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Zippity
19-09-2023, 06:44 PM
...this lot were Champions League semi finalists a few months ago.

That is an absolutely fantastic point.

PhoneymcRingRing
19-09-2023, 07:03 PM
You’re right it is a fantastic point, but We were very lucky to come away with that point. We need to improve big time

HughieG
19-09-2023, 07:19 PM
We defended half okay, the disappointing part was when we were on the ball - completely void of any ideas of what to do with it. Isak looked a shadow of himself.

Other than that, it was f*cking amazing to watch Newcastle in the Champions League again :star:

Zippity
19-09-2023, 07:21 PM
Whilst I agree with you both, I'm going to worry about that tomorrow. For now, I'm just looking at the positives. We can hold our heads up high after tonight.

Jammy89
19-09-2023, 07:56 PM
Bang on Zip, bang on.

I think we can beat them at St. James.

5under1and
19-09-2023, 08:27 PM
As far as I can see we are one more point closer to going through this group
Can’t see any team looking forward to playing us at home
Would 10 points get us into the next round ?

HughieG
19-09-2023, 08:41 PM
As far as I can see we are one more point closer to going through this group
Can’t see any team looking forward to playing us at home
Would 10 points get us into the next round ?

Sir Alex always said that 10 points would do the trick - I think he might be right.

Ragatino
19-09-2023, 09:44 PM
Class to be back in Europe.

The lads didn't hide. On our current form everyone put in a shift. We didn't disgrace ourselves at all.

We weren't a potent dangerous force up top but that will come with experience as the squad grow and learn to play together better with time.

Tripz MotM. Pope kept us in it, back to his best. Longstaff was class. Bruno did a lot of dirty work whilst Tonali was on the pitch.

Anderson showed some potential, a little naive however at his age its class exposure to the top top table of football. His Grandad will be beaming!

Murphy was solid in support off the ball.

BDB put in a shift. With fatigue his lack of technical ability was on show in moments however he didn't put a foot wrong in a positional sense.

The back two, Schar had a solid game, no mistakes, cleaned up, played it simple kept the danger in front of him. Botman, really has that touch of class. Not is absolute best performance however the lad is just a level above anything I've seen in a B&W shirt since Woodgate.

At home we'll need to be 10 yards higher up and get our technical attacking players more in the game, we'll need to impose our game on teams in the home matches.

Bring on PSG. we don't have anything to fear! HwtL

toptoon
20-09-2023, 12:20 AM
Had a frickin power cut half an hour before the game started 😡 so just watched a replay without knowing the result.
A very proud moment to see them walking out. Under the cosh and rode our luck but a brilliant point.
All the players rose to the challenge in a very tough place to play and Eddie went for experience in the selection which worked.
Worst part: watching passes down the middle opening us up on several occasions (Number 6?).
Best part: us pressuring them at the end and nearly snatching it.

HughieG
20-09-2023, 09:24 AM
Had a frickin power cut half an hour before the game started  so just watched a replay without knowing the result.
A very proud moment to see them walking out. Under the cosh and rode our luck but a brilliant point.
All the players rose to the challenge in a very tough place to play and Eddie went for experience in the selection which worked.
Worst part: watching passes down the middle opening us up on several occasions (Number 6?).
Best part: us pressuring them at the end and nearly snatching it.

Could've been one of those games where we snatched it right at the end; would be nice to try that one day.

18nufc92
20-09-2023, 10:06 AM
Considering we’ve not played in the Champions League for 20 years, have players who are mainly very inexperienced at this level and our first game being away to one of the most successful football club’s in history, we should all be incredibly proud of the point and performance. Sure, we weren’t at our best, especially in attack, but we battled hard and proved we belong at this level. The players will gain massive confidence from it too.

HughieG
20-09-2023, 10:32 AM
Personally, I think it's acceptable to on the one hand be very happy with us being back in the Champions League, to have enjoyed watching us play in Milan - and the occassion in general - and be very happy with the fact that we managed to achieve a draw, but simultaneously have a healthy scepticism with regards to us having no creativity or imagination on the ball, and why a player like Isak looked completely lost.

Many things to be happy with, many areas with room for improvement.

toptoon
20-09-2023, 10:49 AM
Could've been one of those games where we snatched it right at the end; would be nice to try that one day.

If you look at the subs, Hughie, I think Eddie did go for it. Mind if Longstaff’s shot had gone in at the end it would’ve a complete steal.

HughieG
20-09-2023, 10:51 AM
If you look at the subs, Hughie, I think Eddie did go for it. Mind if Longstaff’s shot had gone in at the end it would’ve a complete steal.

Absolutely! That wasn't a criticism of Eddie, more that this kind of thing usually happens to us, and it would be nice to be able to steal three points one day. I thought Eddie was brave yesterday with the team selection and got it more or less right.

toptoon
20-09-2023, 10:51 AM
Personally, I think it's acceptable to on the one hand be very happy with us being back in the Champions League, to have enjoyed watching us play in Milan - and the occassion in general - and be very happy with the fact that we managed to achieve a draw, but simultaneously have a healthy scepticism with regards to us having no creativity or imagination on the ball, and why a player like Isak looked completely lost.

Many things to be happy with, many areas with room for improvement.

I’ve seen an anonymous performance from him like that playing for Sweden - he was marked out of the game and when the team sits a little deeper, as we did, the strikers get swarmed.

HughieG
20-09-2023, 10:58 AM
I’ve seen an anonymous performance from him like that playing for Sweden - he was marked out of the game and when the team sits a little deeper, as we did, the strikers get swarmed.

It can happen that the opponent is able to neutralize a player throughout long periods of a game, and obviously players are bound to have off days. I don't have it in for Isak specifically, I just think it's an area where we need to do better if we want to obtain points against the very, very good teams we will be playing against in the group stage, as we will be sitting deeper than we are used to in the Premier League for the most part.

We have an obvious, effective plan when our wingers and wingbacks are in possession, not so much when the striker is playing a deeper role and has to carry the ball forward. Just an observation.

sherwoodmag
20-09-2023, 12:14 PM
Liverpool won it without winning a single away game,to get a point at the San Siro is an achievement.

Howe said we did not set out to play a strictly defensive game but were forced into it.

Although Isak is technically better than Wilson he is more a winger or number ten,Wilson is much better at leading the line as he is an old fashioned centre forward,he should always lead the line away from home as an outlet when we are pushed back.

Ragatino
20-09-2023, 03:12 PM
Take away from yesterdays match is that we went toe to toe with last seasons Champions League semi-finalists.

How many teams are gonna go to the San Siro this season and take points this season.

What every has been said in the press or by other fans is irrelevant. What's being written is born out of jealous. Chelsea & the Bindipper fans among the press wish they were playing AC Milan last night.

Nufcian
20-09-2023, 06:15 PM
Great point, would have taken it before the game and thought we might struggle to keep a clean sheet by during half time but they came out better second half.

As Eddie said, for the majority of the squad this was a brand new experience, not an easy place to get a win and the players need to adjust from Prem to European refereeing.

But again the midfield looks poor, it’s a real issue and until we sort it I think we are going to have to dig deep and win ugly, but I trust Howe will sort it out before too long.

Zippity
20-09-2023, 06:37 PM
The more I think about it, the more impressed I am with last night's point.

Never mind the benefits going forward (the confidence, the experience, the actual point itself!!), to go there and get a point with a clean sheet against a team with such European experience and pedigree...honestly, man, how good is that??

I'm not ignoring the midfield issue-it is a genuine concern-but, for me, it can't take the gloss off what we achieved in our first Champions League match in over 20 years...parity!!