Eddie Howe

[cubaricho]

30 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

You could have thrown another 500m at the squad with a different manager (see Everton, Aston Villa, Man United) and not bettered what Howe's done. Wouldn't swap him for anyone, having that connection with the manager is priceless imo and we love him don't we? And not only that, he's every bit a Newcastle manager.

 

I loved Rafa to bits, but I couldn't have said he was truly a Newcastle manager on the pitch in the way Howe is.

 

 

 

He definitely has us playing on the pitch in a way that I think every supporter has always wished a Newcastle squad would play. Very much a Newcastle manager on the pitch. And off he’s just brilliant too. 

[Wilson]

Are we going over the top about how happy we are with our manager? Or is this how properly ran clubs (who try) always feel? 

 

[McDog]

20 minutes ago, Wilson said:

Are we going over the top about how happy we are with our manager? Or is this how properly ran clubs (who try) always feel? 

 

 

 

 

Well, team was dead last and was shipping in goals left and right last year. Team ended up mid table and now sit second. Seems to be much bigger than teams that are expected to finish top 4 and do.

[Sima]

11 hours ago, MrRaspberryJam said:

Ayoze Perez for me. He'd have been exceptional under Howe I reckon. 

I’d have him back as a squad player.  His pressing was very good when he was with us.

[Guest]

Wouldn't be against that tbh. Almiron running non-stop then Perez coming on for 15-20 minutes fresh continuing the same work rate. Better than Fraser and Murphy.

[80]

6 hours ago, Wilson said:

Are we going over the top about how happy we are with our manager? Or is this how properly ran clubs (who try) always feel? 

 

I don't think it's possible to go over the top with him. He's put in one of the greatest managerial 12 months in footballing history, no exaggeration. Not claiming he's one of the greats yet, but what's been done so far has been profoundly exceptional.

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, 80 said:

I don't think it's possible to go over the top with him. He's put in one of the greatest managerial 12 months in footballing history, no exaggeration. Not claiming he's one of the greats yet, but what's been done so far has been profoundly exceptional.

This! Oh and the best is yet to come 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by PauloGeordio

[joeyt]

3 hours ago, Sima said:

I’d have him back as a squad player.  His pressing was very good when he was with us.

 

I loved Ayoze but we don't need him coming back as a squad player

[Klaus]

Perez relationship with the fans wasn't great at times here. I doubt he would want to come back tbh. Couldn't wait to get away.

[bowlingcrofty]

Ayoze Perez man  can’t even get a game for a team we just gave a right hiding to. No ta.

[Menace]

We really can't shake off the Ashley era can we. Ayoze Perez ffs.

[Dokko]

We had the best of Perez, and sold him at the right time. No going back for me. Wish him all the best.

[astraguy]

Ppl will want Ben Arfa back soon....

[MrRaspberryJam]

Aye, I'm not advocating us bringing Perez back mind. Just think he'd have flourished under Howe. 

[Klaus]

You could argue almost every former player (particularly during the A****y era) would be better under Howe tbh.

[Danh1]

Perez back. We are like the Mackems longing for people to come back to the club who won’t offer any real improvement. 

[Weezertron]

I really like Paul Dummet, and I was hoping he's get some game time here and there this season, maybe for sentimental reasons but as expected he can't shake his injuries anymore.

 

Would I give Ben Arfa his spot in the squad? Fucking rights would I, in a heartbeat 

 

I don't really yearn for Ayoze, though I think of him fondly. 

[joeyt]

Only person who could potentially come back would be Merino you would think

[BonesJones]

Just waiting for someone to say imagine what Eddie would've done with Shearer.

 

Oops now I've said it.

[LV]

2 hours ago, astraguy said:

Ppl will want Ben Arfa back soon....

I already do 

[Dr Venkman]

2 minutes ago, LV said:

I already do 

Agreed.

[relámpago blanco]

55 minutes ago, joeyt said:

Only person who could potentially come back would be Merino you would think

I can see Forster coming back to be 3rd or 2nd choice at some point.

[Chris_R]

Apologies for the long post but I felt I needed to just put down some of what Howe has done at Bournemouth for those who have only really paid attention to him since he signed for us.

 

Some may know as I've said before, but I live in Bournemouth. I came down here in 2009 for work just after their "great escape" (and after our first Ashley relegation!) and have seen first-hand what he did here as although I've never supported any club but Newcastle and never could, I kind of adopted Bournemouth whilst Ashley gutted our club from the inside and I was marooned 360 miles away.

 

What Howe is doing now is not new, and it should not be a surprise. He has a long and incredibly impressive history in improving players, massively. Obviously it doesn't happen to all players, as you have to buy in to what he wants of you and his methods, but for those that do they'll find he can have them playing easily 2 divisions higher than they've ever played before. At Bournemouth he did this with many players and I've long wanted him to get this job and was over the moon when Emery turned us down and we moved onto "that fella from Bournemouth". Although he didn't to my knowledge bring anyone all the way with him from L2 with Bournemouth, he variously bought or inherited many players in League 1 who became PL regulars with hundreds of appearances to their name.

