TheBrownBottle

They’ll have invented it no doubt.

There’s some managerial geniuses in that division it has to be said

Gary Rowett’s HT team talks must be like McClaren on a high dose of barbiturates

Someone should tell Blackburn that. The cunts are trying too hard

Millwall are a right bunch of soft cocks, collapse after collapse. And I’d say that to all of their faces, too.

They’re not Scousers, they’re from Birkenhead. According to their song, at least.

Watching James Maddison run is like watching a new born fawn trying to run on Whitley Bay ice rink. The lad just keeps slipping up here. I’ve no doubt he’s a good player, but every time I watch him I just don’t see the fuss. I don’t watch him regularly tbf - but I’m really not seeing a great player here.

The only real worry to me re Bruno is that he seems to have forgotten how to shoot. He hasn’t scored in six months and some of the efforts he’s producing are simply shite. His ability to retain the ball while drawing players in usually creates space in midfield or draws fouls - though against the very best sides that is fraught with danger, and I suspect a lot of teams have now worked out some elements of dealing with him in that regard - he was making similar errors in retaining the ball too long against Southampton last week (and has for some time). The lad is likely knackered and a bit out of form tbf. Ideally we’d rest him for a game or two - but of course we don’t yet have the squad depth. I also think that the Willock-Bruno-Joelinton midfield is repeatedly being shown not to be our most effective - Longstaff plays such an important role in there.

The Arsenal game always felt like a free hit to me. Disappointing to lose, but it’s hardly a shock result. If we play like that vs Leeds next week we’ll win comfortably. Wins vs Leeds and Leicester will likely be enough.

How many sitters did Andy Cole miss for Man U today?

Better team won today - but that was a cracking games enjoyed it even though we lost. It’s great fun watching us play like this. I thought the referee always had a good game and let it play most of the time.

Yeah, like Brighton. And that’s about it.

Fuck me has Joelinton forgotten how to release a football?

We desperately need some pace at the back in the summer. We struggle as soon as we’re turned. Those clean sheets early on had a lot to do with the way we played - we’re playing a much more attacking way due to the number of draws we were getting. It’s exposing the slowness of the defence.

Christ will someone tell our lot to stop arsing about in dangerous positions?

It’s because the ball doesn’t even hit his arm. It’s bounced off his lower thigh / knee

Re the Willock chance - if he tries to put that far stick there’s a really good chance that the defender‘s blocks the shot. He scuffs it a bit because he’ll have needed to change the direction of the shot when he realises the defender is likely to block it.

Shearer gannin mental with Dermot Gallagher here on the international feed re the pen. It’s not a pen mind but watching Shearer gan crackers is great

Professional performance that by Arsenal. Pope kept us in that at the death. We’ve played well - the only big issue is that we keep making some daft errors in possession. I’m not convinced re Isak on the left. Just feels like a complete waste - he has to come so deep to receive the ball due to Burn being a bit unsure how to play as an attacking LB and Joelinton isn’t at his best on the right of midfield. Still well in this though, plenty of time yet to get back in it. HTL

The lad only started his first game in professional football mid-December in a league so utterly shite its hard to describe adequately - seriously, the standard here is poor; I spent the other night 'braving' late Autumn conditions to see Western Wanderers getting beat by Sydney FC in the local derby (canny atmosphere, bit of argy bargy - but not the highest standard of football). I'm still lost as to what exactly was expected; he couldn't get a start in a poor league in his native country, yet somehow there is an expectation he can get a game at a higher level? He made an excellent cameo in a pre-season friendly vs Barcelona, and came off the bench a couple of times for a mediocre side at the WC. Make no mistake about it; the SPL is a big step up from the A League. And the PL is a massive step up from that. The lad should have either trained with NUFC or went on loan at a much, much lower level than he finds himself. I feel desperately sorry for him, he's been let down by our loan team - I refuse to blame Hearts, who may not have realised how raw the lad is until he rocked up to training, for anything other than for not doing their homework. They're under no obligation to play someone who isn't ready. NUFC should be hesitant re sending players out there again, though.

European football half & half scarves - the acceptable face of the half & half scarf

Gotcha - I take it that was from sides having to play each other?

Villa's loss yesterday guaranteed 7th place. A win today guarantees 6th (actually a point pretty much guarantees it barring a 27-goal swing in Spurs's final three games). Following Man City's win, we can no longer win the title. This is the way I've always viewed it - each position just closes off at this time of the season. I'll admit that the stress of this is lost on me - we don't even need to hit top form, just average form. If we're a point ahead of Liverpool and Man Utd on the final weekend, then and only then will I feel any stress. Edit: beat Arsenal today - a tough but hardly unlikely outcome (we're marginal favourites with the bookies, or at least we were this morning) and win our game in hand and we'd be closer to 2nd than to 5th. Nee stress lads and lasses.

He Can Write. It Is Just That Every Word Apparently Needs Capitalisation

Don’t always watch these vids but that was a canny one. Also, while I was aware of Arsenal’s recent results, it is stark that they’ve conceded nine in the last five - given our attack at the moment, there’s goals there for us. They’re bloody good going forwards too, mind. I think there is a good chance we win this, but I’m going for a 2-2