Abacus

Without naming individual players, I reckon fitness and tactics have moved on to the detriment of individuality in that 20 years that the 20-26 team would likely win. Not sure it makes for a more entertaining game overall, though. In fact I'm fairly sure it doesn't.

Sadly, 1" too short for the daft game we made up.

Yes, I went for Viera, but it's 6 and 2 threes. But that's how we ultimately scored it after a few straighteners, because he tried to sneak Casillas in instead of Campos, despite him being 5'11

Haha, fatties team seemed like the next debate

Socrates is such a shout

Thanks all. Some class suggestions. I promise never to bring my pub debates here again

Yes, but the pub argument, which started with me arguing about why Woltemade was class, was about what forwards and midfielders who are above average height (we arbitrarily said 6'2) were actually skillful enough to be in an all time team. Think I knacked him with Busquets when he went Fellaini.

Yeah, I wanted to go Ginola, but too short sadly

Alright, this is all sound advice. Apparently C Ronaldo is quite tall as well

Vieira is a heck of a shout for midfield. I've forgotten Haaland, so might have 3 up front.

Tallest front 6 including midfielders. Ibrahimovic is in there, I'm tempted to go for Crouch, but midfield and wingers are an issue getting tall players over say 6'2.

It'll be class. Enjoy the trip to a place most of us will never go to or be able to spell with much confidence.

Good suggestions here. I intend to win this daft pub argument.

You have the Carabao Pep, we'll take the FA cup. Fairs.

Just chatting with a mate and we started debating about if you had a team with a really short but superb back 5, but also the tallest but most skillful front 6, what would your team be. I got as far as Campos in goal and Ibrahimovic up front. The defensive line was where I was struggling most.

Sounds like he's not too happy playing second fiddle at City and who could blame him. If he'd played more and performed well, he might be more in the England reckoning for summer, which must be on his mind. Some rumours Pep might be away in the summer. Not sure how much credence I'd give them, but that might complicate matters if so. Not that Donnaruma is going anywhere soon you'd guess, but a new manager might have different ideas about whether or not to shift a capable back up keeper. Anyway, based on nothing other than we tend to have long-standing targets, I reckon we do try and go back in for him and I'm not sure we'd make Ramsdale permanent at this point in time.

Interestingly Peter Walton was suggesting after the Villa game some version of VAR lite for future 5th rounds. He only talked about it re the handball incident. Fewer cameras (4-8), fewer personnel, quicker and cheaper to set up. It would only pick up the biggest errors such as at Villa. It doesn't really excuse the officials from making mistakes in the first place, but there's a better chance it stops something really obvious getting through. Which begs the question to me then as to whether it would be a better option than actual VAR for all games, if we're content at the same time to let more marginal errors go for the sake of the flow of the game. I get not everyone would be happy with that, but there are errors and interference in the current full fat VAR system anyway in the aim of spurious precision.

Really wouldn't like to see him go. He's been a bit inconsistent this year, but he's a threat and can contribute when he's on form and fired up as he's proved. The one thing we don't want is him being unsettled by transfer talk, like it's reported he was last time with the Liverpool rumours. More than most, he does seem very much a confidence player who needs to be settled and happy. So if it's for a decent fee, he probably goes - just get it done early if that's the case. Personally dreading another transfer window already, but I suppose if he went it would open up the option of a different profile of winger.

Correct, but that's where clear and obvious should come in. There were at least a couple that were clear and obvious yesterday. If it takes more than a few seconds, bin VAR off and just accept it's not perfect either.

No big decisions made except for employing his mate. I wish him the best personally without having much respect for what he's actually done. Howe is the club.

I'm glad he's gone if those reports are true. He did the square root of nothing except for annoying people when we needed to stick together to beat the odds. I quite like being the overperforming underdogs who are at least working as a team.

Obviously he started slowly and had an injury, but I think him and Willock can really support Woltemade by getting close and barging into the box. So, a different way of playing which we have needed, I'm liking this signing more and more. You can argue about the fee, but he's definitely got something about him.

Appalling performance from the ref, who must be delighted the game went our way when he has watched it back. Chatted to a non NUFC mate earlier who didn't watch it and his response was, "you won 3-1, so why do you care". Well, because we could very easily have gone out if the players hadn't pulled their socks up and gone on and stuffed them. Watching the highlights now and I'm still both fuming and proud at the same time

I think it's more a Newcastle tax. In any case, I've seen no evidence we're just buying premier league players when we've bought Thiaw and Woltemade just last summer from outside it. Like I said earlier, no idea where this "PL proven" idea has come from in the first place. From Eddie or just from people's heads?

Whereas I don't like it when you go in to find someone else has been using your mug and then put it back in the wrong cupboard.