TheBrownBottle

Wasn’t aware of that - that does sound positive tbf

If I took as much time to sort things out as this lot I’d have been fired.

We don’t look any closer to actually having a training kit sponsor, let alone one which might challenge FMV

Mark Chapman and Alan Shearer in the same studio. Anyone called Lennon would be bricking it.

Clubs aren't franchises - they're representative of the place in which they're based. Newcastle United is my effective national team - I'm from there. England is a pale second.

They were, though we never played any of the four in one game (three played quite a few times). Venison was one who was included when we had four called up.

You are Joe Kinnear and I claim my £5

They’ve always been very cocky about three good years of derby results in the last few decades against a hollowed-out Ashley NUFC - and with them pumped up by a sugar daddy (to whom they were never grateful). We had to be at our absolute worst as a club and they at the absolute best they’ve been post-war to beat us in a series of derby matches.

Just enjoy him while he’s here; if he leaves, it’ll be for a king’s ransom which would be poured back into the transfer budget.

That midfield three was absolutely a reason we weren’t winning. They just don’t look good together in midfield - in part because Joelinton isn’t a midfielder.

Looks far, far better in his proper position on the wing - especially with Willock behind him. I hope we never see him in midfield again - but I'd start him every week on the wing.

You’d have to give some details tbf - but I’m not sure why ex-servicemen would be treated any different from any other punter

It’s nice getting an endorsement off a [redacted until his trial finishes]

SCAB! SCAB! SCAB! SCAB! Beyond that, I’ve never been more traumatised at an away ground. I can barely remember the match from May 1996 (I can remember both goals being crackers, and Ferdinand’s gilt-edged chance), but what sticks in the mind is 13-year-old Brown Bottle clearly looking miserable sat next to my dad on the coach back to Newcastle, and an old fella who was pissed on tea and rum (an away game classic mixer) telling me ‘divvunt worry kidda, they’ll win it next year’. Spoiler alert - we didn’t win it next year. Nor any other year. Nor any other trophy. Let’s beat these cunts.

That would be a throwaway comment for anyone else, until you think about Di Canio’s politics … yeah, he probably would set the police on them

His GTG average is still pants. Flat track bully vs Bochum.

100%. Joelinton further forward with Willock at LCM works really well. They’re better than the sum of their parts

Our midfield plays about ten yards further forward whenever he plays - massively underrated player outside of Tyneside I reckon. Just stay fit lad.

You’re right re Mourinho of course - though he did win the UEFA Cup then the European Cup with Porto in successive seasons; an achievement no-one has come close to since when managing outside the ‘big five’ European leagues.

Hey, that would dee me

Can’t agree with this TCG. Mourinho’s tactics were boiled down to ‘Parking the bus’. But this was bollocks. You don’t win the European Cup with Porto and Inter based on half-baked tactics

Anyone else feeling oddly confident of a home win? I’m going 1-0.

I’ve always respected your POV, TCD. I know you genuinely think about this - but I just can’t agree with the fundamentals of your original point. I don’t think that managers at elite level are categorisable - I think the differences are slight. I write this with all the due respect possible - I just don’t think that managers at that level slot into easy boxes.

Looks like a massive gamble to me One which I hope fails on an epic scale

Benitez rubbing the players up the wrong way isn’t proof that they didn’t understand his tactical genius. You’re talking about some of the best players in the world in the Real Madrid side - do you honestly think all they’d had was some pep talks prior to Benitez rocking up? This isn’t to say that Benitez wasn’t a top manager in his prime. But Ancelotti, Ferguson, Wenger and Mourinho aren’t tactical managers - it was all just pep talks and a bit of coaching? Haddaway man. And you can knock the insults on the head.