The Fish

It's not so much two holding midfielders, but two players who can defend and break the initial press with either passing technique, or physicality. Bruno is that player, but to do the ol' double pivot properly, you'd need another like him.

That's the problem though, the minute we lost people to injuries and/or opponents sussed us out the need for a true DM became apparent. With a proper DM we can play 2 attacking fullbacks, two CMs (from a variety of options), and either a 10 and 2 forwards, 2 widemen and 1 forward, or whatever. Play a 6 and you could have two centre mids ahead of him who push into the wide areas like Joelinton and Willock, with the fullbacks driving more centrally, a number 10 in the hole and two strikers up top. You could play two passers like Bruno and Tonali, and wide players like Gordon and Almiron, with Isak in the middle? You could play a more counter attack style with combative midfielders ahead of the 6, and pace from Barnes, Willock and Isak on the break. With a number 10 you're not solving for what is, in my mind at least, our biggest issue; the demands of a high pressing game on a small squad..

Ah, betwixt. Well, even though I'm a fan of being a twat with words, this twee bollocks can fuck right off into the deepest hole there is; Mrs Wykiki's after a visit from Wilson.* *sorry Wykiki I'm in a mood.

What the twee fuck is twixmas?

I wonder if that's partly because when he was regularly playing under Benitez, the system forced opponents to gamble on lower percentage shots, so he looked like he made lots of saves and his stats were inflated a bit. In reality they were mostly straight down his throat from 25yds+. Now, under Howe because of injuries and fatigue, our more open style means the chances we're giving up are easier?

It'll really bake your noodle to find out that he wrote A Few Good Men too.

How do you mean? It's written by the same bloke, and he turned it into a series.

Tearing* down that road in my mother's Rover 100 was a hoot. *limping

Used to be the place for illicit meetings of folks practising their infidelity.

Or paying for someone else to do it in the shop.

Like what? Walter Mitty-esque? They fucking do like. I used to work with a bloke whose life, were any of it true, would be Hollywood material ten times over. Or do you mean nobody is so howl-at-the-moon mental when it comes to football they lose all sense of reason whenever their bitter rivals are mentioned? They do too. Just read that messageboard and the fury that pours off the screen from some regular contributors is astonishing. These are (mostly) grown men and women who cannot set aside petty partisan rivalry for a moment. People who somehow conflate supporting Sunderland with hating Newcastle. As Renton mentioned, we may well have a superiority complex when it comes to you, but we've got good fucking reason. Most of us are mid 30s to mid 50s, and for the past 20-40yrs Newcastle United have been superior to Sunderland in almost every season. Better players, better managers, better football, better finishes, better standard of competition, better crowds, just better. Of course some of us think Newcastle are better than Sunderland... we have been by pretty much every measure.

Any non-flat cappers we should be looking at there, Wykiki?

Was it " Try as you might, you'll never be as hot as me!" ? Because that would make sense for you to bring up in this exchange. Ya basic Bitch.

What, when men were men and all that? This is an ugly colour on you Scott. Very unpleasant.

I've got a bluesky account. It's aptly named, looks nice enough but there's very little to actually look at.

A marketing company employed by a billion dollar person/company. Because both of those entities will have a real idea about what football fans need/want.

If you're right about her levels of desperation, perhaps she provided the fluff for him from her... y'know, her "Growler"?

There've been a few divisive issues on this board; sitting vs standing, stats vs gut feel, Adam P vs non-weirdos. But Pie vs No Pie will act as the rallying cry that brings us all together. We have a common enemy now. Get him lads!