Isak is a strange one. Seems to be brilliant or awful from what I’ve seen of him? Missing some consistency?
**** me. So it’s our championship CB pairing of Lascelles and Schar? Still at least we signed a teenage left back.
Don't tell them anything they don't like to hear mate, but I know what you're saying. I'd make a case it depends on the side. Newcastle are themselves a bit hitty missy.
The changes were the difference. That’s the difference between an elite coach and a good one. Howe will learn (I hope) pretty quick. He got schooled unfortunately.
At the moment Howe's only really done a Pardew......achieved safety, over-achieved, so what next? Back to mid-table, or push on? Wherever we are in the 5 year plan - and it's nearly 2 years already.- the goal this season has to be again to challenge top 4. You don't do that with safe players and rigid tactics.
One season is not enough to make a big judgement either way. If Newcastle can assert themselves in the top 8 for a year or 2 then that's progress.
We did precisely that last season... not saying it''s the way, but it's what we've just done. There's an insane amount of bed wetting going on here. It's embarrassing. Had we beaten Liverpool 1-0, what would the soundtrack be? We've played 3 good sides. Smashed one. Narrowly lost against the best team on the planet, with the best coach on the planet, and then capitulated on Sunday to give up a 1-0 lead, when we were comfortably the better side for long periods, 11v11. Mistakes were made. That is all.
Agreed mate. Howe needs to learn now. You have to get the right decisions at the right time. Like I say it’s the difference between elite and good. He’s a good manager. He can learn by his mistakes to be an elite one. There is time. Not plenty of it. But time. Look at how many managers Man City went through before getting it right.
The thing is it's a fine line.. he'll make the same decisions and win games while not exhausting players.
Back to earth with a bump! Still not calmed down after Sundays game, was literally seething at the time! TBH we got what we deserved for not killing the game off. Also think Howe is trying to hard to keep the squad players happy. Tonali, Gordon and Joelinton were running the show and to take those three off was a huge mistake - easy in hindsight but Tonali especially is running things for us currently and shouldn't be making way for anyone in the squad. Longstaff for Bruno I could have seen and maybe Joelinton for Willock when he's fit would have been a decent move but Tonali and Gordon should have stayed on, Miggy would have been the change for me or even Miggy for Wilson, shift Isak out wide with Wilson through the middle. And then use a couple of subs later to disrupt the flow of the game. Strange as we seemed very pleased to control the ball and just knock it about instead of trying to kill off the game, if your doing that go 3/5 at the back later and and really force them to work for it. Their first goal had some serious luck the way it bounced off Botman and was their first shot on target since the red card and should have been saved really. Second goal shows why defence needs to be the priority signings next summer (maybe even Jan). Equally though if we get another one earlier in the second half it could have turned into a Villa type result in the end. Difficult as we didn't deserve to lose but weren't good enough to kill the game and you reap what you sow gifting opportunities to teams like Liverpool in that position but if you'd offered me 3 points on the board and a +GD after these three games when the fixtures popped out I'd taken it. As Shearer said, no need to panic... YET - but need a BIG reaction against Brighton now.
