Eddie Howe

[Jonas]

1 minute ago, Miggys First Goal said:

The top 4 finish last season came too early in the grand scheme of things, and I think it has ruined the expectations of some of our fanbase (probably people who latched on from the takeover and weren’t around or deeply invested during the Ashley era when things WERE shite) who probably expect it going forward now. If we’d stuck to the 10 year plan that Staveley spoke about and built up gradually, I doubt we’d even be discussing sacking Eddie now. 

Folk were debating whether ffp was even a thing until recently and expect us to follow in Man City's footsteps despite all the roadblocks and measures they've put in to prevent another Man City.  As if ffp and injuries are just excuses for not being in the top three when its clearly the manager.

[Holmesy]

8 minutes ago, Jonas said:

Folk were debating whether ffp was even a thing until recently and expect us to follow in Man City's footsteps despite all the roadblocks and measures they've put in to prevent another Man City.  As if ffp and injuries are just excuses for not being in the top three when it’s clearly the manager.

I don’t think anyone expects us to be Man City, but we don’t expect to get shat on by Forest at home and comfortably outplayed by Luton. The manager is rightly being criticised for certain things that are within his control 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Holmesy

[Decky]

16 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

The top 4 finish last season came too early in the grand scheme of things, and I think it has ruined the expectations of some of our fanbase (probably people who latched on from the takeover and weren’t around or deeply invested during the Ashley era when things WERE shite) who probably expect it going forward now. If we’d stuck to the 10 year plan that Staveley spoke about and built up gradually, I doubt we’d even be discussing sacking Eddie now. 

Problem is we’ve spent a lot of money to the point that the owners probably won’t be happy with just a top ten finish. After two years and hundreds of millions spent they probably want European football regularly going forward, even if it’s just Conference League. Eddie has to turn this round in the second half of the season and it’s not just recent form, the away form for the whole season needs sorting out.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Decky

[Deuce]

5 minutes ago, Jonas said:

Folk were debating whether ffp was even a thing until recently and expect us to follow in Man City's footsteps despite all the roadblocks and measures they've put in to prevent another Man City.  As if ffp and injuries are just excuses for not being in the top three when its clearly the manager.

And even then, it took four years for City to win the league and fifteen to win the CL!

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

16 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

The top 4 finish last season came too early in the grand scheme of things,

This 1000%, we got CL football probably 2 years and 4 windows too early. We are now victims of last season success, rather than actually still being relatively happy with sitting 7th or 8th in the league and able to actually compete in most matches.

 

We didn’t have a squad capable of properly competing on all fronts, in terms of both actual numbers and certainly on genuine quality too. Factor in a ridiculous run of injuries and the whole Tonali situation; is it really any wonder we're hitting a period of bad form?

 

I keep hearing lots of chat about how Howe needs to do x or y and that he might be getting replaced. If we do shift him on, it’ll be a few years down the line when he's got more quality to chose from and is still failing. Not due to our current situation when it’s basically the same 11 every game.
 

Honest question, what is another manager going to change in that situation in reality? Park the bus hoping for draws? If this form continues when everyone is back fit, then that’s a different conversation. But if what we've seen since he arrived is anything to go by, I feel that is unlikely. Even if we don’t quite hit the heights of last year again this season.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Ghandis Flip-Flop
Typing like an idiot on an iPad

[et tu brute]

1 hour ago, 500bhp said:

We have the richest owners of any football club in the world. (Acknowledging that FFP means we cannot spend the money) The Saudis do not do second place.

 

I hope he can turn this around in the second half of the season once we get back into the weekend to weekend games and injured players come back. But football is not fair and we do not know how our SA ownership will react. Will be an interesting next few months. 

This is my thoughts exactly. I just don't think the Saudis will allow for any goodwill or 'credit in the bank' as they are ruthless business people. We are already hindered by FFP, failure to qualify for Europe will impact on that again, especially when we have to quantify financial amounts of sponsorship. Reports are that we are being grouped within the 'elite' group of clubs for the Adidas product, not a good look with no European football to highlight this. A poor January and I'm not sure he stays in post. 

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

4 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

This is my thoughts exactly. I just don't think the Saudis will allow for any goodwill or 'credit in the bank' as they are ruthless business people. We are already hindered by FFP, failure to qualify for Europe will impact on that again, especially when we have to quantify financial amounts of sponsorship. Reports are that we are being grouped within the 'elite' group of clubs for the Adidas product, not a good look with no European football to highlight this. A poor January and I'm not sure he stays in post. 

