Eddie Howe

[Guest]

44 minutes ago, Gawalls said:

Agreed - when we had dubs in 21-22 season we finished 11th and that seems about right to me. I can’t see how you can finish higher with dubs playing personally .

 

I'm sure our form was 5-6th best in the league with Dubravka in goal that season. Barely let more than a goal a game in, other than against the elite sides.

[Gawalls]

Just now, Optimistic Nut said:

 

I'm sure our form was 5-6th best in the league with Dubravka in goal that season. Barely let more than a goal a game in, other than against the elite sides.

For half a season only but yeah I get your point. My point is after being spoiled by Pope - my god he’s awful. Plus we were playing BDB in the middle- it may be the combination of both 

[RS]

54 minutes ago, Keegans Export said:

You think a squad with Trippier, Botman, Bruno, Isak, Gordon isn't anywhere near top-10? Looking at the table that would put us somewhere in the Palace/Bournemouth area? Or lower?

 

 

 

Isak has been crocked all season. That leaves 4 players. 1 short for a five a side team. 

[Thumbheed]

I dunno how you can look at our injury list and not say it's almost exclusively the reason for our poor showing this season.

 

Man City's win rate goes from 75% to 50% when Rodri is out injured - that's 1 single player out, in one of the most expensively assembled squads in Prem history, who are managed by one of the greatest managers of all time. Pep's career win % is about 74%. A win % of 50% puts him on Pochettino's level. 

 

I don't know what more context is needed other than to say inspite of that we're still 8th, practically a couple wins away from 6th. 

 

There's no doubt there's been some mistakes made by Howe this season but if anything, he deserves credit for still keeping us within touching distance. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by Thumbheed

[El Prontonise]

40 minutes ago, Optimistic Nut said:

 

I'm sure our form was 5-6th best in the league with Dubravka in goal that season. Barely let more than a goal a game in, other than against the elite sides.

 

Dubs wasn't even playing until Howes 2nd game.

[Terrymac1966]

Jose Mourinho time?

Would have somethings Eddie is missing...the ability to attract top players this summer and a wealth of trophies behind him.

Its a question only ..needing a considered reply not an angry response please.

 

[mush]

Just now, Thumbheed said:

I dunno how you can look at our injury list and not say its almost exclusively the reason for our poor showing this season.

 

Man City's win rate goes from 75% to 50% when Rodri is out injured - that's 1 single player out in one of the most expensively assembled squad in Prem history who are managed by one if the greatest managers of all time.

 

I don't know what more context is needed other than to say inspite of that we're still 8th, practically a couple wins away from 6th. 

 

There's no doubt there's been some mistakes made by Howe this season but if anything, he deserves credit for still keeping us within touching distance. 

 

 

Yep, and we've been forced to rely on a 17-year-old (as good as he's looked) to start almost every game for the last 3 months in our midfield.

 

Howe gets the whole of next season at a bare minimum for me, regardless of what happens for the rest of this season.

 

That's not to say he's without criticism. The main disappointment for me is his lack of rotation at the start of the season, knowing the increase in fixtures that would be coming up with the CL. I feel that contributed to the injury crisis, somewhat.

 

But other than that he's done a fucking incredible job which has led to some of my fondest ever memories supporting this club. We thumped PSG 4-1 this season FFS. The way he's improved players and had us playing at times has been superb. He's in that tier below Pep and Klopp for me, and has potential to become as good as they are given time. I'm sure he's learned some valuable lessons from this year and the only way I'd start to think we should move on would be if he's seemingly not learned from them by next season (which I doubt).

[STM]

1 minute ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Jose Mourinho time?

Would have somethings Eddie is missing...the ability to attract top players this summer and a wealth of trophies behind him.

Its a question only ..needing a considered reply not an angry response please.

 

 

We should dig up Brian Clough. 

[Ronaldo]

1 hour ago, RS said:

When was the last time we had a full strength squad?  
Without Pope, Joe and Wilson I don’t think we are anywhere near a top 10 premiership club.  Howe over-performing with what’s available to him. 

Wolves will likely go above us today and you think we’re over-performing because 32 year old Callum Wilson in injured as per? Have a word. 

[Kid Icarus]

7 minutes ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Jose Mourinho time?

Would have somethings Eddie is missing...the ability to attract top players this summer and a wealth of trophies behind him.

Its a question only ..needing a considered reply not an angry response please.

 

 

Definitely not. Anti-football cheque book manager who gets his teams blowing their load for a season or two, then does off when the money runs out and leaves the club with a bunch of has-beens with no resale value.

 

Also, he's an arse hole who doesn't think twice about throwing players and owners under the bus, moans relentlessly in the press, and all while buttering up to the fans to avoid as much scrutiny as possible. 

