Newcastle 1-1 Man Utd: Play like that every week and we won’t be going down…

An outstanding performance, incredible effort and yet another superb atmosphere at St James’ Park – all that was missing was three points and that bit of luck we’ve been lacking in recent weeks.

After Allan Saint-Maximin gave us the lead just seven minutes in, we looked to be edging closer to a 1-0 win before Edinson Cavani equalised for the visitors.

Late chances came our way, with Murphy striking the post, Almiron having a shot superbly saved by De Gea and Joelinton almost latching onto cut back, however it wasn’t to be in the end.

There was a mixture of hope, pride and frustration swirling around St James’ Park soon after the full time whistle. While it felt like a missed opportunity to get another all important win, there’s now more belief that they will come in droves if we continue to play like that AND bring in a few quality additions in January.

Eddie Howe made SIX changes from the defeat to Man City, seeing Krafth, Schär, Manquillo, Longstaff, Shelvey and Saint-Maximin come in for Clark, Hayden, Murphy, Ritchie, Willock and Almiron.

There were also concerns about the COVID situation at the club before the game, with several players absent from the matchday squad (Darlow, Clark, Willock and Ritchie) and Howe admitting afterwards that we are now ‘dangerously close’ to having Thursday’s trip to Everton called off is more positive tests come back.

Back to tonight’s game, Joelinton was outstanding and the best player on the pitch once again. Every single player in a black and white shirt did their bit, with Krafth much improved, Fraser a constant pest, Longstaff combative and the two centre-backs at it all night, however the big Brazilian was monstrous in the middle of the pitch.

The bad news is that both Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin were forced off with injuries either side of the break, meaning they look almost certain to miss our next two games against Everton and Southampton…providing they go ahead!

Javier Manquillo – another player who barely put a foot wrong – will also be missing for our next game, having picked up his fifth yellow of the season for time-wasting late on.

A superb display, another great atmosphere and plenty reasons to be hopeful, just a real shame we couldn’t come away with the three points our level of performance warranted.

Next up, a trip to Goodison Park on Thursday…if COVID allows it!

About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

287 thoughts on “Newcastle 1-1 Man Utd: Play like that every week and we won’t be going down…

  1. Stuart: I would take Martial on loan. I think he is a bit of an enigma. He has gone on scoring streaks before but Man U dont seem to trust him. His body language always comes across as a bit sulky to me.

    I would still rather have Aubamayang if we are going for a high risk and high reward loan deal.

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  2. This bl00dy covid stuff never ends. My brother tested positive and had symtoms but now is negative. He lives in Thailand and is supposed to fly out on Sunday but is not sure they will let him on the plane.

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  3. Eric it’s ridiculous. When are we going to just let people get on with their lives? We surely can’t live forever with millions isolating because they have Covid regardless of whether they have symptoms or not…

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  4. I know there are numerous options that’s been reported for forwards, but the 2 I really like & would love us to pull off is Origi & Nketiah.

    Both contracts are coming to an end so both could be got for less than £20m for both – which is amazing really.

    Origi would be good to go straight away I reckon & is quality. Nketiah isn’t far behind imo – and both would fit Howes style of play seamlessly I reckon.

    The other plus (if one was needed) is Origi is only 26 and Nketiah younger again so would be part of that building process over the next 5 years.

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  5. Stuart79:
    Eric it’s ridiculous. When are we going to just let people get on with their lives? We surely can’t live forever with millions isolating because they have Covid regardless of whether they have symptoms or not…

    Stu – this new rule of isolation on a lateral flow test is a joke – it is playing right into the hands of pi$$ takers wanting 10 days off as well.

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  6. Stuart: I have actually travelled and flown during Covid. I wasnt stupid about it though and went to places that had very low numbers like Maine, New Mexico and Oregon. They were also places where I knew I would be outdoors a lot.

    I got vaccinated as soon as I could and got the booster last week. I have even booked a trip to Savannah in 3 months. I am still a bit wary but I am not being stupid about it. I reckon things will have settled down a bit by then but I have thought that before.

