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Not a particularly exciting interview with Longstaff in The Athletic today but he says what we all knew life was like under Bruce.

If I had a documented history of thinking Mike Ashley was getting the hang of this football lark, I don't think I'd be so quick to criticise others for being optimistic.

Well watching the second half in a pub rammed with gooners was nice

Not that it needs saying but a reminder of what a fucking lazy, incompetent, fraud Bruce is. Absolutely zero interest or desire to improve or look after his players.

The Steven Taylor; it's a complex one, so you don't see it as often as something as basic as the Cruyff turn.

Well he always did have a strong connection to the spirit world.

I mean, I can be...

"How's the training did you say?"

Lads, I'm simply not as keen as some of you are on necking beige spunk. It doesn't make me a bad person.

Brighton losing badly. Shares in Tena men drop slightly. Still demand side supply problems in Boldon, Tyne and Wear.

Ok Obi Wan Adobe, whatever you say mush

Who are we playing again tomorrow night? 🤔

I love Dan Burn, he's been a brilliant signing and his passion is contagious. There's not much better than watching a player who will bleed for his team mates and the club giving his all.... but he's not a natural left back and he offers next to no attacking impetus when he gets forward. If we want to provide more balance to our forward play we need a natural attack minded fullback on the left. We need to at least try one out. The higher your profile becomes the more teams will come at you. You get one season where there is a little leeway and opponents underestimate you - the perfect example is Leicester when they won the title, it was mostly counter attack based and still teams playing them thought they could push up and beat them only to be hit on the counter again and again. For us if you were looking for a weakness it would be the mobility of our defense, starting with Burn.

We do have to evolve though, assuming we stay the course and are in the CL this season I am really fascinated to see how the summer plays out, you look at our starting 11 from this week and you'd say you find replacements for Murphy, Longstaff and probably Burn as a priority. But when you look at how we've played with them this season, you can't be sure anyone would some in and be actually better as part of this team, where do you go from this? Spend 70 million on someone for central midfield and in all likeliness you don't massively improve your league position compared to having Sean Longstaff there. The summer and next season are full of really weird, unexpected challenges for the club because we've done so ridiculously well this season, the playing staff and the style of play need to continue their evolution and thats going to make keeping the level of performance where we've seen it this season really difficult. Its going to be a test of Howes mettle, as well as the boards and the fans to not blink when its maybe not going as well.

Aye. A proper fucking waste of space. I watched a clip of him calling out Craig Hope this morning at an old press conference. It was when Hope had said the players were getting too many days off and the fat cunt called him "the so-called journalist who wrote this. He's got what he wants anyway, he's been all over the telly this morning getting the attention he craves." I hate the Mail but I'll always have time for Hope for not letting that fucking fraud get away with it.

Not really equivalent situation though is it. We'd already really lost the momentum by then. I always keep saying, it wasn't the Blackburn result, not the Liverpool one. It was those cunts Schmiechel and Cantona that did us in. I also take objection to this myth we threw away a 12 point lead as well. At the time ManU had 2 games in hand iirc, so 6 points, with 5 months left to go. Then those fuckers just went on a collosal winning spree. We didn't capitulate, they were just ultimately more efficient over the whole season. Cunts, but you have to hand it to Ferguson.

Are any of you actually Newcastle fans It’s never plain sailing and we have a history of cruel turns. It might just take Bruno’s dodgy ankle to go or Shar’s hamstring to go. Both might have happened since Sunday. My nappies are staying well and truly on.

The W D L system of analysis is outdated and redundant now that we have xP, xG, xA, xCetera.

Handball in the box by Liverpool. Nee bother lads, play on. No need for VAR at all.

Did he tweet that via ouija board?

Aye, I saw you out earlier in it. Nice motor.

Agreed, as for that evolution of style I mentioned, I'd like us to get in a really good number 6 who can drop into the centre of defence and a left back at trippiers level so that we still have the 3 man defence when we are on attack but we're more able to swap which side we do the attacking from with overlaps on both sides.

All true. And Arsenal did the same to Man Utd the following season for Wengers first title when he reeled Fergie in from 13 points out I think we’ll get top four and but am interested in this run that Villa are on and how it differs to ours according to the spreadsheet dudes. Apparently it’s a different sort of run. It’s as if a coach hasn’t gone in there and improved every single player he inherited, sorted the tactics out and improved results hugely. I mean, that’s not happened at any other club in the last couple of seasons had it?…

No

That’s looks like a Saturday night in on Wearside (family bonding)

While Villa deserve credit for a great run were the only side they’ve played in the current top eight. Don’t believe the hype.

