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#342148 2016/17 EFL Cup (League Cup!)
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Wait, when did they put the League Cup into Northern/Southern sections? I mustn't have been paying much attention during preseason.

As far I recall they did that for the first round last season. Might've done it for the second one as well, but memory's not that good.
#342133 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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Fairly busy that, given Man City buying Stones funds Everton's move for Bolasie, which in turn funds Palace's move for Benteke. Though I'd rather have Bolasie than Benteke, even accounting for Palace's lack of strikers.

Maybe its fatigue but I really don't think anyone in that chain is worth the amounts speculated. Same too with Pogba. Still, that's the way it bafflingly is, so here goes nothing. Where in the MUFC team might Pogba fit?
#341872 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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Yeah but 2 new to PL strikers and likely selling Andre Ayew... might well backfire.
#341871 The Lower League Thread
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New season, Rob Green howler.

Football must be back.
Getting outclassed by a much better team in the new managers first game is sort of one of those things. Getting beat off a team who last season were fighting relegation from the second tier and have allowed their apparent two best players leave is horrendously worse. And more to the point - it would be shocking if Fulham didn't play that way ie - defensive = contain and hope to nick one on the counter or through a set piece. And Newcastle looked totally unprepared for it - We wouldn't have scored in a month of sundays against a team that seemed bad at defending.

An yeah I've seen more criticism over McClaren than Benitez yesterday, which proves my point. McClaren was a bad manager, he's gone now. It's irrelevant he's a pundit. He can't influence the result Benitez can.

JFK had twice as many games as Benitez and had twice as many draws, wins and losses. My point was a 22% win record is deemed hilariously bad for when manager and outrageously good for another. Can you really not appreciatethe absolute hypocrisy of this? And imo Kinnear inherited a far bigger mess.

I've seen criticism of Benitez, and there are valid ones. Really, we played this game like we had done in the Premier League with too much of a defensive outlook, when really, if we're gonna be the big Championship fish, we kinda need to own it and turn up everywhere with substantially more ambition. 3 DM's in midfield was the sort of stunt you expect from Tony Pulis, and I think for future away days, we need something more. Maybe that's Diame, Mitrovic, Armstrong, a new winger, or even Shelvey (who actually might've been useful given how deep Fulham were), but its certainly not Anita. I think most people, Benitez fans or not, know that, and it may well be he does now, if the post-match words are anything.

Big upsets like this happen in every league every year. Last year, a QPR side among promotion candidates began by losing at Charlton, while Burnley and Middlesbrough both had early defeats at home to teams who managed bottom half finishes. This is a league where this upset happens at least once a week. Plus, we've still time to recover - Reading set the division points total record in a season that began with a home defeat. Regardless of City being better, we were awful in that 2013-14 opener, and played like a team that looked like everyone had been up the night before until 2am. Least in Fulham we had possession and some flickers, not that it counts for much. The idea is there, but it needs someone better to execute.

I'm aware that, compared with other NUFC fans, you hold a more critical view of Benitez. I'm not 100% positive, but I don't think its worth being that unilaterally negative, nevermind comparing him unfavourably to someone like JFK or John Carver (especially the latter, which I recall being mentioned as a positive comparison to Benitez on here after either Norwich or Southampton away last season). I would hardly say "outrageously good" even before that random final day thumping of Spurs, but at least compared with some of those others, it felt like the team might do something, compared with the previous 3 managers when there were so many occasions Newcastle teams were abominations. Plus its overdue since any form of positivity was present, and it gets boring being so unilaterally annoyed.