    I think there has been some deliberate scare tactics to try to get more people vaccinated. That is changing now because I think Govts realise that there will be holdouts no matter what and this is about the limit on vaccinations. I dont understand the anti-vaxxers and never will. All I can do now is what is best for me because I will never change their minds.

    Anyway, I am glad it seems like you have recovered. Oh, you have to show proof of Vax to go to a Chicago bar as of Jan 3. I am actually happy about that. I also have a trip to Tuscany in May and I am going as long as they let me in. I think they require a negative test and a so-called green pass and I am OK doing that as well.

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  7. OK, how long has John Gibson been around? It must be over 50 years as a NUFC reporter. He just used the fact that the ACON doesnt end until Feb 9th as a reason not to get a loan deal for Aubamayang. That is the final you old fart. He plays for Gabon FFS. They will probably go out in the 1st round. There are other reasons to question if we want him or not but ACON will most likely not come into it. He will most likely be back in London before the transfer window closes.

    All of these pundits do this. They will say a few intelligent things and then get the complete wrong end of the stick on other things. Gibson is usally OK and I dont think it has anything to do with his age. I think he has made up his mind and is just throwing out wrongheaded “facts” to support his opinion. They all do it.

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  8. Eric+Sykes:
    Stuart: I have actually travelled and flown during Covid. I wasnt stupid about it though and went to places that had very low numbers like Maine, New Mexico and Oregon. They were also places where I knew I would be outdoors a lot.

    I got vaccinated as soon as I could and got the booster last week. I have even booked a trip to Savannah in 3 months. I am still a bit wary but I am not being stupid about it. I reckon things will have settled down a bit by then but I have thought that before.

    I think there has been some deliberate scare tactics to try to get more people vaccinated. That is changing now because I think Govts realise that there will be holdouts no matter what and this is about the limit on vaccinations. I dont understand the anti-vaxxers and never will. All I can do now is what is best for me because I will never change their minds.

    Anyway, I am glad it seems like you have recovered. Oh, you have to show proof of Vax to go to a Chicago bar as of Jan 3. I am actually happy about that. I also have a trip to Tuscany in May and I am going as long as they let me in. I think they require a negative test and a so-called green pass and I am OK doing that as well.

    You couldn’t get in any bar or restaurant in New York without showing a Covid pass. Not that I think the staff knew what they’re were looking at. At one point I even showed a boarding pass on my phone and they let me in…

    Anyway Trippier tomorrow according to Sky. Waiting on a signature…

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  9. I wish these journos would do a bit of research, even the ancient ones like Gibbo. He has an excuse though, he probably hasnt even heard of the internet. But just for his information, Aubamayang plays for Gabon who are ranked 19th of the 24 teams at ACON. The chances of them getting to the final on Feb 9th are pretty low if you ask me. Therefore the chances of Aubamayang being away until Feb 9 are also pretty low. Much more likely he will be on the plane home when the group stages end.

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  10. Interesting Sky are saying Courtinho will decide Friday where he goes & Ice mate says a medical booked for Saturday or Monday – I expect him to go to Villa to be honest, but maybe we are in with a shout ??‍♂️

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  11. I dont understand these veteran journos saying Aubamayang would be a bad move. We would essentially be renting him for 4 months. His numbers are a bit lower than when he 1st went to Arsenal but it is obvious he has had a falling out with Arteta. That is most likely the reason. They are still better than any fit striker we have. I dont know if anyone knows the full story but it is supposedly about timekeeping. Get him a driver FFS. if you are paying him 350k a week who cares if you pay another 2k a week to have someone pick him up and drop him off at training.

    Sharpy mentioned he thought he might have lost a bit of pace. That’s not his game. It is finishing, instinctive finishing. I doubt we will get that Serb from Fiorentina and he is a bigger risk anyway with no PL experience and a 70 million fee.

