Optimistic Nut

When I see this posted, I look back and see what shots would I be disappointed with the keeper with, if it had went in. I don't see many like this.

Only lost away at City, Liverpool, Villa & Arsenal after Xmas last season, like. We were ticking along against the sort clubs who've just beaten us in the last 3 aways.

How many games have we had our first-choice full-backs as part of that said 4?

One's a player at the end of his career. The other is having a bad run of form. If this is a transitional season as Howe has declared it, use it to develop new pairings while results can't exactly get any worse (ie, Ramsdale in goal, Thiaw & Botman given a chance to develop a partnership, Miley or Ramsey playing more often than Joelinton).

How about over-rated by our own fans, aging, slow, weak as piss in the air centre-back-playing-left-back, then?

Oh give the fuck over man.

He's been poor but it's not helpful having a carthorse to the left of you and a keeper looking less reliable by the week behind you.

He was still our best player. The one who stood us out and above most teams and the player we had that was better than the top teams had. We don't have that fear factor anymore.

As much as Woltemade has been good, we miss this cunt.

Barnes, Woltemade 2-0.

Sky really over-egged their "there's 3x more live games next season" campaign, when on a lot of Sundays they have 3-4 on at the same time, like. I was expecting 4-5 every weekend at different times.

I think I said this before the Brighton game and we've lost both since.

Play-Off Final the Sheff Utd striker gives them the ball on a plate at 1-1. One of the biggest sliding doors moments in the Premier League era.

Hebburn on a bit of a roll. 8-0 & 2-0 last two weeks and on fringes of the Play-Offs. The dream of seeing them without needing an editor on FM continues.

Will they hell man. Getting excellent results at the minute, though.

Burnley & Leeds are ticking along. Only takes one of Forest or West Ham to find a bit of form and it's all very, very compact.

Fans deserve bugger all if that's the case. It's hardly a given that we're going to regularly be in this when there's 5 spots 7-8 clubs annually.

Unless he changes his name to Andoni Gordán, this is unlikely.

Each to their own. I'm enjoying it. Not often I've been watching Liverpool v Real Madrid and thinking, "if this stays like this and we win tomorrow, we'll go above both of these."

Old format we'd only need a draw from 2 games if you'd won 3 out of 4 games, and you're safely in to the last 16. We have a helluva lot more work to do to reach last 16 as it stands now.

Newwwcassstle forevaaaaaa.

With his size I expect him to attack stuff like Van Dijk or Terry...heck, even Dabizas or Steven Taylor. With his frame he'd score more than they did if he attacked a ball like they did.

He's great for a header like that when the marking is shit (see Cup Final goal), I wish he'd do it more when he's under a bit of pressure, should be worth a cheap 8 or so goals a season.

PSG left themselves with Liverpool in the last 16 last year. Man City left themselves with Real Madrid because they ballsed up the group. This rarely happened in the 4-team group stage because they were often the best in the group by default. At worst, they'd finish 2nd if they stuttered. The way it is now, all 36 teams have games weighted the same. If a top seed loses their two to the other top seeds, it just takes a loss to a pot 2 team and you're scrambling mid-table and facing a Play-Off and tougher draw in the last 16. If anything, the format favours the mid-level clubs like us & Villa than the top, top sides.

Top 6 with a win tomorrow?