Binners - I also watched the Villa Liverpool game and you’re right about Liverpool’s defending. It was panicky stuff - Van Dijk especially with some hoods, slices and sclaffs up in the air. Seems to have lost his coolness under pressure.
Mind you, if Nunez could finish they’d have scored 5 or 6!
Mind you, if Nunez could finish they’d have scored 5 or 6!
At least it let the Villa fans sing the Andy Carroll song 😂
Thought Arsenal looked off in the first half, i was wondering what Saka and Martenelli were doing, but second half they came good, it was a decent result considering they weren't at their best and went a goal down, still wondering where the contact was for that penalty though, didn't see any in the replays!
Good win for Reading tonight with darwin nunez play-alike Andy Carroll scoring with a volley.
Well as a Geordie whose interest has waxed and waned under various owners and managers all I can say is that this Newcastle team has a work ethic, creativity, and solidity that I’ve never seen before. And that’s a result of primarily Eddie Howe’s coaching and management, but also a reaction to all the bullshit about the new owners.
What it proves to me is that stable and supportive management of the club is far more important than spending hundreds of millions (see Everton). Most of these players were heading towards relegation under Bruce, now they’re looking like league winners. The scary thing is that they’re still a work in progress. Carry on like this and Howe is going to go way beyond what Keegan and Robson ever did.
Carry on like this and Howe is going to go way beyond what Keegan and Robson ever did.
It does help when you're backed by a brutally repressive and filthy rich regime.
Can’t be a worse side in the league than Forest, surely? That was really poor.
It does help when you’re backed by a brutally repressive and filthy rich regime
If you'd posted that in 3 years time that may be true. But they've hardly spent £100m each on half a dozen superstar players, so no, not having that.
Nick Pope.
Kieran Trippier.
Chris Wood.
Matt Targett.
Bruno Guimaraes.
Big Dan Burn.
Sven Botman.
Alexander Isak.
It does help when you’re backed by a brutally repressive and filthy rich regime.
What have the clubs owners done that any others haven’t? Newcastle have spent far less than most other top premier league teams since the new owners have taken over. Their current achievements have got f-all to do with Saudi money.
Can’t be a worse side in the league than Forest, surely? That was really poor.
It looked like an Cup game against lower league opposition. Ironically, the Burnley cup game last week was far tougher.
Amazing that Forest are talking about signing even more players in January. Why? It’s an extremely bizarre philosophy. Let’s buy 3 entire squads worth of mediocre players
If you’d posted that in 3 years time that may be true.
Dazh was talking about the future.
What have the clubs owners done that any others haven’t?
Butchered a journalist and put his dismembered remains in a suitcase? Plenty of other stuff of course...
Butchered a journalist and put his dismembered remains in a suitcase?
Yes of course, Eddie Howe and his players are murderers. 🙄
No one who supports Newcastle is unaware of the dubious connections between the Saudi investment fund and Bin Salman. Unfortunately we don’t get to choose who owns the club. By all means let’s take the billions out of football and make it a working class grass roots sport again. I bet more Newcastle fans would support that than those of other big clubs.
Butchered a journalist and put his dismembered remains in a suitcase? Plenty of other stuff of course…
To be honest I could imagine Duncan Ferguson doing something like that but not Eddie Howe.
Yes of course, Eddie Howe and his players are murderers. 🙄
You asked what the club's owners had done, and I answered. Why the ridiculous response from you?
As it goes, I think Howe is a very good manager.
Just going back to last night I was hoping we'd nick a draw, but Man U away is always going to be one of the hardest games of the season, I'm just glad we didnt totally embarrass ourselves like we did at City and Arsenal, school boy marking for the first, second was sloppy hands and the third put the gloss on, I'd have been happier it stayed at 2.
We're going to have to sign a couple more players in Jan, we needed to sign what we did in the Summer as most of the team were out of contract, to old or just not good enough, but with 3-4 long term injuries from then, and Gibbs-White now crocked more will need to come in.