    If Auba will come it seems like a no brainer to me. He will be back in England by the end of Jan barring some miracle for Gabon. I have said before that we probably had a couple of players with the worst attitudes in the history of the PL – Craig Bellamy and Joey Barton. Would any of us not take them in their prime in this window?

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  12. Let’s say you create a chance 16 yards out, in the middle of the goal. Who would you rather have it fall to? Miggy, ASM, Joelinton, Murphy or Aubamayang? Or this Serb Wunderkind at Fiorentina who none of us know anything about?

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  13. And Pep suspended Foden AFTER he had been suspended by Gareth for England. Would we turn down him as well? Or Grealish, who has had more than one run in with Managers. Latest was just a week or so ago when he was left out along with Foden.

    How about Rooney when he was 21 and sh@gging grannies?

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  14. PremAndUp:
    group stages end 20th Jan
    Gabon’s last game the 18th

    Cheers Prem. I just didnt understand the logic of saying Auba would be away until Feb 9 which basically assumes Gabon reach the final.

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  15. Gabon are 13th favourites to win ACON at 40 to 1. Behind Burkina Faso FFS who are 33-1. Do some research John Gibson!!!

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  16. Talking about players with attitudes. Remember the club had to send Andy Carroll to live with Kevin Nolan in Ponteland and still somebody torched his brand new silver Range Rover in Nolan’s driveway. Being late after visiting your sick mother doesnt sound so bad. It sounds to me that there is a problem between Auba and Arteta and Arteta is very tightly wound. He is a Pep Mini-me without the trophies or the humour.

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  17. I will finish on Aubamayang. Is Gibson who has 50 years of experience saying he would take Divock Origi who has 38 mins of PL football this season over Auba? That is just mental. As long as he would come and Arsenal will rent him to us it is the easiest decision in the history of NUFC (bar signing Shearer).

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  18. Nah, just one more thing. Arteta was playing Auba as a left winger FFS. No wonder he is frustrated. He is a striker and was one of the best until Arteta arrived.

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  19. We need somebody in because all we have is Gayle. This is a must win game. So we have to have a top quality striker. If we have a top quality striker then do we need PEA as back-up?

    I really don’t care what happens on the first of Feb. the 15th of Jan is our nect game, and lose that and no one of consequence is signing.

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  20. Prem: I cant think of a top quality striker we can get in in the next week. The ones we are linked with seem like they would take a bit of time to get the deal done (over the line 🙂 ). Trippier is even taking longer than you would have expected.

    On my list of having done worse than Auba – how about Duncan Ferguson, didnt he go to jail for assault? Troy Deeney has a police record. I am sure there are many, many more. What about the Cantona Kung Fu kick? Roy Keane saying in his book that he intentionally went to end Haaland’s dad’s career.

    But Aubamayang was late for training and John Gibson says we shouldnt rent him. The player that scored 22 goals in 2 successive seasons before Pep Mini-me arrived.

    It always makes me wonder where some of these journos heads are at. More so, explayers who just come out with the stupidest shyte you could imagine. The Dannys. Agbonlahor. Jeramine Jenas is up his own @arsehole and nobody seems to question the rubbish he says.

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  21. The only one can think of is Gabigol. £17m and the club are ready to let him go. He may not be up to the Hype, but if he isn’t then PEA could well be the answer, especially if Wilson is out for the season

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  22. I mean, the way that John Gibson is acting about Aubamayang you would think he had caught him drowning puppies and kittens in the Tyne.

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  23. It is a typical journo thing where they try to fit their own “facts” into the preconceived ideas they have and dont really look at it objectively, that is:

    Is Aubamayang 100 times better than what we have? YES

    Is he better even than Callum Wilson who is probably out for the season anyway? YES

    Can we rent him and not pay 70 mil for an unknown quantity from Sevilla? YES, probably.

