TRon Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 (edited) 1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said: It was the performances this season that were as concerning as the results. Hopefully a corner has been turned, but focussing on league position is a little myopic. We have been playing below our ‘level’ for the majority of the season; less than the sum of our parts. That is why Howe’s position has come under pressure. Again, as I’ve said on here, I think he deserves the time to turn it around, but I can’t pretend that the games I’ve seen this season were all good. This is me as well. We've looked a confused side for a lot of the season, then we had a spell where we beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest and I genuinely thought we'd turned the corner. This does feel a bit different though as for the first time the midfield looked like it clicked with both Tonali and Bruno in it. And more importantly, with Tonali sitting deeper it seems like we are better equipped to recover if we lose the ball in bad positions with his pace. Saw it a couple of times last night for example. Edited December 19, 2024 by TRon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEToon Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 Our great win this season against….Man U? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe1984 Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 5 hours ago, Rod said: Just turned 68 ya knacker! A belated Happy Birthday to you! You old fart! 😄 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
STM Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 Superb post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRon Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 On another note, good to see some short corners being taken to good effect over the last few games. Got sick of the sight of us floating them high towards Burn and Schar with every one getting cut out by the defence or a weak header bobbling into the stand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemtizz Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 (edited) 10 minutes ago, STM said: I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Edited December 19, 2024 by nemtizz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 1 hour ago, TRon said: This is me as well. We've looked a confused side for a lot of the season, then we had a spell where we beat Chelsea, Arsenal and Forest and I genuinely thought we'd turned the corner. This does feel a bit different though as for the first time the midfield looked like it clicked with both Tonali and Bruno in it. And more importantly, with Tonali sitting deeper it seems like we are better equipped to recover if we lose the ball in bad positions with his pace. Saw it a couple of times last night for example. Yeah, the midfield issue looks like it’s much closer to being ‘fixed’. The Bruno / Tonali switch just looks so much better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weezertron Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 Eddie all the way. Would love to see him become more flexible with his approach to transfer targets (cheaper), but other than that he's the man. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 1 hour ago, STM said: I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Feels like he could be our Fergie. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoot Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 1 hour ago, STM said: I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Green Balls Posted December 19, 2024 Share Posted December 19, 2024 2 hours ago, STM said: I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Not only would it be a long shot to get a better manager at this current time, it would probably be near impossible to get a better ambassador for the club as well. Those merry one or two who even countenanced bellends like Mourinho would likely not only be disappointed with results, but also by what a cunt he is for falling out with anything in the club that dared protrude from the ground. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt1892 Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 16 hours ago, Cf said: So if we take those 6 out you expect us to win the league or fire our manager? I expect us to come 7th, which in 9 of the last 10 seasons is achieved European football, or to qualify through one of the cup competitions. If he can’t do that then I think the club will move him on, which will be the right decision. Our squad cost nearly as much as Liverpool and Spurs squads to assemble, and considerably more than Villa have spent, with the majority of that spent by Howe, so let’s not pretend he is some plucky underdog that we shouldn’t place too high expectations on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 30 minutes ago, Matt1892 said: I expect us to come 7th, which in 9 of the last 10 seasons is achieved European football, or to qualify through one of the cup competitions. If he can’t do that then I think the club will move him on, which will be the right decision. Our squad cost nearly as much as Liverpool and Spurs squads to assemble, and considerably more than Villa have spent, with the majority of that spent by Howe, so let’s not pretend he is some plucky underdog that we shouldn’t place too high expectations on. I think some context is required before you start throwing around lines about our squad costing the same as Liverpool and Spurs like ffs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloGeordio Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 (edited) 15 hours ago, STM said: I don't believe any manager would have done a better job than Howe has done for us. They might have matched him and it might have taken a different path but i doubt they would have done better. I can see a scenario where someone had a slower start and we gradually grew into a CL challenging side but ultimately they would have ran into the same problems; fixture congestion, fatigue, injury pile up, expectations getting higher and