It's a giant step for clubs coming up, the last couple of Man U signings were in the 70-80m bracket, each, our top spend was 20m, thats where the mediocrity is, but what else do you do? turn up with a bunch of kids and 35+ year olds, you take the gamble and hope the manager gets something out of them, I really rate Cooper and it could turn out we yo-you a bit like most clubs taking that step, but I think we'll only yo-yo if we keep Cooper, if he goes I doubt we'll see us back in the Prem for another 20 years.
Get Chelsea out the way then back to the mini league of teams we should be beating, that'll seal our fait, and if we can't take points off them we shouldnt be there. Lot of hopes on Scarpa once he gets going in Jan, someone needs to actually put there foot on the ball and take what control they can of the game, hoping he should give us a bit.
To be honest I could imagine Duncan Ferguson doing something like that but not Eddie Howe.
Made me laugh
To be honest I could imagine Duncan Ferguson doing something like that but not Eddie Howe
😂
I reckon he’ll have actually threatened some players with it during his halftime team talk
@scratch - any manager is going to have a job on his hands trying to get that many new players to click as a unit. I suppose avoiding relegation is the goal this season.
But when you look at the table, it’s quite surprising a few of the names in and around you. You can see it going down to the final kick of the final game as to who goes down, with various teams dropping in and out of the relegation zone, week by week, one win or loss at a time. The rest of this season is going to be bonkers at the bottom and the top, with some mad results. The table is crazy at the moment
I don't think it's been the gelling of the squad so much, Coopers ex England so is used to getting what he wants out of a squad in a short period, the individual errors have seen us ship a bunch of goals though (see last night)
And I get the toothless comments but that's how we're set up, deal with the less possession, contain and when the chance arises make sure those 2/3 killer passes are spot on and get a shot off, there's no point going to City etc with a Roy of the Rovers Hollywood attitude, you'd get shanked week in week out against players costing half our squad, so I understand what he's doing, but as a supporter you want to see your team take the game by the scruff of the neck so it is hard to deal with, but from what I understand is a similar philosophy to Spurs, which their fans are struggling to deal with as well
Grealish is worrying anyone sat in Row Z at Elland Road tonight
Most of these players were heading towards relegation under Bruce, now they’re looking like league winners.
As an Albion season ticket holder, I could say the same for our players. Obviously different league, but it's night and day now that fat cabbage headed ****er has ****ed off from our club along with his ****ing **** of a son.
Couple of assists for Grealish second half though. They’ve been great City but god they like a ‘tactical’ foul don’t they - especially Rodri. Could’ve been booked 2 or 3 times before he actually was!
He had the front to get really shirty with the ref about the booking too.
To be fair, most top teams have at least one midfielder who will regularly ‘take one for the team’ to stop promising looking counters. It’s very much part of the game. One of my safest bets, whenever he’s on the pitch, was for James Milner to get carded. He did it all the time. In fact, if you were being unkind, you could say that in his later career it’s pretty much all he did. Fabhino now seems to have taken over the role
The undisputed grandmaster of the art was Paul Scholes though. Casemiro is shaping up to look like the best midfielder we’ve had since him and he’s not shy of the ‘substantial’ challenge either.
Let’s be honest, we all love having ‘none shall pass’ midfielders like that when you’re sat on a fragile lead 😉
Liverpool have been poor, but two absolute gifts of OGs are giving them the lead, Faes is on a hattrick for Liverpool tonight, just a shame he's playing for leicester 😂
Yep, they were fortunate to win that. Midfield is particularly porous when Fabinho doesn’t play.
On the strength of their last couple of games I’m looking forward to watching Liverpool play a side that isn’t relegation fodder #kloppout 😂
Yeah, but they tend to pick themselves up for those, the last Man City game was like that, they're just a bit all over the place, Van Dijk isn't having a great season, the full backs are also struggling, i know Carragher was having a Trent AA love in last night, but he rarely put in a good ball and was AWOL at the goal, Robertson was horrific.
Will be interesting to see if they get a top 4 this season, it's more injury problems and loss of form for them, but it's getting tight at the top for those CL places this season, ManU are on it, Newcastle as well.
