GWT: PL Round 34

[Live in the Now]

Please let Jose sell good players to bring in more slow midfielders who play negative football.


I mean, obviously he hasn’t been given enough money to improve the club.

Agreed on Vidal because he's almost past his best and requires huge investment with no consideration given to the future.

If they sign Milinkovic-Savic I will be sick. On current form of all their players he'd be their best midfielder and pretty close to their best player.

 

[njdevsfn95]

It's so nice to be here after the hell of the past few years.

If they can keep chugging along then a mid-table finish will give us some crucial extra cash along with the sale of Mitro (Credit to him at Fulham; a decent World Cup showing will allow us to at least recoup the 13 million that we paid for him). There's no way we're going to be able to snap up Kennedy cheaply; Slimani's been very positive but we really haven't seen him.

So we'll have question marks in attack that'll have to be addressed in the window. Atsu's a nice option off the bench but he's not a starter in my mind. Ditto for Murphy at this point. Gayle isn't good enough if we want to take a next step.

Though Ayo doesn't have pace and honestly is not great at making decisions while dribbling, he's proven that he's a starter with his workrate, team play, and finishing.

I don't want Joselu anywhere near the pitch. If they can't terminate his contract switch his role to chef or video analyst.

Midfield is good and injury proof with Merino (who's starter quality) and Hayden on the bench. Defending and goalkeeping are good. Wouldn't mind bringing in another quality fullback, which Rafa is on the record as wanting to do.

Attack is what we need to sort out if we want to make real progress.

Don't forget that it is an even shorter window this year. Not only does the PL window close on the eve of the opening match weekend, there is also the matter of the World Cup. While that may not impact our typical level of player we could attract, it will undoubtedly influence the market and when people will move and for how much.

On the contrary- I'm thrilled my prediction was wrong.

And no matter Arsenal's distractions, the rarity of a home win over the Gunners over the last 20 years bears consideration.

Perez's finish was world class. There's plenty to like about his game, it's such a pity the total package isn't quite there.

What's great about this victory, along with the win over Manchester United, is that unlike the Pardew and McClaren eras you don't feel slightly cheated that they don't play like this every week- the hard work that underpinned these wins has been present all season, even though this is arguably the weakest front six I've seen Newcastle field in the top flight.

And there's the pleasure of knowing that each win further vindicates Rafa, and the fans' trust in him, and makes his critics look ever more like the agenda-driven vermin we always knew they were.

Mind, I'm still counting down the days until the loser who owns the club gleefully steers the ship into an iceberg again.

I am sure you'd gladly be wrong 38 weeks in a row! I think today was the first time I was able to watch them win on TV since September or October. For one reason or another, I was pretty much relegated to Twitter to follow along. It had worked pretty well since late December at least!

As for the media, it will be really interesting to see what happens should we also win on Monday night. Man United giving the title to Man City and us beating a rather (away, at least) uninspiring Arsenal side probably won't make much noise; however, defeating Allardyce......

 

[Chimaera]

Agreed on Vidal because he's almost past his best and requires huge investment with no consideration given to the future.

If they sign Milinkovic-Savic I will be sick. On current form of all their players he'd be their best midfielder and pretty close to their best player.

Yeah, I’ll agree on the second, though whether he plays him or sticks with Vidal and Matic or some random combination is up in the air.

I would hope Liverpool would also be in for him as they’re still going to be a midfielder light even with Can going

 

[jacobhockey13]

Don't forget that it is an even shorter window this year. Not only does the PL window close on the eve of the opening match weekend, there is also the matter of the World Cup. While that may not impact our typical level of player we could attract, it will undoubtedly influence the market and when people will move and for how much.

I've never seen any of our targets, but I really want them to buy Adama Traore assuming Middlesborough don't gain promotion through the playoff. Rafa was rumoured to be after him last summer and he's one of the fastest players in soccer globally.

 

[maclean]

lol, Mourinho ever the master of tact and humility - ‘I know how to win – but I don’t play,’ says José Mourinho after United defeat

 

[hatterson]

Schadenfreude is such a weird feeling to feel towards the manager of one's own team. But I definitely feel it when Mourinho loses.

 

[maclean]

Schadenfreude is such a weird feeling to feel towards the manager of one's own team. But I definitely feel it when Mourinho loses.

Well, when your manager seems to sideswipe his own players, staff, fans, etc., it's not such a conflict of interest as it might seem...