Fulham are basically the Beach Boys. That fucking flat line man. Anyway, Villa 5 points (effectively 6) behind with 2 games less to play. We have nothing to worry about from Villa. We would actually benefit from them continuing this good form* and taking points off Spurs, Man United and Liverpool who they still have to play. * When I say good form, they managed 0.9 xG at home v Fulham and when asked who his man of the match was on comms last night, Steve McManaman started laughing.

I honestly think how VAR is being applied this season is highly suspicious. I’m reading about this sort of thing happening time and again, and it always seems to favour the so-called big 6. They either need to get VAR run by independent and competent officials with no fear or favour, or do away with it altogether. At the moment it’s looking like a lever to get undeserved results for certain clubs. I wouldn’t mind if that included us, but it plainly doesn’t- someone at NUFC must have missed the brown envelope drop at Euston station this season.

So I decided to chuck this on a quadruple? Including a Man City win. £1,500 ish if they all won. Decided to check how it was going and 3 of them were winning and Liverpool drawing. Managed to cash out for £83 just before Liverpool took the lead. I’m not a regular gambler so well chuffed.

His quickness of feet to control and get a shot off helps a lot, his second against spurs evidence of that. Improvisation to make sure it hits the target like at forest when the cross is slightly behind him, cool as a fucking cucumber to slot it home like the pen at forest or his first v spurs and his two at Anfield. He looks very much unflustered with the potential to be an excellent modern forward/striker. It's these kind of purchases which have me feeling an unusual amount trust whenever we get someone in under this regime, never mind the coaching when they're here.

I think everyone raised a few eyebrows when Longstaff got that new deal but fair fucks to him for showing his talent and fair fucks to Howe and the lads for seeing it in him. Just goes to show that the wrong manager can completely destroy someone’s career in no time at all

I absolutely appreciate what Burn has done and how he has been a huge part of our achievements this season as part of our brilliant defense. It's hard to get that across whilst also suggesting that we need to improve on that position, or at least on aspects of it. It's why I suggested we have to at least try a more balanced attack minded natural fullback. Maybe part of that is learning that we're actually better off with a Hybrid LB-CB Dan Burn than a traditional LB. I wouldn't say Trippier plays wholly as a traditional right back for us, in attack he's positioned a lot higher up the pitch than a normal RB would be. With the protection of Longstaff and Bruno sitting in behind and Burn combined with Schär and Botman along the back he's able to do this. He (Trippier) doesn't have the athleticism to be pushing up and down the pitch constantly, and generally gets backs when he has to, but we're mostly set up so that he doesn't have to get back in a hurry. Targett only had one poor game from memory, and a few very good ones, the rest he was wholly functional. From what we've seen it's tough on him to not be getting a look in after returning from injury, however it's fully understandable with how well our defense has done. Whether that means Howe doesn't believe Targett plays a part in our future remains to be seen, but I believe if we do qualify for Europe proper we'd keep and play Targett along with bringing in a new left back, if we don't (we will) we'd potentially have to sell to bring in the more dynamic and althetic full back. Eddie has talked about a new left back in at least one pre or post match conference quite recently. I recall because at the time I thought it was a bit of a slight against Targett.

His second goal, absolutely sublime touch and finish. Some boy.

Well Mr Contrary Tree, can I just say after your insanely bad prediction for Sunday, if you're nappies are still on then I am proudly going commando tomorrow.

top of the league, is my guess. we'd be two points behind arsenal if VAR hadn't robbed us in several games

Yeah Bruno is amazing at the DM position, but stick someone of Rice's calibre in that role and Bruno can move further forward and replace Longstaff/Willock. I wouldn't be devastated if we didn't strengthen DM, but I think it's a position that the team would really benefit from strengthening. And, more importantly, I want Declan Rice.

he did ok I suppose aye. still doesn't alter the fact he's a whopping cunt though. I reserve the right to hold this opinion for ever more!

Greatest British manager of all time imo, and I'm including Clough in that because of his longevity and achievements at Aberdeen. He was absolutely fiercely partisan to Manchester United which is why you probably hate him. I would have loved him here doing the same for us, who wouldn't?

The latter is an advance fare, which they don't sell for the shorter journey to Horsforth for whatever reason. It isn't always available on the day, but sometimes it is if the trains aren't especially busy. Anyway, if you're able to tie yourself to a specific train and don't need flexibility, just buy the cheaper ticket and get off earlier. You've saved £3.20. That's a good thing. Be happy.

no. he was, is and always will be to the moment he departs this mortal coil, a whisky drenched, purple nosed, scottish thundercunt.

If I was the lawyer, I'd be nervous about asking for payment in case the pervert tried to fuck the bill.

Now named after the move where you kick the ball away when pretending to pick it up

Are you Christmas Tree’s alternative posh London bed wetting account?

Nothing earth shattering to read, but nice to see him getting the plaudits. I'd love to see him get his goals tally to double figures for the season. Just the three needed from the next 7. Piece of piss.