Rayvin

Labour now apparently targeting benefit fraud in their continued attempts to out-Tory the Tories. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/20/labour-warpath-targeting-benefit-claimants-disabled-starmer I mean what are we expecting here in the end, really? That Labour get into power and then flip into being some much improved version of what they're currently coming across as? I think they're going to come in and be exactly what is being suggested here - Tory lite. Is this how Blairism was packaged? Is this the third way? It looks small, cynical and devoid of vision. It fills me with even more hopelessness than the Tories do tbh - if this is the best that the party we all want to be in power can come up with, then what is honestly the point anymore? Brexit destroyed this country, it destroyed the left, and Labour has, in my view, totally failed us. I don't even hate Starmer or what the party has become, I just don't care anymore. It's a dull ache, it's normalised. This disappointment about the weakness of our leaders is just a shrug of the shoulders. "Nothing we can do, suck it up and get on with it". Completely defeated. Maybe it's just me.

I feel like this gif perfectly sums up the forum's experience with Dave tbf

I was concerned about this but it is undeniable that Villas good run largely involves no decent teams. And they have a hell of a run in. Suspect they're higher than they should be based on that.. and would I say we can beat a midtable team away from home? I mean we've done it several times now...

They're onto me...

I really have to start using this power for good rather than evil

As soon as I posted it I wanted to go back to bed and hide under the covers, waiting for for the inevitable news that the one of Bruno's legs fell off, or the training ground was hit by an asteroid.

Right, fuck it, going all in on top 4 now in terms of hope and expectation. Another win today and we're as good as nailed on IMO. I fully believe we're capable.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/apr/07/keir-starmer-high-horse-politics-labour-rishi-sunak Marina destroying that ad now.

I think it's more the world we accept tbh. Really don't think Labour needed to go for this particular line.

That is very literally the race to the bottom though. Where does that end? The Tories were/are dying on their arse anyway, did we need to stoop to this?

This has been my view since they made the EU position clear. Still not sure what I'm going to do when it comes to it. I think I'm hoping that I read the manifesto and decide that there's enough inspiring detail in there that it's worth holding my nose.

That looks like it should have been made by the Tories.

Totally agree with CT here, rarity though it may be Maxi has been class.

What a performance Amazing stuff, I really never thought I'd see times like this for NUFC ever again tbh. 5-1 away.

I did think about Moyes while writing this tbh but figured that even he must feel some sort of pressure to try and look like he's setting up to win home games If he's going super negative then this is going to be a painful affair.

West Ham are the kind of team that I think we can beat away from home on the basis that they should at least be -trying- to win the game. That means they're on the front foot more, more susceptible to the press and therefore more likely to be forced into errors/provide room for us to create things. I'd be disappointed if we didn't win this after Saturday's performance.

Aye that was my feeling on it - don't think it needs to be a 100m player (don't think Maddison is one) but someone like him would really drive us forward. We seem to create so many good chances for his type of player that it's a shame to not bolster that role.

I do think we need the technical quality - how far would this team get without players like Bruno and Trippier? That said, it's also true that we can't really afford passengers or the system doesn't work as well. We operate a team based press, if someone slacks off in that then they're leaving spaces and wasting everyone else's effort. There's my contribution to this thread (and it is a good thread). Both important, get both.

I mean tbh I was just thinking someone like Maddison would work for it. Would be interested @The Fish to see the relative xG and conversions of Longstaff and Willock versus other players in their position. I could be wrong like but our attacking players seem to create really good chances that our onrushing midfield players seem to struggle to put away. I reckon that's the whole issue in terms of our profligacy tbh.

Longstaff is still a problem in my eyes - he seems to get more chances to score than our forwards but just doesn't have the composure or finishing ability. Can only imagine that he's in that advanced role because he's not trusted further back? I still think we need a midfielder who can make those late arrival runs into the box but actually convert the chances. Our profligate finishing really feels like it's coming from that position - we make enough chances for these players (Willock included here tbh) but they just don't put them away. Am I being harsh? It's really how it looks to me but I guess I only saw the highlights from yesterday (still pissed about that).

Gutted I missed this, I fucking love it when we beat these twats. It sounds like we completely dominated them and once again I'd like to suggest that some of these big clubs just don't fucking get that they can't rock up at SJP anymore and claim 3 points. The club is now a manifestation of what the city has always been - fucking formidable. I don't know if we can get top 4 this season, but I do know that Spurs and Man Utd will both be fucking worried now. Love this team - from the way we play, to how the manager carries himself, to the club's twitter account and Jacob Murphy ripping the piss out of our "betters". Everything about it is fully what this club should have always been about.

I swear to god, I am not living under any further iteration of the Tories after this one. I'm either leaving the country or ending it all if Labour lose power at any point over the rest of my life.

When is the next GE ffs, it feels like we've had this iteration of the Tories for a fucking lifetime.

Fair, I'm just vaguely recalling reading a BBC report from last year saying they were £5m in deficit for one reason or another. Still though that could be a year out of date now.

I was under the impression the entryists had all left mind... Membership was down by 100k from 2021 to 2022. And the loss of £3m that went with them seems to have gone straight into the party deficit. Might ramp up in the run up to the election I guess.