Eddie Howe

[Kanji]

Read this clearly please. 
 

Only complete morons would be disrespectful and unappreciative of Howe, the coaching staff, the players work ethic, the players performances, the owners, their decisions in the main, and the support staff grafting their all to make this club what it is right now — one of the most exciting projects in football. 
 

But let’s just take a step back and look at what’s happened since the World Cup, we’ve been unable to score goals and win games, and we’ve mostly outplayed the opposition but lacked the final bit of quality in front of net. We’ve had unfortunate injuries and suspensions that have magnified our deficiencies. 
 

Nobody is ungrateful to the work the club have done thus far. 
 

The anger seems more at the players’ who’ve been making legitimately poor executions of very basic football principles and have let down themselves and or their teammates at critical times. If they want to be part of this long term, they can not make those mistakes. 
 

Howe has to make critical changes and come up with a different plan to stop the rut. This rut is finishing, and it’s needing fixing or we will drop out of the top 7 faster than people realize. 
 

So again, fucking relax on this ungrateful take a step back, you demand too much, I thought we wanted a team that tries, respect the process long term, FFP is our problem stuff. 

 

We all know the project is a long term one and we are all in love with NUFC, and we’re allowed to be critical when the product on the pitch isn’t up to scratch. When the clear answer to FFP is growing income, and when there isn’t a future new deal announced yet (prob due to the new league rules and the new red tape we have to deal with). It’s not like they aren’t trying at all areas of the club, It’s not like we’re not creating chances, or the players aren’t trying - they fight for 90 mins but we are being let down result wise by very critical mistakes at the worst times possible since the World Cup ended. Amanda and co are working their tails off to fix things, but we as fans have every right to hold all at the club to task at every stage. Why?
 

Because for 14 years Ashley fucked us. Because before that every time something good happened we’d fuck it up. And for 60+ years we ain’t won shit.  It’s our job and right to hold anyone who works for NUFC to the highest standard while being respectful and dignified in that. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Kanji

[Optimistic Nut]

24 games and we've only lost to Liverpool & Man City. The last two clubs to win the title. It's insane what he's achieving.

 

We need to start converting some of the draws against the lesser sides into wins, but since we last played one of those sides, Isak & Maxi have more minutes under their belts, Bruno is back and Gordon is a bit more integrated into the side. We've also got Targett close to a return.

 

I still think 4th is there for the taking but top 7 was probably the goal pre-season and it's in our hands.

 

[duo]

10 hours ago, brummie said:

I am writing this with care and caution as I know I am an outsider.

 

There isn't a manager out there who is above questioning or discussion, I totally get that. We have similar discussions about our own manager. But from the outside looking in, what Howe has done in a short period of time is absolutely transformational.

 

I think there has been - not on here necessary, but in the media in general - a degree of prematurity in that it's not being in the top four halfway through the season that gets you into the CL, it's what happens half a season later. I wonder if expectations have been tinted by that wider discussion?

 

What I think is most impressive is that, yeah, you have spent some money - although after years of spending nothing under a wanker of an owner - but I don't think what you've achieved in a short time is about spending, it is about excellent coaching.

 

Look at some of the names on your team sheet and look what you've achieved this season - these are (some of them) players who absolutely would not get into the teams of the clubs you are bothering this season, some of them are players who have underwhelmed even by your own recent standards, but what Howe has got out of these is nothing but remarkable.

 

Yeah, he'll make a ton of mistakes still and there will be ups and downs because you are a club and a team going through a transformation, and it's just not that easy to do quickly, regardless of how much cash you have (and even with that, it's not as easy to buy rapid advancement as Man City did 10+ years ago anymore).

 

This is almost exactly the same discourse we have - we have weirdness like winning away almost every time, but then shipping four at home to Leicester, and it's because it's a work in progress, which is exactly what you are.

 

I am not in any way at all saying there is anything wrong in questioning the manager - I'd say the same about our manager, and I am an outsider here so have no right to be telling you anything - but I think if you take a step back and look at the huge advancement in such a short period of time, the manager has definitely earned the right to make his own mistakes.

I think 99% of fans on here get that. And I don't think anyone on here were expecting to be challenging for top 4 this season, and that's down to Eddie Howe. He is also limited by the players we have to make changes when things aren't quite working. We have no bench and that isn't Eddie's fault. So he's limited what he has to work with.  However he is human and will make mistakes and not starting Isak is one of them. But it doesn't mean I think of Eddie any less. He gets this club 100% and will get us success given time.

