Viana

It didn’t matter anyway, they got soft calls in the games after to secure points for this challenge.

Please I beg.

North (of London).

Last thing I’ll say - first time this season we’ve lost and the response hasn’t been rousing.

On this, feel like we need to refocus this week. The Tindall stuff did feel like a sideshow and not something we needed.

Needs a break.

Just one of those days where he picks the wrong decision almost every time. I think Murphy would have offered more.

The more I look the more I think that fan was one of ours that confronted Howe.

Thinking back to the Palace no goal and what those 2 points do for us now. Also, Firpo must be his step son - that tackle on Bruno is a red.

This. It ruins the balance and forces him to defend. I can understand it when the game opens up, but Isak was gassed here.

A truly mediocre showing by the usual standard. If we were too emotional last week this felt devoid of passion. Our defending has plummeted, and right now we’re needing two goals to win a game. Maybe they’re exhausted, I don’t know, but I didn’t see anything that felt like us at our best today.

Yeah, Modric had his breakout season then joined Spurs despite Keegan’s best efforts. I have enjoyed Hope’s work previously, but this reads like a shameless hit piece. It could have been an interesting look into his time at the club, but instead it’s a string of poorly researched anecdotes and punchlines. Allardyce was never likely to thrive with us. His style was antithetical to our aspirations.

Diaby and Isak on the counter…

A well performing American is worth a lot financially.

Craig Hope with a scathing piece on his time at Newcastle. I can see him getting the Simon Bird treatment Saturday.

I was reading one on Barcelona and it’s not bad.

You know, I think after going away and considering it, you’re right. I’d say this; I think there’s talent at that end of the table, but I would preach caution. It’s easy to get ripped off for not considering the context of why a player excelled. I think too often we look at things in quite a reductive way and think “good player there means good player here.” Jamal Lewis for example looked a good attacking left back at Norwich but they couldn’t defend and built their attack around fullbacks. Sissoko was good for us because we counter attacked but once you put him in a ball dominant team his impact was heavily reduced.

His cohost has written several good books on culture in sport.

Ha, it’s not even a banter issue, it just feels a bit desperate to have feelings. Edit; to put more words to this, I watched Eddie Howe’s and I felt like I learned about his style of leadership. I think Howe is conscious of both his instinctual response to situations and also his external perception as a leader and how those two marry. Trippier’s perspective is more insular. He became more professional at Barnsley but couldn’t really indicate what that meant. I don’t think he’s able to offer a unique insight, which may just be down to him, but it’s not helped by the contrast in the two hosts. That’s my two cents.

Because he’s not their player? I think we can just agree to disagree here. This is becoming a bit tedious.

I never said that.

I’m only up to the Atletico Madrid bit and it’s been a bit meh tbh. It feels like they ask a lot of the same questions reworded to get sound bites. I get the sense Trippier was so present during those periods he wasn’t thinking about anything but playing football, which is fine, but won’t give you much in terms of perspective. Some of the patter feels a bit live, laugh, love.

Conor Gallagher was a loan player that’s different.

Worth remembering we have counted on Jack Colback and Jeff Hendrick as midfielders. This lad can have a bad game.

You’re right. I also believe the current system isn’t working. Go to the monitor has become shorthand for “you’ve made a mistake”. Thats why the same referee gave a soft penalty against us at Brentford after several minutes studying the screen. Meanwhile, Longstaff gets clattered and nothing is done but for some mealy-mouthed explanation after the fact. Those VAR calls are increasingly a second referee deciding what they think and applying unintended pressure to those on the field. Offsides I will always understand as there’s not a subjective interpretation, but outside of that you’re just asking for trouble.