 

 

Edited February 25 by Kid Icarus

[STM]

We could just stick with Eddie Howe, a fantastic manager going through a rough patch.... which virtually everyone with a brain new was coming.

[Joe1984]

1 minute ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

Definitely not. Anti-football cheque book manager who gets his teams blowing their load for a season or two, then does off when the money runs out and he leaves the club with a bunch of has-beens with no resale value.

And we have enough of them as it is!

[El Prontonise]

Mourinho FFS.

[toon25]

9 minutes ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Jose Mourinho time?

Would have somethings Eddie is missing...the ability to attract top players this summer and a wealth of trophies behind him.

Its a question only ..needing a considered reply not an angry response please.

 

 

Been discussed plenty on here, but that soap opera would be an absolute disaster here. For many reasons.

[STM]

There's a certain irony that we got spanked off Arsenal yesterday, by a manager who had two midtable finishes before finding some rhythm after weeding out the players he didn't want and building something over time. 

 

The only difference is that Arteta put an FA Cup on the board early doors but Howe has at least got us in the CL and a cup final.

 

Why don't people learn? Don't be reactionary. Be calm. Be patient. We will back and we will be better.

 

 

Edited February 25 by STM

[Thumbheed]

17 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

Wolves will likely go above us today and you think we’re over-performing because 32 year old Callum Wilson in injured as per? Have a word. 

 

We are most certainly overperforming this season. 

 

Which team above us has a poorer squad? And which team below us has had worse injuries? 

[Kid Icarus]

Remember the flack Rafa used to get for the style of football we played. And that was with him rummaging around the bargain bins.

 

Imagine how quickly people would turn when it dawned on them that Mourinho's football is as bad with reasonable funding behind him. 

[STM]

Just looked and it wasn't until Artetas 4th season at Arsenal that they even got into the CL, they finished 8th, 8th and then 5th. Look at them now.

 

Klopp finished 8th in his first season too.

 

People were baying for blood with the former, but I'm sure the "top managers don't make these mistakes" crew won't acknowledge this.

 

Also something absolutely fundamental to the above. Liverpool and Arsenal had/have way more in terms of funding and player draw... as well as an array of talent at their clubs to begin with... and two of the best youth sides in the world. I also doubt they had anywhere near the injury crisis we have had.

 

The season we are having is absolutely par for the course.

 

 

[Yorkie]

8 minutes ago, Terrymac1966 said:

Jose Mourinho time?

Would have somethings Eddie is missing...the ability to attract top players this summer and a wealth of trophies behind him.

Its a question only ..needing a considered reply not an angry response please.

 

 

Mourinho isn't a good shout for the reasons KI listed but why should we change managers anyway? Is there any evidence that the broad trajectory under Howe isn't an upwards one? Are we so unrealistic about becoming top six regulars (an unbelievably difficult task) that we should sack him because he only achieved that in 50% of his seasons with us?

 

We're hardly talking about a flash-in-the-pan campaign under Pardew followed by a relegation battle, here. We've been in the mix all season despite everything. 

 

If we finish 10th or 11th this season, for instance, then we take it on the chin and crack on. 8th or 11th - there's very little difference, a bit of prize money aside. I appreciate that that leaves us vulnerable to losing our most coveted players but we should've known all along that we might not move fast enough for the likes of Bruno. That's just a symptom of the enormous ground we had to make up after Ashley.

[Menace]

Arteta has been heavily backed as well. The Mourinho shouts man

[STM]

What's worse is that part of me would absolutely love Mourinho, for romantic reasons.

 

That's a Freddy Shepherd move... or even a wild Mike Ashley move. Its not a smart strategical move.

[Yorkie]

@STM good shouts re the Arteta situation. Fair play to Arsenal for sticking with him when the likes of Chelsea and Spurs have demonstrated the issues with being impatient. I pray we never become like them. 

[Keegans Export]

6 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

 

We are most certainly overperforming this season. 

 

Which team above us has a poorer squad? And which team below us has had worse injuries? 

Where do you think we should be then, with injuries etc factored in? What wouldn't qualify as over/under performance? Not looking for an argument, just interested.

[STM]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

@STM good shouts re the Arteta situation. Fair play to Arsenal for sticking with him when the likes of Chelsea and Spurs have demonstrated the issues with being impatient. I pray we never become like them. 

 

What's worst, its not the clubs that struggle with the patience, its the fans.

[Menace]

5 minutes ago, STM said:

What's worse is that part of me would absolutely love Mourinho, for romantic reasons.

 

That's a Freddy Shepherd move... or even a wild Mike Ashley move. Its not a smart strategical move.

 

I think its just the whole situation of him being taught by SBR, and always speaks highly of us so some of our fans will always have a soft spot for him. I'd be devastated if he came here tbh.