Eddie Howe - Nominated for Manager of the Season

[HWTL]

26 minutes ago, alijmitchell said:

Needs to get some fucking wins sharpish, or the pressure will be too much, with Rafa hanging about.

Rafa couldn't get a tune out of Everton with a much better squad, yes there players also seem to have lost there way and he has worked with most of ours but that was awhile ago and there done now. Can't see him doing any better. 

[duo]

1 hour ago, Elliottman said:

We have zero midfield, a horrific back line and our best forward is injured. There’s no way this set of players can play the way he wants them to play, there’s not enough athleticism in the team. Until he’s got some of his own players in, I’m not going to be over ally harsh on him, it’s pointless. 

His job is not getting the team to play the way he wants but getting the team to play in a way that suits the players.  That's where Rafa was king - he nailed it.

[Beth]

2 hours ago, Amir_9 said:

How is it we're halfway through the window and we still do not have a CB in? You seriously telling me we can't find anyone short term better than the shit we've got?

Because any half decent one does not want to come. We could offer Lille £50M for Botman and him £200k a week and he still wouldn't come. Some people on here need to wake up and realise it isn't 1996 anymore.

[Beth]

1 minute ago, ManDoon said:

So that’s the only option? That’s ridiculous. There are loads of professional footballers around. 

Of course, but just pointing out why the better ones won't come to us.

[nufcnick]

21 minutes ago, Minhosa said:

You'd have to think there is a huge temptation from the owners to do just that. He's the one they wanted all along.

I think Mandy really could have made a phone call today TBH 

[Minhosa]

Just now, nufcnick said:

I think Mandy really could have made a phone call today TBH 

It's not unthinkable tbf and, either way, he'll soon become quite the shadow on Howe's back tbh.

[Beth]

Just now, ManDoon said:

But better than what we have? Tarkowski would come here. 

Isn't he a free at the end of the season? Would be the end for Burnley if we poached him like. 

[Superior Acuña]

10 games isn't enough to judge (remember KK's 2nd stint), and he came into a hard situation, but I did expect more. Doubts could start creeping soon, but regardless of doubts I hope fans stay positive at least inside stadium as long as we're in with a shout of staying up.

[Dokko]

The new owners have stitched him up like. Bet he like us thought we just needed to get to the window and we'd buy our way out of trouble, yet 16 days in and we're not much better off. Wood is backup to Wilson and Trippier, although a very good player, was in a position we weren't massively crying out for. Like everything the owners have done so far they've bumbled their way through it at a snails pace without any real understanding of the criticality of our position. I'm starting to see why Emery had reservations, they've got no clue on how to run a football club and we don't have time for them to skill up. They had a great chance to set the club on the correct path but its the pennywise pound foolishness which will see us down. It should have been so different.

[The Prophet]

It probably goes against the the grain but I think up until Cambridge there was a plan and a gradual improvements could be seen in the side. Watford is probably the worst home league performance we've seen under Howe, purely down to how pedestrian we were.

 

I think a lot of it is down to confidence. The side play with none of it. Cambridge may have knocked the stuffing out of them, while losing points late on v Norwich and Man United will have them doubting their ability to see out games. Winning is a habit, but unfortunately so is failing to do so.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by The Prophet

[Minhosa]

5 minutes ago, Dokko said:

The new owners have stitched him up like. Bet he like us thought we just needed to get to the window and we'd buy our way out of trouble, yet 16 days in and we're not much better off. Wood is backup to Wilson and Trippier, although a very good player, was in a position we weren't massively crying out for. Like everything the owners have done so far they've bumbled their way through it at a snails pace without any real understanding of the criticality of our position. I'm starting to see why Emery had reservations, they've got no clue on how to run a football club and we don't have time for them to skill up. They had a great chance to set the club on the correct path but its the pennywise pound foolishness which will see us down. It should have been so different.

Have to say, I think thats really unfair.

 

They've been a revelation in terms of comms, their clearly working their nuts off trying to get business done in what is a horrible month to do it + every fucker adding a massive Saudi premium.

 

They've brought in a current England international and a forward they didn't even know they needed when the window opened.

 

I remain very grateful to them.

