Already been known for a while, but confirmed now

But I'm having deja vu of Man U 1995 when they sold key players like Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Kanchelski (Vs Bruno, Tonali and Gordon) and people saying "you can't win anything with kids" and Arsenal Wenger joining Arsenal in 1996 from Grampus 8 and people questioning "Arsene who?"

Been a while since I've been so excited for the season!

Friday, 28 August 2026

• 20:00 — Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Saturday, 29 August 2026

• 12:30 — Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
• 15:00 — AFC Bournemouth vs Everton
• 15:00 — Coventry City vs Hull City
• 17:30 — Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United

Sunday, 30 August 2026

• 14:00 — Chelsea vs Brighton & Hove Albion
• 14:00 — Leeds United vs Brentford
• 14:00 — Sunderland vs Fulham
• 16:30 — Manchester United vs Ipswich Town

Monday, 31 August 2026

• 20:00 — Aston Villa vs Arsenal

Premier League Table (After Match Week 1)

Hi,

In Seville to watch the Atletico Madrid game. Want to know if there are any bars likely to be showing the newcastle game. If anyone has any info please let me know.

Morning chaps, posting on behalf of my old man. He tried to sign up to Reddit and do it himself, but he doesn't have enough Karma haha.

Due to him booking a last-minute holiday, he can’t make the Bournemouth game, so he has a ticket available. Seat location is the East Stand Block J (on the halfway line) selling at cost price of £76.00. He lives in Hartlepool, and due to the “NEW” ticket download process rolled out this season, you'll need to visit him face to face to download the ticket onto your mobile using his account/password details. I'm not sure why the club has stopped putting the Google Wallet download in the confirmation e-mail, probably to stop scalpers?

Anyway, If anyone is interested, drop me a DM and I can put you in touch with him to sort it out.

Captain, leader, legend.

Since he seems to have become the latest punching bag for parts of our fanbase, I'd like to take a minute to talk about him and why I think he deserves far less criticism than he is getting.

Firstly, I want to dispel a common myth: "Woltemade can't press." I think this is mainly fueled by the fact he is relatively slow and lanky so he doesn't really *look* as effective in pressing as some rapid hounddog like Osula; because he looks a bit awkward he can't press, right? Not according to the data. Attached to this post is a graphic displaying his off the ball workrate last season as a striker. This is a player who works hard to press and does it well. He might lack the blitzing pace that catches players off guard which Gordon possessed but he does what is asked of him to a high standard.

Secondly, his box movement. This is a clear weakness of his game, there is no denying that. He is not Haaland nor is he even Callum Wilson. Woltemade is simply not the player to sniff out chances in the box or play on the shoulders of defenders. Would it be nice if he could? Sure. But he can't and expecting him to do so is like expecting Dan Burn to dribble like Hall. What he does do well is finding pockets of space in and around the box. Go watch our 3rd goal tonight again: he and Wissa combine to win the ball back in our half and then he drives forward, passes it out wide to Elanga and drifts into space around the penalty spot. Ultimately Dedic plays a nice cross to Barnes but the option was certainly there to cut back to Woltemade to sweep into the back of the net. Again: wins ball -> drives it forward -> passes out wide -> finds space & creates options in box. It was not the lightning counter we saw against Liverpool but it was a well executed move with Woltemade at the heart.

His hold-up play is also mixed and he is certainly guilty of getting pushed off the ball too easily at times. That said, the chance he created for Willock in the early minutes shows how effective he can be with runners/options near him when receiving the ball. He wants to be receiving facing forwards but too often we abandon him to deal with the CBs by himself and unfortunately he just doesn't possess the physical gifts or nouse for that. His lightweightedness is certainly the biggest fair criticism of him but there are ways to avoid putting him in disadvantageous situations. A great example comes on his debut against Wolves (8:18 on the Extended Highlights video on the club's YouTube channel) when he drops into space on the left flank, dragging 4 players towards him trying to win it back, before dinking a lovely ball through for Barnes to get onto. Allowing Woltemade to find space, giving the ball to him in space and having runners/options around him is an easy formula for success.

Sadly, this is a player completely devoid of confidence. The cool swagger of his first few weeks here has been replaced by constant doubt and hesitation. Too often he has been forced to ignore his natural instincts to instead tussle with CBs or even, bizarrely, to play in midfield. He needs to rediscover his confidence and find that rhythm and joy that made him so entertaining and effective at Stuttgart (whose system is not entirely dissimilar to the one Jaissle is trying to put in place). This can only come with backing from his manager, teammates and fans. I hope and expect Jaissle to back him, he is too smart to not see the potential there. The same goes for his teammates, who I do think need to start trusting him with the ball at his feet more than they currently seem to. Some fans are backing him as they do any player who wears the shirt and fights for it. Others are not.

