Eddie Howe

[54]

1 minute ago, NE28 said:

You mean the most successful period in their history where they won every trophy they could? Who would ever want to copy that?

Yes, I absolutely detest that form of club management.

[Robbo2]

2 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

I don't want to fall into the realms of questioning him, but I do think he is at his toughest point, and I do fear that managers of his type often run out of steam at clubs, especially when the squad begins to get stale as well. 

 

This season is a perfect storm for him. Stale squad, ageing players in key positions, Isak losing form, Gordon losing form, Trippier and Wilson being unavailable (and in the case of the former, a shadow of himself), Bruno looking out of sorts, two kids at full back... Add all that to the fact that he hasn't changed anything tactically to accommodate, and it's clear he could quickly find himself in a very tricky position. 

 

I'd like to think he can turn it around but I don't think he'll do it by playing the same system week in week out. 

Granted from the outside looking in, but that seemed to be the downfall at Bournemouth to me. It broke and they kept trying plan A over and over until it was too late 

[Heron]

@HaydnNUFC

 

Was something similar to this. Could change Hall for Tino or Tino right and no Trippier etc.

 

 

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, Gawalls said:

We’re also 6 points from 17th and I honestly can’t see where our next win is coming from at the moment.

Wednesday night marra! 

[ExiledGeordie]

2 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

I don't want to fall into the realms of questioning him, but I do think he is at his toughest point, and I do fear that managers of his type often run out of steam at clubs, especially when the squad begins to get stale as well. 

 

This season is a perfect storm for him. Stale squad, ageing players in key positions, Isak losing form, Gordon losing form, Trippier and Wilson being unavailable (and in the case of the former, a shadow of himself), Bruno looking out of sorts, two kids at full back... Add all that to the fact that he hasn't changed anything tactically to accommodate, and it's clear he could quickly find himself in a very tricky position. 

 

I'd like to think he can turn it around but I don't think he'll do it by playing the same system week in week out. 

I would have more concerns if we’d had decent windows the last few windows which we haven’t and this summer we a disaster. 

[TBG]

[LiquidAK]

1 minute ago, Gawalls said:

We’re also 6 points from 17th and I honestly can’t see where our next win is coming from at the moment.

Fair enough, I don't see it that way personally - if Isak and Gordon were more clinical we probably beat Everton and Brighton, draw with Chelsea.

[Gawalls]

1 minute ago, PauloGeordio said:

Wednesday night marra! 

You sure?  Our team seems to be missing its core and you can’t score without core.

[HaydnNUFC]

4 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

For me personally, automatically jumping to questioning Howe is still mental. I don't think there was anything seriously worrying about today in terms of me looking at Howe.

 

Speaking for just myself, it's not just about today. It's 18 months of away showings. Loyalty and awarding of contracts to players that aren't going to get you into Europe regularly. Lack of a discernible strategy behind some signings from summer 2023. The performances throughout this season. Regression and lack of any real identity in possession this season. Dreadful set pieces. Weird subs.

 

All combine to me losing a lot of faith in him. I don't want him sacked, I'm desperate for him to turn it around. He's given me my favourite ever days following us. But what we've been watching this season just isn't all there. A lot of which will be down to him.

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by HaydnNUFC

[Gawalls]

Just now, LiquidAK said:

Fair enough, I don't see it that way personally - if Isak and Gordon were more clinical we probably beat Everton and Brighton, draw with Chelsea.

But they’re not so we didn’t 

[Jonas]

3 minutes ago, hakka said:

 

You said dragged a Championship side to CL. So I just commented he didn't quite do that.

Semantics but the original comment wasn't by me at all and I read the comment as saying Howe had dragged a relegation bound team to 10th which the poster has since clarified was what he was saying.

[Heron]

5 minutes ago, Keggy_Keagal said:

 

Hope you're right m8. To me it seems like we're drifting rather than building or gaining momentum. I also think (and I don't necessarily mean you here Heron) lots of us were so scarred by the Ashley era that we're still somewhat influenced by that in our analysis of the club now and our thinking. We've one win in 6 games and that was an awful game against Wimbledon. I hope this is just a bump in the road to success rather than us hitting the off ramp. 

We are scarred. Rightly so. Ashley stripped thie club to the very bare minimum and the brink of capitulation.

 

I just prefer to put my faith in folk who, in my opinion, have done enough to warrant my faith. I think for us to turn our back on Howe now, or any time prior to March would be, somewhat fickle.

