Maggies

Good news - makes a lot of sense. We’ve got several gaps to fill in our squad this window already without needing a new CB.

Seems a fair deal all around. Decent price and selling him abroad makes it more tolerable. Leaves with good wishes. Now we need to make sure he’s replaced successfully.

Let’s hope for an easy fixture list to start the season - particularly away from home. The pressure is going to be immense to make a decent start and see immediate improvements.

Ignore the heart, and just focussing on logic and what your brain and eyes are showing… I can’t see any reason why we would keep Howe.

If you factor in expectations and quality of squads, in my opinion this is worse than anything Bruce served up.

This is a setup and performance from a manager wanting a payout.

Must be time for the usual double/triple sub? I’m going double as we made a half time change already…. Can’t go too crazy!

What’s happened to the Bruno shooting from corners approach that seemed to be working well?

Agreed. I don’t think we should underestimate how much an impact it has on team confidence having a dodgy keeper has. Everyone drops back 10 yards plus struggle to hang on to wins… regardless of anything else, securing a solid keeper must be number 1 priority.

The season hasn’t gone how any of us wanted to. But there will be a few players out there tomorrow who brought home our first trophy and deserve a show of appreciation. The match will be what it will be. Win - excellent. Lose - better chance Spurs go down which is a longer term win for us.

With a decent summer, I can easily see Howe getting us back in to Europe next season. He’s proven this twice. But I just can’t see how he gets us any further as the flaws are too fundamental. He’s also proven this twice. Assuming the pattern continues (big assumption as Howe needs to prove he can do it without Ratface) then how do we break the cycle? Sack Howe next summer?

It’s a glass half full vs glass half empty type of debate. 9 points more and we’re 6th and possibly qualifying for the Champions League this season, yet 9 points less and we’re in the relegation zone. Even just replacing the keeper in the summer gets us a handful more points. So I don’t think it’s that doom and gloom and we’re not as far away from getting back in Champions League as it can feel. That said, I don’t think Howe will be our manager come Christmas as the pressure to make a fast start to the season will be immense.

Come on Howe… stop with the gaslighting. Hall started at rb so you could keep Burn in the team. And… if Murphy starting today is an indication that he still starts next season then we’re screwed. Far too much loyalty to think Howe can turn this around. Regardless of last summer he had January to bring new faces in and didn’t. If he does stay, the amount of pressure on the first 5 games of next season will be immense.

Not sure there is much more that can be said really.

Nearly triple subs time!!

This match makes it even more appaling we chose not to make any January signings. Especially when you see the boost players like Rayan have given Bournemouth.

Solid enough first half. Hopefully we can start second half better than usual and be progressive with subs when they come. Got to take rough with the smooth for Wolt at the moment. Some nice touches. Bruno is Newcastle. No one comes close to how influential he is.

£60m seems fair considering his injury record. He’s also probably the easiest to replace of the players we could get a reasonable fee for.

I’d only just read that on the bbc website - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cpqp9eqwe72o Assuming that is correct then I don’t think there is a scenario where 9th can qualify…

Top 8 get conference league if City win cup, or Chelsea do and finish top 7. Forest could be in Champions Legaue if win Europa but that doesn’t mean anything on league position. Palace gets UEFA if they win but makes no difference to league. Arsenal makes no difference. Villa finishing 5th and winning Europa means 6th gets Champions League. But England lose a place in UEFA if that happens. So, we need to finish top 8 to qualify for Europe and hope City win FA Cup if we do finish 8th.

His pitch and wedge goal kicks are the worst. We may as well just restart with Brighton having the ball on the halfway line. We’ve got many problems, but the goalkeeper situation is the worst by far. Nowt worse than having a dodgy keeper - it creates anxiety throughout the whole team. I reckon at least 10 points lost this season because of goalkeepers… which completely would have changed the feel of our season.

It’s a big day for Howe today. I’ve woke up feeling optimistic. Hoping for a radge Joelinton performance and the sheer will of Bruno to win this one for us!

100% agree. Score first and crowd will be up for it. If not, and worse depending on team selection, then it will turn toxic.

Burn left back level 1-1 at half time triple sub on 60 mins lose 2-1 with a goal in last 10 mins

Like watching a different sport compared to the crap seen in the Premier League. Then along comes VAR to remind you how crap modern football is.