Eddie Howe

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, SUPERTOON said:

Disagree with most days we win the wolves game mind, we got a very lucky pen and would have lost without it imo.

Agreed.

 

We were awful at 2-1. Didn't deserve to win.

 

If the point is, we've been much worse in the last 3 away games with an aggregate score of 8-1 then aye.

[Geogaddi]

It's actually annoying how much I adore Eddie , been fuming with the last two results but I refuse to blame him which means I have nobody to be angry at.

[The College Dropout]

I think the time to rest Trips was early against Sheff U when we went 4 up. Or at home to Burnley. And could've kept him at home in the league cup games. Even yesterday, once it got to 3-0 he should've taken Trippier off. IIRC that might have saved him from the suspension. But he's consistently shown, he doesn't like subbing, resting or rotating Trippier/Burn even with decent backups on the bench.

 

But away matches in the PL - I fully understand playing the strongest team. And not throwing in the towel at 2-0. A goal could change everything. I don't think many top managers rest Trippier at Everton.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by The College Dropout

[Ginola14]

Howe is doing a brillaint job however eaten bread is soon forgotten. 

 

Other supporters and some sections of the media also desperate to see Newcastle owners pull the trigger. 

 

Beat Milan and Fulham this week then a few players back and everything will seem rosy again. 

 

 

[The College Dropout]

Just now, Ginola14 said:

Howe is doing a brillaint job however eaten bread is soon forgotten. 

 

Other supporters and some sections of the media also desperate to see Newcastle owners pull the trigger. 

 

Beat Milan and Fulham this week then a few players back and everything will seem rosy again. 

 

 

And I think we will win both.

[Gallowgate Toon]

If there is a silver lining from the injury pileup, it's the emergence of Tino and Miley. There's still a chance for Hall to stake his claim too, all it takes is a good showing next Saturday to get the ball rolling.

 

If that Wolves game was played now and it was the same situation at 65 minutes, I don't think Howe would have any qualms about chucking Tino in now to help shore things up or subbing in Miley if we're looking leggy in the middle. 

[clintdempsey]

Still firmly behind him (and I can't really see us getting results so bad that that'll change over a period of time).
He's obviously a darn good manager who's also learning and growing along with the rest of the club.

There are still aspects that needs changing though - but that'll come over the next few windows. We don't have the type of squad to contain other teams or control games through possession to give us a breather. As others (as well as myself) have said - we are at our best when pressing high, keeping the intensity up and in the opponents' faces. When we either can't or won't do that we're not that good. Couple that with an injury list from hell and the fatigue it brings you'll get the performances and results from Everton and Spurs away.

Wouldn't shock me though to see us turning both Milan and Fulham over this week. Get us some more bodies back and maybe strengthen a position or two (GK seems like no-brainer unfortunately for Pope) and we'll be fine after New Year's.


 

[Ronaldo]

3 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

If there is a silver lining from the injury pileup, it's the emergence of Tino and Miley. There's still a chance for Hall to stake his claim too, all it takes is a good showing next Saturday to get the ball rolling.

It’ll be Krath RB next Sat.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

39 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

I reckon Longstaff might start in the CL.

 

And I would give Cal 45 minutes as well. Isak doesn't look capable of playing for longer than that.

 

I'd start them both with the aim of 45-60 mins.

 

Better warm up, get to feel the game intensity from the off etc. Seems riskier to bring them on second half.

 

If Barnes is fit then I'd do the opposite though and give him 20 mins at the end as he's had no football for a long time

[Holmesy]

A lot of people on here seem very reluctant to question anything about EH, his tactics, his approach, and anyone that does gets pelters for it. I don't want to be part of a forum where you can only express certain things with one line of opinion. It sounds crap!

He's an incredible manager with the mindset and character to get even better, but he cannot be completely beyond reproach.

 

Legitimate criticisms:

 

We absolutely do not have a plan B. If your plan A is totally ineffective when your players are fatigued (everyone's favourite word), have a Plan B that conserves what energy they do have. He's more than tactically astute enough to come up with one.

Sit deeper, sit tighter, play on the counter. Just do something different from a tactical and game management point of view because it's clear this fatigue will be a recurring theme all season. And there is a risk of it becoming an excuse.

 

We've been caught out a few times from our own attacking set pieces. One shit Trippier delivery led to an overloaded counter attack that resulted in a goal. It almost happened again yesterday, but for a Lascelles rugby tackle. Have more men back so this doesn't happen. This is absolutely something the manager can control. There is statistically a 2% chance of scoring from a corner in the PL. It doesn't make sense to take the risk of having minimal players back.

 

Rotate players. You might not rate them but it gives the players you do rate a chance to recover, so they can effectively execute plan A. Now they've played another two games in a week and they'll be dead on their feet against Milan. I'm sure he has his reasons but we've been thumped two games running. Whatever those reasons were look a bit short sighted now. 

 

I understand people are protective of the manager, but some of these things are obvious. He has so much leeway in the bank it's untrue and no one in their right mind would want him gone, but that doesn't mean everything he is doing is right and everything we are seeing is wrong. 

