we used to use a lot more back then.

I'll wait and see what they're guilty of, if anything. Some of the allegations are serious, but I'm only reading what's been written in the press and who knows how accurate they are. It's a right mess for the league either way.