Post Match: Liverpool v Newcastle (EPL 1/1/24 8pm)

I’d like to see Szob start a match or two over there. It’s a familiar position for him, and I reckon he could be devastating.

That said, I agree that Harvey should be afforded the chance to stake his claim. Maybe in the cups?

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This guy thinks so too, about both, in this interesting video, interesting numbers and heatmaps, and interesting selected moments.

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In the Newcastle game, Isak’s goal showed Nunez exactly how to do it to be fair. Composure being closed down by VVD, and placing a shot beyond the keeper. And looking at the stats validated that Isak is indeed alot better than Nunez at scoring, simply put.

Doesn’t take away the fact that Nunez has some very exciting traits but when you are presented with so many chances to score, you simply have to as a forward player.

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It’s true.
But there are so many other aspects of being a great striker, and I wonder how he compares to Nunez in those, I’d love to see some numbers…how well is he pressing? how much space is he creating? how many chances does he create, and how does he help his teammates, are just some of the things I’d like to see a comparison…then it’s a good, complete comparison.of two strikers.

Also, I wonder about all those misses, how many points they have cost us, vs how many points his goals and goal contributions have earned us? Both on his own, and also vs strikers like Isak or Saka.

The misleading thing about the focus on the stats as well is that when goals is the numerator it is such a small number that all it takes is one performance like his one in the game at St James’ Park and all of a sudden his ratios are perfectly normal for a player of his caliber.

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Okay make that 2 :joy::joy:

Thank you for your response.

In an ideal world I would agree with what you are saying, however, unfortunately we do not have that privilege.
Eddie Howe/Another are football managers not politician’s, it is not their responsibility to discuss the ins and outs of a countries political stance. Should Klopp have to answer questions about the Gun law/culture and mass shootings in the US? Are managers of Chinese owned clubs asked about Tibet/Uyghurs?
As Iv said, if the EPL have sanctioned the ownership, then maybe they are also the ones to answer the questions :+1:t2:

FSG are not the American government so no, Klopp wouldn’t have to answer for American political issues.

The Saudi owners of Newcastle are the government. Questions about their actions are fair to anyone who works for them - especially the extremely highly paid ones.

Eddie Howe can work for anyone he likes but it will invite criticism when he chooses to work for a dictatorship who are using him as a tool in a sportswashing venture. I, personally, extend that criticism to all the players too.

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To add to this, it is also important to remember that football is flooded with money as it is. No one needs to take PIF money to get rich in this industry

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I don’t think that is really true these days, if so we would be touring Japan and not Thailand in pre-season. Also, which of our AFCON eligible players have led to the club earning substantial revenues?

More likely we sign them because they are good players and have been available at fair to good prices (perhaps because of their AFCON absences?)

PIF are not the Government, they are an investment firm acting on behalf of the Government - Yes, I know it is a load of bulls**t - However, the EPL approved the takeover, and infact one of the principal reasons for the hold up with the takeover was about dodgy streaming/piracy through BeIN sports I believe.

PIF also own shares in Uber, Electronic Arts, Nintendo, BP, Boeing, Disney, Heathrow, etc.
I know I am being flippant here but should I criticise all Uber drivers, petrol attendants and the one and only Mickey Mouse?

To clarify, I completely agree with the views @Worgan, yourself and millions of others have raised regarding the ‘owners’ of NUFC and their links to the SA and its Human Rights violations. I just don’t believe it’s an issue Eddie Howe is going to solve in a few interviews. Maybe questions are better directed at the EPL, FIFA, FIA, WTA/ATP, Greg Norman, John Rahm or numerous Governments :man_shrugging:t3:

Eddie Howe could highlight, or assist in highlighting the actions of the Saudi government by not engaging with Newcastle.
But then again footballs elite nations participated in the Qatar World Cup.
Football is fucked by dubious finances, and small steps are required to win it back.

Captains in Qatar should have worn rainbow armbands
Howe et all should tell Newcastle to fuck off.
Hendo shouldn’t have gone to the Saudi league.

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Eddie Howe does that, it may be considered a political statement and if he rejected the job, there would only be another ‘pawn’ who would take the job. The job is only there because the EPL approved the takeover, and because SA are not on the Government’s sanction list, their decision can be justified.

I do not agree that International Football bodies had to send their teams to Qatar in December, whilst affecting their National Leagues.
I do not agree with the decision that Captains were not allowed to wear Rainbow arm bands.
Hendo, should be allowed to do what he felt best for him and his family, he has not broken the law. He is just a hypocrite as it can be seen as selling out and going against his pro LGBTQ work.

The whole world is fucked by dubious finances, top to bottom, it needs big steps but even small steps would be a start. However, I can assure you that people pulling up Eddie Howes, wishy washy responses to speculative questions by journalists after a story, who themselves are most likely employed by Murdoch or Ruthermores is very, very, very, small steps :+1:t2:

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Yes it is flippant. To the point of pointlessness. There may well be an argument to be made about the ethical response of the employee and consumer to malign actors becoming shareholders in companies, but that is an incredibly complex topic. It is notably not the dilemma at hand for anyone with the opportunity to be involved Newcastle, a now overtly political institution being run for the benefit of KSA and MBS.

Yes, someone is going to take the job. But that person is a cunt and doesnt not become one just because some other cunt was waiting in the wings to say yes if given the opportunity.

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@Limiescouse I understand the point you are making in your 2nd paragraph. However, could you please elaborate on the first paragraph.

Thanks

I think Eddie Howe is a cunt not necessarily because he works for the PIF but simply he has gotten ahead of himself just because he got them into CL last season.

But regarding him working for PIF, I think it’s perfectly reasonable for individuals holding certain beliefs to condemn or disagree with him. But I have a genuine question. Granted that the manager is a much more high profile position and we would expect more from the person in the job, would you say any and everyone working in Newcastle as cunts? As I said I think Howe is a cunt because of his behaviour not because of his employment to me. If the latter is true to you, is the assistant manager equally culpable? The kitsman? The club shop staff?

PIF is a dodgy organisation but does that mean everyone and anyone associated with them are dodgy too especially with a relationship that is so far removed from the shite they do in Saudi.

You cannot compare owning shares in a publicly traded company with private ownership of entities that are being used for political motives. The purpose of the two are very different and so therefore are the ethical implications of doing business with them.

PIF was created to diversify the Kingdom’s sources of revenue away from oil. This is a project some 50 years in the making and so by now has its money all over the S&P 500. Notably, these investments are big in absolute monetary value to you and me, but small in terms of impact to the individual companies they have invested in - their half a billion investment in Disney constitutes less than 0.5% of the company.

Entities like LIV and Newcastle are clearly completely different. This is a relatively new direction for PIF and one they have been led in by the Qataris and Emirates. These are privately owned entities that are overtly political and created (and funded) for the sole purpose of buying influence, of intertwining themselves with things their antagonists consider to be important. Their ownership of newcastle vs someone like EA is not just different in scale but in type. The implication of working for or doing business with one vs the other are just not comparable.

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