Eddie Howe

[brummie]

I think if a manager - anywhere, not just yours - performs as stellar-ly as Howe did last season (and the season before, wasn't it?) then has a duff season, albeit one with mitigating circumstances like injury problems, he's bought enough time, he's owed a duff season.

 

I know football isn't like that, though.

[Fezzle]

8 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

If you remove all of the context then this is a run which calls into question the manager's suitability for staying in the job. Personally I think there are significant mitigating circumstances, meanwhile he has boatloads of credit in the bank. 

 

It'll get worse from here given the fixtures ahead of us. So I guess we're going to learn whether our owners are the type to consider the bigger picture, or if they twist at the first sign of trouble. 

Hopefully our owners know more than NO then 

[astraguy]

1 minute ago, Aiston said:

 

Criticism shouldn't be hidden.

 

He's been poor this month and deserves the criticism.

Doesn't deserve the sack with the start and injuries we've had,he plays the way we like he gets us..He will fix it i fucking hate this new Football once you get rich lose a few games and oh shit sack the manager 

[Dokko]

1 minute ago, Keegans Export said:

If we finish 10th he'll get sacked like.

 

We're 7th now, 7pts ahead of 10th, with fixture congestion easing and players due back from injury in Jan/Feb. That'd be some drop-off.

 

And yet that's what i'd be happy with for him to have next season, with the caveat of beating the mackems. Though that seems to be too much demand for some on here. Crazy.

 

 

[gbandit]

A performance that was completely unacceptable. Only Miley had a good game, Isak had some lovely moments and looked fit again. However, Howe has to sort the defence out. It’s shambolic at the moment. Going forward, we are incredibly wasteful. The players’ confidence levels look shot. I fully trust him to turn it around but the fixtures he’s got coming up are rough.

[TheBrownBottle]

5 minutes ago, OpenC said:

 

Like I said after the last game the unquestioning support is as weird as the calls for him to be bulleted instantly.  We look fucking woeful trying to run the tried and trusted system with players who are more demotivated than tired but there's no sign of any plan B and anybody who thinks that none of this is on the manager at all just isn't watching

I agree - we have to be able to change this up, and the high intensity play was always likely to result in injured / knackered players.  Howe needs to have a real think before next season starts (I’m hoping / assuming he gets that time) to start changing things up. 

 

The danger is the dressing room turning - if the players are being simply asked to do the same thing again and again despite clearly not having the energy levels to play that way then the players might turn.

[WideopenMag]

2 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I said a few weeks ago that he’d basically need to lose ten games pretty much in a row to be vulnerable. 
 

We’ve lost six in the last seven - and the next four games are Man City, Liverpool, Villa and Sunderland.

 

I don’t think he should be vulnerable (pressure is reasonable) but there is a scarily real chance that we lose all of those games at the moment - certainly the next three league games. 

This I'd give him an extended contract and hope he would see it out. However our owners are clearly ambitious, talks of competing for league and champions leagues etc..they won't accept us going backwards for too long .

[Cf]

5 minutes ago, OpenC said:

 

Like I said after the last game the unquestioning support is as weird as the calls for him to be bulleted instantly.  We look fucking woeful trying to run the tried and trusted system with players who are more demotivated than tired but there's no sign of any plan B and anybody who thinks that none of this is on the manager at all just isn't watching

 

The mitigation for the lack of plan B is still injuries and the fixture congestion. 

 

There's been no time in the past month or so to train and coach around the injuries. The focus will have been on trying to just maintain some fitness in a decimated squad. We've had a game every 3 days for a month now. 

 

It's been bad for sure. But weeks ago to me it was obvious we were about to have a run like this. 

 

He doesn't have my unquestioning support but I think enough of this isn't on him that to focus too much on Eddie isn't fair or productive. 

[The Prophet]

On 23/12/2023 at 18:26, The Prophet said:

The performances and results in the last four away games have been poor, that said there's plenty of mitigation as to why they've come about. 

 

I have no doubt we'll learn from this period and improve, but as previously stated it might get worse before it gets better.

 

Still this. Today was absolute shite again, but until we can rest and rotate some of the walking wounded via rotation and an easier schedule, his hands are somewhat tied.

[astraguy]

Just now, brummie said:

I think if a manager - anywhere, not just yours - performs as stellar-ly as Howe did last season (and the season before, wasn't it?) then has a duff season, albeit one with mitigating circumstances like injury problems, he's bought enough time, he's owed a duff season.

 

I know football isn't like that, though.

fucking yes!

[toon25]

Much resting on the next few results, but presuming we get fuck all from Villa and Liverpool, of the top managers in the PL today, how many would take their team through this set of results and still be pretty untouchable?

