Alex

Could see the threat of the ESL again, which basically just seems to be a tool for Uefa to pipe down at this point

After some consideration, it’s been decided you can stay. But you must (and I can’t stress this enough) familiarise yourself with the beginning and end of British Summer Time

It’s slightly misleading making those sort of direct comparisons I think. He’s in a unique position in being allowed to do this, but I suppose he’s earned it too. But I think the first half of this season was him experimenting to allow the team to optimise how they play to Haaland’s strengths. I think that’s mainly with winning the CL in mind (although it obviously meant they stormed the PL in the end too). How that relates to how deserving he is of winning manager of the year is another matter but it’s why the straight last season’s v this season’s metrics don’t necessarily compare well imo

On the evidence of last night he’s still a good defender and better than a certain England international still at Man Utd

Does that make Casey an IDK nonce? I like how the window hasn’t even opened and he’s losing the plot already

It was nice to see him get precisely what his tactics and pitch side antics deserved last night mind. Playing for penalties for more than half the match (including extra time). And him and his bench contesting practically every (even minor) decision like one of their players had been chopped in half by waist-high tackle.

Smalling has been there a few seasons now I think

Watching the Europa League final. Is it just me or is the pitch really narrow?

Fuck knows what he thinks it means. About 90% of his comments seem to rip the piss out of everything he tweets though

Da fuck did I do?

Aye, the reason why they have such a problem with ‘Washy mags’ and ‘East Durham mags’ is because they know there’s fucking loads of them

I’m with you there. Don’t know why he just doesn’t say Brexit is old news or something. I think I’ll probably vote Green if there’s a candidate. It won’t make any difference where I live but I can’t vote for him at this point

Aye, this relates to when they were both at Wimbledon in Jones’ second spell there. Harford and Billy Whitehurst would’ve been a canny fight

Yeah, it’s not meant as a dig it’s just the way I think everyone needs to look at it imo. Really good assists / goals to minutes in the pitch ratios are promising but ultimately not much good if he can’t stay fit.

Similar to what Campbell was saying about the Mail iirc anyone reading the express is a lost cause. I wished the police had issued a fine now.

Vinnie Jones was meant to be shit-scared of Harford.

ASM’s going to have to play more than two games in a row without picking up another soft tissue injury to be taken seriously though.

Pretty amazing season but even more so when it’s spelled out like that. On the second one I’d have gone for a stepped line chart just to show the massive jump in terms of points won. Yeah, I know: DWEEB!

It’s Mouth of the Tyne though. So any resemblance to actual events, to persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental

I’m surprised we aren’t in for the next Chris Waddle

I’d hate to see the ESL happen and don’t think it will. However two things are particularly funny with regard to those entitled cunts whinging on RAWK. Firstly, they only want the ESL because they’ve missed out in the CL next season. Secondly, do they not realise Man City (and ourselves) would get an invite too?

The mention of Shola on MTV cribs reminds me of the story about the time he rang the police to report a burglary. Only for him to subsequently realise it was just a fucking tip

I was getting mixed up, I meant the 1603 Union of the Crowns. And I got a B

Their desire to rewrite history etc., man. I don’t know if you’ve seen all that Durham thread but they make a few references to The Battle of Boldon Hill. I’m not sure but I’d bet the Wikipedia page (which it definitely doesn’t warrant) was created by a Mackem. Almost all the citations come from one source. It was basically a minor skirmish in the English Civil War. It was part of a much wider series of battles etc between the Royalists based in Newcastle and the Scots. The Scots were allied to the Parliamentarians in convenient ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ arrangement. The Scots wanted religious autonomy following the Act of Union and there’d been a war even before the English Civil War over it. I did that period in a-level history and we had a local historian who came in and told us all about the Battle of Marston Moor and the Siege of Newcastle and so on (no mention of Boldon Hill btw). The Scots being victorious in the siege was significant because Newcastle was a crucial coal port (as well as it diverting Royalist soldiers from fighting the Parliamentarians). The mackems have interwoven their supporting the Scots in this skirmish at Boldon Hill, despite there not being much evidence of any Parliamentarian forces in Sunderland at that time. Possibly because Sunderland barely existed. But the Scots did garrison in the area that is now Sunderland. Anyway, and I apologise for the waffle, this (possibly fictitious) mackem involvement (in an insignificant event in the context of that conflict) is what forms the entire basis of this ‘the Sunderland v Newcastle rivalry goes back to the English Civil War’ bollocks

I mean it should be a satirical article but the Tyne and Wear doesn’t exist crack is exactly the sort of thing they regularly go on about.