Unbelievable Jeff 🙂
https://twitter.com/bbcmotd/status/1608959242827976704?s=46&t=FmqlX-P-oiuxXv86YmDbEA
Kammy’s podcast on BBC Sounds is great. They had Ian Holloway on yesterday who was absolutely hilarious! Well worth a listen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0cpx9nk?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
what's naughty Marcus been doing then?
what’s naughty Marcus been doing then?
Had a night out on Tuesday. The man who "got rid of Ronaldo" is showing who's boss.
Man of the match again and coming on to make all the difference, so you can’t really complain.
That was a bit squeaky bum time at the end. Top four again though and carrying on with the same momentum we had before the break 😃
Bloody hell Arsenal!
Not really missing Jesus then? 😳
Has no-one told them that it's after Christmas now and time for them to collapse?
Well we’re a few weeks behind schedule, so maybe we pencil it in for the beginning of February? 😂
Newcastle, Spurs and Man U up next. Come through them with a win or two and you never know! City aren’t as good chasing…..
On the strength of this performance, I doubt they need to worry too much about Spurs. I can’t comprehend how they’re still 5th. Villa are dealing with them without much difficulty
Edit: right on cue, there’s the second Villa goal. Spurs are woeful!
Spurs are just a struggle to work out, they have no real wingers or overlapping full backs and you then have Kane and Son running away from goal to the wings to move the ball, which opposition love, Son just seems to be going through a bad patch, a poor WC and now not really doing much, other than falling over a lot.
I only watch Spurs nowadays to see what comedy fall Kane will orchestrate in the game.
Maybe they might have more luck if Kane and Son experimented with the novel concept of actually staying on their feet when anyone comes within 3 metres of them?
I’m amazed none of their defence ended up getting sent off either.
Liverpool looking shaky, Brentord have had the ball in the Liverpool net 4 times, but only 2 count so far.
Nice of the scousers to see if they can ship more goals to Brentford than we did.
Absolutely shocking defending for all four goals and they haven’t even got Harry Maguire in their defence, though quite a few are doing more than passable impressions 😂
To be fair, Brentford are giving nearly everyone a problem, they beat city the last game before the WC.
And it is a team effort, no outstanding "individual talent" they are very balanced and there is very little media talk of them losing players to traditionally bigger teams.
Back in it now, don't know who scored, the commentators are just repeating the worlds Trent Alexander-Arnold and world class every few seconds, it was a nice cross, but talking about it for 5 minutes is a bit much!
Liverpool just haven't been able to replace Mane, his running and a little spite used to keep the opposition on the back heel.
Yeah, losing Mane was a big hit up front, but resigning Andy Carroll wasn't a great decision either.
I think the bigger issue is the perseverance of playing such a high line, it worked for a bit but it's been sussed out and Van Dijk isn't anywhere near his best.
resigning Andy Carroll
Andy Carroll plays for Reading?
Andy Carroll plays for Reading?
could’ve sworn I saw him up front for Liverpool tonight 😂
Konate has the pace for a high defensive line but VVD no longer seems to - age but more likely the serious knee injury to blame? He also seems far more anxious than he used to. Allison bails them out so often in one on ones as well, can’t keep doing so.
Midfield is poor - not athletic enough. Thiago needs some legs and physicality around him. Nunez will come good….,,,I think…..said that a few times now!
Should focus more on Brentford though - superb result and performance, debunking second season syndrome good and proper.
Andy Carroll plays for Reading?
If the Villa fans chant from last week is correct then Liverpool haven’t re-signed Andy Carrol, but an … ahem … ‘inferior’ version of him 😂
Should focus more on Brentford though – superb result and performance, debunking second season syndrome good and proper
They were brilliant! Looking at the next lot of fixtures and on present form they could well be above Liverpool in the table by next week
I like watching Brentford, they are still a fans club, owned by someone who supports them, and made up of a mix of players who came through with the club from the EFL, with the addition of a few young players for decent fees.
They are a really physical and fast team, i love seeing the EPL letting little niggly stuff go, or the play acting, with the third goal for Brentford being a great example, so easy for a ref to blow when Konate falls over, the pressure of making a mistake against the big team on their mind, but they let it play now and unless it's blatant, VAR tends to agree with the ref.
