Graing

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The positive I take away from today is that Mitro clearly gets it. Yeah he needs to work on his finishing, but he understands the importance of the derby. He played with passion. His goal and celebration, the fact that three guys had to hold him back from running back on the pitch after the elbow to the head - love the passion. If half the team played with that type of passion, we might have a shot. Had some good plays - chest downs, etc. - when the feeds were poor. Too bad no one else was rushing the box to follow up offensively until the game was nearly over. Too bad Ashley didn't see the light and pull in Rafa after New Year's. Oh what could have been.

That will come in handy with Colback's suspension from accumulation.

That did look like an elbow on the replay. Ref was useless all day.

Based on that performance, yeah can't see where we pick up the points we need. Goodnight PL.

Think it was a head clash.

Love Mitro's spirit. Still no hope of staying up.

Rafa will be reviewing the details of the escape clause in his contract after watching this lazy inept lot.

We may as well switch off, the players have. They're resigned to a loss here, no effort in them any longer.

Think Mitro's had good service today? And that chest down in the box with no one feeling the desire to follow up offensively? Go on.

He has been playing too deep at times I agree. He should be trying to create more. There's no doubting the passion he's bringing today though.

Are you mental? Know who our top scorers are? They're playing a fine game, along with Shelvey and Townsend, compared to the rest.

That's it isn't it? Have seen no creativity from our side. We're down.

Sissoko looks like he just doesn't care. We need to shuffle it up and get the Dutch cripple Siem on for a shot.

Great play ahead by Perez and Sissoko just ran out of ideas and bottled it.

Hell Mitro and Colback will both be out before it's over.

That took longer than I thought for Colback.

Was just thinking that. He's playing well.

What the hell just happened?! I guess I need to catch up, was expecting a repeat of last year and riding it out with McClaren. Cruel to give us some actual hope.

This is tinfoil hat stuff man. This is purely down to ineptitude. And Ashley is inept as well if he hasn't come to the conclusion that Charnley and Carr need to go as well.

Surely he's gone now yes? I can't see any way he survives. The money Ashley would lose going down this year surely has to motivate the man. If McClaren lasts through mid-week, there should be pitchforks and torches the likes of which no one has seen before.

Good article. For a brief period a week back or so, I thought to myself that Ashley shouldn't take as much heat as he continues to take now that he has shown his willingness to spend over the last two windows. But the reality is, he set this horror show in motion - and the current culprits for the continued spiraling are all his to own. Sure he is spending now in desperation, but he placed Charnley and Carr and likely McClaren. If he doesn't cut this disease out at the root, he is not attempting to salvage the situation. Maybe he made this realization too late, but that's on his shoulders. The attitudes are plain on the face and in the words of the 'manager', and in the pace and determination of the players. Nothing short of a gutting - from Charnley to McClaren to almost all of the players and everything in between - will burn the cancer out of this club. Short of that, football in Newcastle is doomed. Sad realization.

He was way too calm in the presser. Chalked it up to injured players, will be better after the break, etc. No heart, no urgency, no pride... And it extends from the manager to the players.

Ridiculous

This will be ugly, and we'll be a man down before it's over.