The Fish

I got a similar satisfaction from Benitez' Newcastle taking points off the big boys, as I do from not letting a cunt in a flash car merge in turn, purely out of spite.

I've a couple of Chelsea supporting mates. One is a massive toff who's not much more than an armchair fan, never goes to early cup games, always somehow gets a ticket for a final, the other is a proper salt-of-the-earth, been going since he was 5, hates modern football, hates the players, hates the people who sits around him and all that. They're both cunts, but I like them a lot... if that makes any sense.

The pressing game definitely has grown in popularity, not just with coaches, but more importantly with the fans. I think more credit has to go to those that influenced Klopp, Pep, Pochettino et al. You'd have to look at Bielsa, Sacchi and so on. They laid the ground work and the newer managers may have taken it forward and tweaked it a little, they were among the progenitors. Mourinho's football may have been successful (at the time) but holy Hell was it boring and the fans made that obvious. Benitez' game was similarly pragmatic and for a time it was working very well, and for us it made a lot of sense (we couldn't play more expansive football with Rondon up front and Lascelles at the back). However, it was very difficult to defend it from criticisms of being tedious and drab. I'd much rather watch Howe's pressing football, he's shown that despite Bruce (and Benitez' claims) you can play that kind of system without superstar players. I've not enjoyed watching Newcastle as much since Robson's time.

You're not absolved of responsibility just because you volunteered. When dozens of homeless people die by poisoning, the Police won't discount Wykiki's part in it just because he volunteered.

Wonder no more, it isn't. I also think that Potter will turn things around at Chelsea, if he's given time. Ditto Ten Hag at Man Utd and Old KlippityKlopp at Liverpool. Not sure about Conte at Spurs.

Why has he included Tripps in the title? It suggest there's more Trippier than normal. Like, additional Trippier. Which, don't get me wrong, I'd be all for, but surely it should just be (-Gemmil), even then, why is Gemmill out of the picture, has something happened to him? This has all gone horribly wrong and I feel very uneasy.

Chiefly because with Joelinton and Willock ahead of him he plays more like a 3rd CB than a true fullback. Trippier operates more like a wingback on the right and one of the Joes does similar on the left, and we tilt from a 4-5-1/4-3-3 to a 3-5-1/3-4-3. Can't really do that with ASM because even with his improvement defensively, his first instinct is to get forward, to commit defenders and stretch the play. That's incompatible with Burn at LB imo.

Both Saka and Saliba are on 4 yellow cards each. With the North London Derby coming up next they can ill-afford to be without their best attacker or best defender. I don't think we'll win, but I fancy us to give them a game. Especially if Wilson is starting and ASM plays more than just a cameo. I'd start Joelinton in the middle with Willock and Bruno. Almiron ASM wide and Wilson up top. Botman to score a goal please.

Do you know much about Matheus Franca and Andrey Santos? I know we've been linked with both of them.

That I should trust my head.

Head says our winning streak has to end sometime and it might be after the lord mayor's show... 1-1 Heart says we'll win 3 or 4 to nowt

Unlike the other ones.

Well do your own fucking thread then. GOD!!

If we were picking a team based on vibes, I'd have them and Asprilla up front, Albert and Schar at the back, Ritchie and Dyer at fullback, maybe Shelvey and Cabaye in the middle.

Waugh would crumble under cross examination. I'm fine

Keegan's teams from the 90s and Howes 2022 squad. And Robson's teams and Howe's 2022 Who makes your combined elevens and who manages the teams?

Jesus, that's really true isn't it?

Where we are, there's loads of farmland and moorland nearby. We go off to all the National Trust places that are on our doorstep with their deer and rabbits and all that. I've seen Mars with the naked eye quite a lot lately, prompted me to use one of those AR night sky apps to spend a little time peering up into the abyss. Replaced watching waves as my little slice of zen.

This was left out for Santa on Christmas Eve. It's taken great restraint to not finish it off in the last few days...

"FOR", "ME".

Um, actually, Lightning striking twice is fairly commonplace.

Good. For me, saying we're in a title race seems like setting us up for a fall.

But we're not in touching distance now. If we were 3rd by only 3 or 4pts, then sure, dream away. But we've got players performing at their peak or a little above it and we're still 10pts off the top spot. The juggernaut is coming, but let's not rush it. Let's enjoy this part of the journey because, honestly, it might be the most fun.

Joking aside I think entertaining the idea of us being a title race when we're 10pts off the the leaders would only lead to disappointment when we only finish in European competition. Much better to enjoy the fact that we're favourites to be playing abroad next season, and hoping for the trips to Milan rather than Midtjylland.

Experience, objective reasoning, common sense, sexiness.