As for Liverpool, they're not out of it, they just weren't in that game yesterday, they are a pretty unlucky team for injuries over the last few seasons, without Firminho, Jota and Diaz they're really struggling to change things up front, as much as i joke about Nunez, he is a great young player, but you can see he's trying too hard at times.
I'm sure Nunez will come good, it's very early days and it's not like he's not getting chances. He's hit the post more than anyone else this season iirc.
Injuries aren't helping again as the bench last night showed but I think central midfield is what we're missing. We tried to sign Tchouameni in the summer which could have made a big difference. Also if you look at the number of players who are currently performing at or near their best, perhaps only Alison?
I tend to agree with Carragher when he said we need another Wijnaldum. I thought we were at our best when we had the unspectacular trio of Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Henderson who just battled and got the ball back to our forwards as fast as possible.
I tend to agree with Carragher when he said we need another Wijnaldum. I thought we were at our best when we had the unspectacular trio of Fabinho, Wijnaldum and Henderson who just battled and got the ball back to our forwards as fast as possible.
Yeah, but that was at a time when you had Firminho, Salah and Mane playing at their best and creating and taking the chances between them. I think having 3 midfielders who were more defensive than attacking let the full backs do their thing, now you have Thiago and Elliott in there, gaps are appearing and teams spot the areas of weakness a bit more.
I think Klopp will work out the way to make it work again, it easy to say they're weak in midfield, but whatever they do, it'll have an effect on the defence or forwards, all the talk of Bellingham is a bit of weird one, i honestly think only clubs in Manchester can afford to spend that much on one player just now.
Klippity is also running the risk of becoming the new Maureen with the constant moaning and blaming refs/VAR/other teams tactics/anyone but us/me. Last nights excuses were particularly churlish and feeble
Klippity is also running the risk of becoming the new Maureen with the constant moaning and blaming refs/VAR/other teams tactics/anyone but us/me. Last nights excuses were particularly churlish and feeble
Did he mention not being able to compete financially at all. if not it's a first 😀
Looks like everyone’s going to be carded by the end of this game. Every challenge seems to result in one. The ref had completely lost control by 15 minutes in. Throwing cards out like confetti.
Did I just hear that right? Everton have just shipped 3 goals in 6 minutes to Brighton? 😳
It’s incredible to spend the money they have and end up with a pub side. Quite an achievement
I think the sand's running out for Frank......
Looks like everyone’s going to be carded by the end of this game.
Antonio Mateu Lahoz, the Spaniard that gave 17 cards in the NED vs ARG game beat his own record at the weekend, in Barcelona vs Espanol. This guy's not a patch on him.
Did I just hear that right? Everton have just shipped 3 goals in 6 minutes to Brighton? 😳
smells like sacked at halftime
Did I just hear that right? Everton have just shipped 3 goals in 6 minutes to Brighton? 😳
Not really that surprising. Lucky it was only 3 tbh.
Rodgers or Lampard?
The Arsenal game was getting pretty nasty there, you can see how much they miss Jesus, they don't have much up front when teams play that tight around the box, can see a signing being imminent.
don't need a thread for it but if you haven't stuck with the darts after the football ended, get it on quick!
we've even had a nine darter - after MvG had missed x12 for a nine darter in the same leg!
Frank sacked, Moyes returns to Everton to replace him, Rodger’s sacked then takes over at West Ham, and then Leicester…
The premier league being the premier league they’ll probably contrive something even more mental than that
Thought Frank would get the boot. He must be loaded, Shirley he could buy a pub with Stevie G - The Golden Generation Arms or such like.
Lol! TV studios beckon for them both. More than ever it seems good/great players don’t make good managers, Pep aside.
Shirley he could buy a pub with Stevie G – The Golden Generation Arms or such like
But they could never both be on the premises at the same time
I'm not sure i know what offside is anymore going by this game, Salah scores a goal where he's a yard off, but because the defender 'played' the ball he becomes onside, but he only played it due to Salah being nearby, now Wolves have a goal struck off for offside, when VAR didn't actually show the evidence, he looked on, in both 'phases'.
