TheBrownBottle

He was canny in The Great Escape mind

Just our seventh win in our last eight matches against them, but I for one am bricking it

Always sounded a bit Mackem-y to me

I think he’s doing what he always does - shouting uninformed bollocks to an audience of knackers. He’s Joe Rogan with a whiny mackem-ish accent and less charisma.

Agreed - for me, loyalty is extended more to the club than the individuals in it, so it’s what is best for the club. At the moment, I still think that the best thing for the club is Howe remaining in situ - that can change. But actually wanting the man to fail to prove a point is absolute anathema to me.

It’s absolutely lost on me mate. I’m ok with folks debating whether or not a manager is doing a good job, even debating whether or not someone else could do a better job. But underplaying the man’s achievements is just shit crack. I’d given up on ever seeing us winning anything in my lifetime - and I’m in my 40s, that’s a fair old length of time (and older lads and lasses than me had more years of failure to endure). Howe’s management won us that trophy - no-one who watched the semis vs Arsenal or the final could argue against it. Words fail!

The League Cup is a major trophy - it’s just the lesser of the major trophies available. The Division Two (or whatever they want to call it today) title isn’t a major trophy. And the only time finishing 4th / 5th didn’t offer a European place was three decades ago, when English clubs returned after the Heysel ban, mostly because our coefficient was zero (and didn’t improve for a while because the league was shite). If Howe went tomorrow I’d argue that there should be a statue of the man outside the ground. Even if he can’t turn this around and it all goes to shit then we should at least be able to acknowledge that he has done a fantastic job and we should be very grateful and happy that he’s been involved with our club. I waited my entire life to see what happened earlier this year, I’m fucked if I’m underplaying that achievement (it’s worth remembering who we beat on the way to that trophy).

Hahaha fuck me 😄

I agree re the improvement thing tbf - plenty of the players we’ve signed haven’t improved after signing. And it’s not like Villa has a knacker in the manager’s seat, either.

So why won’t Ramsey be great after a few months with Eddie if that’s the case?

Players can talk themselves into an extended ban if they say owt daft - and they’re footballers, so that is a distinct possibility

I always thought he was a canny player at Villa tbf

This is why social media is a societal poison. The story just isn’t true, doesn’t even read as true. It feels like going on the internet requires a media studies degree at this point.

I wouldn’t swap an England WC win for the memories of that 01/02 season, which might not have been possible if Shearer was playing for England.

The maths don’t work

Yeah, that’s a good point - it’s far more needed on the left with our two inverted wingers.

Got you - apologies, didn’t realise that someone had seriously suggested it!

Brilliant talent, not so brilliant career. Plenty of other players are listed in that thread who folks could take issue with. It’s only my opinion, doesn’t make it right

No-one suggested replacing him with Mourinho. That conversation was obviously tongue-in-cheek I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask why the performances aren’t there. Howe has been backed to the hilt - he’s spent three quarters of a billion in four years, this is his squad. For all the PSR talk, he has only been hampered relative to the Man City’s of the world - we’re not performing relative to PL middleweights and also-rans. That doesn’t at all mean that Howe should be sacked - that would be a ridiculous overreaction. But if he can’t receive criticism for poor form and performances he should receive no credit for good form and performances.

I wouldn’t worry about it at all. Liverpool would not be interested.

I agree generally, though I have to say I’d absolutely have a massive weapon in charge if they guaranteed us trophies. Given who owns us, the manager being a wanker in the least of my worries in terms of moral scruples. All talk of axing Howe is hugely premature - as ever, he needs time and should get it. How long will be different for everyone - for me, he’s got his squad and spent the money, so getting rid of him would be daft from a financial as well as a footballing perspective - unless of course things stay like this for an extended period. I have to say though that if current performances continue into the derby and he then loses that in a similar fashion, then the mood music could turn very quickly.

The problem is the system we use requires the FBs to overlap - and Livramento isn’t great at it. Missing our first choice FBs is a massive problem, but I think many are anticipating a quick fix when they return.

He didn’t play well for an extended period at RB - players get better when they’re not playing

I actually think everyone seems to have forgotten just how poor Livramento was at RB and for how long. His switch to LB improved his form somewhat.

It would feel very much like the pre-Ashley NUFC again. Appoint a ‘name’, have piss taken out of us by the rest of the country, give ‘name’ loads of money to waste, watch him fail, sack him relatively early into his tenure, rinse and repeat.