ultimately a plateau-ening of our trajectory. The real question is whether we want Howe or someone else to take us forward and while everyone is welcome to an opinion, personally I think you'd have to have a screw loose to seriously think there's anyone out there that is realistically going to do a better job. There's plenty of side ways steps but very few definitively better options. Every time Howe hits a bumpy patch we seem to come out of the other side without embarrassing ourselves for too long or not picking up some results. The type of football we play is fantastic, we have reached 2 semi finals + 1 final, gotten to the CL, made some of the greatest memories in our history, broken shit tonnes of statistical records (for what they are worth) and it's been overwhelmingly enjoyable. Long may it continue IMO. Spot on 👏🏻👏🏻 The players seem to know and adore him! Hope he’s the one that we lift our first trophy with. Edited December 20, 2024 by PauloGeordio Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 38 minutes ago, Matt1892 said: I expect us to come 7th, which in 9 of the last 10 seasons is achieved European football, or to qualify through one of the cup competitions. If he can’t do that then I think the club will move him on, which will be the right decision. Our squad cost nearly as much as Liverpool and Spurs squads to assemble, and considerably more than Villa have spent, with the majority of that spent by Howe, so let’s not pretend he is some plucky underdog that we shouldn’t place too high expectations on. You can't just say "He has spent the same as Liverpool" without the massive fucking caveat that Eddie Howe assembled that squad with a base level of: Darlow Manquilo Lascelles Clark Ritchie Hayden ASM Willock Longstaff Joelinton (The shit version) Wilson And the club being rooted to the bottom of the league, and we had to spend that money to just get to even talking about European Football. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 12 minutes ago, Elliottman said: I think some context is required before you start throwing around lines about our squad costing the same as Liverpool and Spurs like ffs Our squad when the new owners arrived: Dubravka, Darlow, Gillespie Clark, Dummett, Schar, Lascelles, Lewis, Krafth, Fernandez, Manquillo Shelvey, ASM, Ritchie, Hayden, Fraser, Murphy, Almiron, Willock, Longstaff Joelinton, Wilson, Gayle Half the reason we were able to spend decent amounts in the first few years was criminal under investment from a fat fuck who DGAF. The squad needed major work and we had very few players of significant resale value. It's a wonder we've been able to compete with some of those six clubs while still spending less than them, from that rotten foundation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Interpolic Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 Snap @54 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 Matt1892 channelling his inner David Edgar here Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghandis Flip-Flop Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 57 minutes ago, Matt1892 said: I expect us to come 7th, which in 9 of the last 10 seasons is achieved European football, or to qualify through one of the cup competitions. If he can’t do that then I think the club will move him on, which will be the right decision. Our squad cost nearly as much as Liverpool and Spurs squads to assemble, and considerably more than Villa have spent, with the majority of that spent by Howe, so let’s not pretend he is some plucky underdog that we shouldn’t place too high expectations on. Now do a table for wage bill and see who is significantly ahead of us. Looking at transfer spend without additional context is trying to be disingenuous IMHO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erikse Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 (edited) Not saying transfer fees alone is the best parameter, but doesn't it also account for the players that were bought before our takeover? For example it includes the fees of van Dijk and Salah who were bought in 2017. You guys seem to think that it's about the money spent by different clubs since the time of our takeover. It's just a total transfer fee of each player in the current squad, nomatter when they were bought. I suppose you could argue that our pricey players were mostly bought in the recent inflation of prices, and also that the other clubs has developed some great talents, which is valid. Edited December 20, 2024 by Erikse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 We started with a shed and had to buy a house next to it. Liverpool, man United etc had mansions and decided to change their kitchen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erikse Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 (edited) 20 minutes ago, Shearergol said: We started with a shed and had to buy a house next to it. Liverpool, man United etc had mansions and decided to change their kitchen. The mansion itself and/or the money reinvested from selling parts of the mansion is included in that statistics (and income from sales are not included). If it was "money spent since our takeover compared to other clubs", that argument would be more valid. Not saying it's not valid at all, the Mike Ashley years still matters in some way in terms of having to spend more (like lack of talents). Edited December 20, 2024 by Erikse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JEToon Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 Trying to act like we and Liverpool have spent similar outlay to get the squads we have is fucking hilarious like Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted December 20, 2024 Share Posted December 20, 2024 Liverpool wage bill is twice ours. big difference in official squad cost numbers from the accounts. Granted transfrmarkt will be more up to date but their numbers are not as reliable as official accounts and are in euros not sterling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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