Newcastle United vs Tottenham Hotspur. Sat 13th April. 12:30pm KO

[StripiestPilot]

If we properly meant business and Levy and Co were serious about going to the next level/challenging for a title we'd go big on a tricky winger like Iñaki Williams, a proper #9 (Toney? Isak? Gimenez?) and probably another midfielder to replace Bissouma, who has flattered to deceive. And yes, the money is there and available if we really wanted to go for it.

Realistically? It'll be Gallagher, Gibbs White and whoever else is cheap/available that'll look like an OK signing on paper but ultimately won't be good enough (like Werner, Richarlison, Solomon etc).

You moan about Gallagher and Gibbs White but Gordon is a similar profile of player and he just tore us a new arsehole.

There’s no guarantees with transfers, I think generally the players we have signed in the last 2 years have had good quality so I’m not too worried about that. Players like Werner and Solomon are cheap squad fillers not major targets. When we’ve spent money under Paratici it’s generally been spent well.

 

[Ulrika Jonsson]

I admittingly haven't watched any of their games but aren't players like Devine, Donely, and Scarlett supposed to be that?

Neither Devine nor Phillips are getting game time for a relegation threatened champo team. Cant see they are ready for our first team.

 

[brumspur]

Too fucking lightweight -,udogie getting outmuscled by Gordon /,FFS I’d retire in shame if I allowed that to happen to me but it sums up the team - udogie Werner Johnson son kulu sarr and Maddison couldn’t punch their way out of a paper bag - you can have all the skill in the world but no good if you can’t win a challenge - what’s the old adage - you have to win the battle to earn the right to play your football - something we clearly can’t do

 

[Jaynola]

They look mentally soft. Weak as fuck.
Constantly going down looking for fouls.
Need to remember who they play for, we don't get free kicks often so fucking stay up and fight for it. No aggression or tenacity.

How can they turn up and play like that? They getting cocky? The soundbytes coming out from the players in interviews and club content really don't match the actions on the pitch. They seem lazy and unmotivated.
When the chips are down there is no steel in the team to say that's enough and drag them back into the game. That was a total rollover

Well said, my man.

Our last leadership committee with Hugo, Dier and even Harry was already questionable mental strength wise. But this one? With Sonny, Cuti, Mads, Biss...what a joke, and not a funny one.

Sick of players putting on this great shirt and not being ready to take a bullet for it. Sick of that loser mentality who is fine with 4th/5th and shameful early exists in the cups every damn season.

You put a Baresi, Keane, Vidic, Kahn, Puyol or friggin Vieira in that locker room...man, not many would make it past the first day.

 

[Pathfinder]

As said earlier because our forward line isn't equipped to deal with the ball, we get all the possession but can do nothing with it in the final third against a back 5 which is all we seem to face now to counter our football.
We need proper forwards, for example richarlison would've had two today in Werner's place

I am not against Spurs getting "better" forwards but even Barca - with Neymar, Suarez & Messi in the forward line - had problems to break down teams that parked the bus...and the few games they lost they usually lost from opposition's counter attacks.
However, it was mainly the defense that lost Spurs the game vs Toons as every Toon goal was due blatant errors in the Spurs defense.

 

[Jimmy G]

The front 4 were awful, they carried very little threat and kept giving the ball away cheaply in bad areas allowing them to counter with ease, he wont but it may help to play a 433 for a few games and leave Maddison out, this might help our midfield to control games better

 

[Top_Spur]

I didn't watch the last half hour of the game yesterday as I was that fucked off. We didn't start the game too bad imo, but we give away such soft goals every single game we play and it kills any momentum we are building.

Half the problem stems from Son playing down the middle. Never thought I'd say it, but we miss Richarlison, not that he's the best striker in the world but he can actually play with his back to goal. Get Son back on the wing and actually have a physical presence down the middle because currently we have no one who can actually hold onto the ball. Kulu did do that for a period but obviously he's gone off the boil.

The goals we conceded yesterday were dreadful, literally schoolboy. The 3rd one where Isaak ran from his own half was embarrassing in that period of the game. Set pieces are an absolute shocker too.

We have a long way to go and Ange has done alot of good this season even if some things can be improved, the fans that constantly moan and want a manager sacked deserve fuck all btw.

 

[Hotspurpaul]

I was absolutely inundated with disagrees and filthy remarks (mostly @ginoflair) but an awful lot of hostility from all quarters when I posted this before but I'm going to say it again anyway. Ange is out of his depth in the PL. One dimension, no idea about defense....some championship football might be a good idea for a couple of seasons but he's lost against the better PL teams imo...
I think I got at least 13 disagrees but I'm sticking to my guns. We'll never win anything without an out and out striker and a defense not full of headless chickens
Maddison and Richarlison mostly a waste of money so far.