They went with the on field decision because there was no camera in line for a VAR check. It did look tight.
I understand the reasoning but harsh on Wolves, given that the Liverpool keeper gave them their two goals
The Newcastle v Wednesday game was a cracker earlier!
Liverpool are so poor! That was pretty bad v Wolves second string - so easy to play against and they look so un Klopp like with Thiago strutting about like a quarter back trying to play Hollywood passes. No intensity anymore, especially in midfield.
The Newcastle v Wednesday game was a cracker earlier
It was an absolute belter. A proper cup tie and Wednesday thoroughly deserved the win
I may be biased, but it took me less than 3 minutes with my Virgin remote to work out that the corner taker was being played onside by TAA…they got it completely wrong.
Not a Liverpool fan but Thiago is not the same player since his Bayern days. But I like is play as used play in the same position.
The whole Liverpool high line thing just isn’t working any more because everyone has sussed out how to play against it. Klopp doesn't appear to have a plan B though
I’m thoroughly enjoying him persevering with it though 😂
You're right. I think you need a real stopper on midfield. The best teams had one
Burnley look really good. They’re obviously going to be going straight back up again at the end of the season and it looks like they’re going to be quite capable of causing some serious upsets. Kompany has done an amazing job!
You’re right. I think you need a real stopper on midfield. The best teams had one
They used to have one, was among the best in the world. Chap called Fabinho. What has happened to him! He’s not even old (for a footballer).
SW v NUFC was a proper banging cup game! As a Utd fan I'm disappointed we're out as it would be great to win something finally, and while we're still in the Carabao cup, it's the Carabao cup and the FA cup is way sexier
OTOH not all bad, the squad isn't really deep enough yet to fight 3 fronts and to thus be able to maintain a decent challenge in the league and have some Euro nights, and make the project more attractive in the summer window is not a terrible silver lining to last night's cloud
On the game itself, as I said cracking! Utd were the better team in terms of possession, chances, etc. But Weds took theirs, their keeper had a good night, and to channel my inner Clough at Wood...."for missing that YOU WANT BLOODY SHOOTING!!"
We still lack a real quality striker, hopefully Isak playing 45 mins only is easing back in rather than a HT concern, and although I like Wilson a lot he's not top top and also injury prone.
Still Reading my first team won, with a wonder goal from a kid too!
He's still around, they just don't have the same structure in the team anymore, they're older, more injury prone and a couple of them have lost a yard of pace, and i mean that through the team, you used to have the top line chasing everything, full backs running up the field and Henderson/Wijnaldun/Fabinho falling in to cover, and centre backs you could rely on being able to keep up with the best, and behind them.
They've just got older as a team, key players have been injured and just not able to get back to the old standard, sadly it's what happens to most great teams, they lost Mane up front, Firminho isn't the same, Fabinho and Henderson have been in and out due to injury and Thiago the same, on their day they're as good as anyone, but they just don't play together that often due to injuries and form, that's the difference between them and Man City, Man City have better cover for positions and they have mostly kept the core players injury free and rotate them regularly on purpose, rather than due to necessity.
I think this year has shown most that a few teams are really just one season from success or failure, all the cries of ManU needing 3 years was a joke, they spent a fortune, had the players, they just needed a solid manager and the pressure taken off, same with Newcastle, those two clubs are running without much pressure from the media or fans, and are taking advantage of it.
hopefully Isak playing 45 mins only is easing back in rather than a HT concern
Twitter talk was that he'd get 65 minutes max, so not overly concerned with that.
You're right about squad depth though. If there's to be any European football next season, we'll need more than a good 1st team to have a good run at it.
I may be biased, but it took me less than 3 minutes with my Virgin remote to work out that the corner taker was being played onside by TAA…they got it completely wrong.
I have wondered before if the var cameras and the TV cameras are different systems and the var officials don't have access to the views that the viewers do. There have been a few incidents where it seems so obvious on the TV replays of an incident that decision is wrong that I just can't believe that anyone seeing it doesn't overturn the decision.
I have wondered before if the var cameras and the TV cameras are different systems and the var officials don’t have access to the views that the viewers do.
There is no VAR for the FA Cup.