Well they better roll up their sleeves and start knitting new players then. If they’re as data driven and methodical as has been suggested, then I suspect they’re probably less reactionary than many on this forum 

[Decky]

PIF are here two years and have spent hundreds of millions over four transfer windows. 8th should be worst case scenario now. I think we’ll easily finish top 8 and we’ll rally again after January and finish maybe top 6. 
 

Next season is the 4th season our owners are here and expectations are surely growing well beyond top 8. Especially after another two transfer windows. If Eddie can turn this round and get us top 6 imo he’ll prove he’s the man to take us on further. 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Decky

[et tu brute]

3 minutes ago, Ghandis Flip-Flop said:

Well they better roll up their sleeves and start knitting new players then. If they’re as data driven and methodical as has been suggested, then I suspect they’re probably less reactionary than many on this forum 

We will see

[500bhp]

27 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said:

But then again, I wonder if Yassir has had his judgement clouded as well. In the documentary he’s all “we want to be number 1” and we’re clearly not number 1, or anywhere near being number 1 right now, so who knows what their decision making is going to be. They themselves might be disappointed at anything less than fourth. 

I cant speak for PIF obviously but they didnt buy NUFC to lose to Luton and at home to Forest. We've now entered the unknown phase. Do they allow the UK based owners to make the football decisions or are they more hands on? None of us can answer that. Only time will tell. 

 

I think we'll go on a run next year and climb the table when the injuries clear and we have no more midweek cup games. But who knows. 

[The Prophet]

59 minutes ago, 500bhp said:

In which case he is talking bollocks?. We were not beaten today due to fatigue, we looked very fit all game. Burn was skinned all game from minute 2 and Almiron and others were crap. Every single team in the PL are well familiar with our 433 formation from last year. They have loads of employee (including AI?) who analyse our style of play and work out how to play against us. The Trippier, Longstaff, Almiron triangle does not work now, that was for last season.

 

Howe needs to find a Plan B and use that when appropriate. He's a very clever guy and will work it out. Just hope he gets the time to do that ?

 

We absolutely were fatigued today like. The three man midfield looked sluggish and easy to play through, the wingers were ineffective and decision making was off all over the park.

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

Well do you think Dan Ashworth is whispering into their ears saying sack him? Or do you think anyone who is rational and dispassionate enough to look at the circumstances we find ourselves in, thinks there's a fair bit of mitigation to explain our current predicament. 
 

I mean you harp on about how successful they’ve been in investments etc, do you achieve that by being reactionary and trigger happy?

 

Genuine question, what has this ownership done that suggests they’re going to throw out our current blueprint at the first sign of adversity?

[TheBrownBottle]

I hadn’t looked at the table for some time, but did so today.  If Everton win their game in hand, then their league results for the first half of the season are the same as ours.

 

Of course, Everton didn’t have six European fixtures vs top sides, but still - that’s not good. 

[MrRaspberryJam]

3 minutes ago, Ghandis Flip-Flop said:

 

 

Genuine question, what has this ownership done that suggests they’re going to throw out our current blueprint at the first sign of adversity?

sacked Bruce after 1 game. 

[Gallowgate Toon]

Looks a mixture of fuming and knackered in his NUFCTV interview.

[Whitley mag]

Still the man for the job but today was a shocker no escaping it.

 

Said before the match our tactics are stale and we’ve been sussed by the opposition.

 

In mitigation though Howe hasn’t had the time between games to tweak things tactically and injuries have limited his options.

 

We’ve got no excuse now though, there’s full weeks between games without Europe and we’re right to expect a massive improvement in 2nd half of season.

 

Players are playing without discipline and he must tweak our attacking play, the obsession with inverted wingers cutting in without a playmaker to break down defences is to easy to read.

 

If he’s backed with money in January he must veer from wanting players who can simply run and are physical. My biggest fear for Howe is his transfer business, it undone him at Bournemouth in my opinion and appointing his brother on the transfer committee rang major alarm bells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Whitley mag

[TheBrownBottle]

4 minutes ago, Ghandis Flip-Flop said:

Well do you think Dan Ashworth is whispering into their ears saying sack him? Or do you think anyone who is rational and dispassionate enough to look at the circumstances we find ourselves in, thinks there's a fair bit of mitigation to explain our current predicament. 
 

I mean you harp on about how successful they’ve been in investments etc, do you achieve that by being reactionary and trigger happy?

 

Genuine question, what has this ownership done that suggests they’re going to throw out our current blueprint at the first sign of adversity?

