Heron

He dived to get Walker sent off, played the wrong pass into the box (instead of Barnes at the front post), didn't track back once or twice and also lost the ball in our own final third needlessly. He also got an assist, constantly beat their full back and caused them problems going forward. He was ultimately our most effective winger this evening for right and wrong reasons but for me wasn't exactly our worst player. He is my biggest 'scapegoat' for love of a better term, most of the time but it'd be unfair to single him out for anything tonight. For me it was strategy that seemingly let us down performance wise - but hey I'm absolutely bored to tears of negativity from this last week or two. Let's embrace the win and start a run.

It's really annoying mate. That's what's pissing people off. This attitude that he's better than he is.

As I've said before he has been really effective going around the outside and has yet again caused troubles going down that wing and getting balls in. Got an assist and caused issues. However, has also caused issues for us by losing the ball in stupid places and cheating to try and get Walker sent off. Also chose the wrong option instead of crossing to Barnes at the front post. So frustrating man. Really has to stick to the basics and working hard, and not trying to be a smart arse.

Sadly I felt similar this time last season too - that I began having a similar desire for us to win to prove the doubters wrong than to simply enjoy the win. We know how that ended last season. Here's praying for the same again.

Part of me wants us to win moreso to stop seeing such negativity everywhere online. I'm not gonna lie

Aye - all fair enough. I just don't really agree with the last part. Gordon has been void of criticism for a long time and now he's getting what he should be. I don't agree with anyone putting the effort in getting berated in the ground especially, Gordon included, but he hasn't been doing enough for a long time. Murphy has been doing more statistically from open play for a long time and still gets the same, if not more shit, and quiety goes about his business.

He wasn't though. Gordon took his man on once or twice and then put the ball out of play or straight into the keepers hands, including blazing over from 10 yards. Whilst Murphy wasn't any better - he wasn't any worse. He put 2 or 3 dangerous balls in the box that nobody attacked. He clearly isn't a shit footballer, he proved that in his first full season here, but since that Euro summer he's been inconsistent at best and for a large part of that has gone under the radar. It wasn't until his red versus Brighton that the heat turned up on him and rightly so - he could have cost us our cup win.

Is he though? Every time Murphy loses the ball he is berated - as is Elanga. Yet Gordon can do that multiple times and until recently has got away scott-free. Gordon has the same number of 'in-play' PL goal contributions as Elanga this season btw...

So as far as I can see the criticisms of Howe that we relentlessly go round and round in circles with at present are as follows: - Poor transfers - Lack of identity - Lack of alternative strategies - Poor substitutions - Poor squad selection - Poor comments in the media - Lost to Sunderland I think that's everything (but who can ever be sure online...). The factual or at least majority- agreed on defence (to note just some)... - All (or the vast majority) of other inbound transfers ahead of this last window were successes. - 0 short term first team additions in recent windows (excluding the summer) - The sale of Isak and how he was sold - The fact that replacements for Isak would be largely of lower quality and different attributes - Differing strategies that were applied throughout the previous years of Howes tenure The rest all seems pretty subjective to me - except the fact we lost to Sunderland. Folk who want to back Howe will (like me) folk who don't - won't. You can criticise his tactics and application for personnel but one more fact is that every time that's been questioned - since the day he arrived - he has proven that wrong across the season. Fact. Finally - 2 CL finishes, 1 cup final, 1 cup SF (at least), still in all 4 competitions in January and with 1 2025 cup win. F.A.C.T. People might not be happy and might have their reasons but at least base them on things like squad selection, tactics and man management and the things we know he is responsible for and don't pad them out with speculation. People doubted him in his first 7 or 8 games despite us getting better performances and have doubted him every time he has a shakey spell since. It's getting really irritating tbh. Bloke deserves our backing more than any other manager we've had since SBR. Final Edit : Just to touch on the speculative stuff... - We don't know who controls transfers regarding who we buy and sell and how much for. But structurally (from what I've read on here) Steve Nickson appears to head up that function. - We don't know there is an identity crisis. For example, we don't see somw players press and some not - what we do see is a team not performing the same functions as previous as a collective. Which isn’t so much an identity crisis but is a tactical/strategic issue. Players know what they're being tasked to do - it just isn’t working as often as we'd all like. - Poor squad selection, substitutes and comments are all born out of trying to find a solution - anyone expecting to simply land on the right solution immediately is being unreasonable. It also seems that everyone who is anti-Howe (a term I am using for simplicity which I know isn't entirely correct) are happy to point to the amount he has spent sonce arriving - attributing somw of the positives to the board etc. But then arent attributing some of the baords failures to them when discussing Howe. Yet the pro-Howe people pretty much acknowledge that whilst Howe is the spearhead for us - it has been a massive team effort of which they all have pros and cons. But hey maybe I'm biased.

A lot of what is being said is speculation (or not really well-established) that's the issue for me. Howe can be criticised for certain elements but a lot of the elements being levelled at him are either a) without consideration for other factors or are b) what the individual wants to believe based on perception rather than fact.

So if we've queried Who and Howe I guess next it will be What Where and When?

Absolutely mental the levels of this discussion in my mind like

I'd be keen to see this trialled as well. Allows us to slip into a more defensive 5 3 2 as well against better opposition or opposition that gets on top. I even suggested this to Mr Howe

It's not accepting mediocrity to accept that we're going through a transitional phase as a squad. Obtaining CL football and winning trophies isn't mediocre.

They finished below us and with less cups than us last season...

You absolutely can factor in to the fact we didn't have a striker for around the first 33% of our games thus far and the fact that we had to change our style of play or have the new signings change theirs. It's not the same as one player gaining match fitness like Isak at Liverpool. We told everyone he wasn't going anywhere until almost the very end of the window. We actively tried to bring in replacements but didn't manage it financially. That's not Howes fault. Not to any of our knowledge. I know some of you chaps like to level that blame at him but I'm not sure that's the reality like.

It's like folk are actively looking for reasons to get rid. Please can those who want him sacked remind me of the sure fire replacement that will not only be attainable but whom will also transform us into a regular top 4 side that wins trophies? Last year Villa started the league a similar way to us. They were 5 points ahead of our current situation but in 9th place - it's not all that different... They didn't rush their manager out either...

We sold our star striker last gasp in the most recent transfer window.

That'd be assuming Palace, Brighton, Brentford and Everton all picked up maximum points in their games in hand - which they are likely not to. Chances are we'd remain 6th because of GD and the fact most those clubs will get 4 pts max.

Woltemade is on 7 from 15 in the PL and had he taken the penalties he'd be on 9 in 15. I honestly don't think Woltemade is our problem, it is more that we don't create for Woltemade. Our wingers have 10 goal involvements (goals and assists) between them (in the PL): Barnes: 3 Murphy: 3 Gordon: 3* (2 penalties) Elanga: 1 My heart tells me to rant further but I won't...(yet... )

I think he'll be better if we can get to the byline more before crossing - then he'll be coming on to the ball from behind the build up rather than attacking it from behind. Wissa is the opposite. Ironically, Woltemmade scored his going onto it vs Chelsea though.

Excluding Gordon's penalties?

The season isn't written off though is it. Last time I checked we were only half way through and we were in all 4 competitions.

I totally get business continuity planning but if you're being told something is specifically not going to happen and then all your alternatives might happen and don't then it's not really Howes fault.