    Will he really be gone to Camaroon until Feb 9? NO

    Is he a proven PL golascorer, even having 4 in 10 games this year? YES

    Did Arteta play him out of position? YES

    Has he scored 22 goals in 36 PL games twice? YES

    Who else would be on that list of 20+ goals in the last 10 years? Vardy, Aguero, Kane, Salah. That’s about it. So should we take the risk? YES

    Is he injury prone? NO

    Does he need a driver to get him to training on time? YES

    Is he a family man with a wife and 2 kids who goes home to see his sick mother? YES

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  24. Eric – if we ended up with PEA I wouldn’t be disappointed, and I’d favour him over Martial I think. But my preference would be Origi if we could get him – I’d take Nketiah as well but I’m talking main striker to go into the first team for Wilson.

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  25. Trippier confirmed. Excellent signing. Now on to the next…

    Coutinho off to Villa.
    Good signing that.

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  26. Sharpy: I actually quite like Gibbo. He was just way off on Auba. You know I get on my high horse about journos and pundits but most just arnt very good. Surprisingly, I am OK with most at The Chronic, even Mick Quinn. My objection there is when they call him a legend because they are trying to put him in the same bracket as the likes of Shearer, Milburn and Beardsley where he obviously doesnt belong.

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  27. Will we have a completely different back 4 come Feb 1? If you believe the press we are looking at and bidding on every position. I actually trust some of the journos for the Nationals and even Luke Edwards. You have to admit that our defenders are all probably backups at best. The only one I really trust is Dummett but I dont trust his hamstrings and calfs. Maybe Lewis, but I just dont know yet.

    If I never see Schar or Lascelles again I wouldnt care, and yet they are our 1st choice CBs.

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  28. I am going to repeat a stat I mentioned earlier. We have shipped the most goals in a PL calandar year ever, over 80. We have let in 42 this season in 19 games. It was not all Bruce and the Steves either. Jones was there. Howe let in 4 against Leicester, 3 at Liverpool and 4 against City.

    The common denomentator is the players. Our defenders are shyte, there is just no getting around it. Sack the lot of them.

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  29. As you say LCB we have Dummett occasionally We appear to want Sven Botman and it is interesting to see that we have enquired about Benoît Badiashile. Not as an alternative, but as back up. The Diego Costa link is RCB, but to be honest just sign Tarkowski on a pre-contract agreement and stick with Fernandez until the summer.

    ATM though we need a new striker for Watford. That is our greatest urgency.

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  30. Prem: looking at who we are after makes me feel I have had blinkers on for 4 years. We were always a bottom 6 PL top 6 Championship team, and always a couple of injuries away from relegation. Our defense is a shambles whoever managed it. Bruce is a clown but he also had some clowns playing for him and as coaches. It was not all Bruce, no matter how much I hated his patter.

    What we do have is pace up front. Pity there is none in defense or midfield.

    Hayden = quick sand
    Longstaff = molasses
    Shelvey = treacle

    I have also come to the realisation that Hayden is not good enough either. I have given him a pass for 5 years but he is bottom 6 quality and the defense might actually look better if we have a better defensive mid. He should check himself running his mouth off about the current players not giving up their positions easily because he is a prime candidate to be replaced!!!

    What did I expect though with Ashley running the show! I really did give a lot of these players too much slack.

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  31. hayden isn’t good enough as a CDM that’s why personally I want Kamara. Who plays alongside, Shelvey and Jolinton? Does Ramsey fit in here?

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  32. Thrilled with Trippier and it’s a great start. But I really think we need a striker in for the Trafford game. Who will we have for that game? Gayle? I don’t want Joelinton playing there now. Biggest game of the season and if we win we stay up imo so we need a strong side.

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  33. Stuart79:
    Trippier confirmed. Excellent signing. Now on to the next…

    Coutinho off to Villa.
    Good signing that.

    i dont agree mate liverpool played better without him,having talked to a lot of l/pool fans they said he always looking to score 25/35 yd screamers and didnt make many chances,but i agree hes better than what we have

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  34. I also agree with Kimtoon that we are a couple of VAR decisions and dodgy Refs away from not being in a bad spot. We have 11 points and Kintoon thinks it really would be about 15 with a little bit of luck/VAR correct decisions. Bruce used up all of our luck in his 1st 2 years though 🙂 We all knew it and said it, and also said it would turn.

