Very poor performance, and it didn't look like we really thought we could win it. I suspect, unfortunately, that this season may well peter out: I can't see us making the Champions League positions, even with the extra place; I'm not sure we have the mentality to win a cup final. We will probably finish in the kind of position that our performances over the entire season will deserve, because apart from the excellent run over December, we've been pretty mediocre all season.
To me, the most concerning thing about this defeat was the attitude of the players. In fact, this has been a big problem for much of the season. People often focus on some players for criticism in this regard (for example, the TF Pod focused on Anthony Gordon alone), but we also need to look at the attitudes of some players who seem to escape any criticism at all. Bruno has had a very mixed season, and Alexander Isak, although he is clearly one of the best strikers in the world, has had as many games in which he's been anonymous as he has in which he has been breathtakingly good. Some of this may stem from all the uncertainty of the summer, but we also need to face the reality that it is a matter of supreme indifference to players like Isak whether we qualify for the Champions League or not: if we do, that's fantastic for him as he'll get a bumper new contract; if we don't, it doesn't much matter because he'll have plenty of suitors who will enable him to play in the Champions League.
I hope you're wrong, Rob, but I fear you're right. Taking the season as a whole, that run of wins is starting to look like a significant exception, and at that point we have to come back to the quality of opposition we were beating in that run. Agreed on Bruno and Isak too. We forget just how poor Isak was early season, for example, at Chelsea. I'm trying not to overreact to yesterday, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest you might be right.
Oh I'm still in full-on overreaction mode! We should still absolutely be aiming for a CL place, but given that Liverpool, Arsenal and (probably Man City) will be in the top 4, I think it will probably be two out of Chelsea, Bournemouth, Forest, potentially Villa and Brighton, and us for those last places. I don't like those odds given our form!
If you take the plaudits on the good days then you have to take the flak on the bad ones. Yesterday was a fuckin embarrassment, Bruno may as well have taken a white flag out with him . Changes need making on the the run up to the cup final as some of them have it far too easy in keeping their place. I agree with you about Miley, he's due a place in the starting lineup.
Completely agree about Miley. I like Willock, and he's been a good player for us, but I'm not convinced he works that well in central midfield. Perhaps against supposedly lesser teams he might enable us to get up the pitch, but I don't think he has the touch or poise in possession for this kind of game. Personally I think people have been far too ready to write Longstaff off - he'll do the running and he'll play it safe, which for games like yesterday might have been an improvement.
Not sure liking this report is the right thing to do, so I would just like to thank you for it, as it is always good to read the honest well written opinion of a Newcastle supporter who was at the match.
Very poor performance, and it didn't look like we really thought we could win it. I suspect, unfortunately, that this season may well peter out: I can't see us making the Champions League positions, even with the extra place; I'm not sure we have the mentality to win a cup final. We will probably finish in the kind of position that our performances over the entire season will deserve, because apart from the excellent run over December, we've been pretty mediocre all season.
To me, the most concerning thing about this defeat was the attitude of the players. In fact, this has been a big problem for much of the season. People often focus on some players for criticism in this regard (for example, the TF Pod focused on Anthony Gordon alone), but we also need to look at the attitudes of some players who seem to escape any criticism at all. Bruno has had a very mixed season, and Alexander Isak, although he is clearly one of the best strikers in the world, has had as many games in which he's been anonymous as he has in which he has been breathtakingly good. Some of this may stem from all the uncertainty of the summer, but we also need to face the reality that it is a matter of supreme indifference to players like Isak whether we qualify for the Champions League or not: if we do, that's fantastic for him as he'll get a bumper new contract; if we don't, it doesn't much matter because he'll have plenty of suitors who will enable him to play in the Champions League.
I hope you're wrong, Rob, but I fear you're right. Taking the season as a whole, that run of wins is starting to look like a significant exception, and at that point we have to come back to the quality of opposition we were beating in that run. Agreed on Bruno and Isak too. We forget just how poor Isak was early season, for example, at Chelsea. I'm trying not to overreact to yesterday, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest you might be right.
Oh I'm still in full-on overreaction mode! We should still absolutely be aiming for a CL place, but given that Liverpool, Arsenal and (probably Man City) will be in the top 4, I think it will probably be two out of Chelsea, Bournemouth, Forest, potentially Villa and Brighton, and us for those last places. I don't like those odds given our form!
If you take the plaudits on the good days then you have to take the flak on the bad ones. Yesterday was a fuckin embarrassment, Bruno may as well have taken a white flag out with him . Changes need making on the the run up to the cup final as some of them have it far too easy in keeping their place. I agree with you about Miley, he's due a place in the starting lineup.
Completely agree about Miley. I like Willock, and he's been a good player for us, but I'm not convinced he works that well in central midfield. Perhaps against supposedly lesser teams he might enable us to get up the pitch, but I don't think he has the touch or poise in possession for this kind of game. Personally I think people have been far too ready to write Longstaff off - he'll do the running and he'll play it safe, which for games like yesterday might have been an improvement.
Not sure liking this report is the right thing to do, so I would just like to thank you for it, as it is always good to read the honest well written opinion of a Newcastle supporter who was at the match.