Mr Nimbus

I think it's only going to get harder to stay in the league. With the increased spending power of the "middle tier clubs" and us likely to continue our model, all be it with possibly more finances available, I think things may finally catch up on us. I'm not sure we can continually get away with the runs we go on where we just lose game after game, especially away from home.

It's not "being gifted" though is it? It would be a punishment for Newcastle being unable to complete the fixture. If there was some transparency around the split of injured players/COVID that would help.

The over riding concern for me (especially during that dire run last season) was the defence. We constantly just shipped goals and that was putting us out of games very quickly. That (for now) seems to have been worked on incredibly well. Just reading through some stats sites and our defensive numbers are really strong. That is the sign of a good coach and with the amount of younger players we have, I personally think that is incredibly important for their development. TLDR - Ralph in for me (which is a shift from my stance in the summer)

I'd like to see Tella for Moussa and if fit, Stu Armstrong for Redmond. We will need energy, discipline and a large chunk of luck. I fear for this back 4 against them though. 4-1 City.

The two things that frustrate me the most with him are, constantly cutting inside and how often he gives the ball away. Opposition full backs must know what he is going to do as he seemingly does it so often. I don't think we will see a coming of age, he is what he is. A lower PL/Championship squad player IMO.