 

Here's Bournemouth's league timeline in the Howe years, and some key moments noted....

 

2008–09 - League Two - Great Escape from -17 points
2009–10 - League Two - Promotion
2010–11 - League One - Jan 2011 leaves for Burnley, replaced by Lee Bradbury who fails in Playoff Semi Final
2011–12 - League One - Bradbury sacked, Paul Groves takes over with Bournemouth 11th
2012–13 - League One - Oct 2012 Groves sacked with Bournemouth near foot of table. Howe returns, turns it around and wins promotion in same season
2013–14 - Championship - Finished 10th
2014–15 - Championship - Promoted as champions
2015–16 - Premier League
2016–17 - Premier League - Finished 9th, highest finish in club's history
2017–18 - Premier League
2018–19 - Premier League
2019–20 - Premier League - Relegation and Howe leaves

 

Now I've already said he didn't take anyone from L2 to the PL with Bournemouth (Though Ings was with him in L2 but then moved on to Burnley when Howe went there), but I think at least part of that is that from January 2008 to December 2010 Bournemouth were operating under a transfer embargo due to going into administration. This is why they had -17 points in 2008/09, and why they had to turn to 31-year-old Howe. That he not only saved them but got them promoted the next season whilst under that embargo is incredible enough, but all the below players (Except Ings) were then signed by Howe, Bradbury or Groves whilst in L1 and went on to make a lot of appearances in the PL as Howe took them up through the leagues when he came back from Burnley:

 

09/10 - League 2

Danny Ings - Came up through the U18s, Howe gave him his debut in the cup when in L2, played most of next season in L1. Howe then went to Burnley and took Ings with him. Also managed Tippier at this time, probably why Trippier was so keen to join.

 

10/11 - League 1 - Howe signings

Adam Smith - On loan initially when in L1 due to embargo, then joined permanently, has made 158 PL appearances and still playing for Bournemouth now

Marc Pugh - 67 PL appearances over 3 seasons

Harry Arter - 69 PL appearances for Bournemouth, now at Notts Forest

 

11/12 - League 1 - Lee Bradbury signings

Steve Cook - 168 PL appearances before moving to Notts Forest

Charlie Daniels - 129 PL appearances

Simon Francis - 136 PL appearances before retiring

 

12-13 - League 1 - Paul Groves then Eddie Howe returns in October for January window

Tommy Elphick - 12 PL appearances in first season up before being signed by Aston Villa

Lewis Grabban - 18 PL appearances in first season up, then went on loan to (amongst others) Sunderland, before moving to Notts Forest

Matt Richie - Signed from Swindon by Howe after his return, 37 PL appearances before moving to us

Ryan Fraser - Another Howe signing, 120 PL appearances before also moving to us

 

And that's not counting the likes of Shaun MacDonald who played 3 times in the Prem etc, just the headliners. So that's a full TEN players who went from L1 to the PL with Howe and made a significant contribution, some over many years and 5 of them making 120+ PL appearances - 6 if you count Ritchie completing them here.

 

If a manager can make a player 10% better, you take it and would say he's doing a great job, because that's a brilliant return. But we have a manager who can make you two DIVISIONS better if you trust the process and buy into his methods. We're incredibly lucky to have him, and nothing he's doing is a flash in the pan or anything he hasn't done before on a consistent and prolonged basis in terms of improving players, and so I expect he'll also continue to do it in the future with anyone else we sign - provided they have the right character and mentality.

 

Small anecdote - He bummed a cigarette off my wife back in 2010. Bournemouth were having their end of season promotion party at the RNLI headquarters in Poole where my wife worked as a restaurant manager. She was a smoker back then, and was outside having a cigarette when Eddie Howe came out and chatted to her for a bit after asking if he could have a cigarette off her. At the time he was a nobody really, she didn't know who he was but knew AFC Bournemouth were booked in for a party and from chatting whilst they smoked for that few minutes she found out that he was the manager, so I had to fill in the blanks for her. She says he was really lovely, which of course we'd expect. No idea if he smokes regularly or if like some people do only when 10 pints in (He may have been sober for all we know, I'm certainly not saying he wasn't and even if he was wasted, he deserved it), and of course more than a decade has passed since anyway, but there you are.

 

TL;DR - I think Eddie Howe is fantastic, and have done for over a decade. Even though he still owes my missus a cigarette.

[Kid Icarus]

Perez wound me up as a player when I'd accepted we were a club hanging around the Woops section of the transfer market. The idea of signing him when we have the option to snap up Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman level players just seems pointless.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[Chris_R]

Just checked with the wife - Howe was definitely pissed , and kept saying to her "Don't tell anyone you've seen me smoking!". But she says he was very generous and kept buying everyone drinks, players and staff, and was absolutely lovely.