Nowt.  But we don’t hear a peep from them.  We know Staveley has to run all major decisions via PIF and - crucially - the management contract that she has for the club is entirely based on performance (PIF’s perception of performance).  So we’re in the weird position of the minority shareholder running the club on a management contract, and also being the mouthpiece.  It isn’t in Staveley’s interest to be overly critical of anything that is happening.  But we absolutely do not know anything about PIF’s views. 

[Holmesy]

7 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

We absolutely were fatigued today like. The three man midfield looked sluggish and easy to play through, the wingers were ineffective and decision making was off all over the park.

This fatigue excuse needs to stop now. Players are bound to be tired but it’s up to the manager to ‘manage’ what energy they do have. He isn’t and deserves to be called out for it. Simply saying we’re tired after getting bummed by Forest at home is letting people off the hook who should be doing a better job. They tore through us at will and we had the chance to react and make ourselves harder to play through, but didn’t. Fatigue wore thin a long time ago.

[Sandro Tonali]

Fatigue is a definite excuse. Howe drills his players non stop, physically and mentally. Intricate details day in day out. To not have that time or the squad to get those processes right is becoming detrimental. If we had players that could come in and do the exact job for that is asked of them we would be ok. It has git to a point where Eddie is asking his players to conserve energy where possible and we cannot find a balance. We need be full tilt 100% of the time with the shape we play but it's just not possible 

[The Prophet]

5 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

This fatigue excuse needs to stop now. Players are bound to be tired but it’s up to the manager to ‘manage’ what energy they do have. He isn’t and deserves to be called out for it. Simply saying we’re tired after getting bummed by Forest at home is letting people off the hook who should be doing a better job. They tore through us at will and we had the chance to react and make ourselves harder to play through, but didn’t. Fatigue wore thin a long time ago.

 

It's not an excuse if it's the reality. It's so painfully obvious we have players either playing through injuries or running on empty. I'm not saying it's the only factor at play, but it's a very significant one.

[GeordieT]

7 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

It's not an excuse if it's the reality. It's so painfully obvious we have players either playing through injuries or running on empty. I'm not saying it's the only factor at play, but it's a very significant one.

Hitherto it undoubtedly has been. But that needs to cease now, 4 matches in the next 34 days. Even with our squad that’s leisurely.

[Holmesy]

5 minutes ago, Sandro Tonali said:

Fatigue is a definite excuse. Howe drills his players non stop, physically and mentally. Intricate details day in day out. To not have that time or the squad to get those processes right is becoming detrimental. If we had players that could come in and do the exact job for that is asked of them we would be ok. It has git to a point where Eddie is asking his players to conserve energy where possible and we cannot find a balance. We need be full tilt 100% of the time with the shape we play but it's just not possible 

I’m afraid it’s shit one-trick-pony management in that case. We can’t be at full tilt all the time and what we’ve seen is that when we’re not, we’re shit and we get beaten….badly. Zero ability to adapt. Plan B is something that has been mentioned time and time again, but even tweaks to plan A would be something. 

[TheBrownBottle]

10 minutes ago, Sandro Tonali said:

Fatigue is a definite excuse. Howe drills his players non stop, physically and mentally. Intricate details day in day out. To not have that time or the squad to get those processes right is becoming detrimental. If we had players that could come in and do the exact job for that is asked of them we would be ok. It has git to a point where Eddie is asking his players to conserve energy where possible and we cannot find a balance. We need be full tilt 100% of the time with the shape we play but it's just not possible 

Then as you’ve explained it’s less of an excuse and more something Howe needs to look at.  Howe drilling his players non stop and having a playing style which is so demanding that the players are burned out before the season is halfway finished.  Howe is not blameless and it isn’t bad luck that the players are running on embers. 

[The Prophet]

1 minute ago, GeordieT said:

Hitherto it undoubtedly has been. But that needs to cease now, 4 matches in the next 34 days. Even with our squad that’s leisurely.

 

You'd hope after the post-Villa break we'll see a big improvement in performance and results. If the current form carries on much longer than that, it'll become concerning.

[Jaqen]

10 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

This fatigue excuse needs to stop now. Players are bound to be tired but it’s up to the manager to ‘manage’ what energy they do have. He isn’t and deserves to be called out for it. Simply saying we’re tired after getting bummed by Forest at home is letting people off the hook who should be doing a better job. They tore through us at will and we had the chance to react and make ourselves harder to play through, but didn’t. Fatigue wore thin a long time ago.

 

Do you think the fatigue issue has just dissapered by us having to play even more games in such a short space of time like?  

 

Mistakes were possibly made in lack of rotation and brining back players too soon earlier in the season but right now there's not a whole lot we can do. I'd love to hear what the solution is. It's Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett on the bench FFS