Sunderland 1-0 Newcastle United (14/12/25)

[Gallowgate Toon]

Just now, Keefaz said:

You couldn't leave him on the pitch, though

Why? Because he scored an OG? They were always going to sit in, we aren't a creative side. Our best bet would've been to have our 2 goal getters and to get balls in. Whether you go 4-4-2, 3-5-2, I don't care.

[Dr.Spaceman]

 

 

[Maggies]

What were then last two minutes… acting tough like they gave a shit throughout the whole match. Stop taking us like idiots.

 

That was a cowardly and pathetic performance. Only Bruno seemed to give a shit.

[John P]

The amount of respect we gave them with the whole 10 men behind the ball thing was absolutely pathetic. Baffling tactical decision, it just meant we never ever got going and Howe has to take a large part of the blame. Also the decision to start Elanga was poor

[El Prontonise]

Honestly, for having so much of the ball the last 20 mins that was probably even more pathetic from an attacking performance during that period.

[Keefaz]

Just now, Gallowgate Toon said:

Why? Because he scored an OG? They were always going to sit in, we aren't a creative side. Our best bet would've been to have our 2 goal getters and to get balls in. Whether you go 4-4-2, 3-5-2, I don't care.

Cos he's absolutely rinsed

[JoeyBartoon]

2 minutes ago, Bimpy474 said:

Eddie has to tweak the 4-3-3, it's become so ineffective.  No one near the striker, our centre midfielders don't get beyond. 

The system lacks creativity, he has to tweak it. 

Tweak it? He’s needs to fuckin scrap it. The wide players are fuckin guff and are integral to that set up. 

[BrickTop]

Got played at our own game today. Our pressing/intensity is non-existent, really strange to go into a derby and not setup in the high intensity high pressing manner that we all know the team can do. 

[Bimpy474]

I love Eddie, but something has to change approach wise. We play like a stale team needing new ideas, i'm sure Eddie can do that, but it's not showing this season. We are so MEH it's untrue, just so average.

[Gawalls]

10 minutes ago, JoeyBartoon said:

Far too many think Howe can do no wrong. Fuckin Villa playing twice a week and in potential title challenge. 
 

Setting us up like we’re playing Madrid away while having far better squad and players. 

Agreed, sick of the "yawn", "bed wetters" responses to people saying he might have hit his ceiling. This season we've lost six out of sixteen and only won six so we're losing as many as we're winning, we've never come from behind to win yet many playing us have, we're struggling to see out draws (have managed it 4 times but two I know of were teams below us in Bournemouth and Leeds). Many are only saying now after this long it may be time so htf does that make them bed wetters? 

 

 

Edited December 14, 2025 by Gawalls

[TaylorJ_01]

Quite a few baffling decisions tbh.

 

Starting Elanga and Gordon with Woltemade was never going to work. Elanga and Gordon are woeful at times and totally weren't up for this game. Woltemade just too slow.

 

Tonali wasn't great but swapping a more fiery, passionate player for the gutless Willock was very odd while losing in a derby.

 

They knew they could sit back and we wouldn't break them down. We essentially can't win, or draw, once we concede first.

 

Murphy and Barnes looked at least a little lively and created a few chances, we should've started them and it seemed obvious to most.

[pubteam]

1 minute ago, KennyUtd said:

Starting Elanga was so fuckin wrong on every level. A player who hasn't got started here at all but play him in a derby game...away from home. What on earth fuckin possessed Eddie to pick him. And Gordon is not the player he was. Woltemade should have been pulled at half time, he was anonymous man. Sick of these performances but today was unforgivable. 

 

That’s Eddie not wanting accept they fucked up massively buying him in the first place. Our entire summer recruitment has been utterly disastrous. Hopefully we stop buying in the premier league, paying over the odds for utter dross.

[PCW1983]

Terrible performance, cowardly and lacklustre in equal measure. 
Do not understand the tactics or the associated team selection, no idea why Eddie is thinking we should go there and sit back. 
No performances that are good enough out there today, Elanga, Gordon particularly poor….but ultimately Eddie is the villain of the piece today. 

[Coffee_Johnny]

[black_n_white]

Just now, JoeyBartoon said:

Tweak it? He’s needs to fuckin scrap it. The wide players are fuckin guff and are integral to that set up. 

A 4-2-3-1 with investment in that number 10 position should be the way forward. Granted it’s not that simple 

[John P]

The lack of urgency in our play is really concerning. We just can't seem to play 3 games a week with any sort of intensity. It's like we can only do it once a week and then the other 2 performances will just be abject dross

[Optimistic Nut]

I thought they were rank by the way. I think we could both play for a week and neither of us would have stuck the ball in the net ourselves. They'll slowly start slipping to about 14-15th. We just need to change something ourselves to go the other way. 

[mush]

1 minute ago, John P said:

The amount of respect we gave them with the whole 10 men behind the ball thing was absolutely pathetic. Baffling tactical decision, it just meant we never ever got going and Howe has to take a large part of the blame. Also the decision to start Elanga was poor

 

100% this.

 

I can kinda understand setting up like that to start with for the first 5-10 minutes, just to take the sting out of the game and quiet the crowd.

 

But there should have been a game plan to come out after that and put them under some pressure.

 

As gutless a performance as I've ever seen from this team. Was like the Pardew derbies all over...

[RS]

Cowards. Cowards. Fucking cowards. Eddie Howe. Fucking coward. Nick. Coward. Elanga fucking tripe

[JigsawGoesToPieces]

Best team won today tbf, they wanted it more from the first whistle

[r0cafella]

Just now, Optimistic Nut said:

I thought they were rank by the way. I think we could both play for a week and neither of us would have stuck the ball in the net ourselves. They'll slowly start slipping to about 14-15th. We just need to change something ourselves to go the other way. 

They are absolutely shit. It's why giving them so much respect in that first half is so infuriating. We wiped out asses with them in the cup not too long ago. Yet we show up today dropping on and parking the bus. 

 

It was pathetic. 

[HaydnNUFC]

2 minutes ago, El Prontonise said:

Honestly, for having so much of the ball the last 20 mins that was probably even more pathetic from an attacking performance during that period.

Apart from maybe Bruno (who was poor anyway) we don’t have anyone that can take the ball and create. Makes £100m spent on Elanga who’s been frankly atrocious and Ramsey who doesn’t get the nod before Willock galling as fuck.

[GOTONEW]

However you paint it...our position in the league, after so much money spent, is not acceptable. And there's fuck all entitled about that. Prices are up to reflect our new era. The cost of support is up to reflect our new era. So a certain level is expected. "bUt wE'Re iN ThE Cl aNd aLl tHe cUpS". So what? The PL is our bread and butter. 

We have lost our fire and direction. Howe has his work cut out. But he'll know this better than anyone. He needs to feel the pressure, because even he has stagnated. 

BUT this season is faaaaaaar from over. Howe defo has the ability to turn this around and get us on a run that fires us up the table. 

Annoyed, but not defeated.

[Drewboy74]

1 minute ago, Optimistic Nut said:

I thought they were rank by the way. I think we could both play for a week and neither of us would have stuck the ball in the net ourselves. They'll slowly start slipping to about 14-15th. We just need to change something ourselves to go the other way. 

They've beat us. They won't care if they get relegated now.

[pubteam]

Just now, JigsawGoesToPieces said:

Best team won today tbf, they wanted it more from the first whistle

I mean I wouldn’t really call them the best team, but they did fight more, unlike our sorry bunch.