[Wandy]

The very idea of sacking him this season is mental. For a start there is no obvious replacement (and please don't say Mourhino). He really needs a plan B and to stop being too loyal to certain players though. The derby game is monumental now and it has to be won.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Wandy

[toon25]

2 minutes ago, brummie said:

I think if a manager - anywhere, not just yours - performs as stellar-ly as Howe did last season (and the season before, wasn't it?) then has a duff season, albeit one with mitigating circumstances like injury problems, he's bought enough time, he's owed a duff season.

 

I know football isn't like that, though.

 

Stop being so bloody sensible Brum 

[TheBrownBottle]

2 minutes ago, brummie said:

I think if a manager - anywhere, not just yours - performs as stellar-ly as Howe did last season (and the season before, wasn't it?) then has a duff season, albeit one with mitigating circumstances like injury problems, he's bought enough time, he's owed a duff season.

 

I know football isn't like that, though.

I think most of us agree tbh - but the great unknown is the owners (not Staveley and Reuben).  No idea what their thoughts are

[Andy]

Howe is a motivator and is great at capitalising on and maximising waves of positivity. This is a massive test for him, as there are shades of his last season at Bournemouth - obviously we're not in danger of relegation, but there is an injury crisis, players look frustrated and demoralised, and there is a sudden turn in mood across small but vocal sections of the fanbase. 

 

He needs to get away from selecting players based on what they've done, rather than what they're doing. There is no way Burn, even arguably Trippier should be starting on current form when there are other options there. It was good to see Longstaff hooked instead of Miley, but I suspect this was fitness related and it would've been the other way around if not too.  

 

The next month is going to be extremely difficult and may determine his fate here. Much as the level headed amongst us still love him, there will be a big change in climate if we lose to the mackems and struggle to amass points in some very difficult fixtures. Today felt like a must-win and we completely flopped. He is in by far the most fragile situation he has been in since Bournemouth imploded imo. 

[St. Maximin]

He shouldn’t and won’t be under pressure for a long time, but needs to take account for this. It should be a routine win amongst a tough run, but it’s made it incredibly hard for us and now we’ve got really tough away fixtures. 
 

Our inability to break down defensive teams is coming back to bite now. But I at least expect us to defend properly 

 

Can only assume Livra had a knock, otherwise he’s had a howler there. 

[Colos Short and Curlies]

1 minute ago, Cf said:

 

The mitigation for the lack of plan B is still injuries and the fixture congestion. 

 

There's been no time in the past month or so to train and coach around the injuries. The focus will have been on trying to just maintain some fitness in a decimated squad. We've had a game every 3 days for a month now. 

 

It's been bad for sure. But weeks ago to me it was obvious we were about to have a run like this. 

 

He doesn't have my unquestioning support but I think enough of this isn't on him that to focus too much on Eddie isn't fair or productive. 

it’s not total mitigation though.

 

everyone knew this season was going to bring different pressures and the summer was a time to put in a plan B ready for when the fixture stress hit.

 

its weird as we moved forward summer of 22 but didn’t last summer.

[El Prontonise]

He's under a little pressure now which is good imo.

[ponsaelius]

I'm worried for him tbh now. Wasn't up until today, but we looked desperate there.

 

Players suffering from a combination of being physically ruined, mentally destroyed by the recent set backs, and now completely bereft of confidence. Unfortunately our style of play depends massively on physical intensity and Howe's coaching depends on motivation. Now we're in a situation where either tactical structure or technical creativity would pull us out of the mire and we lack both.

 

He still needs to be given the season and to go again next year, but for the first time I'm actually quite worried he won't get it.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by ponsaelius

[relámpago blanco]

I don't think it's right but I've a feeling based on the run of games Yasir will make a change. Howes inflexibility pisses me off though trippier burn to start with. Not much anyone could have done with the injuries and load. They haven't been able to train. 

[Ronaldo]

The bad results are only half the story. I just feel like bigger questions are being asked of us this season and he doesn’t have the answers. It’s beyond his experience. I don’t really know where we go from here but I desperately hope he can turn it around, for the sake of our season and because I love the guy. I’m not remotely confident that will happen, unfortunately.

[1964]

We created nothing which is the worry, we were clueless 

[Dr Venkman]

30 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

Every counter has pretty much gone out the window today. Play well at home. No players to choose from. Beat teams below us. 

 

All gone.

Nah. The counter is how he transformed the entire club in a very short space of time and led us to the CL. It’s far, far too early to be talking about him leaving, he’s got loads more credit in the bank yet.

[Cf]

Just now, Colos Short and Curlies said:

it’s not total mitigation though.

 

everyone knew this season was going to bring different pressures and the summer was a time to put in a plan B ready for when the fixture stress hit.

 

its weird as we moved forward summer of 22 but didn’t last summer.

 

There'll be a certain element of maybe more could have been done but they won't have factored in having an entire first team out injured and us not even being able to fill the bench.

[The Prophet]

9 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

There's a big difference between being told you can't question Howe and asking for a crumb of perspective like

 

Yep. No one is stopping anyone from criticising Howe, but folk might disagree or think some of it is unjustified.