This Weekend's Fixtures & Newcastle v West Ham (23/24/25 Nov.)

[HCZ_Reborn]

Indeed. But this is why I'm raising an eyebrow at you continuing to call their performances average. Average performances yield average results...on average.
Of course there will be times you play poorly and win, or play well and lose. That's football. But if you keep putting in average performances then you're not going to keep on winning and they just...do. Easy fixtures or no, I can't believe it can be entirely luck. There does seem to be something about them this season. Whether they'll maintain this...it seems unlikely, but I keep thinking that. Hopefully December will see them drop enough points and we can go on a run and haul them in a bit.
You use the word "average" a lot by the way - elsewhere you chastised someone else for using it because average compared with what?

Perhaps you’re right, perhaps the word mediocre would be better

But again quibbling over venacular, doesn’t change my view that I don’t believe their performances to be those you would see from sides you’ve seen in the past that are title winners. And I don’t think it in anyway unreasonable to suggest that I don’t think you have any evidentiary basis to challenge that view without having seen Liverpool play

[HCZ_Reborn]

Our defence doesn't feel as solid, I think that's the main thing for me. Last season we shut up shop and saw games out, this year we're struggling to keep clean sheets.

I think again people misremember and when they think of last season they think exclusively of the second half

We failed to close out leads against Fulham twice and Spurs and Liverpool, we conceded three goals against Luton for heaven’s sake.

First 20 games? Conceded 20 goals. Not only that but we had Raya who was atrocious at the time

If people argued, “well after the 18 game run from January to May, I’d have thought we had shaken off the problems that made us look a bit shit in the first half of that season”. I’d have sympathy for that view, I’d hoped the same myself.

But to suggest that we are worse than we were in the first half of last season, I have to say it’s just inaccurate

[Letters]

And I don’t think it in anyway unreasonable to suggest that I don’t think you have any evidentiary basis to challenge that view without having seen Liverpool play

It isn't unreasonable. I guess my only evidence is their results. The longer this goes on the more unlikely it seems to me that their performances are mediocre and they're getting lucky. That can't keep happening, surely? And maybe it won't, but they are starting to irritate. I heard my neighbour yelling when Southampton went 2-1 up yesterday and rolled my eyes when I saw they'd won again.

[Letters]

But to suggest that we are worse than we were in the first half of last season, I have to say it’s just inaccurate

That may be true. It feels worse but that may be because we're comparing the first half of this season to the last half of last in which we were mostly imperious.
And we have had harder fixtures this time. So overall I am feeling a bit more upbeat about things but Liverpool are starting to piss me off.

[HCZ_Reborn]

That may be true. It feels worse but that may be because we're comparing the first half of this season to the last half of last in which we were mostly imperious.
And we have had harder fixtures this time. So overall I am feeling a bit more upbeat about things but Liverpool are starting to piss me off.

But then that’s your issue is it not?

My feeling is more that patience is required for things to start moving our way


And if by the first week in January we haven’t made up any ground on them, I will be despondent

[Letters]

Newcastle 0 - West Ham 2 so far

[HCZ_Reborn]

I like Wan Bisakka, I’m surprised United sold him….always one of their better players I thought

[Marc Overmars]

West Ham playing themselves back into form for us?