Slagging off McClaren for saying stuff its easy too as a pundit does not mean we have an RB personality cult, because its true - if he was a decent manager we wouldn't have gone down or needed somebody to come in to perform a rescue act.
Official attendance was 3,754. View from the terraces, amongst the away fans:

http://www.backhenrystreet.co.uk/attachment.php?aid=2144


Far too many scabs for my liking. People with piss poor excuses such as "I need my football fix", "I've been a season ticket holder all my life and won't stop now", "I'm taking my son, like my dad did with me", "I take my Gran for the day out" - and more ridiculous points which completely miss the point. Go and watch AFC Blackpool, AFC Fylde, even the Codheads but don't go to Bloomfield and give that horrible family your money. Oyston's were obviously worried about the attendance as they were giving away lots of free tickets. Speaking of tickets, HMRC might be interested to see the tickets that were paid for: https://twitter.com/aidangreen/status/762015592614420480 . To continue the derision of those attending, a member of our Supporters' Trust who in their own words are at the "forefront of the ethical boycott", has renewed her season ticket

Otherwise, I believe we won the game through a deflected shot and an own goal. E I E I O...

Photo doesn't load.

Although that tickets thing is very very dodgy looking. Worst thing for the boycott also may well be Blackpool starting well, given that might start to attract people back even with the fuckwits still running the joint.
#341833 The Lower League Thread
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Fair few interesting bits and bobs from that opening weekend... Forest v Burton looked like a great match, Blackburn look doomed already, Grant Ward had the debut of a lifetime, more people turned up at Blackpool than I thought would (least judging by highlights), and I had no idea Jay Spearing was still at Bolton. Is he still pulling wages over £40k a week?
That's a perfectly reasonable assessment of the Townsend situation. However the absolute cult around Benitez suggests that everyone is desperate to play for him etc. I also got the impression that Benitez never rated Townsend. ( seemed to be first sub off quite a lot). We're repeadedly told the club has been reinvigorated now. It's a football club again, not a business. Did Benitez offer Townsend a new deal? What did he do to convince him to stay? He was very happy to take two weeks away to make demands, and make Charnley acquiesce to his whims, did he offer Townsend the same courtesy?

It was a reference to Tiote. In Benitez' first four games, he picked Tiote once and Colback onc in central midfield. The team won one point and conceded 8 goals. In his last six games he picked Tiote and Colback in the middle and picked up twelve points and conceded four goals, one of which was a Darlow own goal / keeper error, one was offside from Aguero. The dramatic improvement was picking two functioning central midfielders next to each other. - And a genuine winger who can create and stretch play. His instincts were completely wrong and it took 40% of the games to go against it.

Also worth noting Benitez' record was exactly the same as Joe Kinnear's going into the Spurs' game. It was felt that people had to serenade the one guy who can save the club. Despite having the same record as a guy written off as a complete joke.

Meanwhile the club hasn't seem to have learnt any lessons. I've seen so much slating off Dummett, Colback and Perez (ie this seasons Williamson, Cisse, Gouffran), while praising of Ritchie and Hayden and zero criticism of Gayle. It's this sort of attitude that allows the likes of Remy, Debuchy, Sissoko and Wijnaldum to treat this club with no respect and feel like they're doing us a favour for even being here.

I think it was a dreadful performance, we're bottom of the Championship and deservedly so. I've never seen the team look do badly prepared to start a season. Rolando Aarons is probably the only guy in the squad who can stretch play and he's still unproven - when we know we're going to be up against sides happy to sit in and let us play.

Last time we had guys like Shola and Coloccini to use their class to get us through the early stages of the campaign until we found our feet.

I'd say the team that got hammered 4-0 on the opening day by Man City in 2013 looked in even less of a season opening match ready condition than Friday's did. But whatever.

Maybe the Benitez hype was too much, but at least it makes a change to be positive about someone after the uninspiring appointments of McClaren, Carver or Pardew. Incidentally, McClaren would've overdone the positives had he been in charge, and its a bit much he's a pundit on Sky going about what he'd do in Bentiez's position when if he'd done his fucking job better last year, we wouldn't have gone down. Its usually the case with Newcastle that anticipation has a habit to set you up for disappointment, anyway. JFK had more games than RB, so making that comparison is odd.

