Newcastle (H) 15/9: Build-Up & Match Thread

[The Bear]

I don't think you get away with it regardless. Even if we'd finished last season quite well (which we didn't) - you can't go 'we will write off the first quarter of the season as they are hard games'.

Well no you'd never write them off, but you don't make them the be all and end all in terms of results either.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Really?

If we have 0 wins in November then I would say that is quite important!

Who's to say we'll then beat Palace at home, we didn't last season.

 

[The Bear]

Personally if I was Gary O'Neill and Jeff Shi told me the bad run at the end of last season is counting against him this season too, I'd tell him in no uncertain terms to get fucked.

 

[The Bear]

Really?

If we have 0 wins in November then I would say that is quite important!

Who's to say we'll then beat Palace at home, we didn't last season.

I don't think we'll be on 0 wins in November.

But let's say we drew every game from now until then, do you still sack him? I know I wouldn't.

 

[Tredman]

Yes

 

[NicholasG1973]

We have to get *some* wins from somewhere. We can't get to November and have 0 wins because 'those teams are all better than us'. It can't happen. Not if the manager wants to keep his job anyway.

I hear you, but - in isolation - it’s a big ask.

I mean they’ve probably got the best CF in the PL behind Haaland, their midfield is quick and strong and defensively they’re solid.

They’ll be pushing for top four.

It already feels like we’re in a bit of a mini- league with all the right shit in the league.

Which is pretty depressing after three games.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't think we'll be on 0 wins in November.

But let's say we drew every game from now until then, do you still sack him? I know I wouldn't.

Well there's as good as a 0% chance of us drawing all those games but even so, 0 wins is a terrible look.

But the point is - you're saying you'd take a point here. Which other games are we winning out of the next six then, if it's not this one and you also think we'll get at least one...

 

[Alan]

This is the league we’re in. Every season will have a run like this. Is it unfortunate we started the season with the schedule like that? I guess.

But it’s a competition, if we’re writing off results against any club as acceptable then we don’t belong here. Equally, every point against any club still has to be earned.

Tl,dr; it’s Gary’s job to win Premier League matches, whether that’s against City or Ipswich.

 

[The Bear]

Well there's as good as a 0% chance of us drawing all those games but even so, 0 wins is a terrible look.

But the point is - you're saying you'd take a point here. Which other games are we winning out of the next six then, if it's not this one and you also think we'll get at least one...

I don't care what other games are around it. I'm not deciding if a point tomorrow is a decent result or not, based on what might happen in 4 or 5 games time.

A win would be ideal and much needed, but more than anything we can't lose it and ruin any kind of momentum after the positive result at Forest (which isn't looking too bad now given they are 4th and still unbeaten).

 

[Tredman]

I’m sat here hoping villa come back and win as it means we will be less cut adrift. It’s a fucking shite state of affairs.

 

[PuntsWolf]

We need to ignore the fixtures. Forest beat Liverpool at Anfield and Everton are beating Villa (although I don’t think they’ll win). Brentford and Brighton are very winnable and it should be two points as a minimum there.

If we’re on 5 points after 9 games going into that Palace game then that’s even worse than what Lage was serving up.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

We're in "worrying about something that hasn't happened yet" mode again gents.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We're in "worrying about something that hasn't happened yet" mode again gents.

Of course I worry about it. We've won one league game in six months and haven't looked like winning any of the games this season either.

I'm sure the captain of The Titanic thought this was all very grand until he hit the iceberg. The iceberg that someone should have seen from 20 miles away but didn't.

We need to get a win, quickly, we can't go into games like this - they have been pretty crap so far and had a rubbish away record last season - saying that a point will do. If that's the best we end up with then so be it, but we simply cannot bank on just beating notionally weaker teams somewhere later in the calendar and that'll be enough. Because what happens if and when you don't. And what do you think it does to morale when it's literally months since you won.

 

[Templeton Peck]

If we're playing Stoke, Yeovil and Wigan next month then I'm after 9 points. Villa, City and Liverpool not so much. I'm not sacking a manager for losing games we should lose purely because they happen to be bunched together.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't want him sacked.

He will get sacked if we go ages without winning though, like literally every manager in the history of football.

 

[Sniffer]

He needs to find a solution to make us less easy to play through. If we are organised with a threat going forward then he’ll/we’ll be ok. If we carry with the chaos seen so far then it won’t end well.

 

[Kenny]

He needs to find a solution to make us less easy to play through. If we are organised with a threat going forward then he’ll/we’ll be ok. If we carry with the chaos seen so far then it won’t end well.

Essentially all cards thrown at Andre on that front

 

[Jinky]

The squad was running on empty for the last couple of months of last season and being patched up with kids either from the start or off the bench. You can’t judge the results too harshly when we all know the circumstances.

As for the start of this season, none of us would have really predicted more than three points from the opening three games and we find ourselves on one.

Gaz did say in his presser that we need to pick up those “shock” results again this season that helped us out last time around, so at least he’s acknowledged it.

Based on absolutely nothing, I quite fancy us today.

 

[Mel Evo]

Feels like a significant game today. We need to win. Summer has left us with a terribly unbalanced squad with a particular group of players ripe for discontent, in addition to alienating a whole bunch of supporters. GON exceeded expectations in creating momentum from an unpromising backdrop last year, he needs to do it all over again. I suspect it’s beyond him, but then I thought the same last season. He needs three points today and I really hope he gets them.

 

[jd1981]

As @Deutsch Wolf says if we’re not winning today when are we going to win between now and November, other than Brentford away this our most winnable fixture until then.
As I keep saying a good effort but defeat against the better sides doesn’t translate to wins v the bottom half fodder.
Realistically there’s only 3 games you should “snap your hand off for a point” at home and that’s City, Liverpool and Arsenal.
The tier below Villa, Spurs, Newcastle, Man Utd, Chelsea it should be realistic to aim to win if you don’t that’s 8 home fixtures you’re saying we won’t win and leaving just 11 winnable home matches.