Eddie Howe

[Holmesy]

6 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

 

Good. Busy summer sounds like exactly what we need.

[Lush Vlad]

6 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

 

I'm 100% with you on this. It will get branded as an excuse, which I guess it kind of is. But my new least favorite genre of posts are the ones that act like a magic switch has been flipped along with those that seem to imply fatigue issues were invented as a means to give Eddie a pass.

 

"We were told fatigue was the reason for December..." <--- You shouldn't need to be told anything. Open your eyes

 

"We have players back, what's the excuse now?" <--- Umm, we're still missing critical ones and the impact of the last few months doesn't just disappear overnight.

"I guess 30 minutes of extra time will be the excuse for the next month." <--- 

Throw in the fact the players back from injury. Clearly look like they’re playing earlier than ideal due to needs must. Or perhaps for other reasons. They have been taking a long time to get up to speed post injury. 
 

Isak and Botman have not looked right pretty much all season. Barnes hasn’t even got to grips with Howe’s system and has missed 3-4 months. Willock has played what, the equivalent of 5 x 90 minute games all told? 
 

Not having it that Longstaff is fully fit. He is that far off it. Trippier and Burn have been nursing injuries. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. Murphy? 

[Toon No9]

11 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

Good. Busy summer sounds like exactly what we need.

Yeah, and Eddie Howe longterm is exactly what we need aswell!

[timeEd32]

I'm quite sure I'm going to take great joy in revisiting the last 250+ pages sometime in 2024.

 

For future reference, the Everton game is on page 1074. 

[mouldy_uk]

23 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

Good. Busy summer sounds like exactly what we need.

Busy summer selling our stars 

 

[Holmesy]

3 minutes ago, mouldy_uk said:

Busy summer selling our stars 

 

Hopefully a busy summer selling our dross. There’s plenty of it 

[huss9]

3 hours ago, Away Toon said:

I think that's the worst I've seen us play under Howe last night, there wasn't one thing we did well as a team . There are less and less mitigating circumstances. We do not look like a well coached team.

nah, we created  a  few chances.

there's games we've created fuck all.

[Mattoon]

Blackburn did their research, they packed defence, stayed organised, limited space and hit us fast on the counter. I don't think we were horrific, we were disjointed, had a tough time finding a way through them and left gaps between the lines. They played well to our weaknesses. Definitely nowhere near our best but we still found a way to win, which has to be a positive.

[STM]

1 game away from 2 Wembley visits in 2 years and sandwiched between we had a CL qualification.

 

Also, in this year of mediocrity we've beaten Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG, not to mention a good away win at Villa and 2 good draws away in the CL. Oh and Sunderland away. Oh and our highest ever away win.

 

We are in a desperately bad patch of form, which was born out of an injury crisis and which morphed into a crisis of confidence.

 

Has Eddie Howe made all the correct decisions? No. He should have switched Burn out sooner, perhaps changed formation in midfield and could have been a bit smarter when it comes to bringing players back from injury but that's a bump in the road in what has been a brilliant procession over the last 2 years.

 

It's time people (some) put their big boy pants on and understand that it was never going to be a straight line to success. 

 

We might get beat on Saturday against Wolves and while it will be frustrating, let's not be like Simon Jordan. Let's see the long term picture and back Eddie into the the next season.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

22 minutes ago, STM said:

1 game away from 2 Wembley visits in 2 years and sandwiched between we had a CL qualification.

 

Also, in this year of mediocrity we've beaten Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG, not to mention a good away win at Villa and 2 good draws away in the CL. Oh and Sunderland away. Oh and our highest ever away win.

 

We are in a desperately bad patch of form, which was born out of an injury crisis and which morphed into a crisis of confidence.

 

Has Eddie Howe made all the correct decisions? No. He should have switched Burn out sooner, perhaps changed formation in midfield and could have been a bit smarter when it comes to bringing players back from injury but that's a bump in the road in what has been a brilliant procession over the last 2 years.

 

It's time people (some) put their big boy pants on and understand that it was never going to be a straight line to success. 

 

We might get beat on Saturday against Wolves and while it will be frustrating, let's not be like Simon Jordan. Let's see the long term picture and back Eddie into the the next season.

 

A thousand times this. 

 

Personally I love attending every game at the moment, I find it relaxed and generally fun. We really need to learn to enjoy the ride.

[Gawalls]

9 hours ago, Thumbheed said:

Our counter press doesn't seem as effective nowadays.

 

 

People have figured us out, have changed their game and come prepared where we do the same time and time again.  We caught them off guard last season where this season they’re catching us off guard it would seem.

[Big Jow]

7 hours ago, Yorkie said:

 

I think it's absolute nonsense saying there's no in-between. I think the majority take the view that he's doing an admirable job under difficult circumstances but isn't without errors (that being the very definition of 'in-between'), then a small minority taking the obscene view that the team is a disgrace and he needs sacking. I routinely defend Howe but I don't see it as making excuses at all. 