[nufcjmc]

1 hour ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

I'd start them both with the aim of 45-60 mins.

 

Better warm up, get to feel the game intensity from the off etc. Seems riskier to bring them on second half.

 

If Barnes is fit then I'd do the opposite though and give him 20 mins at the end as he's had no football for a long time

 

Eddie was asked about Barnes in the post game conference and said he wasn't close yet not sure how true that is. 

[Minhosa]

I've seen some folks questioning the impact our style of play has had in relation to injuries etc etc and whether it's played it's part in the significant fatigue we've now got across the team/squad.

 

All very valid to raise as a concern but, you know what, I love the way we play when we get it right.

 

That aggressive press, in your face, physical, positive approach with a pinch of housery. Love it.

 

I'd far rather run these lads into the ground and maintain the approach as change it in the face of adversity/tiredness. The way that many other managers before have done the minute something doesn't work as well or we get a bad run of form.

 

As soon as we've got another few bodies in the door in January and we're able to manage the returning players from injury, we'll be a great watch again during the second half of the season.

 

Howe should stick to his beliefs imho. They've worked so well so far.

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Minhosa

[The Prophet]

21 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

A lot of people on here seem very reluctant to question anything about EH, his tactics, his approach, and anyone that does gets pelters for it. I don't want to be part of a forum where you can only express certain things with one line of opinion. It sounds crap!

He's an incredible manager with the mindset and character to get even better, but he cannot be completely beyond reproach.

 

Legitimate criticisms:

 

We absolutely do not have a plan B. If your plan A is totally ineffective when your players are fatigued (everyone's favourite word), have a Plan B that conserves what energy they do have. He's more than tactically astute enough to come up with one.

Sit deeper, sit tighter, play on the counter. Just do something different from a tactical and game management point of view because it's clear this fatigue will be a recurring theme all season. And there is a risk of it becoming an excuse.

 

We've been caught out a few times from our own attacking set pieces. One shit Trippier delivery led to an overloaded counter attack that resulted in a goal. It almost happened again yesterday, but for a Lascelles rugby tackle. Have more men back so this doesn't happen. This is absolutely something the manager can control. There is statistically a 2% chance of scoring from a corner in the PL. It doesn't make sense to take the risk of having minimal players back.

 

Rotate players. You might not rate them but it gives the players you do rate a chance to recover, so they can effectively execute plan A. Now they've played another two games in a week and they'll be dead on their feet against Milan. I'm sure he has his reasons but we've been thumped two games running. Whatever those reasons were look a bit short sighted now. 

 

I understand people are protective of the manager, but some of these things are obvious. He has so much leeway in the bank it's untrue and no one in their right mind would want him gone, but that doesn't mean everything he is doing is right and everything we are seeing is wrong. 

 

The merits of Howe's approach has been discussed at length without anyone taking "pelters" for it.

 

A few questions if ask off the back of that though. 

 

Do you think we've tried to play differently of late or are we still playing the same ferocious high press every game?

 

Over the last couple of weeks which players would you have brought into the team and for who?

[The College Dropout]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo said:

It’ll be Krath RB next Sat.

I'm not so sure. I think Howe wants us to have a left-footer at LB but Hall has disappointed and Tino has excelled.

 

I think there's a good chance he goes with Hall against Fulham. Livra to RB. Better balance better threat. If we look leaky against Milan or suffer further injuries, he may go with the experience of Krafth.

[Aiston]

2 hours ago, The Prophet said:

 

 

 

Despite what xG says, we absolutely would have lost that Wolves game if Neto didn't get injured. They were tearing us to shreds

 

How Trippier didn't get subbed that game is fucking nuts as well, Howe did just watch and hope without trying to change anything.

 

[huss9]

2 hours ago, Geogaddi said:

It's actually annoying how much I adore Eddie , been fuming with the last two results but I refuse to blame him which means I have nobody to be angry at.

having no one to be angry awith has meant the last couple of defeats havent had me depressed. 

whereas PSG away....

[The College Dropout]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

The merits of Howe's approach has been discussed at length without anyone taking "pelters" for it.

 

A few questions if ask off the back of that though. 

 

Do you think we've tried to play differently of late or are we still playing the same ferocious high press every game?

 

Over the last couple of weeks which players would you have brought into the team and for who?

I'm afraid I have to disagree with this. If you question Howe's approach - people will call you negative, accuse you of hounding him etc.

 

I think he's tried to tinker the approach, especially away from home. But it doesn't look like working. If we standoff, we invite lots of pressure and the other team can get to our defence pretty easily. Sometimes I wish we defend from a 4-4-2, so we can more effectively block the opposition's build-up.

 

In this position, I'm not critical of Howe's selection. His hands have been tied and rotating for the sake of it at this point is against his MO. As I've said earlier, in earlier matches we've had opportunities to rotate and not taken them. Those games put mileage on Trippier, Bruno et al. But now, it is what it is.

[The College Dropout]

7 minutes ago, Aiston said:

 

 

Despite what xG says, we absolutely would have lost that Wolves game if Neto didn't get injured. They were tearing us to shreds

 

How Trippier didn't get subbed that game is fucking nuts as well, Howe did just watch and hope without trying to change anything.

