Eddie Howe

[54]

6 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

What do people expect for this squad this season?

 

to me - it lacks ability.  Don’t think we are good enough ability wise to get top 5.  So then what is the target?

Not enough ballers?

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo said:

I do feel for him. After treading water to get 5th it should have been the summer to consolidate that place up there by spending what we’d saved / sold for 2 years. Instead he has to find yet another solution and with players that didn’t make his first or second round picks.

 

On the other hand, I’d question why we still have nothing approaching a playmaker in the squad. Potentially the signing of Elanga too, who looks horribly unsuited to our play when we’re condensing it in the opponent’s half.

 

 

Why do you feel sorry for him? I love Eddie but he's been backed all the way, let's be honest this is the summer we bought the players he wanted. We don't have a play maker because he didn't want one. 

[TRon]

5 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

What do people expect for this squad this season?

 

to me - it lacks ability.  Don’t think we are good enough ability wise to get top 5.  So then what is the target?

 

 

I just said in another thread that losing Wissa so early in the season is probably going to have a big impact. Top 5 looks difficult but maybe we can make it up once we hit our stride. I was disappointed with our lack of finesse on the ball today though, it makes me wonder just how good some of these players are. Did having a world class striker cover some of our shortcomings?

 

 

[Newcastle Fan]

Thought he's got his tactics spot on after a tough night on Thursday.

[The College Dropout]

4 minutes ago, 54 said:

Not enough ballers?

Pretty much. Isak was doing a lot of heavy lifting in the baller stakes. 

 

3 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

 

I just said in another thread that losing Wissa so early in the season is probably going to have a big impact. Top 5 looks difficult but maybe we can make it up once we hit our stride. I was disappointed with our lack of finesse on the ball today though, it makes me wonder just how good some of these players are. Did having a world class striker cover some of our shortcomings?

 

 

I think so yes. 
 

We’ve had a top striker upfront for 90% of Howe’s time.  All his time really bar the  Aussie days.

[Sergi1970]

I love Eddie but this formation we played today we never create anything, Wissa getting injured really fucked us

[54]

One thing its worth remembering with Howe is that we always tend to start slow. The first 5 games for the past 4 seasons:

 

25/26 - 6 points; 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss

24/25 - 10 points; 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss (This is an outlier, but performance wise we where pap, but got undeserved wins)

23/24 - 6 points; 2 wins, 3 losses.

22/23 - 6 points; 1 win, 3 draws, 1 loss

[Ronaldo]

11 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Why do you feel sorry for him? I love Eddie but he's been backed all the way, let's be honest this is the summer we bought the players he wanted. We don't have a play maker because he didn't want one. 

I did say on the other hand.

 

He’s been backed financially but these aren’t his first choices, by a long way. The club made an absolute mess of the summer and he’s left to pick up the pieces.

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

I did say on the other hand.

 

He’s been backed financially but these aren’t his first choices, by a long way. The club made an absolute mess of the summer and he’s left to pick up the pieces.

Can you unpack that for me? What weren't his choices?

[Ronaldo]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

Can you unpack that for me? What weren't his choices?

You’re not serious are you?

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

You’re not serious are you?

I am. In curious what choices weren't his in your opinion? You think he wanted to keep Isak? You think he wanted Paul Mitchell knocking around?

[Weezertron]

This isn't Eddie related, but I look forward to the first season of supporting us with no major drama, or shit affecting our play. Theres always something. a messy window, wissa injury, Isak being a cunt, Gordon being the usual dipshit. Half the team being out of form. 

 

Maybe next year! 

[Elliottman]

2 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I am. In curious what choices weren't his in your opinion? You think he wanted to keep Isak? You think he wanted Paul Mitchell knocking around?

Hes talking about recruitment, going for all the players we missed out on then settling for what we ended up with. 

[r0cafella]

Just now, Elliottman said:

Hes talking about recruitment, going for all the players we missed out on then settling for what we ended up with. 

Thats football though. A few of those players obviously weren't coming to us as well mind. 