[Gawalls]

4 minutes ago, duo said:

I think 99% of fans on here get that. And I don't think anyone on here were expecting to be challenging for top 4 this season, and that's down to Eddie Howe. He is also limited by the players we have to make changes when things aren't quite working. We have no bench and that isn't Eddie's fault. So he's limited what he has to work with.  However he is human and will make mistakes and not starting Isak is one of them. But it doesn't mean I think of Eddie any less. He gets this club 100% and will get us success given time.

?

[BoSelecta]

It's natural to look for reasons when on a bit of a losing streak, regardless of opposition. Could we have done X, Y, or Z; the conversation is focussing around the starting team, in particular Wilson over Isak & ASM being on the bench when we are the worst scoring team in the league since Christmas. You can voice these concerns and criticisms of recent form/decisions while still holding the opinion that Howe is doing an absolutely fantastic job, we are way ahead of schedule and the future looks very bright. As with all online debate there are people who try and paint nuanced situations as a binary argument; it's really not. Howe will clearly be more aware than any of us of the current shortcomings in the team. Isak will start next week and I have a feeling we will dish out a proper mauling to get the season rolling again.

 

[Gawalls]

32 minutes ago, BoSelecta said:

It's natural to look for reasons when on a bit of a losing streak, regardless of opposition. Could we have done X, Y, or Z; the conversation is focussing around the starting team, in particular Wilson over Isak & ASM being on the bench when we are the worst scoring team in the league since Christmas. You can voice these concerns and criticisms of recent form/decisions while still holding the opinion that Howe is doing an absolutely fantastic job, we are way ahead of schedule and the future looks very bright. As with all online debate there are people who try and paint nuanced situations as a binary argument; it's really not. Howe will clearly be more aware than any of us of the current shortcomings in the team. Isak will start next week and I have a feeling we will dish out a proper mauling to get the season rolling again.

 

I get what you’re saying about it not being binary and you’re right but to me there still is one simple statistic - we haven’t scored more than one goal in a league game since Boxing Day, that’s none in 2023 so for me Wilson and miggy even have had their go and have had plenty of time and chances. Time to freshen it up and give someone else a go. 
 

saying that though I genuinely believe he won’t and we will eventually drop out of the top 7 and finish around 8th - I’ll still think That’s a successful season though even if it is a shame.

[The Prophet]

There could of course be a perfectly good reason why Isak isn't starting. We don't have the benefit of seeing him train, analysis from sports scientists, physios etc.

 

It does seem very strange from an outsider looking in, but we can only speculate whether it's the right or the wrong call.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

9 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

There could of course be a perfectly good reason why Isak isn't starting. We don't have the benefit of seeing him train, analysis from sports scientists, physios etc.

 

It does seem very strange from an outsider looking in, but we can only speculate whether it's the right or the wrong call.

I’m sure it’s tactical, not every selection is a simple choice between players. With a full week to prepare I really hope we see Isak integrated.  

[LiquidAK]

It's a tough one really, it feels like the issue with our finishing is throughout the team rather than just a case of plugging a new striker in up top. I absolutely think Isak should start over Wilson now, but I don't know that that solves all our midfielders fluffing their lines when they get into the box. It's weird because as Howe has said himself we're playing well between the boxes, we're creating chances, so it's not a case of the tactics being rotten. I trust Howe to figure it out, but in his position I'd be utterly baffled like  Beyond extra finishing drills in training (which I'm sure we're already doing), what do you do about otherwise capable players falling to pieces in front of goal?

[BGRM]

I just think Isak mustn’t be setting the world alight in training. I have faith that Eddie Howe would include him from the off if he was. However, I believe he has done enough from the subs bench to justify a run in the team. Not sure if Wilson will get over this poor run before the end of the season.

[Ronaldo]

51 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

There could of course be a perfectly good reason why Isak isn't starting. We don't have the benefit of seeing him train, analysis from sports scientists, physios etc.

 

It does seem very strange from an outsider looking in, but we can only speculate whether it's the right or the wrong call.

It’s very clearly the wrong call. We’re losing games because we’re not scoring and Wilson has been our worst starter for a while now. Not rocket science.