[Elliottman]

50 minutes ago, duo said:

His job is not getting the team to play the way he wants but getting the team to play in a way that suits the players.  That's where Rafa was king - he nailed it.

Rafa didn’t nail it in 10 games. 

[Dokko]

1 minute ago, Minhosa said:

Have to say, I think thats really unfair.

 

They've been a revelation in terms of comms, their clearly working their nuts off trying to get business done in what is a horrible month to do it + every fucker adding a massive Saudi premium.

 

They've brought in a current England international and a forward they didn't even know they needed when the window opened.

 

I remain very grateful to them.

 

I'm grateful Ashley is no longer with us. I like the care Staveley has for the club, but that doesn't win you points and stop you being relegated. They are sleepwalking in to relegation, we need to start taking punts on players from abroad and stop selling the PFM line of needing league experience. We have that currently, its doing fuck all for us. 

[MarkyMark]

2 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

I'm grateful Ashley is no longer with us. I like the care Staveley has for the club, but that doesn't win you points and stop you being relegated. They are sleepwalking in to relegation, we need to start taking punts on players from abroad and stop selling the PFM line of needing league experience. We have that currently, its doing fuck all for us. 

All of the current squad has PL experience.  I do wonder why no-one who gives it the ‘PL experience’ line ever remembers that. 

[Ronaldo]

5 minutes ago, Elliottman said:

Rafa didn’t nail it in 10 games. 

Took him about 4.

[Minhosa]

4 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

I'm grateful Ashley is no longer with us. I like the care Staveley has for the club, but that doesn't win you points and stop you being relegated. They are sleepwalking in to relegation, we need to start taking punts on players from abroad and stop selling the PFM line of needing league experience. We have that currently, its doing fuck all for us. 

If/When we go down that will be because of two things imho:

 

1) The shitshow they inherited and we mustn't forget they had the balls to complete on the deal knowing this was a very real risk. They'll have my eternal gratitude for doing so.

 

2) They've made the wrong call on the manager.

 

I don't think they will let us down in the market this month. I think they'll find us 4/5 players and that's huge tbh.

 

So, in essence, they got one decision wrong.

 

Shame but shit happens and I've always said that I'd take relegation with genuine owners over 17th place with Ashley and I stand by that.

 

Relegation doesn't have to be the end of days scenario we feel it might be at this stage either. We regroup, get a new manager, invest in the squad and come up ready like Wolves/Leeds etc did.

 

 

Edited January 16, 2022 by Minhosa

[The Prophet]

3 minutes ago, Minhosa said:

Have to say, I think thats really unfair.

 

They've been a revelation in terms of comms, their clearly working their nuts off trying to get business done in what is a horrible month to do it + every fucker adding a massive Saudi premium.

 

They've brought in a current England international and a forward they didn't even know they needed when the window opened.

 

I remain very grateful to them.

 

They've done very little wrong to date to be honest. You can be as prepped as you want going into the January transfer market, but so much of it depends on factors outside of your control (Callum Wilson picking up a long term injury for example). I understand that there's impatience due to our perilous position, but its not as simple as 'just get it done' as so many like to say.

 

I'm still fairly confident we'll see at least another three incomings, but knowing what this market is like, most likely not until the end of January.

[Minhosa]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

They've done very little wrong to date to be honest. You can be as prepped as you want going into the January transfer market, but so much of it depends on factors outside of your control (Callum Wilson picking up a long term injury for example). I understand that there's impatience due to our perilous position, but its not as simple as 'just get it done' as so many like to say.

 

I'm still fairly confident we'll see at least another three incomings, but knowing what this market is like, most likely not until the end of January.

Totally agree and have just posted similar.

[TRon]

7 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

They've done very little wrong to date to be honest. You can be as prepped as you want going into the January transfer market, but so much of it depends on factors outside of your control (Callum Wilson picking up a long term injury for example). I understand that there's impatience due to our perilous position, but its not as simple as 'just get it done' as so many like to say.

 

I'm still fairly confident we'll see at least another three incomings, but knowing what this market is like, most likely not until the end of January.

 

Yeah. One thing I am confident about is that this ownership will act, they won't let January go without bringing in as many players as we can legally do so. It would have been nice if we could have done it before yesterday, but this isn't Football Manager. Pretty sure you will hear the same moaning from fans at every club. We'll get the players, one way or another, then it's on Howe to get results from them. 

