Ayatollah Hermione

In another life, you two would definitely be Wolfy’s acid-dropping conspiracy pals

Must be a stressful morning at his job that allows him to prattle on on here all morning

Thought 4-1 was pretty harsh, even if we were well beaten by the better side. It was heartening to see a Newcastle side go to Old Trafford with the intention of winning and I was well impressed with the amount of second balls, scraps and challenges we were coming out of in the first half. When Gayle scored, you knew that they'd peg us back but if we had got to half time at 1-1, we may have built on that and hurt them; especially considering Hayden should have scored after his excellent work at the end of the first half. I think, without Lascelles, the back four is a shambles, mind. Lascelles has a long way to go as a centre half but he seems to demand focus and concentration from his back four and they respond. Lejeune seems a decent centre half but he's absolutely lost at the minute. It's understandable since he's settling into a new country but when you combine it with Clark beginning to struggle at PL level, you end up with situations like today when crosses are flying into the box and we're desperate. Speaking of crosses in the box, I'm not sure what Mbemba has to do to get back in at left back but Manquillo was turned inside out today. Yedlin wasn't much better but he's quick enough to make amends when he is caught out. Either way, their goals came from crosses that our wide players did the bare minimum to protect. Still, that was a side who worked and gave Man Utd a game for the first 45 minutes. All it would have took was some better decision making from Murphy (he could have squared to Ritchie on the break who, definitely, would have at least hit the target) and a decent finish from Hayden and you go in with the advantage. Still, this is the side that will finish 2nd. Today, they could bring on Ibrahimovic for Martial while we subbed Gayle for Diame. It's a reminder of where we want to be and how far we are away from it. We're a side, assembled on a shoe string, but organised by a world class manager. If the takeover comes, next time around, we might have the money to turn that first half performance into an away win to remember. Though, as we are, you admit when you're beaten and move on.

Mind, we said that about Moyes.

Aye, it's one thing presiding over a unique set of circumstances where they were propelled off the back of a world class talent, albeit with a decently organised side around him to taking over, what you have to believe, is the hardest job in English football at the minute. At least, in the top two leagues anyway. Basically, you're needing someone to eradicate an ingrown, toxic culture of lies, substance abuse and a defeatist, losing mentality that stretches back until about 2012 and if he can do that, then fair fucking play to him. You look at Euro 2016 and aye, that was a good run but you forget that we beat them and that was a shocking England side at the end of an poor tenure. To get to the Semis, they squeezed past Northern Ireland, gave Belgium a hiding tbf to them - though that was a Belgium side that was so, so poor when you consider the talent they have - before succumbing to a better organised side with a better world class talent. I think their journey felt more impressive because it was wrapped up in a tournament where so many teams (Belgium, Germany and Spain especially) underperformed and the trappings of the first ever 32 team Euros. Not begrudging the Welsh for celebrating it, like but Portugal had to get past Croatia, an early favourite, and a Poland side with one of the best strikers in the world and their victory over Wales was pretty cut and dry.

He'll be thrilled to work with Jonny Williams again.

They’re considering shutting off the top tier so it looks better on the telly. That’s not a joke btw.

Aye, I’d have thought McCoist would be the definition of cheap. I imagine he wasn’t on much at Rangers.

2010. I’m sure it was three 0-0s as well. What a waste of time.

No chance that Davis had a decent answer either.

Stranger Things season 2. Winona Ryder is still dangerously fit.

I am a regular reader of FutureTimeline in a desperate attempt to convince myself that they'll reverse the aging process right as I'm about to pack in so I can Benjamin Button my way through some future tarts.

Been finding Exodus worse and worse recently and, tbh, I didn't even bother myself to look for an alternative. I'll give Poseidon a bash before watching Stranger Things.

Parky, how long until the Chinese incorporate all of Europe into one of their new fangled mega-cities?

I actually forgot about Lallana and aye, he's got some class about him

"The part of the season where they don't play very well either" EITHER? There's been about one part of the DECADE so far where they haven't been absolute dogshit. That wife in the tie is an absolutely perfect summation of that lot btw. It's a frenzied, fierce hatred wrapped up in total delusion under a completely transparent air of "I'm not bothered about them". Someone should write a thesis on it.

Did Owen not go to 06, drastically unfit and then do his cruciate/knee/whatever it was against Ecuador?

Reckon playing the kids sounds good in theory but not sure they could hack the pressure if they managed to progress. Mind, saying that, neither could the older heads at the last tournaments so I’ve got no idea what to do.

Also, this thread clearly lacks my expert previews and analysis in the first post so it isn’t the real World Cup thread

There’s just nowt in midfield. No flair, one-paced, no vision but they do all run around a lot which is what crap managers like Southgate love

Nowt planned yet but I will say I'm pissed off that one of my favourite traditions - getting pissed and watching us play on Boxing Day - has been scuppered by Sky.

I used to love reading results/match reports as well. My dad had a big stack of Black & White magazines stretching from our promotion to 95/96 so I had an innate knowledge of when Scott Sellars scored, even without watching him. I also had a huge book, that I can find no info on now, that had the complete results of England's First Division from its inception until about 1985, which I'm assuming was my Dads. I think it had Cup results in, along with some little historical articles to give some context. I used to read that cover to cover when I was bored.

Were the tickets like rocking horse shit for that tournament? Looking back, I'm surprised my dad and his brothers didn't get to any.

Anyone seen that big list of players who aren't going btw? It has some lads from places like Gabon and Wales who never go anyway but consider some of the players that play for Holland, Italy, Chile etc and you realise that it's a good chance for some new lads to make a name for themselves in this tournament. Having said that, they should put all the good players who aren't going in a hat and do a draw. So, the likes of Panama pick a name out of a hat, Robben, for instance, and he plays for them for the duration that they're in the tournament.

Also, Shelvey not going and his LIDL equivalent, Mooy going, just isn't on.