TheBrownBottle

They’ll be wanting the vote next, too

You’d think having journalism’s most punchable face would be enough, and the inaccuracy would simply be back-up

Yes, of course I noticed. Which is why I said that without Trippier’s clanger we’re looking forward to a SF. It’s hardly Dummett’s fault. Dummett gave us the option of a centre half good enough to keep a clean sheet against a solid Man City side. But you’d rather advocate for playing a nameless kid more than likely nowhere near his quality. We’re not likely to be able to shed all of these players just yet - FFP will continue to tie our hands next season. Dummett is a perfectly solid back up option for the defence, isn’t on huge money, and is an academy graduate. Given this season’s injury crisis, it doesn’t seem like the smartest strategy to start pushing players out with no obvious replacements.

Bang average academy lad sees us lose that LC tie vs Man City. Trippier doesn’t drop a clanger and we’ve got a SF coming up.

Dummett isn’t an academy equivalent player, no matter how many try to insult the lad with the suggestion. He’s played over 100 PL and did nothing wrong in games he’s played this season. If there was some bright young defender in the academy, are we really thinking Howe would ignore him?

Or perhaps they should follow the ‘Blueprint for the Future of Football’ and reduce the PL to 18 teams as originally planned. Four games fewer immediately - and you can leave the cups alone. NB The League Cup is run by the Football League, and remains a big income for teams further down the pyramid, as well as actual trophy to be won. As exciting as it is not knowing whether you’ll finish 5th or 8th, an actual trophy would be a lot more meaningful.

Haranguing the woman on social media isn’t on at all - even if the arrogance of thinking you could are the person to represent international fans of NUFC with that supporter’s CV is breathtaking. I admire the club’s ability to give a voice to the … voiced. CEOs, lawyers, local politicians, etc etc. They’re not exactly the average punter. It doesn’t matter, because ultimately anyone who thinks a club genuinely listens is fooling only themself. But the optics aren’t great.

Thomas Frank is a whining cunt. ‘Why do they have replays, too many games’. Because there have been replays since the tournament began - a tournament which is literally the same age as Germany. The ridiculousness of a fucking Brentford manager whining about having to play replays against lower league opposition. For about 95% of Brentford’s history an FA Cup replay against a big team would keep the club ticking over.

The questions and mild criticisms remain for me.

Dummett being an academy product means that he’ll probably be kept if we’re in Europe (and he’s not as old as he sometimes seems) as much as anything. Agreed re Krafth.

Rugby, cricket, racing cars … it’s all sounding a bit ‘Newcastle United Sporting Club’ …

No, the CL revenue would have already been sank in the summer. We knew we were in the group stage. Getting knocked out means no more revenue - even staying in the UEFA Cup would have potentially meant millions more coming in. You don’t need to wait until it has come in - FFP is in the football financial year.

I’m expecting Manquillo and Hendrick to be gone. I think Dummett will get another year, Krafth will if the club has confidence in his fitness, and Ritchie might if he’s a player / coach and on a vastly reduced wage

Exactly. He’s balanced the bewks, too.

The ‘Black Cats’ vote was on Soccer AM. The ‘SOS’ decision was announced to a bemused Mackem public without their say-so - and provoked unhappy responses captured for posterity on ‘Premier Pashuns’. Which they’ll deny now, of course - they always love the ‘SOS’ name, marra

Sky Sports Gold wasn’t worth watching most of the time - but the first ever programme on it was Bobby Charlton’s Football Scrapbook (?) [memory might have programme name wrong] where he watched an old game with a former player. First one was Charlton and Beckenbauer watching the 1966 WC Final. It was like a director’s commentary in a studio. Not sure if it ever made its way to YouTube - I had it on VHS which would have been in a dump somewhere in Northumberland for a couple of decades

RIP Der Kaiser Deschamps must be bricking it atm

Yep, it just doesn’t have any worldwide traction to make it a goer I would think. NZ is the only country where it’s the national sport - and it has a tiny population. Most of the countries that play it have it as a minority sport - here in Australia it barely registers at all; no bugger is interested.

Fucks sake

In that case do the right and proper thing - and try to make Northumberland into a first class cricket county …

Yeah, that was my experience of Sunderland away during that period. I knew lads who didn’t go on the official expedition, but I didn’t fancy joining them. Just couldn’t be arsed with the risk, especially as I would’ve just been getting the Metro back to Newcastle around the same time

I would draw the line in the sand for Jordan Pickford mind. As in I’d have to do it for him, given the poor cunt couldn’t touch his own toes.

And he’s not at a PIF club - so weirdly, our ownership wouldn’t have owt to do with it. Ahem.

Howey’s injury problems are forgotten, unlike Woodgate’s. Howey wins 25 England caps without the fitness issues between 93-97, for me.

I don’t either - though again, an ageing Paul Bracewell came in and did an excellent job for us. There’s scores of Mackems who’ve played well in B&W.