I don't really think it feeds into that whole idea of letting players walk all over us by saying Ritchie and Hayden did alright in a losing performance (although not everyone agrees about the latter, and both said we should've done better yesterday), or that favourite targets like Anita, Dummett or Colback were shite. Haven't seen any real praise or criticism of Gayle, given he didn't really do anything. Still think we need an extra winger anyway. Or a more muscular presence alongside the lighter Gayle (Diame, maybe?). But in terms of yesterday. it was a slightly different version of our away form over the last 4 years - more possession than usual, but a whole load of nothing. There's work to be done, but hopefully its a sufficient enough slap in the face to those who thought this would be a walkover.

As far as I can remember, Tiote wasn't fully fit for those cited first four games after Benitez took over, plus was the weak link at Norwich, and in any case wanted out in January. Though he may still resurface. As for the departed England winger, how do you know Townsend wasn't asked? We don't know what conversations are held behind closed doors, and if he was that desperate to get back into the England set-up, he may well have already mentally gone. As opposed to that sulky git Sissoko and his meme-bait team photo.
#341766 2016/17 EFL Trophy
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I missed that. Could be a good idea - support the club financially but tell the competition itself to piss off.
#341764 The Lower League Thread
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Townsend was not going to stay when England offered him the Euro 2016 preliminary place and the incentive to want to go back up to that league above. But a winger is required and pretty sure one of those new arrivals suggested will be If "best CM" is a Sissoko reference, he's still not fit after his post-Euros break AFAIK, while if its Tiote, he's leaving and can be problematic. Better than Colback, mind, whose apparently threw a very petulant strop after being subbed for a shit performance..

Calling our squad "dreadful" after one defeat on a noted bogey ground that could've gone the other way with a referee who can spot handballs is a massive overreaction. But it does underline that the mentality away from home needs to change, given this reminded me of many of the slumbers under Pardew, Carver and McClaren on the road.
#341745 The Lower League Thread
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Don't understand what Benitez wants to do with the team. The squad looks dreadful. And he looks to be the prime mover of it.

He picked the wrong teams selection again. He needs to start actually delivering.

Then beseech us, what should he be fucking doing?
#341740 The Lower League Thread
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Not good enough, really. Elements might be promising, but lost it with our midfield. Still, if this provides a necessary kick up the arse like Leyton Orient 2009, then maybe it might be worth it.

Have to do better for Huddersfield though.
#341729 The Lower League Thread
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Maybe I was right to be a bit more negative...
#341301 2016/17 Barclays Premier League Thread
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Is it too soon for arbitrary and meaningless predictions that end up being utterly wrong?
#341293 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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Newcastle have apparently activated a £5m release clause for Ciaran Clark from Villa.

I'm not entirely sure why but if we want 4 out-and-out CB's, I guess it works.

Report is a release clause between £3-4.5M has also been activated for Hull midfieder Mo Diame. One wonders why on Earth Hull agreed to that, and not least given they barely have a fit team at the minute. Also links with Brighton winger Knockeart, although not sure if that one will happen.
#340930 The Lower League Thread
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Wolves have sacked Kenny Jackett and put former Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga in charge.

Interesting gamble, not least given they chose to do this with just a week to go until the new season.
#340929 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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This Pogba bollocks is going from tedium to straight out annoying.
#339735 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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As far as Liverpool goes, Wijnaldum may well work out if Klopp can figure out his best position, given Newcastle clearly couldn't. Even with the caveat that four of them came in one game, 11 goals in a team that went down despite him never playing more than 5 games in one position and him not doing anything away hints at potential at better. Maybe if someone who knew what he was doing had been appointed last summer instead of McClaren... meh. All in the past now.

Given Ritchie was a Bournemouth first team regular last year and was offered a new deal that he turned down, the term 'cast-off' is a monumental exaggeration at best and inaccurate otherwise. Gayle is an odd one - top scorer every year but CPFC managers seem to prefer the likes of Wickham, Adebayor, Murray, Chamakh or whatever. Guess we'll find out either way, but had a good record at a Peterborough side who went down in his only half-Championship term, so might well work out. Hanley could be interesting, given how much both ways I've heard, but does come with their "Player of the Year" award, so hopefully is more good than bad. He also can't be as shit as Coloccini or Taylor have mostly been for the last 2/3 years.