 

[YNWA14]

Another note...Wijnaldum was fantastic again. His last 3 games have all been really strong, and he seems to be peaking at the right time of the season. I really think that infection he got affected his ability to assert himself this season at times. Should be interesting to see what our starting midfield is vs. Rome with all 4 of Henderson, Wijnaldum, Milner and Ox in great form. For me Wijnaldum and Ox should be nailed on but Hendo is captain and it would be pretty harsh for Milner to miss out.

Though this will be moot if Lovren is injured since Wijnaldum would likely play CB anyway, lol

 

[Chimaera]

He was much better this match. You are correct. He has come into it better, whether that's getting his footing back or getting back up to speed, he's improved.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

2. Man United
3. Spurs
4. Liverpool

is my guess.

I don't know, Spurs may end up being hurt by goal differential.

 

[hatterson]

I don't know, Spurs may end up being hurt by goal differential.

Spurs have 5 games they should win easily.

Liverpool have 1 tough game (Chelsea), but also will be rotating players with the CL in mind. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Spurs finished 3rd and Liverpool dropped to 4th.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Don't forget that it is an even shorter window this year. Not only does the PL window close on the eve of the opening match weekend, there is also the matter of the World Cup. While that may not impact our typical level of player we could attract, it will undoubtedly influence the market and when people will move and for how much.



I am sure you'd gladly be wrong 38 weeks in a row! I think today was the first time I was able to watch them win on TV since September or October. For one reason or another, I was pretty much relegated to Twitter to follow along. It had worked pretty well since late December at least!

As for the media, it will be really interesting to see what happens should we also win on Monday night. Man United giving the title to Man City and us beating a rather (away, at least) uninspiring Arsenal side probably won't make much noise; however, defeating Allardyce......

As soon as it became clear last summer that Ashley was hanging Rafa out to dry I resolved to try and keep myself occupied with other things. Then strains at work meant I needed weekends to restore my energy levels rather than put myself extra tension watching football, so I too followed results at one remove. Not that so doing wholly works- especially when the time was mired in that awful run.

But yesterday seemed in prospect a game simply to be enjoyed, win, lose or draw. And that's how it turned out. Without having sacrificed their discipline, you can see the extra freedom with which the players are now playing- hopefully that keeps going until the end of the season. Players, coaching staff and fans alike have earned it.

 

[Stray Wasp]

Don't forget that it is an even shorter window this year. Not only does the PL window close on the eve of the opening match weekend, there is also the matter of the World Cup. While that may not impact our typical level of player we could attract, it will undoubtedly influence the market and when people will move and for how much.

This was a point that hadn't occurred to me, so preoccupied had I been with matters short term. But it's an important point, and the story released to Luke Edwards about Ashley's desire to put the club up for sale as soon as Premier League safety was guaranteed hardly bodes well. Part of me wonders if even the purchase of Dubravka will end up being postponed, despite the fact it'd be a manifest bargain deal.

Twitter brought to my attention yesterday that NUFC are one of only two clubs yet to have released their 2016/17 accounts. Checking through recent years, they've tended to go public either the final week of March or the first week of April- and no later than April 6th. It's hard to conceive that delay augurs well either.

 

[njdevsfn95]

This was a point that hadn't occurred to me, so preoccupied had I been with matters short term. But it's an important point, and the story released to Luke Edwards about Ashley's desire to put the club up for sale as soon as Premier League safety was guaranteed hardly bodes well. Part of me wonders if even the purchase of Dubravka will end up being postponed, despite the fact it'd be a manifest bargain deal.

Twitter brought to my attention yesterday that NUFC are one of only two clubs yet to have released their 2016/17 accounts. Checking through recent years, they've tended to go public either the final week of March or the first week of April- and no later than April 6th. It's hard to conceive that delay augurs well either.

I had been wondering about the delay too. Of course it won't look pretty but assuming Staveley did proper due diligence then she would not expect it to be good as she would've seen 2009-10 anyway. Can't see it being that a hindrance to her group but of course it could be to any others.

 

[Savant]

Chelsea's Marcos Alonso charged by FA for tackle on Southampton's Shane Long

Marcos Alonso facing retroactive ban for violent conduct, could be suspended next three games.

Shame they didnt catch it during the game because Southampton really needed those 3 points to have a chance to stay up.

 

[hatterson]

Yea, that should be a fairly straight forward ban.

And it definitely hurt Southampton a lot, especially with Swansea getting a point, and Huddersfield and Palace winning. They're 5 back of safety now and will have a heck of a time even getting 5 points the rest of the season, never mind the additional few they'll need when those other teams get points.

They've got tough away games left at Leicester and Everton and host City on the last day of the season.