James

Completely! And if it doesn’t work, then “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

(I don’t expect us to finish in the UCL places every season. I don’t expect us to be this predictably and routinely easy to beat either, though.)

Neither is performing how we are this season.

I agree on that. I don’t think there’s a manager available who would make us much better, and personally I just really want Howe to succeed. Just a really frustrating season.

I agree on that - but I also think there is a distinct lack of an effective style or plan for this group of players. The strikers in particular. I don’t disagree with those potential solutions (summer window, pre-season), but think we should be harder to beat than we are now, too.

I agree it’s not all on Eddie’s door, but there are so many matches this season where vastly lesser-funded sides have been harder to beat, better drilled, and/or frankly just better than us by a long shot. Tactically and creatively we’ve been crap. The eye test doesn’t lie.

(They’re not catalysts if nothing changes.)

Of course there’s an argument it makes no difference, harms their confidence etc. And I get that. But when you see the same crap month after month you can be forgiven as a fanbase for curiosity creeping in.

What I find frustrating about NUFC’s lack of rotation / ‘risking’ youngsters isn’t that I think ‘we should because they’ll definitely do OK or better’. It’s that it would just be good to know, and we’re crap with known quantities anyway. So why not try them? (A. Murphy, Shahar, hell even Neave.)

Not to mention Joelinton’s groin - a carbon copy of the post-HT injury against Sunderland a few seasons ago. Too many consecutive games for him*. Poor rotation, and there were options at LCM.

(*hindsight argument doesn’t rub - Bunce & co. are paid millions to anticipate and mitigate.)

I don’t think the price will have much to do with it. He’ll have better options in terms of wages, silverware and the chance to play with better players than he will have with us.

I think there is a negligible chance we re-sign Anderson. He’ll end up at one of City, Man U or Liverpool.

Only players I'd be gutted to lose would be Bruno, Hall, Miley and Thiaw. Anyone else can go for the right money (not because they're not good; but most seem replaceable enough and/or just aren't massively endearing from a personality perspective.)

We could go 3-0 up at Anfield and I wouldn’t get excited 😅 Such a shame we didn’t get Ekitike either time we tried.

I’m happy! I don’t mind us trying something different and it not working - because then you know.

Mentally exhausting too.

Steve Bruce era Willock is back! 7 more of those on the spin please fella.

UCL reffing is so pedantic.

Adding another ‘big space’ attacker in Elanga was a weird move. We doubled down on a style that we then seemed to try to transition away from. To have four wingers that more or less all do the same thing is pretty unimaginative squad building.

That’s happened loads this season. Whole attack just looks random.

Yeah. It’s an 8th or thereabouts isn’t it. Miley and Botman have been great today. Be interesting to see what we do with Woltemade next season.

Been a vulnerability for years that, little balls in between the lines. Got a feeling we’re gonna get a lesson in game management from here on in… 😬

Villa deserve this. We’ve been so poor in attack. To everyone that says we have no training time, Woltemade and Wissa need to settle etc - the point is there are no signs of improved integration with either. Barnes recent goals aside, our attack - as a unit - looks completely unfamiliar.

Botman has been superb mind. #NUFC

This has a “won’t score if we played until midnight” feel, doesn’t it.

Fair!

Been a vulnerability for years that, little balls in between the lines. Got a feeling we’re gonna get a lesson in game management from here on in… 😬

I'm sure they will. He might seem cheap if Hall gets injured though...

Am I alone in thinking that NUFC should be all over a move for Andy Robertson?! ~1.5 year contract as cover for Hall would be pretty good, no?

I’m confident about tonight’s game… which is usually a death knell 😂 #NUFC