Dr Gloom

barnes has been such an underwhelming signing. one of the few transfer since the takeover to disappoint. he's got a massive opportunity these next few games now gordon is out and i hope he takes it. he must think he has a point to prove and has the chance to become a club legend in the final

no, you're right. our single RW Jacob Murphy doesn't need to be upgraded and definitely hasn't reverted to type after his purple patch

it's about time he did something tbh

i'm expecting nothing less than a box office summer. players that can seriously challenge for the first team at RW, RCB, GK and CF

time for big mitch to earn his money finally.

Trippier is always going to be a better technician than Tino. They're totally different players but Tino is the future. He's got bags of energy and pace and can make those recovery runs that Trippier struggles with now age is catching up with him. I'm more than happy with him and Hall as our first choice full backs. It would be great to see young players like that across all areas of the squad. We had one at RW in Minteh but annoyingly had to let him go because of PSR. We had two options like that at CM with Miley and Anderson but had to sell the latter for the same reason. We definitely need some young energy and pace at CB.

He’s also trying to change the style of play, with mixed success. We looked our best under Howe playing the high intensity pressing game but that led to all those injuries last season when we had the extra champions league fixtures. I think that experience led to them hiring this Bunce bloke as performance director. The approach this season has definitely changed as a result. We don’t fly out of the blocks anymore, we press in moments then look to protect/conserve energy. But this exposes our weaknesses. Apart from the 9 game winning run, we haven’t had many games which we have been able to assert control for more than 30-40 minutes. We also have a habit of starting games okay then dropping off a cliff in the second half, or getting worse after players get fatigued and subs are made. We saw it again on Sunday against Brighton.

lack of depth is the main thing. You can criticise Howe for being overly loyal to certain players but it’s a result of having a bench he doesn’t trust. We have about 5-6 quality first team players and a handful leftover from the Ashley era who have been outperforming for a couple of years. The squad is also ageing out which is exactly what happens when you go a couple of seasons without proper investment.

if we’re allowed to spend again those times could return. That season we qualified for champions league was driven by a smattering of investment and the pure feelgood vibes in the ground after years of neglect under Ashley. PSR applied the breaks on and off the pitch but if we can find a way to invest properly we’ll start dreaming again. We’re not a million miles away now. We have a core of good players. If only we were allowed to spend the owners’ money we could turn a half decent team into a squad that can compete. But this being Newcastle, you have to price in some form of crisis before that ever happens.

Do you reckon we’ll see us win something before we die? I reckon this board dies before we win anything. We can’t even get the world’s richest owners at the right time

I’m going too

You know what Toontastic etiquette decrees in that eventuality: I start the match day thread for the final. In other words, we’re fucked

player power. if we qualifiy for the CL we could ask for the moon and he may not fancy the move anyway

i stepped up to take the hit, paving the way for this season's top-thread starter dazzler's triumphant return for our cup final victory

i agree, when you look at the prices players have gone for recently. if he pushes for a move, liverpool or someone could get him for £120m rather than the £150m price mooted earlier.

@wykikitoon final reply on your point about us not being that club yet: we could and arguably should be that club four years into the takeover. But the cartel and their bullshit rules have almost certainly stopped us doing it in the timeframe needed to hang on to Isak, unless Howe performs another miracle. It’s so bloody annoying.

It’ll be all the more annoying if we do miss out on CL and Isak does end up going because it fits the galling narrative Sky have pushed all season.

I don’t think it is time to hit the panic button given the circumstances but we have to be realistic. If we finish lower than we did last season and miss out on the cup, as seems possible, it could be curtains for Howe. That’s football

I suspect you’re right. He’s the most coveted striker in Europe. If we miss out on Europe and Liverpool or Real express an interest he’s going to be tempted. If he then agitates for a move we probably end up selling at a reduced price. Still north of £100m but the player holds the cards if we miss out on CL football. So there’s still loads to play for this season. If we lose to Liverpool, as seems inevitable, there is still a lot at stake. It’s just such a shame Howe hasn’t been backed. Whether you blame Amanda and co for that, or Mitchell, or Howe himself, the transfer strategy this year hasn’t been fit for purpose. And it’s a shame Howe could be the one forced to pay the price if the season fizzles out.

no, I don’t think so. I think he deserves to be backed in the summer even if this season goes off the rails

I feel a bit like we did just before the winning run. Questioning the manager’s loyalty to certain players etc. But then Howe found a way to galvanise the players and we went on that run. Who knows what happens next. We’ve always been a bit of a streaky team under Howe. The cup final has come at a crap time again and it will take some effort to win but all hope is not lost for the season. Champions league football is still a possibility if we can get on a heater again. I do feel very sorry for Howe because the owners weren’t able to find a way to help him out in January. I understand we had to sell the likes of Miggy and Kelly because of PSR but even a loan signing, like Villa were able to do with Arsensio and Rashford, would have given the squad a boost for the run in. If it goes tits up, we lose the final and miss out on Europe, Howe might end up losing his job, which I think would be incredibly harsh given the circumstances.

Willock is a funny one. He’s shown glimpses of his old self but has been so up and down since returning from injury. I’m still hopeful he might return to something like his form a couple of season ago. He needs a run of games, which he might get now Gordon is out. I fear Schar and Wilson might be done.

Callum Wilson enters the chat

Man City are the only team to fear left in it. What a missed opportunity

Could play Willock out there otherwise. Only other option really is Isak with Wilson up front 🙈