Holmesy

Problem is, I don’t think we get that version of Eddie if he does stay - the sabbatical gives him the opportunity to work on the issues and gaps in his management playbook. The last one took him a decent break to put together. If we allow him the time to do it in the job, firstly I can see him burning out and secondly, I can see things getting worse before they get better.

One of the alarming things we’ve seen this season is a regression of established players alongside no improvement in the new ones, which is a departure from what we’ve seen to-date under Eddie. It could be down to lack of coaching time on the training pitch but again, if we’re going to suffer so badly from playing in Europe, is it even worth it?

I agree to an extent but we have to remember his gameplan/blueprint was built over time and honed while he was out of the game learning from others. What I would argue we haven’t seen from him during his tenure here is an ability to evolve things while in the job - our evolution has come from new players largely playing the same formula, with tweaks. Now that the fundamentals of his system and approach are proving completely ineffective, he doesn’t seem to have an answer. And this is where the ‘no plan B’ becomes so damaging. His response to our poor form is more of the same. We don’t need tweaks, we need an entirely new footballing identity. Player for player we are streets ahead of the teams we are struggling against but everyone knows our weaknesses and routinely exploit them. There is no joy to be taken from seeing this play out but we have to recognise what is going on and if he doesn’t make serious changes to our approach soon, I think the writing could and should be on the wall.

Come on man, enforced plan Bs are not the same as mixing up your systems and tactics by choice.

Which is what Pep has done so well and why he’s probably the best there has ever been. Unfortunately there’s only one of him. i feel like we got Eddie at exactly the right time - he’d spent time out of the game studying and learning from some of the best around. But he’s clearly not very good at learning on the job, and what used to be highly effective no longer is. Feels like he needs another spell out of the game to learn some new tricks.

£20m player at best. Shame, seems like a decent fella but we’ve had our pants pulled down.

You mean like a plan B? Wishful thinking sadly.

Which we’ve seen absolutely no sign he’s prepared to do or capable of doing. Losing is as much a part of the game as winning, but doing the same shit over and over again, with the same result every time is not the sign of a manager learning from his mistakes. We are routinely so easy for these teams to play through and pick apart.

😎

Should I? Is that how it works? Cheers 👍🏻 People who cannot look at a situation, and the job someone is doing objectively are equally tiresome pal. Some of you lot are as blinkered as Swifties and Trump fans. Few people are calling for his head but there are legitimate concerns, and questions that should be asked. Whether we’re in the CL or not 😉

I genuinely did. Not remotely ashamed to admit it. My interest in the club and football in general has waned significantly. I have plenty of other things in my life that matter far more to me. I still watch the sport hoping to be entertained - not very entertaining is it!

😀 agreed. A welcome surprise in an otherwise dismal season!

Striker targets, yes. But I believe Elanga was our top target for that right wing position, right? And was Ramsey really the best we could get for £43m? I get that Eddie fanboys don't like to hear a bad word said about him, but where it is due it should be dished out. His influence on our transfer policy is well documented, and last summer it fucked us in at least two key positions.

I think Eddie’s problem is that his management style doesn’t allow us to prioritise PL and European competitions equally, even if he wanted to. The domestic cups are fine because the fixtures are occasional but when your entire MO centres around coaching the team hands-on for a specific fixture, chuck CL football in the mix and we have to make do with light sessions only to avoid injury. It’s a system and process issue, not a prioritisation one.

The euphoria of getting rid of Ashley and the what followed was amazing but the league’s machinations to stop us succeeding was one of the most blatant abuses of power I’ve ever seen. And yet we’re the only ones talking about it funnily enough. ‘Level playing field’ is an absolute joke. When you know the game is rigged, what’s the point?! Exciting football and continued progress to stick two fingers up to the cartel and their enablers would probably keep me interested but it feels like the only way that happens is if we hire an elite manager (which they would probably find a way to block) and do something left field with regards to player recruitment, which won’t happen with Eddie here. And that probably feeds into my feelings towards him. As things stand, their plan is working. We’ll remain in our place and it’s both incredibly frustrating and boring as fuck.

Honestly mate, my interest in football in general has been on the decline for a while, and with it my interest in us. I’m still a fan but nowhere near as invested as I used to be. The protection of the cartel is sickening, VAR is a nightmare, the officiating is corrupt, football is generally formulaic, the players are media trained pussies, and I have to say, we’re boring as fuck to watch. I never used to miss a game, now I can take it or leave it and catch the result later. Age is definitely playing its part but this era of football is the worst there has ever been imo.

No, but he did great with them - had them punching above their weight. But PL is currently his level. His management style is suited to a PL campaign, and he’s good at it, but more than that and weaknesses are exposed.

For 99% of his time here he has played 4-3-3 and made subs on the 70 minute mark. He says ‘we have lots of different ways of playing’. Can anyone identify or name them? On the rare occasion he strays from his norms, we often see what looks like progress and the he reverts to type. He is what he is as a manager, and that has largely been great up until now but we look predictable, devoid of identity and limited tactically. I sincerely hope he can break his own mould and evolve but sadly, I don’t see it happening.

😀 shows how much attention I’ve been paying! To be honest, I did think we were out - no idea how the new format works. But yeah, when we’re out. Same point applies, just means we’ve got longer to wait for our form to turn the corner.

I get that, and there is undoubtedly time but football is brutal, expectations are high, and have you seen any signs over the past 4 years that he’s prepared to do things differently? He even said the other day, plan Bs are dangerous because they distract you from executing plan A properly, or something to that effect. Thats a really troubling statement!

For the record, I think our PL form will pick up now we’re out of Europe. But that in itself will highlight a key limitation of Eddie’s management style. He needs to evolve significantly, and I think he needs to improve his coaching staff significantly as well - defensive, set pieces and possibly tactical (which he almost certainly won’t).

He will never get us anywhere near a European final because he can’t manage two major competitions simultaneously, and the PL will always be the priority. And he’s spent a hell of a lot of money.

Which was amazing but how long do we let that be the paper over the cracks?

He has taken us as far as he will ever take us, unless he changes his approach significantly.

Football fans are fickle. I doubt they’re calling for his head now. The guy has won multiple trophies with teams that weren’t the best in their respective leagues. He regularly changes things to impact the flow of games and he’s flexible tactically. he’s a cut above IMO