christ

I’ve said it in other threads, but I think the straddling of the PSR rules was a calculated gamble and by virtually every metric it’s worked. We’ve remained competitive at a level we probably didn’t expect to get to so quickly and avoided a points deduction. It’s not much fun for us supporters in the moment but the longer term picture from a club POV is rosier because of it. However part of the reason it’s worked is because of who is in the dugout. He’s managed to extract the maximum out of a squad that is in parts pretty average, and doesn’t have a face on in his press conferences. If it was ‘his’ recruitment I think he’s held up his end of the bargain tbh.

We never really discuss things on here after a bad result. It’s more about one half of the forum trying to talk the other half into taking the gun out of their mouth.

Who is Howe being loyal to? And what would a more ruthless approach look like in your opinion?

I hate coming on here after a loss because it’s impossible to tell whether people are serious, taking the piss or have a brain injury.

I think he’s safe as houses personally. The position he’s been put in has been absolutely shit. Yet he had us qualified for Europe last season until Man City didn’t turn up at Wembley, and he’s got us in a cup final and competing for the CL yet again this season. What Howe has done has been outrageous. He’s saved the club from a whole heap of shit by keeping us competitive while they try to run down the clock on our PSR issues. Any ‘name’ manager would be acting the cunt every single day about lack of signings etc. Unless our form absolutely craters and we end up comfortably midtable I don’t think he’s under any pressure.

People talking about selling a player we hadn’t won a game without until very recently. Righto. Some cunts on here would want rid of their gran the first time she burns the roasties.

People reacting like he’s Shola because the most self-assured striker to ever pull on a Newcastle shirt didn’t pass is absolutely prime N-O.

I like the look of the lad, but Konate and VVD would murder him

My sources are feeling me he’s been dropped after Howe was furious about that abortion of a penalty.

He might well be carrying something, but I’m certain the calculation is there’s no point risking him for our yearly shlacking from these cunts.

Callum Wilson masterclass incoming.

Probably because we have to endure a load of bollocks about ‘the best match ever’ before getting bummed.

Jokes on her. She’ll never be able to break that.

As with every kit, if we win in it people will love it and if we’re shit people will hate it.

Can forgive that to some extent. From his position Burn has that covered, so he’s worried about his far post. It looks absolutely fucking shite mind, exacerbated by the play that leads to it.

You can’t have watched us much then.

No. More leathered panekas please.

First half he was different gravy. Second he dropped off a bit, much like those around him.

We seemed to be caught in two minds in the second half. If we’d dropped into a low block I reckon that finishes 4-1. Instead we seemed to be willing to sit deep while trying to play, and we just ended up shooting ourselves in the foot repeatedly. A great three points but a frustrating performance. It felt like we could’ve ran through them and we ended up hanging on.

Aye, which is an absolutely mental approach against an opposition that thrives when given loads of the ball and has been falling to bits all season when pressed.

My prediction in the pre-match thread… We’ve been bollocks. Another game where we’re far too passive and we get arse rodded.

You imagine we’d have chucked in a couple of water testers to see where the line was.

I think people are jumping the gun. It doesn’t mean anything yet (unless we’ve had a sizeable sponsorship offer knocked back, in which case we could conceivably go after the PL for compensation). It bodes well that the same panel are looking at the updated but equally bodged APT rules from last year. There were only a couple of token changes made to address the obvious and immediate problems the old one had. You’d imagine you can drive a bus through the current version too. This is a war of attrition. The end game will come when the PL can’t be arsed to fight in court anymore. Give it another 12-18 months before we get some much softer rules.

Name change to Stephen Ireland

Juventus need to accept they’re a medium-sized European club now. They’re only ever going to be good enough for the scrapings from the PL table. They should be honoured Kelly has went there.