Eddie Howe

[TRon]

I thought Klopp's interview was quite informative. I know he spends most of his time being a complete arsehole, but he defended Darwin Nunez misses on that despite that he split Botman an Schar with his movement. I thought their movement all over the pitch gave us problems all night, not to mention better control and use of the ball when they got it.

[Heron]

Absolutely right to call out the penalty decisions. Another game that's slipped by us despite a hearty showing.

 

Had we beaten the likes of Bournemouth et al then we'd be looking at this game a lot different in my opinion. The chips are down and we're lacking confidence and belief. Mentality is the new issue and not just a thinned out squad.

 

I feel we'll be fine, we just need to attack next weekend with all our might and resuscitate our season.

 

You've got this Eddie. You. Have. Got. This.

[1892er]

1 minute ago, RS said:

Anyone who is seriously thinking he no good is deluded. Have you seen what he’s working with?  Almiron? Waste of space. Longstaff?  Will end up at Gateshead.  This is one hellof a journey and at the minute he can only piss with the cock he has got. Patience is the key. 

 

Some of the natural levels of these players are being exposed. I think the question some of us have is, is the natural level of the manager being exposed?

 

Almiron for example. How can we say he had a purple patch and is now pretty poor without applying the same logic to Eddie?

 

The only way to find out is if we stick with him and see how he does in the medium term.

[Jaqen]

Why are people persisting with the 'you can't criticise Howe' line? You clearly can, the thread is full of criticism after every loss 

 

 

[The College Dropout]

6 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

 

The not training has only been in December. Villa are playing part-timers and not Mbappe. Howe's "decisions" have been limited due to the freak injuries, which have meant he can't rotate. Can see the argument to just go with the young players anyway, he obviously has his reasons for not doing that, but can see your point.

 

Not good enough at this level is a silly statement. He's had his hands tied behind his back and some started getting antsy at a point where things were really just not that bad. Until the recent poor run in December we were right behind Man City - the poor run in December has come about due to the sheer number of games and not being able to train, and having no squad rotation possible.

 

Expectations have gotten out of control. January will be a nightmare due to the fixtures we've got, but judging him on this season so far is just wrong given the actual context. Give him a chance with an actual squad in the second half of the season - I'm confident we'll start climbing the table again.

 

Comparing him to Pardew is honestly not worth discussing - most people could see he was bailed out by great players and it wouldn't be sustainable, this is just not the same in any way.

 

I know you feel strongly about this and feel like you're being shut down, I feel equally as strongly that you're way off of the mark and have tried to go through each of your points respectfully. 

 

I'm going to bed

 

You can’t say he could have played youth and then say he’s had his hands tied. He hasn’t - he’s just chosen this path. 
 

He knew we would have 11 games in 35 games. Has it been good management for Bruno G to play damn near every minute of it? IMO it’s a massive blunder. It was always going to end with our star man putting in substandard performances.  Ditto for most of the lads. 

[maze]

Soooooo… I’m intrigued to know what we have «learned» from this experience….

[Kid Icarus]

5 minutes ago, andycap said:

All this remember us under bruce stuff doesn't wash with me. Howe has been brilliant but he's been worryingly naive this year he's had all the praise for the job he's done so far but surely anyone can see we are flagging badly and he's stubborn with his ways basically going into games without a bench is what I feel he is doing and it's not helping our plight. I think a bit of criticism is valid. 

 

He's starting a 17 year old who until a couple of months ago no one knew anything about. Has Miley really got taken for granted that quickly that we've forgotten he was about 6th choice with everyone fit? 

 

 

Edited January 1 by Kid Icarus

[Cf]

The fact we are even discussing the possibility of starting the likes of Ritchie and Dummet who would both struggle to get minutes in the Championship shows you the extent to which his hands are tied at the minute. 

 

I get maybe you just sacrifice some positions/games by starting them but any options he's got are shit. Different options might be slightly less shit than the others but there's not really a great deal between them. 

 

Just need to address this in the January and upcoming summer window. The fact he got this squad as high as he did is remarkable but it's clear now we need to strengthen. 

[NE27]

2 minutes ago, RS said:

Patience is the key. 

 

I've accepted this season is going awry and we just need to keep ourselves in and around top 10.

 

EH has my patience to have a poor season, he needs the time to work through the shit times/unlucky breaks.

 

Obviously I'd be happier if the performances weren't so off but thems the breaks. Sure lfc fans were wounded last season with how off they were, but you've just got to bunker down and pray EH and the team can work through it.

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute ago, andycap said:

All this remember us under bruce stuff doesn't wash with me. Howe has been brilliant but he's been worryingly naive this year he's had all the praise for the job he's done so far but surely anyone can see we are flagging badly and he's stubborn with his ways basically going into games without a bench is what I feel he is doing and it's not helping our plight. I think a bit of criticism is valid. 

