TheBrownBottle

And played for four seasons before Sky invented football, so somehow his actual goal tally is curtailed. Shearer is, in reality, the fifth highest scorer in top flight history. Kane will be around 30th at the moment. Edit: this also makes Shearer the highest scoring player of the last 50 years, and by a comfortable margin

The side are well balanced at the moment; Burn moves inside when we’ve our first XI in the side allowing Trippier to push forward, changing to a back three with Bruno sat ahead. We attack and defend on the flanks in threes - Bruno to the right, Willock / Joelinton to the left supporting the winger and FB. Squad depth, not formation, is the problem for me

I think I’ll stick with Howe’s tactics tbh. They seem to work reasonably well, and generally the football hasn’t been bad either. Bruno works really well where he is - I’m sure more quality will be added in the summer so we can start putting the chances away.

I got through about a minute or so and had to close the video. It felt like one of those really cheap mid-00s satellite channels where after 2am they start doing horoscopes, only with an added ransom demand video vibe.

He’s clearly a much better player than I’d grown to believe him to be - and that scoring run was unmaintainable. It is definitely clear that the mid-season break has given opposing teams and coaches time to work on effective methods of shutting down the Trippier - Bruno - Almiron attacking one-twos. Certainly the ‘one-two-flick over the top to Miggy’s run’ isn’t being bought quite as readily. I do think Almiron’s general regression to the mean is being in part driven by Trippier’s downturn in form - it isn’t all down to Miggy. Trippier’s all-round game doesn’t look anything like as good as it did pre-WC to me. I’d be surprised if he’s here in a couple of years time - but I can say that about a few members of the team / squad who I think have nothing but credit in the bank over the past year or so. The club will, ultimately, move past them. I also think there is a good chance that the club might just take the opportunity to cash in this summer - not just because of his contract, but because his stock is unlikely to be higher. But I’m content that if they do, it will be because it is for the betterment of NUFC - and I’d be more than happy to see the lad stay for the medium term.

Howe and his team has coached some of these players well past where their normal peak would be, and we’re forgetting that quite a few still won’t be making the journey mid-term. The likes of Almiron have regressed closed to the norm as teams have learned how to track him - his peak form was 100% down to Howe recognising how best to utilise him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Miggy moved on in the next 12 months or so - and for far more money than they’d have commanded 12 months earlier. It’s astonishing what Howe has managed to do with what still feels like a mid-table side. The likes of Bruno, Isak, Botman, Trippier, Pope are genuinely first-rank footballers who would not look out of place in most top-six sides - the others have been coached and drilled superbly. Soon enough having players like that in all 25 available slots will be the norm - but that’s a couple of years away. Patience, all - it will come

Will do ?

Owners putting money doesn’t count towards FFP - I didn’t forget; it doesn’t count. That’s how teams with super rich owners can’t simply buy their way out of FFP. £13.7m is worse than £10m, of course. I’d read projections of a £50m loss - if that’s not the case, fair dos. But any loss would then mean that losses in 2022-23 (this year) would be strictly limited. And 2023-24 would be hampered by losses in 2021-22 and 2022-23. They have to play it smart otherwise you can get snookered by it. Yes, transfers are amortised, but wages aren’t - and we’ve got a massive wage bill relative to income. Commercial deals in the next couple of years will mean these issues will dry up.

That’s going back to 2020-21 which will drop off eventually - and that was a £10m loss adjusted for COVID. 2021–22 wasn’t impacted by COVID and we racked up a £50m loss. The COVID year will move off the books soon.

It’s year-by-year on a three-year rolling average. They are hamstrung this season - getting better sponsorship deals in the summer doesn’t fix 2022-23’s accounts, and we ran up losses last season.

You’re right, context comes into it - but it is far less stressful to remind ourselves that we’re miles ahead of what was anticipated, and that from here on in every point gained is massive.

They’re snookered by FFP - or they are if they don’t want to be hampered in the next couple of years

I’m seeing too many complaining about missing out on top four like. Finishing top four would be an unbelievable bonus this year - top half and a cup run for me still applies. We’ve now hit the magic 40 points with 17 games to go, and we’re in a cup final. I reckon another 10 points guarantees top half. Best season in years and it’s the first week of February

I’d like to see it changed up from time to time, especially against teams we need to break down. BDB has done little wrong this season - we look so solid with that back four, as he moves inside when Trippier bombs on

A result so predictable that even I managed to predict it. We really struggle to break down mid table sides at home. Still, we just do not lose games. Not a bad habit to have.

Yep, to let the ball run over, playing percentages

Honestly, I thought Almiron was poor and has been consistently for quite some time. I’m not convinced Murphy offers less at the moment

Ball that by Gordon. Wilson should do better

Haha yep, was just thinking that. He’s terrible at attacking headers. Good at defensive ones, mind.

Yep, I thought he worked pretty hard tracking back. And he isn’t alone in being ineffective today

It’s Joelinton I’d be tempted to take off. Not because he’s playing all that badly, but because he’s now a glaring red card risk. The big man hasn’t had his big crunching tackle topped off with gobshiting yet

I miss the ‘dive’ option on FIFA

That looks like we’re dominating possession and they’re taking wild, inaccurate pot-shots

The only worry for me is the huge intensity drop off early in the half, just like midweek. Bruno’s absence hurts the back line as much as anything, but West Ham’s midfield has been first class. Even with that, if Trippier doesn’t switch off at the corner we’re still one up. I do think the complaints re lack of signings needs to settle down. We were told the budget wasn’t there, and it wasn’t. Howe doesn’t like signing loads of players, either. This rebuild will take years, not 12 months.

Yeah, some are classics. It’s that sad realisation that they’ve got nowt and had nowt for decades - Sewpa Kev and Defoe can’t be used because they now hate them. The likes of Raich Carter are bone fide greats - but we’re going back 80 years. Why even go down that rabbit hole?