 

The summer was obviously disruptive but I can't sit here and say Eddie didn't get the players he wanted. (We signed a host of long term targets after all). 

[Conjo]

5 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I am. In curious what choices weren't his in your opinion? You think he wanted to keep Isak? You think he wanted Paul Mitchell knocking around?

 

You're better off ignoring him. Every manager in the world would do better if they got their first picks on players. It's stating the fucking obvious. Howe has been heavily involved in all our transfers this window, and been backed with a lot of money. We shouldn't feel bad for him at all in that sense.

[Kid Icarus]

We very famously missed out on loads of our first, second, and third choice targets.  That's not really controversial like.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2025 by Kid Icarus

[Yorkie]

I respect him for the persistence with the 3-4-3. It's been a long time since we looked dynamic with it (Chelsea at home, pre-sending off) and I'll always prefer to see us with the 4-3-3, but it's important to have another option, and the more we play with it, the more comfortable you'd expect us to look. And with three of our four first-choice CBs playing, we're always going to be a fucker to score against. 

[Ronaldo]

10 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I am. In curious what choices weren't his in your opinion? You think he wanted to keep Isak? You think he wanted Paul Mitchell knocking around?

I don’t think he wanted us to lose our best player no. 

 

I don’t think he wanted us to lose out on Mbuemo, Ekitike, Pedro either and play 4 of our first 5 games without a striker. Arguably 5 out of 5 depending on how / where you see Woltemade.

 

None of this was his choice. Of course I feel sorry for him.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2025 by Ronaldo

[r0cafella]

Just now, Ronaldo said:

I don’t think he wanted us to lose our best player no. 

 

I don’t think he wanted to us lose out on Mbuemo, Ekitike, Pedro either and play 4 of our first 5 games without a striker. Arguably 5 out of 5 depending on how / where you see Woltemade.

 

None of this was his choice. Of course I feel sorry for him.

Yeah Ron but that's football like. And as soon as that rat went on strike in certain Eddie wanted him gone. 

 

As for missing out on players if the club has a level of hubris whereby it thinks we can get players cartel clubs wants whilst offerring lower Wages I don't know what they are smoking. 

[Ronaldo]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

Yeah Ron but that's football like. And as soon as that rat went on strike in certain Eddie wanted him gone. 

 

As for missing out on players if the club has a level of hubris whereby it thinks we can get players cartel clubs wants whilst offerring lower Wages I don't know what they are smoking. 

Right, which isn’t his fault. The situation where we’re almost in October and haven’t had a natural striker all season is mostly down to circumstances out of his control. I feel sorry for him in that sense. 
 

There is a counter argument on what the hell he was thinking trying to retain Callum Wilson admittedly instead of having his replacement tied up by June.

 

 

[The College Dropout]

11 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Thats football though. A few of those players obviously weren't coming to us as well mind. 

 

The summer was obviously disruptive but I can't sit here and say Eddie didn't get the players he wanted. (We signed a host of long term targets after all). 

If he’s getting his 6th choice striker can’t say he got the striker he wanted. 

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo said:

Right, which isn’t his fault. The situation where we’re almost in October and haven’t had a natural striker all season is mostly down to circumstances out of his control. I feel sorry for him in that sense. 
 

There is a counter argument on what the hell he was thinking trying to retain Callum Wilson admittedly instead of having his replacement tied up by June.

 

 

Who would’ve signed in June? We lost out on Delap and Pedro in June no?

[Groundhog63]

I, genuinely, think some of you lot aren't wired right. Absolute moaning cunts who seem to think managing a Premiership football team is a piece of piss 😂😂😂😂

[Astroblack]

Think we’ll be in the battle along with Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth for 7th. If we don’t get it, I’m not mad, I’m hoping we’ve got some psr clearance to spend either in January or the summer. 

[SUPERTOON]

2 minutes ago, Astroblack said:

Think we’ll be in the battle along with Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth for 7th. If we don’t get it, I’m not mad, I’m hoping we’ve got some psr clearance to spend either in January or the summer. 

Brentford