 

Aye, if he thinks he has his best guys out there and we are holding on to a result. He's going to stick, not twist. He did the same at PSG.

 

As others have said. This injury crisis has hopefully given him more options going forward but he's still got to show a willingness to take out his fullbacks earlier with the game still in our hands. 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by The College Dropout

[Holmesy]

27 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

The merits of Howe's approach has been discussed at length without anyone taking "pelters" for it.

 

A few questions if ask off the back of that though. 

 

Do you think we've tried to play differently of late or are we still playing the same ferocious high press every game?

 

Over the last couple of weeks which players would you have brought into the team and for who?

I disagree strongly. Have a look back to some of the posts over the week, some of which were objective but still got shouted down.

 

The only areas we have options to rotate at the moment is fullback really. And given how essential Trippier is to our attacking play, and how much work he is asked to do, I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest resting him might've been sensible. 

 

We've certainly been less intense in our pressing but other than that I haven't seen any other tactical tweaks. Have you?

[nufc123]

27 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Aye, if he thinks he has his best guys out there and we are holding on to a result. He's going to stick, not twist. 

Burn against Wolves being one of the examples 

[Gallowgate Toon]

43 minutes ago, Minhosa said:

I've seen some folks questioning the impact our style of play has had in relation to injuries etc etc and whether it's played it's part in the significant fatigue we've now got across the team/squad.

 

All very valid to raise as a concern but, you know what, I love the way we play when we get it right.

 

That aggressive press, in your face, physical, positive approach with a pinch of housery. Love it.

 

I'd far rather run these lads into the ground and maintain the approach as change it in the face of adversity/tiredness. The way that many other managers before have done the minute something doesn't work as well or we get a bad run of form.

 

As soon as we've got another few bodies in the door in January and we're able to manage the returning players from injury, we'll be a great watch again during the second half of the season.

 

Howe should stick to his beliefs imho. They've worked so well so far.

 

 

 

Great post. No style of play is foolproof. For all the talk that our style is a reason for injuries, other teams who don't play the same way as us but have also been struggling to keep the majority of players fit. 

 

The natural reaction could be that we should tone it down and become more possession-based. City are obviously a cracking team but I find them and their robotic control very boring on most occasions, personally - I'd much rather watch us at full flight as much as we can. The best way to do that is to continue invest in the squad and academy which is what we're doing.

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, nufc123 said:

Burn against Wolves being one of the examples 

We had 70m worth of fullbacks on the bench for 90 minutes that game. At least one of which… is already better than Dan Burn. 
 

Silver lining. Livra has at least earned himself a Howe pre-planned 60-70 minute regular sub-on.  And possibly a starting position. I would love Howe to rotate Livra with Tripps and Burn.  

[nufc123]

1 minute ago, The College Dropout said:

We had 70m worth of fullbacks on the bench for 90 minutes that game. At least one of which… is already better than Dan Burn. 
 

Silver lining. Livra has at least earned himself a Howe pre-planned 60-70 minute regular sub-on.  And possibly a starting position. I would love Howe to rotate Livra with Tripps and Burn.  

Not only better but he was so knackered. He was desperate for a rest 

[The College Dropout]

Liverpool have bad seasons with injuries.  It happens. They play a high press game but have a bigger squad, a battle hardened squad. And Klopp rotates based on minutes. He says he has to do it even if the game state doesn’t suit. 
 

At some point Howe needs to rotate for the sake of fitness. But he’s not there just yet. He will learn. 
 

If not for injuries. He rotates midfield and attack tbf to him.  With more talented players, we become a little more possession based.

 

 

 Tonali isn’t Bruno on the ball but his greater quality on the ball than Joelinton or Longstaff helps us there.  Even Willock is better on the ball than what we’ve been putting out. I think we can keep our identity and just evolve the style with better players and better depth. 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by The College Dropout

[BullyDogs]

17 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Liverpool have bad seasons with injuries.  It happens. They play a high press game but have a bigger squad, a battle hardened squad. And Klopp rotates based on minutes. He says he has to do it even if the game state doesn’t suit. 
 

At some point Howe needs to rotate for the sake of fitness. But he’s not there just yet. He will learn. 
 

If not for injuries. He rotates midfield and attack tbf to him.  With more talented players, we become a little more possession based.

 

 

 Tonali isn’t Bruno on the ball but his greater quality on the ball than Joelinton or Longstaff helps us there.  Even Willock is better on the ball than what we’ve been putting out. I think we can keep our identity and just evolve the style with better players and better depth. 

 

 

 

 Eventually all our midfield bar Bruno and Tonali need upgrading if we are wanting to compete at the top. Joelinton is a bruiser in midfield but is techincally pretty poor and his goal return is not the best from a midfield standpoint. Willock is far better technically and longstaff isnt of the level required for an elite team. We need to have 2 elite midfielders on the pitch at all times just like the rest of the top teams have and in reserve folks that are not only technically good but tactically astute