Dr Gloom

the problem with the 4-2-3-1 is we don't have a natural "number 10" in the james maddison/phil foden mode. can willock or gordon play there? isak probably could if wilson was fit to play in front of him. eddie has bought players to fit his preferred 4-3-3 system. we have "number 8s" with good energy and athleticism who can get up and back and were suited the high intensity pressing game we used to employ. the problem with the 4-3-3 system is i don't think we have a natural DM to sit as a single pivot in front of the back four. bruno can do it, but he has lacked the positional discipline, leading to that big hole between midfield and defence. last season we blamed it on dubravka not sweeping when pope was out but it's still there. maybe tonali can do it, i dunno.

he's got pace, that's the only reason i put him in. that and the fact it's his preferred position and bournmouth fans seem to think hes a natural centre back who can do a job at left back, rather than a natural in that position. a bit like dan burn in that sense, except he can run. the formation i posted is my own preference, not what i expect eddie to do. he isn't dropping burn

usually I’d agree but he’s been a shadow of himself this season, game one aside

Is a formation tweak required? I would like us to try a 4-2-3-1. A lot of the top clubs play that way. Two “number sixes” would give the defence more protection and hopefully remove that gaping hole between our defence and midfield that Foden is likely to exploit again. And a “number ten” would hopefully leave Isak less isolated. Something like this maybe: ——————-Pope Trips——Schar—Kelly—-Hall ————Tonali—-Bruno —Gordon—Willock—Barnes ——————-Isak

Apparently he’s “only” on 60k per week. Well below our top earners and less than he deserves as one of our blue chip players. A longer contract will also strengthen our hand if Liverpool come sniffing again. We’re only five games into a season where most of the team has underperformed. He showed what he can do last season when he was probably our best player. This is good news

About as strong as Sean’s forward passing ability

:lol:

At least it’s going to a good cause

Drill to chill

The pod of the tyne lads must have been reading this form as they’ve just posted a podcast on exactly the same subject

was it not a charity auction?

If Howe is trying to move from high pressing intensity to a more possession-based style of play, we should be playing our most technical players. That means Tonali has to start. Trippier too. We have struggled to keep possession of the ball for sustained periods in games all season. I’m not sure what the game plan has been so far this season tbh other than get it out to Gordon or Barnes to see if they can make something happen.

good points. I wonder then whether it’s a deliberate change by Howe to change our identity. If it is, I’m not entirely sure what he’s trying to turn us into because this stage of our evolution hadn’t been as successful so far. It doesn’t look like we have a clearly defined style of play anymore - perhaps a result of the failure to back him in the past two transfer windows

I was up for selling him in the summer. Barnes and Gordon are clearly better technical players with end product Miggy lacks. However… is it a coincidence that the press has diminished since Miggy lost his place? For all his many flaws, the one thing he’s good at is pressures. And we haven’t executed the press better than the season we finished 4th, when he started pretty much every game. I’d like to see us return to that style of play. Has Howe given up on it? Or is it a player like Barnes, for all he’s been one of our few bright spots this season, can’t do it the way Miggy can?

Ooops. Have we? I haven’t been across much of the football chat since the Fulham game. Mods, feel free to delete the thread

I’m going to throw a curve ball to kick things off…. Maybe he should start Miggy again 😳

One of the big things this season - and large parts of last season, though there was mitigation because of the injuries - is our identity. Or rather, our lack of identity. I don’t even know what the game plan is at the moment tbh. We can’t control games for more than 10-20 minute spells, so it’s not been a move to a more possession-based system. The first season Howe came in he did what was required to keep us up. The second season we saw his “intensity is our identity” plan come together and Eddie Howe’s high-pressing shit-housing mags finished 4th. What do you lot reckon? Should we get back to playing that way? And if so, how does he do it?

i've stopped ordering takeaway curry since i mastered making my own at home. tastes just as good and i never get that awful bloated feeling you get after eating a lot of delivery stuff.

the dreaded vote of confidence

didn't have garlic, butter or parsley. used ginger, margarine and basil instead

another good shout. I tend also do some dauphinois potatoes at that time of year. Piss easy to make and it’s good indulgent Christmas food

I’ve made this Yotem cheese and herb pie before and it was lush - veggie rather than vegan but another one you can prepare ahead of time and then serve cold or reheat on the day in the oven https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/20/herb-pie-recipe-vegetarian-ottolenghi

I’ve made this for a dinner party before - you can prepare it in advance and both meat-eaters and veggies loved it https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jun/09/meera-sodha-recipe-tomato-pistachio-saffron-tart-vegan Haven’t made this one but you can’t go wrong with her recipes and it sounds like a good Boxing Day option for vegans https://amp.theguardian.com/food/2022/may/21/meera-sodha-vegan-recipe-caramelised-onion-saffron-potato-pie