Totally agree.  It doesn’t work with me either.

 

And I don’t remember the ‘remember where we were with Ossie’ stuff when KK’s side had a bad run, or ‘remember where we were with Gullit’ under Robson (who’s sides had some really bad batches of form).

 

Howe is a far, far better manager than Bruce, and has got things out of players they both had that Bruce couldn’t dream of.  Howe has also been massively backed to the tune of almost half a billion over four windows, and isn’t managing at a club with a poisonous atmosphere with a hated ownership which sends him into every presser to be its mouthpiece.

 

It’s a very, very different club today. 

[andycap]

1 minute ago, Heron said:

Absolutely right to call out the penalty decisions. Another game that's slipped by us despite a hearty showing.

 

Had we beaten the likes of Bournemouth et al then we'd be looking at this game a lot different in my opinion. The chips are down and we're lacking confidence and belief. Mentality is the new issue and not just a thinned out squad.

 

I feel we'll be fine, we just need to attack next weekend with all our might and resuscitate our season.

 

You've got this Eddie. You. Have. Got. This.

I hope so lad

[madras]

Just now, Jaqen said:

Why are people persisting with the 'you can't criticise Howe' line? You clearly can, the thread is full of criticism after every loss 

 

 

Cancel culture innit.

[LiquidAK]

1 hour ago, Matt1892 said:

 

1 hour ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Dead man walking, team has the familiar feel of a Bruce/McClaren side.

 

@Ronaldo here's another two from today if you want. Thought the first might be joking and then saw all his other posts this month. You could argue the latter isn't explicitly calling for his head but I think that's a pretty generous take. These takes are out there, but thankfully aren't that widespread.

 

[Heron]

Just now, Jaqen said:

Why are people persisting with the 'you can't criticise Howe' line? You clearly can, the thread is full of criticism after every loss 

 

 

I can only speak for myself but I will happily accept criticisms of Howe if people can provide valid alternatives as to what could have been done at the same times and with the same resources as at that time.

 

So far, a lot of what I am reading (albeit on WA and X) is hypothetical bullshit and folk just saying things are shit.

 

What's the fucking point in that?

[TheInfiniteOdyssey]

Howe has to sort out some of our underlying tactical issues mind, primarily in organisation and shape. All season long, I’ve felt our midfield has been so easy to bypass with a simple ball through.

[Myleftboot]

1 minute ago, maze said:

Soooooo… I’m intrigued to know what we have «learned» from this experience….

Klopp is still a massive cunt.

[80]

Most promising performance in a while. Not that that's a big compliment.

 

First time we finished a game stronger than we started since at least November. First 30 minutes were dire but then we began to settle in and play with a belief we haven't had for weeks.

 

It's blazingly obvious that fitness issues are a massive factor in the vast majority of criticisms you can make of us right now. Whether it's worn out players, players nursing muscles through matches or selection choices. That will continue to be the case for at least a couple more weeks. Just to prove we can do it I would love to see us set up to rope a dope Liverpool in one game. But there's such a lack of athleticism in the team right now that tonight was not the time, even if Howe was willing to consider it.

 

Putting aside the fitness, it's clear Liverpool's players are a level above many of ours technically. Longstaff, Almiron, Burn and Joelinton too God love him. We have to cut our strategic cloth accordingly.

 

I totally agree with people asking whatever happened to our spiky, dark arts-practicing squad. We're a lot less special nowadays.

 

 

Edited January 1 by 80

[ponsaelius]

Howe has been unlucky with injuries and suspensions, there is no doubt. We banked in the summer on adding depth at fullback, making sure we had four hard working wingers who we could run into the ground, and a midfielder who could cover both #8 as well as Bruno's role (in theory). Clearly the idea was to maximise the resources, facilitated in part by actually selling our one wild card, to double down on our style of play and make sure we had the depth to push it across multiple competitions. Ultimately we have tried to reinforce what worked last year - rather than look to enhance/augment what we've got and give us something different to win games. Whether that was signing a number 10/wide attacker who can play between the lines, a designated defensive midfielder to give us more control in transition, another striker who could offer more out of possession than Wilson etc etc - these were options that were available to us and we chose not to go for.

 

I think it's not unreasonable to say at this point that it has backfired. This is partly through sheer bad luck in the case of Tonali and Barnes in particular. But our inability to change it up or find other ways to win games has made this season's crash far worse and also I'm afraid made Howe look increasingly naive. We've ran players into the ground and made injuries worse, which has increasingly made our fundsmental style of play ineffective, which has now increasingly made players devoid of confidence. Confidence that has been rattled further by crashing out of the cups and leaving the season effectively over by January. It is a vicious spiral and I think, mitigating factors accepted, Howe has to take blame and be questioned for it. Both for his input in transfer decisions (we know he will have had some) and how we have adapted this season to very different circumstances.

