Manchester United 1-0 Newcastle United (26/12/25) | post-match from pg. 54

[Myleftboot]

Couldn’t beat Man U u16’s.

[Yorkie]

2 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

If you’ve spent three quarters of a billion the difference between being decent and being shite is one player - then yes, you absolutely are 100% at fault.

 

But again, I don’t think that’s what is happening here. 

 

We should be performing better but losing Isak has had a monumental impact. The way it impacted the transfer window was one thing but we also didn't play with a competent striker until the fourth game of the season because of it, denying us any early momentum.

 

We might come through this situation but there's a very good chance that the history books will show the Isak saga as the moment the curve suddenly turned downwards.

 

How far the line falls is where you criticise/praise the club.

[geordie_b]

1 minute ago, black_n_white said:

The damming thing I noticed from tonight was the fact Wissa came on and barely touched the ball. 

We simply have no idea how to get the ball to a striker anymore. 

[Geordie Ahmed]

Second half performance was much better but still not good enough 

 

It's so frustrating because they are bang average 

 

Suspect this season is just going to be one of those where it's one step forward, one step backwards 

[Jack14Bojangles]

And Dorgu, this pussy, is a diver! 

[TheBrownBottle]

Just now, Yorkie said:

 

We should be performing better but losing Isak has had a monumental impact. The way it impacted the transfer window was one thing but we also didn't play with a competent striker until the fourth game of the season because of it, denying us any early momentum.

 

We might come through this situation but there's a very good chance that the history books will show the Isak saga as the moment the curve suddenly turned downwards.

 

How far the line falls is where you criticise/praise the club.

The Isak saga was partially the fault of the club, not just the player.  He wanted out and should have been sold.  We play a certain way, you identify players who can play in that set-up and sign them.  
 

Howe is 100% responsible for both tactics and transfers - that’s what he wanted.  If they all paid off he’d correctly be getting praised to the hilt.  

[Rod]

Away from home, dominated 80 minutes out of 90 minutes. We were very good tonight. No luck going for us at the moment.

[duo]

Zero positives to take out of this game.

[Displayname]

1 minute ago, Oceanic Whitetip said:

Need to fuck off the cups and CL ASAP and fucking concentrate on staying in the league. Maybe then we can go back to high pressing football that we did so well and not sit fucking back. Howe is deliberately holding the players back to avoid suffering the same level of injury crisis the last CL season. 

Really don't get why we didn't just use the youngsters in the league cup this season.

 

Pretty obvious we didn't have the squad (with the intensity we need to have to not be shit) to challenge in everything.

And it's only going to get worse with the schedule ahead.

[John P]

As soon as we go behind away from home it's pretty much game over. We have absolutely no idea how to break down a deep block away from home. We had the ball pretty much the entire second half and didn't really create any clear-cut chances. Really, really poor

[Lush Vlad]

1 minute ago, geordie_b said:

We simply have no idea how to get the ball to a striker anymore. 

Yep. Howe has had long enough with no Isak to come up with something new in an attacking sense. But we never look like creating much. Other than Murphy putting in a load of decent crosses per game. Or Gordon looking threatening 1 in 10 and then when Barnes gets minutes. Making something out of nothing. 
 

We’ve gone from being one of the most fun teams to watch in the league. To one of the worst. 

[Mattoon]

That's the blue print to beat us right there, cede possession, park the bus and look for the counter, we can break play high up the pitch and we can build up play through the midfield really well but there's zero creativity up front and we're absolutely toothless in attack. Could have played all night and not scored, it's getting really depressing and predictable to watch, I'm totally, utterly and completely fed up of watching the same game unfold week in week out.

[jonny1403]

Just now, duo said:

Zero positives to take out of this game.

Lewis Hall

Dominated possession for most of the game.

 

That’s about it. 

[Magic Rat]

10 minutes ago, joeyt said:

 

Out of all the players to single out those two are strange ones to pick

Joelinton has, for the last few times he has played, just run around like a thug and not achieved anything.  We need someone to break open defences with skill, not just clattering them.

Schar wasn't out worst player, Ramsay probably was.  But Ramsey has age on his side.  Schar isn't as good as he was and hasn't been playing as well as Burn and Botman.  Tonight he seemed to me to be relying on Thiaw.

[Rod]

Just now, duo said:

Zero positives to take out of this game.

Played Man Utd off the park. Stop the negativity. Disappointing result but we were very good tonight.

[Fak]

1 minute ago, Displayname said:

Really don't get why we didn't just use the youngsters in the league cup this season.

 

Because we want to win it?

[Sibierski]

5 minutes ago, MagMal said:

It is at the point now where I am classing this as a transitional season, we have gone from a hard pressing side to one that is trying to play possession football but doesn't know how or has the players for it. Hopefully we don't transition into a permanent shit team.

 

.

I don’t even think it’s a conscious decision to transition into a possession based side, otherwise what the fuck are we doing signing likes of Elanga?

 

Howe wanted to continue the same, but opposition are cotton on now and will give us more of the ball, and with Isak not here who could smash it in from distance / do something out of nothing, it’s all very pedestrian stuff and players don’t know how to break down sides consistently. Which is a combination of not training for that often and not having the personnel for it. We show glimpses (Gordon chance 2nd half which came from Barnes movement and Bruno pass for example), but that’s once in 45 mins.

 

We move it so slowly, with little movement and when we do pass, it’s careless and with little conviction.

 

It’s proper smelly stuff. We able to brute force an opposition like Chelsea at home first half, we’re golden.

[duo]

Just now, Rod said:

Played Man Utd off the park. Stop the negativity. Disappointing result but we were very good tonight.

[Theregulars]

Hall only player who looks like he can create. Clone him 

[Oceanic Whitetip]

1 minute ago, John P said:

As soon as we go behind away from home it's pretty much game over. We have absolutely no idea how to break down a deep block away from home. We had the ball pretty much the entire second half and didn't really create any clear-cut chances. Really, really poor

Its not just away, zero points gained from losing positions this season. 

[sixx]

Just bereft of ideas. The application is all there but we’ve no idea how to open sides up anymore.

 

We absolutely need a fresh tactical approach. The obvious one is trying Wolte and Wissa together but I’ll take anything at this rate.

[Myleftboot]

1 minute ago, Rod said:

Played Man Utd off the park. Stop the negativity. Disappointing result but we were very good tonight.

Didn’t have many shots on target though did we?

[ponsaelius]

1 minute ago, Rod said:

Played Man Utd off the park. Stop the negativity. Disappointing result but we were very good tonight.

 

We couldn't score in a month of Sundays though. That is a very depleted Man Utd team who settled for the 1-0 and got it.

[Rod]

Just now, duo said:

Right back at you. You know fuck all.

[Minhosa]

Nowhere near enough creative enough. Nowhere near enough good chances. Nowhere near enough quality. No clue how to play against a low block. 
 

That was a SHITE Man Utd team too. Fucking awful. 
 

If the Mackems finish above us, we’ll never live it down.