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

It’s with a heavy heart I have to inform you all this cunt is still stealing planet earth’s oxygen.

 

 

[Fantail Breeze]

Just now, WarrenBartonCentrePartin said:

It’s with a heavy heart I have to inform you all this cunt is still stealing planet earth’s oxygen.

 

 

 

Alex Bruce: “People are abusing my dad on Twitter and that’s so wrong”

 

Also Alex Bruce: ”the man is nothing but a poisonous rat”

[TRon]

Got to admit, the three little mice emojis made me laugh.

[Dandy Man]

Think it is hard to understate difficulty of situation Howe has parachuted himself into, lot of the team clearly know they have an uncertain future but we also aren't going to be signing a whole new starting eleven in January, obviously a glaring need for better standard of player in nearly every position but that needs to be addressed while also keeping the ones who are here onside and that is difficult balance to achieve - just hope what is being said behind closed doors is a bit sterner than what is being said in press conferences.

 

Football has unquestionably been improved for me and there does/did look to be something resembling "a plan" but he's been unable to translate that into improved results, don't want to be too critical given there have been several basically unwinnable matches against top teams and the fuck ups of Clark v Norwich or Darlow v Brentford are impossible to account for, the acid test is what happens in next 2-3 games (presumably with new signings on board).

 

Share others concerns about lack of pragmatism as while he does look to have a plan, we simply do not have the players available to play style of football he wants to implement. ASM is undoubtedly a more effective threat when he can get ball on the break with the game stretched and run at defenders, so Howe's style has tended to nullify our most potent attacking threat and in a side with fuck all other attacking threats that's a pretty big issue. The continued selection of Shelvey in what is basically a redundant role is extremely worrying (it's be worrying in any role tbh) and if that does not get addressed ASAP then I'd start to lose a lot of faith very quickly, but as with most of the team it is hard to find many better options.

 

Just about his biggest fuck up for me was playing a full strength team against Cambridge and giving it the "we are 100% going out to win this because the team needs the confidence" - it backfired miserably, the shite that was served up against Watford yesterday has been done to death but the ghosts of that performance were still haunting them - Wood looked horribly isolated up front to the point that it was reminiscent of Joelinton leading line under Bruce.

 

Maybe he can turn it around (I certainly hope he can) but maybe he is the wrong guy for the job, not sure what to think quite yet tbh - unfortunately we don't have a lot of time to figure these things out if we are serious about avoiding the drop.

[Dwivedi]

1 hour ago, HWTL said:

Rafa couldn't get a tune out of Everton with a much better squad, yes there players also seem to have lost there way and he has worked with most of ours but that was awhile ago and there done now. Can't see him doing any better. 

Everton squad is one of the worst of all, they just blew their money on craps like iwobi, Keane. They have 3-4 good players and i heard they were out injured for most of the season , richarlison, celvert Lewin, mina etc. Add that with the toxic fans, it was always a very difficult job, impossible to say the least 

[tommo]

59 minutes ago, Dokko said:

The new owners have stitched him up like. Bet he like us thought we just needed to get to the window and we'd buy our way out of trouble, yet 16 days in and we're not much better off. Wood is backup to Wilson and Trippier, although a very good player, was in a position we weren't massively crying out for. Like everything the owners have done so far they've bumbled their way through it at a snails pace without any real understanding of the criticality of our position. I'm starting to see why Emery had reservations, they've got no clue on how to run a football club and we don't have time for them to skill up. They had a great chance to set the club on the correct path but its the pennywise pound foolishness which will see us down. It should have been so different.

Is this a joke? They’ve freed us of 14 years of absolute numbness. It’s always been clear the takeover took them by surprise as much as it did us. January transfer windows are notoriously difficult to recruit in, even more so when you’re second bottom. If anything, Howe has let them down. He got the gig, he had identified weaknesses etc etc but ultimately nothing has changed. He does need backed but I have no doubt that they are trying. 
 

I’ll be forever grateful to all of them. Without them we are stuck with Ashley and Bruce. Yes they’ll make mistakes and yes they aren’t experts yet but they absolutely deserve our respect and the benefit of the doubt.