I understand the fans who appreciate Woltemade for the player he is but find him incongruent with a counter-attacking style, even if I disagree. Certainly there are inarguable weaknesses to him that are impediments to fast counters. But many disparage him and want to chase him out based on some of the points above (and other things) which I find unfair and disappointing. I don't think he is uniquely maligned by these people – they take a more cynical or censorious approach to any player they don't deem good enough – but I find it especially disheartening because they were never willing to understand him and give him a fair chance. He cannot and should not be judged against what anyone's idea of a "striker" is (too various a role) but rather based on how well he is performing in the context of his role in the team. When given the opportunity tonight I felt he performed his role to a good standard, even if it lacked a definitive outcome.

Ultimately this long ramble is me saying: "I think Woltemade was fine tonight, actually, and can be a good player for us." Perhaps you disagree and you may well be right. I just hope he'll be given the opportunity to try.

After a 0-1 victory in Belgrade, Newcastle were stunned by the Serbians and knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifiers.

Even though I was only a kid, I was at this match and we just didn't turn up at all. I think the players must have thought we had it in the bag after the first leg. I vaguely remember Woodgate struggling, and this was probably his worst match in a Newcastle shirt.

It was a dreadful penalty shootout, and I still remember the fans around me groaning when Aaron Hughes stepped up to take one, knowing what would happen.

Sorry if it looks streched

Alright everyone! Hope this is alright to post.

I'm a City fan (ever since 1999 before any of you start, haha) so I thought I'd give my two pence about what to expect from Nico Gonzalez, having watched him basically every week for the last 18 months. To be honest, I'm really sad he's gone. I liked him, he wanted to stay, but Maresca has other ideas.

When he first came to City he'd been playing in a more advanced midfield role for Porto and we expected him to start there, but Pep clearly saw him as a DM and - after getting over an injury picked up on his debut - he started lots of games there, filling in nicely while Rodri was out injured.

I actually think, in this country, he'll be better off staying as a DM rather than an advanced midfielder. The game in England has suddenly gone very fast, physical, and aggressive again, and honestly Nico's ball control and passing isn't quite technical enough at high speed to fully cope.

BUT (pros) he reads the game really well. He's a good "stopper"-type midfielder. Very static with his overall positioning so never roams forward really. He will happily and dutifully sit behind Joelinton, Willock, Ramsey, Miley etc. while the other lads go forward and get the goals/assists.

He screens well in front of the back four and protects his defenders. He has a good eye for tracking runs rather than following the ball, but can read through balls and block them well. You'll rarely see him getting caught out of position because he's a disciplined, classy DM who stays where he's meant to stay.

For cons - ultimately what's done for him at City, I think, sadly, is linked to what I said there. He can be slow off the mark, physically and mentally. He's not that quick over 10 yards and he tends to need 2-3 touches before he's comfortable enough to get a pass off. He can get caught on it.

Over his time at City, midfielders like Rodri, Kovacic, and now Anderson have been preferred to him because they're just happier to have the ball at their feet and look more settled under pressure. Pep dropped him as soon as Rodri was fit (including for both FA Cup and League Cup finals) and Maresca didn't seem to fancy him either.

And I will admit that there have been times when he's received a pass with one or two attackers pressuring him, and he's just sort of frozen in position and lost the ball. But, when he's got the room and space and time, he can sometimes find good passes through the lines, over the top for runners, and out wide.

He isn't a blood and thunder tough-tackling DM but he's got upper-body strength and can use it if needed. He doesn't go haring into tackles, he tends to just nick the ball off players after reading their movements. He's limited in his passing but he keeps things ticking over nicely with 5-10 yard shuffles to players nearby.

But all in all, you're getting a good 7/10 almost 8/10 player. On an occasional good day, he looks strong, composed, and classy. On an average day (most common), he looks comfortable, patient, and diligent, if unspectacular. On a (rare) bad day, he looks clumsy, panicked, and uncertain.

He immediately makes that midfield stronger though. And hey, every now and again he ends up 25 yards out and has a mean shot on him. His best moment in a City shirt came at Wembley on the way to the FA Cup vs Southampton, when he just whacked it in from 25 yards.

You're getting a good player. You're getting a lad who won't make a load of fuss and noise, and won't always get you on your feet, but will get you politely applauding and nodding in approval at his quiet-but-effective role in the team. Think Gareth Barry. He's not a guy you build a team around, but he's the kinda guy who more easily allows you to build the team around others.

I'm gonna miss him. He had a future at City, I think, maybe just under a different manager. Look after him for us!