 

 

Edited January 1 by ponsaelius

[LiquidAK]

1 minute ago, The College Dropout said:

You can’t say he could have played youth and then say he’s had his hands tied. He hasn’t - he’s just chosen this path. 
 

He knew we would have 11 games in 35 games. Has it been good management for Bruno G to play damn near every minute of it? IMO it’s a massive blunder. It was always going to end with our star man putting in substandard performances.  Ditto for most of the lads. 

 

This has been explained to you a few times, but sure I'll bite. The freak (read: UNPREDICTABLE) injuries (multiple broken bones, dislocated shoulder, gambling ban etc.) meant that in hindsight, yes he could've rotated earlier in the season, but by the time this had happened, the unpredictable ones have tied his hands.

 

I did say I can see the argument for just throwing the youth in anyway this month, but you've ignored that, so thanks. 

[Wullie]

Liverpool brought on Jota, Gakpo, Gravenberch and Mac Allister. Harvey Elliott didn't get on. They have injuries too, Matip, Robertson, Tsimikas, Thiago. Both their quality left backs are fucked and they still have Joe Gomez to play there.

 

That's what rotation is meant to look like when you play a CL campaign, two elite XIs plus cover even for them. We're squabbling over whether Lewis Hall and Matt Ritchie should have been given an extra 20 minutes, it's deckchairs on the Titanic stuff.

 

The problem for any club that qualifies out of the blue like we did is that all the other clubs in it, especially in England, have built CL capable squads up over a decade. FFP stops us doing that in one go or even several.

[Jonas]

3 minutes ago, Jaqen said:

Why are people persisting with the 'you can't criticise Howe' line? You clearly can, the thread is full of criticism after every loss 

 

 

He was plenty criticised for only drawing a few games last season.

The people that did it ended up looking daft but it never stopped them then or since.

[Kid Icarus]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Totally agree.  It doesn’t work with me either.

 

And I don’t remember the ‘remember where we were with Ossie’ stuff when KK’s side had a bad run, or ‘remember where we were with Gullit’ under Robson (who’s sides had some really bad batches of form).

 

Howe is a far, far better manager than Bruce, and has got things out of players they both had that Bruce couldn’t dream of.  Howe has also been massively backed to the tune of almost half a billion over four windows, and isn’t managing at a club with a poisonous atmosphere with a hated ownership which sends him into every presser to be its mouthpiece.

 

It’s a very, very different club today. 

Tbf, in 94/95 our biggest whinge was Paul Kitson. It's not like KK had to regularly rely on the likes of Guppy, Neilsen and Jeffrey for half a season and turn them from water into wine.

[Dokko]

2 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

Howeh, its mendacious to suggest our success last season was solely Howe running players into the ground and getting lucky with injuries. 

 

There's going to be a difference in intensity between playing Zrinjski, Legia Warsaw & AZ Alkmaar and playing PSG, Dortmund and Milan, like. The difference in quality of teams in the Conference League and the Champions League is polarising. I agree with possibly the thought of adjusting how we play or manage games slightly this season and reduce the intensity with the added games by signing first team ready players that look after the ball in midfield a lot more than our current lot can, which we didn't do in the summer.

 

There is a load of factors, but it's the Howe thread and what he's been able to control or change is where I'm discussing. It's very hard to bring all into it in one (especially on a phone, after a defeat when the thread is moving at fast pace) but to counter your statement it's more than just injuries to blame. There's the root cause, the mitigation and recovery and response which for me has all been off.  

 

This month (Jan) is more on the club than Howe. They've seen him and his squad struggle, it's time to match their ambition and talk of being the best with some serious season saving action in the market. You'll be pleased to know my focus will be on them pulling their weight as they are the only ones who can help him out and believe me, I really hope they do and this just a big blip we talk about for years and not actually the end of Howe.

[Wandy]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Not really. I mean, I do disagree with your view (particularly re the manager) but I wouldn't have called you entitled if you'd only said the above. It was the use of the word 'disgrace', which I equate to you going on like you're owed something, which provoked me saying that. 

 

Jesus, you dont know when to stop digging do you? 

 

You thought it was perfectly fine to highlight a perceived flaw in my character since I used a slightly emotive word on a football forum.

 

Of course, it wasn't the team performance that was the issue...it's me as a fan that is the problem here.

 

Log off mate, your having a mare here.

[LiquidAK]

Just now, Wandy said:

 

Jesus, you dont know when to stop digging do you? 

 

You thought it was perfectly fine to highlight a perceived flaw in my character since I used a slightly emotive word on a football forum.

 

Of course, it wasn't the team performance that was the issue...it's me as a fan that is the problem here.

 

Log off mate, your having a mare here.

You're really not coming across as reasonable as you think you are.