Gemmill

Renton reading this from his Tynemouth abode...

https://archive.ph/GbGRb Calm heads prevailing. Exactly what is needed.

Burn will be back around about the same time as half their first team gets back from AFCON.

Quite happy for CT to be called the anti-Gemmill.

The mackems will be absolutely loving their visits to this place today.

The more of this stuff you see, the more convinced I am that he's a canny way down the path with dementia.

Woltemade is class and will come good given time. He was bought after the season had started, hoyed straight in, he swam instead of sinking (thank fuck), but now he needs a rest and some patience.

Not in the middle of the season when they've had no time to train to that system, he won't.

I blame this all on the dearth of liberty caps.

I just mentioned in my other post though, even if you decided to go all out press again, it needs drilling into them again and there isn't the time. And it's a really high risk strategy so you can't do it without everyone knowing their role like the back of their hand. We're between a rock and a hard place.

Howe keeps saying after the games that the retreating to the edge of our box is NOT the game plan. The problem is there's no time to actually work on what the game plan actually should be. We might have been better just going back to the all out press, but even that would need drilling on the training ground, and there isn't the time. A huge part of the problem is that we're still trying to establish our new identity (post intensity), and we're trying to do it without anytime on the training pitch. I think Wilson will understand all of this, and he'll be the one that Hopkinson will be talking to, so hopefully we don't see any daft, rash decisions. Honestly, Howe deserves at least two more seasons with some stability at exec level for me, before anyone can start thinking about a replacement.

I don't think it's that he can't work out how to play 3 times a week, I think it's more that the squad a) isn't good enough, and b) where it is "good enough" we've got massive underperformance from key individuals. The first team has been hugely weakened in the most important position on the pitch because of the departure of Isak (and long term injury to his direct replacement). Then there's the complete non-performance of the likes of Gordon and Joelinton, and more recently Tonali who looks totally off at the minute. Botman being injured means we're flogging Burn who looks like he's on the downslope of his career now unfortunately. We've been missing our first choice fullbacks most of the season. Barnes is the only winger we could say is having a good season, and even he's very hit and miss. Elanga frankly looks shit (although I don't think he is, and I think long term he'll come good but he's really testing the fucking patience at the minute). We're massively missing Trippier's leadership too, particularly in closing out games. There's loads I'd look to change before the manager, starting with our new DoF coming up with some exciting young Premier League ready continental talent. Hopefully that begins in January and we can kick on in the second half of the season. When you take our squad and compare it with other teams trying to play 3 hard games in a week AND maintain a top 4/5 position, we're miles behind them even playing at our best. When you add poor form in key positions into the mix, and consider the margins at this level, I still think it's incredible that we're holding it together as well as we are.

But enough about Strictly!

Wait a minute...... PaddockLad is SCOTTISH?!

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has 4 times as many goals as Alexander Isak this season.

He can fuck yours if he likes.

If we win against Fulham this week, we've got results in the two most important games of the week. Of course I'd love us to have beaten them, but fuck it, we'll get them at SJP, and we've won a trophy this year. Their league position over us less than halfway through the season is their trophy.

Arsenal and City are light years ahead of us, to the point where making the comparison between us and them is crackers. Villa were in a MUCH better spot than us in 2021 when the takeover happened, and have continued to spend since then. Also, Emery hasn't won them a trophy.

It's still 2025, the year we won our first domestic trophy in 70 years, and the Howe Out list is growing.

"guy"

Nice one cheers mate, will do. 🍻

I got a Furch acoustic. A vintage 2 OM in Sitka spruce and Indian rosewood. It's lush. And made by a company with a rebel past - an underground guitar maker in the old communist Czechoslovakia. I'd post a picture but I don't get it until after Christmas cos it needs a setup. 😭

Hey, speak for yourself, I bought a guitar and turned 50.

Craig, how's your acca doing?