 

"You can't criticise Howe round 'ere fnar fnar" is being leveled at people calling out those chatting shit comparing him to Bruce and/or saying his time's up.

 

There’s a post on this very thread that states people “hide” by saying they are in-between because they hate Howe and want him sacked. 

 

People like @The College Dropout and others put forward reasonable analysis and posts about the errors Howe has made and they get ridiculed or lambasted for it. Myself included in that.

 

There is a small minority making bizarre comments (comparison to Bruce, being one example) but you also have people on the other end of the spectrum who act as if you’ve stolen their first born if you suggest Howe could’ve done better this season.

[Big Jow]

I didn’t understand why we moved Isak to the wing and put Gordon up top yesterday in the first half. Thinking about it, Isak has looked a shadow of himself since returning from his recent injury. But as others have pointed out here the midfield rarely get him into the game.

 

Nail on the head regarding the midfield not functioning in either direction. Ultimately though we need a solution to that other than hoping the return of Willock and Anderson will solve it all.

[Heron]

Not sure if this is the right thread to talk tactics rather than specifically about Eddie, but here goes nothing...

 

At the game last night, something I'd already noticed for several weeks became really, really evident to me and it was relating to our defensive tactics on both wings. Everyone is so focused on Dan Burn in particular, and the game that he is specifically playing, but not so much analysis of why he's playing it the way he is.

 

Don't get me wrong, whilst I have a massive soft spot for Dan Burn, being a lanky, Geordie who played defence, I know he's no Roberto Carlos, but he is a very steady and solid defender. (I am going to refrain from saying anyone "gives there all" throughout this as that is a prerequisite nowadays not a nicety. Thanks Eddie!)

 

But what is very, very clear is that our midfield 3 are always either very narrow or simply not capable of covering the ground we're expecting of them. That may be down to fatigue (which we can ultimately attribute to injuries) or maybe the physicality of certain personnel but they certainly don't provide protection to the full backs.

 

That raises the question of "should they be?"

 

In a traditional 4-4-2 if the ball was switched to your (defensive) right. The left back would usually sit ever so slightly deepest and command the line, telling everyone what's going on. At which point the opposition RW would be pushed up against your LB and the opposition RB would occasionally press forward, being picked up by your LW. That isn't happening now.

 

I've been questioning to myself whether this was through a tactical design, an element of risk if you like - shit or bust, or whether it was the personnel again (in this case Gordon). Since the return of Barnes, and watching us play, it appears it was the former, and this was only further highlighted last night when Almiron came on - with zero protection then becoming available to Trippier (and later Tino), who was doubled-up-upon a few times in his short time on the pitch.

 

To me the idea appears to be that, alright, we might be punished, but if they don't, we can punish them, and the fortune of the game lies in the oppositions hands whether they're willing to take that chance.

 

It's a confident approach, having faith in our attacking capability, and that has arguably worked, but what it has done has been a catalyst in us conceding a lot more, and subsequently losing a lot more confidence. The way we began the season and our season up until our 5th CL game was by and large positive, but once the hour mark in that last CL game was hit, it's been a very slow downward spiral of perceived confidence and poor performance for me.

 

I say this in hindsight, and of course, hindsight is a wonderful thing, but I do wonder if - had we returned to our defensive rigidity and ability to see games out 'to nil' from early last season where we'd be now, if not in terms of league position but in terms of mentality.

 

I wonder if this is something we should still resort to.

 

There was always something quite - I'm gonna use "romantic" but that's not quite right when we were simply unbeatable and teams couldn't score past us, given our motto is Fortiter Defendit Triumphans.

 

Footballers don't become bad footballers overnight, so that's why I find it difficult to swallow when people berate the likes of Burn. What I do question though, is how much communication is being made when any of our full-backs find themselves in these predicaments.

 

Our midfield 3, they're just lacking that tenacity to really grab a game by the bollocks. That's not a reflection on their ability but moreso their athleticism and personality. That's why Joelinton or an equivalent being missing has been somewhat catastrophic for us in my opinion. I do wonder, not just of our midfield but of our 'leaders' whether we have a real 'bastard' in the team. The shithousery has all but gone and we seem to lack aggression. A bi-product of low confidence, I suspect.

 

Yet we have one technical wizard in Bruno, one work horse in Longstaff and a very smart, tidy, technical player in Miley.

 

This brings me to the forwards, or moreso our forward play, when I watch Isak up top with Gordon et al, I cannot help but feel Isak is somewhat chained. With Gordon and at present Murphy or Miggy hugging those bylines, it's occupying the space for Isak to spin out into, and I'd like to see those wide forwards perhaps making reverse runs back across inside as Isak spins into the channels more.

