Renton

Double whammy of tired players and lack of competition. But aye, of course top 6 would be amazing, but what is hard to take is coming so close and the opportunity lost to make serious progression as a league contender, way ahead of schedule. Rarely will we get a better chance. I don't think it's remotely hyperbolic to point this out as some have suggested. I'll be disappointed with less that fourth, as I was under Robson when we came 5th and for that matter Keegan when we came second.

I really fucking hope that isn't the case because it doesn't work like that, you can't just turn our aggression on and off like that. I hate to say it, I just don't think we're good enough without Guimares and the stats fully bear this out. We all know Howe got the absolute maximum out of us and made us more than the sum of our parts, but its not sustainable without the keystone. However, not all is lost. Liverpool is the perfect match for us to become aggressive and raise our game, setting the scene for Bruno's return against the manc scum. Also important to realise we didn't lose, and Spurs did, badly. We still have a game in hand, and our defence is still good. We live to fight again.

You just have to hope his presence in that game will wake us up from this slumber.

We're bang average without Bruno. I've felt very down about the team since the second half of the semifinal. Will we have enough to crawl over the line in fourth? Looking increasingly unlikely when we can't beat teams this bad.

We had 68% possession and the same numbers of shots on and off target. We were poor but they weren't great either.

Btw @The Fish, the latest News Agents podcast was quite topical this week, all about childcare cost crisis and had Bridget on talking about Labour's plans for reform. She is increasingly becoming a major figure in the party like.

Can't even afford a decent cooked breakfast nowadays either.

I know. Only ever lurked. The banter between our lot and the mackems was tremendous, and weirdly respectful.

Skunkers. One of the weirdest places on the Internet. Edit: either gone now are or migrated to the dark web I see.

This long winning, or not losing, streak has broken me. I'm so jealous it hurts.

This is funny because its true. There's even loads of abuse directed to Defoe since his last abortive signing. They'll always have Bally though, good old Bally.

Jesus, I had forgotten about full time childcare, its absolutely crippling. I still have topay for some wrap around care, but almost beyond that stage now thankfully.

You can get a bag of Sainsbury's imperfect peppers for less than a quid which lasts for two weeks in my experience. But aye, I used to never have to really check grocery costs but we must be spending over £600 a month on food now so have to watch it, Sounds ridiculous and I can hardly believe it but there you are. But then my mortgage is now nearly 4 times that, which is even insaner. And I've no idea what I owe on energy and neither do EDF apparently, the useless cunts. They're being reported now to the regulator after not receiving a proper bill for 18 months (although DD has gone up loads). We're also due an energy price rise in April once the cap is lowered. Couple this with people moving out of fixed mortgages, and It's really puzzling to me how anybody can be optimistic about the near future at least.

Hey lads, I was kinda making a general point on the economy here and te cost of living. Since then I've (with much appreciation) received advice on my diet, the acceptability of eating canned products in English tapas, Sainsbury's loyalty points and credit cards, and now internet grocery shopping. Enough!

Cheers, no I haven't but sounds a bit to good to be true that? This is definitely 500 quid and not 500 points? Will look into it Mr Lewis. 👍

Whey fuck you and your la di dah establishment then. Btw, before ewerk's snobbery displaces my grocery rant, beans alone in local coop, now 1.20 a tin. I reckon that's tripled from pre Brexit/pandemic prices. It's strange though, like butter has gone up loads, but not cheese. And red meat seems relatively inexpensive too. Literally now cheaper to eat steak than tinned beans.

How very dare you. Heinz beans and sausages on toast with a bit of grated mature cheddar on top, is the food of Gods. Unaffordable now, except as a special treat @The Fish's English tapas restaurant,.

Ahh, a gentleman of a certain age.

And just as I wrote that, the postie has dropped a letter from HSBC to add to the other 9 letters that my mortgage has gone up again. Now paying about £400 more than I was this time last year, and half my fucking mortgage is permanently fixed! Some people are in for a hell of a shock when their fixed rates end. And while I'm on it, remember the days when a tin of beans and sausages (kids like them, so do I if I'm honest) cost about 70 pence? Like, 2 years ago? Now.....

Next time you hear Jeremy Cunt banging on about how "resilient" the UK economy is, as he was this morning, bear this in mind.

Just seen this and thought of the hilarity of @Monkeys Fist using these coasters to put his mug on. Death from innuendo.

Well so are Fulham fans but they've managed a dozen pages of fewm on them (not counting the Mitrovic threads etc). And if youpoint this out....

Weyaz red an white marra. MLF! FTM!

Honestly man, this Robson Green thread is a fascinating insight into the mackem psyche. Apparently he visited Pensher monument and didn't mention Sunderland, ONCE! Mealnie Hill complicit.

Btw, I have to ask you as the lowest of the low, a County Durham Mag, do you fake your accent when you visit Newcastle or on match days? The mackems have this bizarre obsession with you lot faking you accents. I find the concept that someone could conciously fake an accent and keep it up persistently somewhat bizarre, but there you go. Do you practice in front of the mirror? Or should I say mirrow marra.