This really is how it feels to me.
I don’t remember the last time I faced a new season with such expectation or trepidation (yes, both go hand in hand for me).
There have been times where I’ve had optimism, but that’s not quite the same as it feels this season.
I keep harping back to a certain fact and I still can’t quite get my head around it;
If we look at results in this current calendar year only, we would have qualified for the Champion’s league.
That is some statement that I still have to keep mulling over. And then I consider that we hardly changed any players.
I know. We’ve said this before. It’s a sign of how a top manager changes things. But Emery has been adding to the squad. Maybe not as fast as most of us would like, but no doubt we’re all enjoying what we are getting in Moussa Diaby, Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans, all at very reasonable prices.
I don’t know who’s proposing these deals, but apparently Emery has the overall say. If this is the quality/price ratio we’re going to see, who cares? but it’s another sign that things are working well.
Have we finished our signings? I honestly don’t know what to think there, because Emery strikes me as the sort of man who wants players in quickly , so he can spend time explaining exactly what he wants. Yet, now Jacob Ramsey and apparently Buendia are both long term injured, you would have to suspect another midfielder is on the cards. And then there’s a striker too, as much as I’ve proposed that we might not exactly need one, with goals being expected from all over the pitch.
But these are the same old sort of questions that we always ask ourselves.
Let’s go back to that expectation.
Tomorrow, we face a tough game in Newcastle away.
I suspect their owners are itching to sack Eddie Howe and sign some “massive statement” type manager. But they can’t, can they? because he’s done extremely well for them. Certainly better than I expected, as much as I rate him.
He’s bought well and seems to have done the same again, in signing Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, Harvey Barnes from Leicester and Tino Livramento from Southampton. Hardly marquee signings that I’m sure the club could afford if they wanted, but very solid players.
But it doesn’t concern me in the slightest.
I could go into the ins and outs of how I think the game will go, but it would be pointless.
I’ve always said that first day games don’t count, because anything can and most likely will happen. Freak scores always happen on opening day.
Except I don’t think tomorrow will be a freak score.
I’m going for a straightforward 2-1 win.
Why?
Because I genuinely believe.
And if we don’t get it, it’s no big deal. It’s first day, remember.
Roll on the Burnley game.
This ashes thing is all well and good. But in the words of Sinead, “Nothing compares”;
Passing sharp Bum Bum, but have to finish.
Martinez, eh?
Any other team’s goalie and I’d be doing my nut.
There’s dark arts and blatant cheating 🙁
If we could take our chances we would be ahead.
Diaby looks special.
I don’t think that first half could have been much worse. Mings looks like he will be out for a long time. Cash and Bailey especially are wasteful and constantly getting robbed of the ball. As for Martinez I think he got lucky and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him booked again and sent off.
If you watch the Barcodes second VAR goal you will see Cash is fouled forcing him to play them onside.
Agree with all your points, Holte.
When it isn’t a goalie but an outfield player that takes out an opponent the yellow isn’t an issue. When it’s a goalie there’s more of a focus. It was a yellow because the Barcode wasn’t running towards the goal.
We have missed some sitters though BFR. That Ollie one was terrible.
Tiemanns on 2nd half please. Bailey off. Torres looks sharp.
im still waiting for someone to show me how that goal was not offside
Exactly, mate. Zero analysis from the pundits. No lines shown. Are they under instructions not to slag off VAR? Did anyone see Neville and Carragher tossing themselves off over the ridiculously luxurious VAR centre before yesterday’s match? It’s here to stay I’m very sorry to say.
Luiz keeps impressing me. I wish other players could track his give and go’s better.
Bollocks. Bad day at the office.
Oh, Konsa 🙁
He had that fully in control and had done well and then does that.
This is a disaster today 🙁
Game over. We’re all over the place.
They need to get the smelling salts out or this could get messy…
The defence worries me in pre-season. Almost like we’d tried too many new tactics and they lost memory of how we held the line last season. Sadly this game seems a continuation of that. I think Pau and Carlos will soon be our CB pairing.
Carlos looks like a boxer!
McGinn off for Carlos.
Correct decision as SJM has been uncharacteristically invisible today, imo.
What a comical game this is, I’m absolutely mesmerised in who is who in this game, seeing this I feel we are nowhere near being a team to worry about and the team is way off knowing what to do . We are being destroyed and more games to worry about .
Bill, the way Mings was injured has caused this. It’s upset everything and I really wouldn’t read too much into today.
Mings has gone straight to a Newcastle hospital for treatment.
That has to be a really bad injury, you’d think 🙁
Really bad luck. It looked a nothing tackle on the replay. Looks like the cheque book will need to come out again.
It’s the oldest football trope about taking your chances. Virtual open goals for both Wilkins and Cash and both missed, something we cannot afford going forward.
We haven’t coped with the press at all today.
Defensively poor and as much as I like Cash, I’m now beginning to think he doesn’t look the same class as most of the players around him.
Either that or he’s being hung out to dry. Not being at the game can mislead.
Barnes is off. VAR is bent. Simple as. Where are the f****** lines?
Shambolic.
F****** ell. Kamara looks like he’s given up.
Badger, your posting of Sinead O’Connor has proved to be prophetic. It’s all ended in tears. 😢
Sadly, yes 🙁
Philogene on for Cash.
We could be seeing the future there.
We haven’t matched them in terms of tenacity and it’s turned into an embarrassment. Defensively it’s been a disaster and at 4-1 the players heads dropped. Pressure is now on a performance against Everton.
Oh dear. I was just about to say I get the impression they wanted revenge for April. I really believe we pissed them right off that day. It did get messy, as predicted.
Bill, thought the same! I’m nearly laughing and it looks like Emery is too!
Who on earth are this team on the pitch???? I think yr right, Mings has been badly hurt and it’s affected the team.
5-1. Shocking.