    We CAN get ourselves out of this mess and it looks like the new owners are determined to do so. If we overpay in total transfer fees by 30 million this window, do we really care? That is the price of survival.

    I seriously believe we will spend over 100 million, it would be madness not to with the state of our squad. There have been years of neglect and we are where we should be which is bottom 6/top 6 of the Championship.

    If we cant overhaul Norwich, Watford and Burnley then we deserve to go down.

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  35. I know it may seem impatient but that’s the first week of the window gone now & only Trippier in.

    Whilst he’s a great addition & we seem to have some irons in the fire, we really need to get moving.

    I get the most important thing is to get the right players in, but I’d rather it be done sooner than later & not left til the last day of the window.

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  36. We need forwards – Liverpool & Arsenal have 2 who’s contracts are up.

    Liverpool reportedly want £7m for Origi – give the £12m to get it done. We aren’t getting robbed at all at that price.

    Arsenal have Nketiah out of contract – give them £8m to get it done.

    2 forwards – one 26, the other 22, both have PL experience and both can score goals and would fit Eddie Howes set up like a glove. Both for £20m.

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  37. Well chuffed with Trippier! Great signing, but we definitely need to get more in sooner rather than later. Does anyone know if the Cambridge game is on TV?

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  38. PremAndUp:
    Why Todd Cantwell ?

    Prem – what would concern me is he was dropped by Farke and since Smith has gone in there he’s not really featured either.

    He’s not a player we need right now, and I’m not sure he’s better than ANY player we have in that position – including Fraser & Murphy.

    I’d rather see us develop some of our younger players through.

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  39. So Hasslehuttl wants Jan transfers banned from rearranged games. Does he also want injured players banned like Calvert-Lewin or Dummett? He says this is not the end of this which means it will be brought up at the next PL Managers’ meeting.

    It is obviously targeting NUFC, AGAIN. The PL made the decisions on postponements, not the clubs. They have their protocols and they have their rules for transfers, that should be the end of it.

    There’s also the holier-than-thoughs going on about FFP. Rich owners have always put their own money into clubs to buy titles. Even Govts, look at Franco’s team Real Madrid!!! And FFP was never about disallowing personal investments by rich owners it was about stopping clubs like Leeds under O’Leary getting too much into debt to buy success. But now they want to rip up all of the rules because of the NUFC takeover. Strange, especially as S’ton have just been bought by a billionnaire.

    I dont know what the rest of the PL think they will gain from going along with the Toxic Six. They are the ones that made a money grab with Project Big Picture and The European Super League, not NUFC. They were the ones being anti-competitive, not NUFC.

    Would they all want us relegated? What purpose would that achieve? The Toxic Six would still be trying to get a bigger piece of the pie.

    I just dont get how the other 13 clubs see us as a threat to them except we would have been a club in a perennial relegation battle under Ashley and now we wont be.

    This is really weird that all of these clubs seem to be fine with Abramovich using his billions to have Chelsea win the Champions League but are now up in arms about NUFC spending a fraction of what he has. They didnt say much about Etihad at City or King Power at Leicester but now this is all wrong if a Saudi company sponsors NUFC. Where were they before?

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  40. Luke Edwards reporting Botman wants to come and other journos saying we’re getting confident and then Jason Burt throws a grenade in and says we’re also making progress on Diego Carlos! Will we really sign two centre halves?

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  41. Stuart79:
    Luke Edwards reporting Botman wants to come and other journos saying we’re getting confident and then Jason Burt throws a grenade in and says we’re also making progress on Diego Carlos! Will we really sign two centre halves?

    We NEED 2 CHs. I dont trust ANY of our current ones. That includes Dummett because of injuries.

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  42. I initially thought we might bring 4/5 in this window but with the players we are getting linked with, this could turn in to 7/8 ?.

