Thiago

He been hoying eggs at your windows mate? As Tsunmai says, a lack of physicality is a problem, but his ability on the ball is solid and enough to have a Grant Leadbitter esque career.

I wouldn't go that far.

Shame you can't really watch Mansfield games easily. I'm still fascinated by what kind of midfielder he is. He looked like someone that dictated tempo for a while, then a bit box to box, so I'd be hopeful he'll look a cut above in a good League 2 team.

I'd offer him a pay out to be honest. The lad twatted some random in a friendly and now he knows he's not got a chance of playing until the summer. I think keeping him around is just asking for poison in the well.

I think it has finally sunk in he's here. We've paid £40m quid pretty much for a midfielder. We're a normal fucking football club again. I think up until this point I'd still been expecting Ashley to come back like some grim big bad wolf gobbling up the sheep at night. I know we're set for a long season, even a tough season, from here on out, but fuck me, it just feels so good to see us being a proper football club again.

Hmm. I think they were bidding like it was the start of the summer window. That aside, the players they are targeting is genuinely mouth watering.

Honestly, get that stadium rocking, few bits of quality in key areas, and start things off right.

To be clear - are you advocating him playing over Lewis? I feel like you could get that same quality from Ritchie without him needing to play. I do acknowledge those intangibles but he's also finished physically.

FWIW Ray Wilkins said Agbonlahor was the toughest player to coach in his experience. Simply wouldn't take any advice offered.

Is Matt Ritchie really a better option? I loved Ritchie when he joined, but he's slower than a week in jail these days. It's not his fault, he's a traditional winger by trade being asked to fill a gap, but his habit of letting markets drift off him is a major problem. He also is very susceptible to a ball in behind him.

Doesn't seem to mind a cheque from Murdoch.

Bew.

Expect fireworks. Of the few stories I heard about him it's that he struggles to relate to players below his level.

Bruce to become a Baggie it looks like. Feel for their fans.

Twitter convinced a generation that every single thought they'd pop in a text message to a mate or a group chat was worth broadcasting and wouldn't cause problems. People liked his tweet, so some clearly found it funny, but I found it horribly crass and insensitive. To drag us into things only made it worse, and his apology suggested he hadn't learned much from it.

His subsequent tweet confirming he'd quit his job was pretty much this. I don't think he should have lost his job, but to blame fans for what was a horrific joke that had nothing to do with Newcastle was just beyond stupid.

Their squad is very young and the shift from Johnson to Warnock could be rough.

It's also his job Folk move for work all the time. I have little sympathy for him on this one. In broader terms, I think we got stung by Norwich again. The same happened when we bought Murphy (although he's improved slightly since his early days). You see a team playing good football and an individual doing well and don't stop to consider if they're a benefit of the system and how that compares to how you play. Lewis looked good because he was in an attacking side playing attractive football. In reality, he wasn't half as good as Max Aarons, who is incredibly talented. The numbers he posted with Norwich were nothing startling, and a lot like Murphy, when he arrived he looked terrified of the stadium and scale of it all. Granted, having Steve 'run around' Bruce won't have helped that transition, but there hasn't been anything to suggest he's more than a lower half fullback. Maybe that's what 15m get you these days, I don't know. I'd still rather have him over Ritchie, all things considered.

I think Shola has a role with the Foundation, if he wants it, but there's nothing in his time as loan manager/coordinator to suggest he should be influencing our player's development and the same is true of Steve Harper. I give them credit they've been a lot more proactive in setting up loans but the majority of those deals have done little to get the players competitive experience. Some of the responsibility for that falls on the player, but Longstaff is a good example of them leaning on a thin contacts book without consideration for what was needed. Scottish football is pure blood and thunder and Matty's barely played football. He was always going to need time to settle and build momentum. I'd have much preferred a spell in League One with a team that likes to get the ball down and play. Let him learn to control games at a lower level and then we can hopefully reintroduce him or move him up level. The summer will dictate his future for now. Stay up and he's as good as gone. Go down and he may be part of the fringes. I still maintain he should have jumped at that deal. Italy would have been wonderful for him, and if Udinese didn't work they'd have sent him somewhere well suited.

That will be huge tbh. We've still got so many to get rid of.

Not convinced it was a good loan at all. He was sent to a club with a manager still early into his tenure that made a lot of changes and it's no surprise he was the first victim when the wins didn't come. Shola likely sent him because they're mates. I have similar concerns about Anderson going to Bristol Rovers.

Am I the only one creased at 'The Last Dance' talk? Michael Jordan won six championships with the Bull

Case to be made that 3-4-3 is the answer. Dubs Schar Fede Burn Trippier Targett Guimares Joelinton Fraser/Willock ASM Wood

I think a lot of it depends on how influential Guimares can be.

Bit torn. Kind of hoped we'd pay the fee, as he's proven quality, but I also think there's enough quality to survive.