 

On nights like last night though, whether we release the ball into said channels in a timely manner is another thing. Our intent wasn't there last night, and things by and large down to a nervousness and lack of confidence. Too many short passes to make our way from one side of the pitch to the other and so slow it simply allowed the opposition to reset. We did it at goal kicks too, Dan Burn in acres of space as our front men jogged forward and we waited 30 seconds for them to get in and reset with 3 men around Burn only to pump it to him when he was marked.

 

(Apologies if this is a TLDR but I promise I'm nearly done)

 

The irony of this post is that ultimately, I struggle to see what's wrong. It truly dumbfounds me. This same team, a similar set up, is and can ultimately be so, so effective and I know it. Unbeatable on its day even. Yet the only solution I can provide is to revert to shutting up shop a bit and returning to last years tactics. Self preservation if you like. We just need to get our mojo back and not let a decent season peter out.

 

This isn't all on Howe, it's not on anyone, we've just had a multitude of contributory factors in us not having quite what we need to really have that 'edge', but we must stick with him and with 'it', because we absolutely will find the answer in time.

 

 

Edited February 28 by Heron

[Tiresias]

I think genuinely Joelinton was the most important player to Howeball, he protected defence, won the ball back, carried upfield protected dan burn and was everywhere. We can talk tactics all we like etc just don't think we can play close to the same without him unfortunately. 

[Interpolic]

25 minutes ago, Big Jow said:

 

There’s a post on this very thread that states people “hide” by saying they are in-between because they hate Howe and want him sacked. 

 

People like @The College Dropout and others put forward reasonable analysis and posts about the errors Howe has made and they get ridiculed or lambasted for it. Myself included in that.

 

There is a small minority making bizarre comments (comparison to Bruce, being one example) but you also have people on the other end of the spectrum who act as if you’ve stolen their first born if you suggest Howe could’ve done better this season.

 

What was your previous username? 

[Big Jow]

8 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

What was your previous username? 

 

HoweOut

 

It didn’t catch on.

[Interpolic]

2 minutes ago, Big Jow said:

 

HoweOut

 

It didn’t catch on.

 

 

Signed up on Saturday, absolutely not a chance you're actually new like. 

[Lush Vlad]

1 hour ago, Tiresias said:

I think genuinely Joelinton was the most important player to Howeball, he protected defence, won the ball back, carried upfield protected dan burn and was everywhere. We can talk tactics all we like etc just don't think we can play close to the same without him unfortunately. 

I always say it and I know others do. But Joelinton basically plays 2-3 positions at once. He plays like he has aggression 20 on his FM stats and is always chipping away at the ref, the opposition, anyone within ear shot. 
 

I definitely feel like he has plenty of qualities you can see and quantify. But also loads of intangibles. 
 

Every time we play against a mate’s team. They all comment on what a beast he is and that they didn’t quite realise how dominant he could be at times. 
 

Fuck lining up against him in midfield  but if you had the slightest bit of athleticism. I think you’d look at the current 3 and fancy yourself in a battle against them. Assuming you’re a prem level midfielder, of course  

[Displayname]

Really dont think we can blame fatigue anymore when lately the first halves are when we have been particularly shit.

[Yorkie]

Just now, Displayname said:

Really dont think we can blame fatigue anymore when lately the first halves are when we have been particularly shit.

 

We're not physically fatigued in the way we were when constantly playing three a week with about four and a half players to choose from. But we're at the very least mentally fatigued; we also had to travel up and down to London on Saturday ahead of a three day turnaround before another away game, so we weren't in peak physical condition last night. Not to mention the likes of Gordon and Schar are still playing constantly. 

 

Doesn't excuse the poor performance of course. 

[Kid Icarus]

11 minutes ago, Displayname said:

Really dont think we can blame fatigue anymore when lately the first halves are when we have been particularly shit.

That's usually the nature of fatigue like. If nothing changes (ie bringing other players in) it gets worse as time goes on, not better. 

[Jaqen]

Cumulative fatigue is still a thing, like  Some of those players have played way more football than they should have this season and it's not going to be solved by having a few days off. 

[Thumbheed]

2 hours ago, Gawalls said:

People have figured us out, have changed their game and come prepared where we do the same time and time again.  We caught them off guard last season where this season they’re catching us off guard it would seem.

 

Seen this mentioned a few times but I'm not actually sure what it means in relation to our counter press strategy.

 

Lots of teams have maintained the exact same tactic throughout multiple seasons and not been "figured out" so what makes our press different? From what I can see we always seem further away from the ball when it's been turned over fro  us, and more significantly I don't feel like we win as many duels as we perhaps did in previous seasons. 

 

 

[timeEd32]

2 hours ago, Tiresias said:

I think genuinely Joelinton was the most important player to Howeball, he protected defence, won the ball back, carried upfield protected dan burn and was everywhere. We can talk tactics all we like etc just don't think we can play close to the same without him unfortunately. 

 

I think it's Joelinton + Pope. The back four has lost its protection both in front of it and behind.

 

Add the swirling concoction of injuries/fatigue/confidence and I think you have most of the mix of our current problem.