[mighty__mag]

Eddie's still got everything spot on, 90% off premier league managers will go to Man City and not get a result, they're favourites to win the league nearly every season, we have a long term plan, if that's the start of how we are going to go to places like Man City and approach the game, then in time with the right players, I'm sure we will give them a much tougher time. All sides go through a tough spell, we weren't really targeting the top four this season if we are honest, and I'm absolutely positive after saving the club from relegation the season before, Amanda didn't sit down with Eddie and say we need top four the following season, more like top 10, so in fairness to Howe we're totally over achieving, with a league cup final and a potential top 6 finish? Even if we dropped right off, and ended up around 8th, off the back of what he's achieved in such a small period of time is incredible. Howe is 100% the guy to get this thing back on track, I have complete faith in the man.

 

And the players form will dip over the course of the season it happens in all clubs, Chelsea are in a right mess at the minute, so just spending and spending achieves nothing, they can't score goals at the minute either. I believe the likes of Wilson will find a way out of this, I think we stick with him, I always imagined our front three would be ASM,Wilson,Isak maybe Eddie would test that and we might start firing again, I dont know, but i do think he'll find a way to get the guys going again. We've come a huge way in no time, and its ramped up expectations. 

 

Keep the faith  ?◼◻◼◻◼ ??

 

 

[The Prophet]

15 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

It’s very clearly the wrong call. We’re losing games because we’re not scoring and Wilson has been our worst starter for a while now. Not rocket science.

 

Based on what we're seeing on the pitch it certainly seems strange. We're not privy to what's going on off it though.

 

Obviously that doesn't fit the "everything Howe has done of late has been wrong, wahhhh" narrative though

[Thumbheed]

I did think Isak and ASM should have started because there was always going to be space to exploit for them both but I don't really think it'd have changed too much of a difference results wise. 

 

We created 4 good chances without them and that's more than you'd normally need (or even get) in these types of games.

 

Ultimately though, as I've said in a different thread, better players will make better runs, have better touches, make better decisions and passes as well as cross and finish better and it will be the culmination of those micro actions which will get us over the line in these games in the future.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by Thumbheed

[Kanji]

The unpredictability of Isak and Maximin are exactly what we need tbh. Almiron and Wilson are the two who need a rest. 

[The Prophet]

Aye, ASM is more of a match winner than Miggy because he takes risks that Miggy won't.

[80]

Yes, Almiron is the core problem to me at the moment. We're too formulaic and he's Mr Formula.

[LV]

Maybe there is some fitness/ post-injury issue they are still managing with Isak.

 

 

[Optimistic Nut]

6 minutes ago, 80 said:

Yes, Almiron is the core problem to me at the moment. We're too formulaic and he's Mr Formula.

 

Despite this he's the only one to score two or more since the World Cup in the PL. Easy scapegoat I think, we're missing a helluva lot of straightforward chances and that's not on Almiron.

 

[80]

Agreed on the chances, but he's not the one creating those chances despite being in a critical team role, and think I'm right in saying his shooting rate has halved since the world cup i.e. the methods we/he had for getting him into dangerous situations have been sussed.

 

If we're sticking with the same formation, which I don't particularly think we should, I'd try Gordon there. Or ASM if we were swapping things up.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by 80

[joeyt]

10 minutes ago, Optimistic Nut said:

 

Despite this he's the only one to score two or more since the World Cup in the PL. Easy scapegoat I think, we're missing a helluva lot of straightforward chances and that's not on Almiron.

 

 

Him not willing to use his right foot is a huge hindrance

[joeyt]

I'm trying to think if we've ever had such a one footed player

[Gawalls]

15 hours ago, TRon said:

 

By all means criticise, but then that criticism also has to be open to criticism. If it's valid it will hold up over the long term at the end of the day.

I get the criticism being open to critising but don’t criticise the criticism for the sake of criticising (my apologies, just really wanted to post that).

[Gawalls]

44 minutes ago, Kanji said:

The unpredictability of Isak and Maximin are exactly what we need tbh. Almiron and Wilson are the two who need a rest. 

Agreed - forgot which game it was but the two of them really started to play well together and I’d like it to be given a chance for a few games.

[Cronky]

9 minutes ago, joeyt said:

I'm trying to think if we've ever had such a one footed player

 

I can think of one or two no-footed players.