Some seem to think Gamez is being signed as a left-back and Janmaat is going to be forced to stay. Doubt that, but the idea of signing a right back with Gamez at left and able to switch over if needs be might have some legs. Ameobi was crap at Cardiff according to the locals, so may well be time to look elsewhere. I'd be surprised if Thauvin stayed, mind - not sure he's the answer.

Clearly Gouffran and Riviere don't have people queuing around the block for them. Which seems to indicate people have actually been watching them.
#338666 The Night Thread Mk. IX
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Boris Johnson is now the head of MI6. Think about that for a second.

This is the sort of headline you hear read out bleakly in the opening titles of a video game or movie set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
#338366 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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Could make much the same argument for Payet in fairness.

Hmmmm... true.

Alright. Make it a toss up between those two.
#338328 Newcastle Thread
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Tbf after his 3 decent games at the Euros, someone might just be dumb enough to pay that. And then look on in horror when he reverts to type.

Meanwhile, what actually is Isaac Hayden's best position? I'm not entirely sure.
#338327 Transfer Rumours 2016/17
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Pelle to China is a surprise - would've thought someone in Europe would want to buy him.
#338326 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/onesport/cps/624/cpsprodpb/17FBB/production/_90353289_getimage.png

Surprised no Bale, and the inclusion of Pepe seems at odds too. Don't think he had a great tournament, but on the winning team so guess that helps! Probably would have had Bonucci instead, or a couple of others.

I'd say that's a fair team - Bale was on fire in the groups but then faded.
#338224 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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What a bizarre ending to the tournament. Feels a bit anticlimactic, really.
Baring 15 goal bonanza in extra time can anyone remember a worse tournament than this?

I've enjoyed this one more than Euro 2012. But its probably one of the worst finals in years.
#337965 Newcastle Thread
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Cisse's moved to China.

Probably will still be called offside every 8 minutes.
#337766 What Was The Last Film You Saw?
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It wasn't really about the story imo. That was just a vehicle to show various amusing vignettes and for the Coen bothers to explore the world of 1950s hollywood. If you went in expecting this great, groundbreaking narrative then I can see why it let you down.

This, really.
#337765 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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First thought was not a penalty, but he does wave out an arm to get leverage, so...
That was like watching Arsenal last season. Özil in full flow with forward players who couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo

Pretty much.
#337662 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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Huh. So Portugal can win a game in 90 minutes.

Shame Wales couldn't make it, but been good to see them give it a go nevertheless.
#336797 The Lower League Thread
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Selz, Ritchie and Gayle in, Townsend out, Coloccini essentially out, claims Caulker is about to sign.

Busy start already. Hopefully it's enough of what we require.
#336641 EU Referendum
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So... Boris isn't standing for PM after being stabbed in the front by Gove, who is standing despite saying on at least 4 different occasions he doesn't think he should be PM, while the Bank of England are preaching doom.

Just an average day in British politics, clearly... when will it end?
#336313 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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Iceland deserved it, it has to be said.

So, a humiliating exit from Europe to a team nobody fancied before the campaign began, the resignation of the bloke responsible, and an uncertain future. Sounds about right.
#336050 Euro 2016 tournament thread
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Blimey that unravelled quickly.
#335891 EU Referendum
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I've generally been supportive of him. It's been totally unfair when the Sun attack him and 'establishment' Blairite Labour undermine him. But the idea of Labour losing in the North East is unthinkable.

Corbyn seemed to absolutely half step this campaign. Offering nothing or attempting to motivate or persuade his built in audience. Sadiq Khan also sounded like an itdiot.

I think Labour are done. Lib Dems are done. Moderate Tories seems like the only option, save us Ruth Davidson.

Generally I agree with more than I don't, but he seems to be stuck between firefighting media and Blairites trying to destroy him, and hope people will listen to a more nuanced position in a time when it feel like it no longer exists.