Wandy

I don't think he has 18 games to be honest. With Benitez now lurking in the background I think he has about 5 games to show that he WILL get us out of this. Not saying that would be the correct thing to do but I just think it will happen. The murmurs in the fanbase have started and if we are still bottom three at the end of Feb then I think there will be a helluva a noise from that same fanbase.

No I said he got a tune out of the team. Willock arrived fresh and full of enthusiasm but by the first few games of this season the Bruce coaching effect quickly kicked in. Already stated that Willock is no world beater but the current manager should be getting at least some kind of a tune out of him.

My main point in all this is that it's about time proper pressure and expectation was place on Howe's shoulders. He has understandably been given a free ride so far due to that state of the club and playing squad two months ago. But its now time to see if he can deliver at a big, high profile club when the pressure is on.

Because he got "Bruced". Agree that he's average, but he's also better than what we are seeing now.

He'd never been given the chance by anyone beforehand. And yeah, we know that Bruce had ran out of ideas to get anything out of this team. But I think Howe should have gotten at least something out of Willock by now.

Who says its never to be repeated? Why can it not be that Howe is not getting the best out Willock at the moment?

Nah. The season is completely saveable right now with 18 games to go. We are not adrift and our direct rivals are garbage. No excuses.

True, but that excuse cannot be used now, 2 months into his tenure.

Its a squad that finished 13th last season under a cretin of a manager. If he could get a tune out of them then Howe should be able to too.

If we go down then he deserves the sack. Quite frankly this team should not be finishing below Norwich, Burnley & Watford, even in it's current state.

We simply must win this game. Got absolutely zero confidence that we will though.

Fair do's. You've convinced me. Howe it is then...till the end of the season anyway.

Yep, there is definitely some revisionism going on. People wanted Bruce out because "anyone could get better results with these players". Now that the new guy isnt getting better results its all because the players arent good enough and "Pep/Klopp couldn't do better" with them. It's bullshit. Howe got the job based on him saying in the interview that the team wasnt performing to the best of their ability and he could rectify that. So far that hasnt happened. And I doubt he just meant that he could just get them playing better but with similar results.

I reckon that Howe has the next 5 matches to show he is going to get us out of this mess or he's a goner.

There's not a chance that PIF hired Howe in the belief that we might be relegated this season and therefore he'd be the man for the next 3 years regardless. If we go down then he has failed and should be sacked. I'm near certain that PIF will take this view too, otherwise losing will be being rewarded. That's not how a successful, winning organisation operates.

If Howe doesn't now start picking up wins in the next 6 weeks then Benitez will be here before the end of February. Bookmark this. Some people might think that relegation this season will be a mere inconvenient setback but, believe me, the Saudis wont see it that way. If we are not showing any sign of surviving within the next month then Howe will be gone and Benitez will be back. As crazy as it sounds, I think Howe is fighting for his job already. A look around the various NUFC forums over the last 24 hours has shown an incredible amount of vitriol directed at him and the shadow of Benitez has just made his job that bit harder.

I I think Benitez would keep us up this season but long term I doubt he'd do anything for us and within a season or two we'd be back in a similar position to where we are now, albeit a bit higher up in the league. I think he's probably done as a top level manager. I like Howe as a person and I think the guy is a very decent manager but at the moment it looks like this job is too big for him and I highly doubt he will bring trophy-winning or CL-qualifying success for us in the future.

Mods should put a poll up on this thread asking if people should sack Howe next week and bring Rafa back if Everton give him the boot in the next few days. Results would be interesting to see.

He will be shocked to the core at the press and social media he gets this week. As has already been mentioned, he looks like he as aged in just two months of being here. He has nowhere to hide now and he has simply got to toughen the fuck up, drop the wasters like Lascelles and Shelvey and start getting wins because this could get really ugly for him.

I can honestly see them sacking him if Benitez becomes available next week.

Up to a nine. Unless they spend £200m this week and boy, it would need to be money well spent.

Digne is already backhandedly insulting Villa, saying that he only went because of Gerrard being the manager. We dodged a bullet with this cunt.

Fair point. But they might just think its better to take that loss when considering all of the factors that are going against them. The entire PL hate us and will attempt to do even more stuff to prevent our progress while we are out of the league. The Saudis might just cut their losses based on that.

She deserves till the end of the season though at least. She has simply got to get another 4 players in this month though, including a top class striker.

He has got to beat Norwich. There can be no excuses. Absolutely none. I can't deny that yesterday has raised a potential red flag against him for the long term for me, in terms of delivering results when the expectations are high. That game was an absolute gift and a chance to really get morale sky-high. Instead, the opposite has happened and the club is now a laughing stock for the next 7 days at least.