Polarboy

Willock is taking injections to be able to play after injuring his toe a while back iirc. Apparently he just has to manage it until it heals. With that being said it likely explains why he hasn't exactly hit the heights this season, and is in and out of the team. And of course he didn't have a preseason and Cabbage just threw him in straight away, saying oh sure he's a fit lad.

Watford have a very tough run of fixtures over the next five, Arsenal (a), Man U (h). Leicester (a), Chelsea (h), Man City (h). We have Brighton (a), Brentford (h), Arsenal (a), Norwich (h), Burnley (h). If we aren't at the very least least within a point or two of Watford after those run of fixtures we're pretty fucked. And obviously we have to keep an eye on Burnley's results, and if you look at Leeds' fixtures they're actually pretty bad from now until the new year. If we can get a run together at all, hopefully get a new manager bounce, if we ever manage to hire one, then there's enough bad teams with tricky fixtures for us to dig ourselves out of the hole we currently find ourselves in.

I think Almiron, Dubravka, Fernandez, Schar and Willock coming into the team, and Fraser, Darlow, Krafth, Clark and Longstaff being benched could improve us considerably. Even getting Dummett back in and around the team has to be better than what Krafth and Clark are offering. Surely a decent manager would see the utility in having someone who's decent on the ball in Schar in the defence for starters. I mean the amount of times we nearly gave Chelsea the ball on the edge of our box, when trying to play out, should be indication enough that Clark, Krafth et al can't handle playing out from the back. If those players come in and the new manger finds a set up and way to play that suits said players along with ASM and Wilson, and he doesn't play people like Almiron out of position, then we can definitely improve quite a bit. I mean Rafa is a great manager, but if he can get a tune out of what was probably a considerably worse squad, then surely a very decent manager can keep us up. Or should I say keep us at least within touching distance of safety before the January transfer window, when things thereafter could change for the better.

Just away to one of the most improved teams in the league this season in Brighton next, so no problem 😑👍

All we need now is for Martinez to be announced to really round off a shite weekend of football 😑 Hopefully that won't be the case of course, at least from my perspective. And yes, betting is mostly nonsense, 360% over betting yada, yada. I'd be more worried about Hope's tweet in regard to Martinez if it's based on anything solid and isn't just him creating content.

Which is why I've switched it off 👍

Clark panics like he's been handed a nuclear bomb every time someone passes him the ball round the box.

A bad line is a bad line up regardless of who you are playing.

If he is he may as well. The panel that he worked with over the years was never what you'd describe as a brain trust, but some of them were at least likeable, and Jeff had a genuine rapport with them. The panels they have on nowadays are half fucking braindead.

In fairness Fraser hasn't been fully fit for a long time, and hasn't had a run in the side to get said fitness. A fully fit and on form Fraser offers far more, at least in an attacking sense, than Almiron. I'd be more worried about Clark and Krafth in defence.

Obviously it barely needs to be said regardless, but if these are the kind of line-ups Jones is going to pick, the quicker we get a new manager in the better. Of course I'll gladly eat my words if we manage a result come ten to five. On a side note Tuchel is probably worse than Pep for taking players randomly in and out of the team. Bought Mount for my FF team and he's not even in the Squad 😗

I see Martinez' odds have shortened which I find horrifying. Although it's likely that the only people who know who's likely to be the next manager are Staveley and co. I wouldn't be surprised if Martinez' odds shortening is largely down to Craig Hope's barely vaguely ominous tweet about Martinez perhaps reuniting with Jones. Hope is perhaps adding two and two together and getting five from the news that Jones has been guaranteed a job going forward. I mean Jardim's odds shortening seemed to be directly influenced by a tweet put out and then deleted by Sky Sports News Saudi Arabia.

Jardim managed the Monaco side that won the league in the 16/17 season. He worked under Luis Campos when he was sporting director there for two seasons. So that would make sense if we are lining up Campos as sporting director. I'm personally not put off by him currently managing a Saudi team given he has extensive experience in Europe. Him and Campos could make a very good team if that's what the owners are trying to line up.

He's known for not breaking contracts, so unless he loses a few more matches with Everton, and the Everton hierarchy signal to him that they'd be happy for him to leave by mutual consent, then I can't see it happening. Plus there's the fact that he's likely desperate to make a success of Everton given how close he is to his family home at present.

He's onto the deed poll this morning to change his name to Allardichio 😉

I see Lascelles thinks it would be great to lift Newcastle's first trophy as captain in the era of our new ownership. Are you going to tell him or should I 😄 If and when we win anything he'll be long gone and replaced by someone of much higher quality. That is unless he seriously ups his game under the new manager, whoever that turns out to be, but it really doesn't seem likely he could improve that much at this point in his career. https://www.geordiebootboys.com/news/jamaal-lascelles-eyes-trophies-following-newcastle-takeover/

Xavi is the clear favourite for the job. Barca are just trying to get him out of his manager contract for the middle eastern team he's working at.

Yeah maybe, but if we threw enough money at him he might accept. Plus if he were to come in and turn around our season it would be a great shop window for him for another job in the league.

Was thinking that maybe the big deal they are working on is ten Hag and Overmars together as a package. I mean ten Hag has been seriously mentioned as a contender for the Man U job, so he's obviously well thought of. Then maybe if ten Hag doesn't want to leave this far into the season they'll get someone like Farve to work with Overmars until or if ten Hag wants come at the end of the season. Overmars going by some journalists comments seems a lot more gettable than ten Hag given he's been there ten years, there's a limit to what he can achieve at Ajax, and he supposedly would be up for a new challenge.

According to Romano we're trying something big in terms of who we want to hire as manager, but it's proving difficult because managers of that calibre understandably want to mull it over given our current position. He also reiterates that Fonseca would be more than happy to take it, so obviously he's not the something big. https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/10/news/newcastle-united-fabrizio-romano-issues-big-newcastle-manager-claim/

What you're failing to understand is that for some inexplicable reason Bruce was never given a chance at any of the big teams, so of course his win rate at shit teams is going to be terrible, and obviously those teams being shit had absolutely nothing to do with him and his "coaching".

You're misunderstanding if you think I or other people are saying he's a bad player. I'd put him second behind Wilson, but as talented as ASM undoubtedly is he does have clear flaws to his game. Flaws that allowed us to buy him in the first place.

When he was in France I'm pretty sure he was top of the dribbling stats for Europe, so he hasn't changed, but perhaps the team he was in was similarly limited.

Christ. so he barely presses and is only behind Zaha in losing the ball. That's the problem with players like ASM, It's very difficult to play in a structured way in and out of possession if you have a player who, again doesn't press, and loses the ball constantly. You basically have to build the team around them, and I don't think ASM has shown the consistency in order to make that worthwhile.

I'd like to see a stat on how often we concede after he's lost the ball after one of his mazy runs. Obviously he quite often produces something that leads to a goal, but does he contribute more than he makes us vulnerable to counter attack. But look, he along with Wilson are our best players, so we can't be too picky until we start bringing players in.