We've not lost to any of the top 3 this season......or Utd........

 

[nicoclaesen]

Yesterday was the first time I was so pissed off with this team and manager this season. Yes we’ve had some poor days but yesterday stank.
From the slow lethargic play,giving corners away constantly(16 in fact), playing safe passes,players playing in front of Newcastle and not making runs in behind,making the wrong decisions in the final third nearly every time,being weak from every area of the pitch. But the biggest thing was we got outfought and overpowered by every Newcastle player for 95 minutes.
The fact that when things were going wrong as we still play the same way is baffling. We make subs and play the same way. There has to be a tweak or a complete change of formation because Newcastle went man for man on us and were aggressive as fuck and we couldn’t handle it. A change of formation would disrupt them and let us get a foothold back in the game but we just bumbled through till the final whistle hoping it would change rather than make it change.
I’m not giving up on this team in any way but it could get horrible in the next few games if we don’t get ourselves up for the battle and be more flexible to how we play against teams who’ve found us out a bit.

 

[Fattynomates]

I'm trying to see the positives and I have come to the conclusion that if we had a proper Striker - Lets see someone Like Toney but without the attitude and We had someone better on the left than Timo ( Peak Sonny) and we had someone like peak Dembele protecting the defence then we would be looking a lot better
Thats 3 players we need and its Ange's First season , compare it to the first season of any of the other top 3 managers and its similar , granted it might not work out but we really need to just try and stick this one out- the thing that worries me is the lack of fight in the team - we have a soft belly and just seem to want to roll over and get tickled! Maybe its just modern day football in general but I want to see players ready to go to war when they put that shirt on!

 

[Richard Arlison]

I would organise a friendly or two for next weekend behind closed doors. Smash some hopeless team to beef up confidence then play a team similar to arsenals style.

The ONLY positive thought that crossed my mind from that game was that at least it was against the barcodes that we crumbled against a press. It was the first game in ages that anyone actually pressed us and we were shook.

That shit with Vicario kicking long because we are scared to be play the press can’t run against the goon cunts.

 

[Two Left Feet]

Teams have now figured that a block with a break can easily kill us off, because we have not figured out how to attack a block.
We do it wrong and don’t seem to be able to see it. We build up slowly from the back and give the opposition full chance to build up the defence in front of us. Then we try and break the defence with lots of short little ground passes which are never going to get the job done.
Clearly what we need to do is ultilse the speed of Sonny, Timo and Brennan and get out quickly with long passes whilst the defence are still open.
I don’t see why our team can’t figure that out, but what do I know?

 

[Top_Spur]

I know it means absolutely nothing now but can anyone explain how Dan Burn and Newcastle didn't get a booking yesterday?

 

[Archie]

They were shit but so are a lot of defences when chasing constant turnovers.

Would hate to see the ball retention stats of the forwards, especially Son

Even with Richarlison up top the ball doesn't seem to stick. We couldn't retain any meaningful possession yesterday. It's not Son's game holding the ball up. That's why son and Kane were so dangerous, we haven't replaced Kane and yesterday it showed. I would rather play a young striker with the ability to hold the ball up than Son there. Perhaps if Son was on the left instead of werner he takes those 2 early chances

 

[McCOYS]

Even with Richarlison up top the ball doesn't seem to stick. We couldn't retain any meaningful possession yesterday. It's not Son's game holding the ball up. That's why son and Kane were so dangerous, we haven't replaced Kane and yesterday it showed. I would rather play a young striker with the ability to hold the ball up than Son there. Perhaps if Son was on the left instead of werner he takes those 2 early chances

Yeah, I'd rather have moved Son to the left and played Scarlett as CF.

 

[Archie]

What choice did we have considering he wouldn’t sign a new deal?

Let him go on a free to a PL rival?

Best of a bad situation - went overseas and we got a decent fee to reinvest.

Agreed but, some of that money should have been spent on a striker that can hold the ball up. Probably Ange thought Richarlison could adequately do that but, with his injuries and the decision to send veliz on loan we have no one capable of that.

 

[Archie]

Yeah, I'd rather have moved Son to the left and played Scarlett as CF.

My point is we have no one capable of holding the ball up.

 

[McCOYS]

My point is we have no one capable of holding the ball up.

I see, well my point is that Son should be playing on the left as first choice, and Scarlett should be the back up for Richarlison as CF.

Werner should be back up for Son until his loan spell ends, then we get rid.

 

[White Hart]

Yeah, I'd rather have moved Son to the left and played Scarlett as CF.

Scarlett didn’t even make the bench…Gil did. If he’s not injured where the hell was he?

 

[Hampshire Spur]

We havent got a top striker atm. We need to get one in the summer. Klopp had a average-ish start to his career at liverpool. We have improved from last season so thats a plus. But we must improve next year.