 

The club needs unity and positivity and we'll be alreet. At the moment we're hovering over a big red panic button (as 'supporters').

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by Heron

[PauloGeordio]

Just now, Gawalls said:

You sure?  Our team seems to be missing its core and you can’t score without core.

Cup nights under the lights. The crowd usually give us some extra pace and drive. We’ll soon see.

[Dandy Man]

Was probably first time that I really doubted Howe a bit today, too many obvious issues that aren't being rectified. Still think anyone calling for sack is on the crazy side, barring an absolute capitulation he deserves until the end of the season at the very least

[Decky]

Arsenal are gonna thump the fuck out of us next week aren't they? Dreading it.

[Kid Icarus]

5 minutes ago, hakka said:

 

Genuine question - how much more of the same until you do question him?

In my book, more of the same and we'll keep improving, then start scoring and winning more, so n/a basically. 

 

If we get worse/don't improve/results don't come then I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but I don't see it happening where I put the blame for that situation at his door tbh, I'm fully of the belief that he's a really fucking good manager.

 

 

[1892er]

Big month for Eddie coming up. Difficult set of fixtures and based on our current away form you'd only fancy us against West Ham on paper.

 

I know it's all hypothetical, but that could be 1 win in 10 games going into December with Liverpool after that. I genuinely hope he can turn it around.

[Yorkie]

9 minutes ago, andyc35i said:

I love Eddie, but I’ve always held the opinion that he’s not the manager to take us to elite level as much as I want this to happen.

 

I get where you're coming from but this is always a bit strawman imo. There's no way we can get to the 'elite level' because of the rules. Villa have got the best manager and far less of a standing start than we had, and there's no likelihood of them getting to that status either. Spurs, with all their finance and infrastructure (and benefiting from the rules) can't even achieve it either. So we should talk in terms of whether the manager is good enough to make us regular shouts for top 6/cup contention imo. 

[Matt1892]

We haven’t had a difficult start to the season either, only 3 of the 9 teams we have played finished in the top 10 in the Premier League last season.

[TRon]

Weirdly, it feels like we had a more cohesive team in his first season when we fought out of relegation. We knew what our strengths were, and were very difficult to break down. Now it feels like every time we lose the ball there's a chance on a plate for the opposition.

[Bunk Moreland]

1 minute ago, Decky said:

Arsenal are gonna thump the fuck out of us next week aren't they? Dreading it.

Aye, but I'm more worried about what Forest will do to us the weekend after tbh

 

 

Edited 22 hours ago by Bunk Moreland

[Holmesy]

2 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

Performances have been improving though? We've been looking better since City imo, definitely an improvement from earlier in the season. It's why I'm not going to get overly concerned at this point

Today was one of the most disjointed performances I’ve seen from us. Where specifically did you see an improvement?
It’s a genuine question because maybe you’re seeing something I’m not. Watching that, I can’t think of a single thing I saw that gave me much optimism about the run coming to an end soon.

[LiquidAK]

Just now, Gawalls said:

But they’re not so we didn’t 

I know? What I'm saying is that the reasons we haven't picked up a win for a few games are more down to individual composure than a result of the team not performing overall. So I don't agree with not knowing where the next win is coming from, it'll come, just need our forwards to take the chances the team are creating for them. Unless Isak has become irreversibly Shola-fied that'll happen.

[Heron]

1 minute ago, Matt1892 said:

We haven’t had a difficult start to the season either, only 3 of the 9 teams we have played finished in the top 10 in the Premier League last season.

We've also only played 3 of the 8 teams below us...

[The Bonk]

4 minutes ago, Heron said:

Think he's been outstanding in difficult circumstances since he arrived, until the summer personally and as you rightly say, this season we have regressed ever so slightly. Just looking at our last 4 games though and scoring our big opportunities we come out with at least 6 more points and it's a different situation. Prior to that, we had poor performances but points. Not seeing much recognition of Eddie making the right substitutes to influence those fixtures and now he is utilising certain individuals (not you) that folk were desperately calling for starts, and it isn't working it's all Eddie's fault?

 

Interesting.

 

Agreed, mate, I had mentioned before the match that we had 35 shots towards goals and not scored. Few bounces our way and it's a different conversation completely (for level headed fans at least).

 

The fact anyone here is disappointed in our current form is because Howe was able to ascend our play and performances as dramatically as he did.   Calling for his head at this point could be even worse than losing a sloppy game at Stamford bridge.