Memphis

Going to have to ignore a lot of smokescreens from the club being pushed to various media outlets. Similarly to January, it's in the club's best interest to publicly play down the size of our transfer budget and the ambition of our targets. We accomplish nothing through having that publicly discussed. But I would assume that, behind the scenes, we have been working our channels for quite some time and I'd be surprised if we don't do significant business quickly. Feels like we've got a pretty shrewd group working now.

Cannot be overstated what a wonderful job Eddie Howe has done - and done it with a demeanor as even-keeled and professional as I have ever seen. Clearly gets what it means to lead a club like ours but has never seemed overwhelmed or anything other than calm and controlled. I think he can grow with the club but that's for another day. For now, it's enough to applaud the job he's done. Perfect manager for us right now.

Wayne Rooney certainly wasn't a terrible footballer but against us he turned into a big goofy Messi

Genuinely torn on him. Undoubtedly a player of extraordinary skill but he doesn't seem to match the character of the squad as a whole. Very much seems to be served as a big fish in a smaller pond. I don't know whether or not Howe rates him as a long-term purple but I also don't think we can carry him forward without an improvement in his overall mentality. Seems a good person, so I don't think it's a character issue or anything of the sort, I just don't know if he's truly willing to sacrifice his own game a little for the greater good. I also have no idea of what his value would be in the market. You could tell me 20m or 50m and I think it's conceivable. One of the trickier decisions for Howe this summer imo.

He’s still got the magic.

These were his comments after the match: I really appreciate the honesty and self-awareness in those comments. He knows they weren't good enough but he's also still confident in improving. Class attitude.

Just listen to this. Incredible man management. Here's a player who could be upset about not playing but he's not only satisfied, he's understanding of his role and he's appreciative of the improvement in development.

I'm so excited to finally have a summer transfer window I can truly look forward to. I know we're going to be in the Premier League, I know we're being managed by a proper manager who gets the best out of players, I know we play an attractive brand of football. And I know we have the budget and ambition to sign the best.possible targets. I can't remember the last time I felt like this about our club. It's incredible considering how much we've been through over the years. I just want to appreciate it.

@WillDanceForChocolatethat was a fantastic read, thank you for sharing it, it's given me even more perspective on what a special person Howe seems to be. I cannot believe how well he has done in such a short time but reading about his time with you has helped me understand why it's happening.

Just looking up a few statistics... Among all Premier League players who have made at least 50 long passes (30+ yards), Bruno is first in pass accuracy with 89.1%. (Next highest for us is Joelinton with 71.2%.) He's genuinely world class.

Several of you were talking about it but I am incredibly impressed with his English comprehension. I could not believe that interview - his ability to understand what was being asked, more than competent answers, he's got a brain for languages. Look how many people - whether footballers or not - move to a foreign country and take ages just to communicate like a 7 year old. He's something else. Oh and the header was fucking amazing.

I have been so impressed with his mentality and his approach to things. After all the talk when he was hired of his inability to coach defence - and after that crazy 3-3 with Brentford - I was concerned about how he would coach and whether he had evolved in his methods. But he has shown without a doubt how much he’s improved as a coach, we are so much more competent in every phase of the game. We defend with a purpose and with composure, even without Trippier or having bought our preferred CBs. I remember Klopp, I think it was, talking about his team being a “mentality monster” and it seems to me that Howe has us headed in that direction. We are hard to play against but we also retain a creative outlet going forward. Even under Rafa, we often didn’t do both. We seem to have belief and composure. He has raised the level of play from everyone and eased the pressure that was all-consuming. Unbelievable professionalism. I think he’s a great fit, his attitude and even-tempered nature help to keep the lid on what can be a boiling atmosphere at the club. He deserves a lot of credit and I think he can grow as a manager alongside us as a club. Terrific job.

https://trainingground.guru/articles/dan-ashworth-inside-the-mind-of-a-technical-director Just listened to this and he could not sound more professional and competent, a staggering change of pace from our usual appointments pre-takeover. If he puts this structure he describes here in place at SJP, we're going to be in terrific position now and for the future. It's long but it's well worth a listen.

Truly astounded that we managed to sign him. What a coup for us considering our position, and it's the kind of signing that should help us attract even more and better players - if they see this man is willing to sign for us, then that speaks volumes for what we are all about.

The only thing I can cling to is that the rest of the bottom is so horrendously awful that we might actually still have a chance if we make several key signings. As bad as we have been, we should be 10 points off safety.

More depressed than angry. Starting to wonder about Eddie Howe now. Speaks well and seems to know the game but fuck me he can't manage a game, doesn't seem to have much tactical ability, we look as bad or worse than we did under Bruce and while the players are a huge problem, the manager getting fuck all more out of them is a big issue too. Without an incredible amount of investment in the next two weeks, we are a lock for the drop.

We have completely collapsed. Team looks shot physically. Hope we can hang on.

Never going to be easy to watch this. Desperate for a second.

Dummett has been such an improvement on the left. Not amazing but stunningly competent compared with Ritchie et al

Quality, finally!! That's why he's got to be in the side no matter what...

ASM looks uncomfortable with his role. Team is crying out for a CM who can move the ball around more quickly.

If we can't get a halfway decent striker for less than 30-40 million, how far do you really think Burnley can make 25m stretch?

20 mil is lunacy for Wood, but in our position it's justifiable. He's a definite improvement. His loss weakens Burnley. As long as there's more to come, it's not a bad idea.