    Trippier in.
    Digne – entirely possible.
    Botman – looking likely
    Costa/ANother – very possible
    Ramsey – entirely likely (even on loan)
    Cantwell – very possible
    Origi – very possible
    Another forward is also looking possible too I reckon.

    If it is the case they are looking at that many then £100m plus will be a certainty.

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  43. Sharpy: the only way the budget will be under 100 million is if we get 2 amazing loan deals which in my opinion would be Aubamayang and Ramsey. Get them, and we can hold off on some others until the summer. I am still worried about Ramsey’s injuries but he is worth a punt.

    We do need a whole new defense so I am glad they are looking into it. For example, would Fernandez get a game at Burnley? I dont think so, he knocks it out for corners too often. I am OK with taking the safe route, but belt it out for a throw in.

    How about Harry McGuire on loan. There seems to be a groundswell against him. Just joking 🙂

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  44. That is my problem with Fernandez. He gives away easy corners and that gets the opposition crowd fired up and builds pressure. The crowd doesnt get nearly as worked up if you give away a throw in.

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  45. Eric+Sykes:
    Sharpy: the only way the budget will be under 100 million is if we get 2 amazing loan deals which in my opinion would be Aubamayang and Ramsey. Get them, and we can hold off on some others until the summer. I am still worried about Ramsey’s injuries but he is worth a punt.

    We do need a whole new defense so I am glad they are looking into it. For example, would Fernandez get a game at Burnley? I dont think so, he knocks it out for corners too often. I am OK with taking the safe route, but belt it out for a throw in.

    How about Harry McGuire on loan. There seems to be a groundswell against him. Just joking ?

    Eric – I think old habits die hard on my part mate. The idea of us spending £100m just doesn’t seem real to me.
    But the more I see all these links & the more I think about it, the more I think we WILL spend big early.

    It seems only a matter of time that the other clubs force the PL into new rules and sanctions that stop us from spend – so, while the sun is shining and all that craic.

    Who knows what nonsense they bring in this summer.

    Equally, we have 1 win and sit 2nd bottom – but still have a real chance of survival … so let’s leave nothing to chance with only 4 or 5 in – if the players are there and available, get them in!!!.

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  46. Eric+Sykes:
    That is my problem with Fernandez. He gives away easy corners and that gets the opposition crowd fired up and builds pressure. The crowd doesnt get nearly as worked up if you give away a throw in.

    Eric – also, he’s ok in a back 3, but his legs are gone for a back 4.
    As harsh as it may sound, I have no issue with us getting rid of all of our CBs. Infact, there is only Manquillo & Lewis I’d keep from all of our defenders.

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  47. So we keep Dubravka, but buy an all new back four, Digne, Botman, Carlos and Trippier,
    We buy a good CDM like Boubacar Kamara, which means we play fast legs and hard workers alongside him, Almiron and Joelinton.
    Up front we definitely need a new CF even two if Wilson is out for the season with ASM and someone else alongside in a front three, Fraser, Murphy, Dembele, Lingard, or even Bale?

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  48. Warren Barton is in town for the Cambridge game. I hope they take the opportunity to dissolve The Pledge and distribute the money to charity as they said they would if they thought it was going nowhere. It is going nowhere, as I said on here from the beginning. But Warren is one of the trustees so I hope they do the right thing.

    I love Warren Barton by the way so this is in no way a criticism of him.

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  49. A full house against Cambridge! That only happens at NUFC. All of the pundit plonkers who run their mouths off about our fans should consider that.

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  50. And I will bet anybody a tenner that Graeme Jones is shunted out in the summer. If I lose I will send the money to the SBR Foundation. Eddie and crew made the right noises and said they welcomed another voice and he would be “Joint Assistant Manager”. B0llocks. They know he is useless by now, and he will be out if we stay up or are relegated.

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  51. Looking to buy Carlos and Botman according to The Athletic. Hells bells! What is this…? Who are we and what have you done to Newcastle United?! ?

    Imagine if we signed Trippier, Carlos, Botman, Cantwell, Digne and Origi. Would we get relegated?

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