Eddie Howe

[rebelrouser]

Eddie deserves a lot of credit but the transfer strategy seemed desperate and poorly planned after Mitchell left.   We couldn't plan for Isak, but we have needed a new RW and a backup striker for quite a while. 

[Stottie]

I'll just repeat again, but Gordon, Tonali, Barnes, and Joelinton have hit 44 shots between them without scoring. That's three decent games' worth of shots for a Premier League team. You can't get three points without scoring. However bad we've played, it has still created 44 shots for those players. We've taken more shots than Brighton, who've scored 17 to our 10, nearly twice as many. This season, we're fourth bottom on goals per shot (0.07), last season we were fourth top (0.12). Murph and Barnes scored 8 and 9 goals last season. Tonali, Gordon, and Joelinton scored 14 between them. We're missing these players' contributions, more than any change from Isak to Woltemade.

 

Sunday was terrible, but the only example of it this season. Leeds away was poor and uninspiring, but with a makeshift team. We should have beaten Villa. Bournemouth was just a keep it tight, and we should have had a penalty. Brighton was unlucky and a bit flukey for them.

[r0cafella]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6771541/2025/11/04/newcastle-away-form-tactical-issues/

[Stottie]

https://archive.li/20251104055551/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6771541/2025/11/04/newcastle-away-form-tactical-issues/

 

The article has some good stuff. We are certainly vulnerable to a vertical pass through our midfield. I can't say whether this is a "flat shape of midfield" problem or an "insufficient pressing letting someone find a passing lane" problem. The nine winless away games listed feature two one nils and three nil nils.

One goal in each of those games would have brought three wins and two draws. We have the fourth tightest defence away from home (and the second lowest xG against for those who allow that stat). Our goals scored and xG for away from home are both woeful. Scoring goals away strikes me as the big problem.

[Nucasol]

20 minutes ago, Stottie said:

https://archive.li/20251104055551/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6771541/2025/11/04/newcastle-away-form-tactical-issues/

 

The article has some good stuff. We are certainly vulnerable to a vertical pass through our midfield. I can't say whether this is a "flat shape of midfield" problem or an "insufficient pressing letting someone find a passing lane" problem. The nine winless away games listed feature two one nils and three nil nils.

One goal in each of those games would have brought three wins and two draws. We have the fourth tightest defence away from home (and the second lowest xG against for those who allow that stat). Our goals scored and xG for away from home are both woeful. Scoring goals away strikes me as the big problem.

Brighton absolutely mullered us with that. Van Hecke straight through to their midfield, then again to Welbeck.

[duo]

Personally I think what is costing us this season is the lack of time Eddie has on the training ground with the squad.  A lot of the signings came late on in the window so he hasn't had the luxury of a week between games to work on tactics.

[80]

5 minutes ago, duo said:

Personally I think what is costing us this season is the lack of time Eddie has on the training ground with the squad.  A lot of the signings came late on in the window so he hasn't had the luxury of a week between games to work on tactics.

I think that probably is a killer for us. Solution needs to be found.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2025 by 80

[KingArthur]

This same problem has been a problem for Howe for a long. I think we will switch to 5-3-2.  (in away games)

 

 

Edited November 4, 2025 by KingArthur

[Boey_Jarton]

40 minutes ago, Stottie said:

https://archive.li/20251104055551/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6771541/2025/11/04/newcastle-away-form-tactical-issues/

 

The article has some good stuff. We are certainly vulnerable to a vertical pass through our midfield. I can't say whether this is a "flat shape of midfield" problem or an "insufficient pressing letting someone find a passing lane" problem. The nine winless away games listed feature two one nils and three nil nils.

One goal in each of those games would have brought three wins and two draws. We have the fourth tightest defence away from home (and the second lowest xG against for those who allow that stat). Our goals scored and xG for away from home are both woeful. Scoring goals away strikes me as the big problem.

Couldn't agree more with this article.

 

In the first half, Summerville occupied the pocket between our midfielders and defence and all it took was one vertical pass to take out the entire midfield.  

 

We were neither pressing, nor forming a low block. Our four midfielders held a flat line and ball watched as they were bypassed. 

[GEFAFWISP]

39 minutes ago, 80 said:

I think that probably is a killer for us. Solution needs to be found.

 

 

 

Bernard's Watch or time travel for extra training sessions?

[Yorkie]

5 minutes ago, duo said:

Personally I think what is costing us this season is the lack of time Eddie has on the training ground with the squad.  A lot of the signings came late on in the window so he hasn't had the luxury of a week between games to work on tactics.

 

Just another ripple of PSR. Not only could we not sign our first choice targets, or avoid a hideously distracting and drawn-out saga re Isak, but we couldn't recruit quickly either. Said it multiple times over the summer but the turning point for me was Pedro, who signed for Chelsea (instead of us) nearly eight weeks before we finally landed Woltemade. 

 

Disclaimer: I'm not blaming PSR for our inability to make two passes in a row for 45 minutes on Sunday.

[80]

57 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

Bernard's Watch or time travel for extra training sessions?

Seriously, some sort of change in approach. E.g. Better/different kind of footballers who are able to operate more instinctively, easier to understand tactics, greater staff delegation, new approach to delivery of instructions. Something along those lines. 

 

I don't know what, but there's evidence we struggle with the lack of training time more than most clubs with our schedule. It's not cataclysmic, and there's evidence we've made improvements on the last time we were this hectic i.e. more considered squad rotation, so I can see us making further improvements in time. But it won't be instantaneous.

[Colos Short and Curlies]

2 hours ago, 80 said:

I think that probably is a killer for us. Solution needs to be found.

 

 

 

 

I doubt the players are in 8-6 every day training. If its tactics and not fitness type training then I'm sure time could be found for a few weeks

 

Everyone has points in their career where a few extra hours are needed to solve a problem

[Erikse]

Didnt't know where to post it, but since takeover:

 

Signings from outside the PL:

Bruno

Trippier

Tonali

Woltemade

Thiaw

Botman

Isak

Minteh

Total: €347,5m

 

Sales:

Isak

Minteh

Total: €180m

 

Net: €167,5m

 

Signings from PL:

Gordon

Hall

Livramento

Burn

Barnes

Elanga

Ramsey

Wissa

Pope

Osula

Ramsdale

Targett

Wood

Kelly

Total: €414,25m

 

Sales:

Wood

Kelly

Total: €42,5m

 

Net: €371,75m

 

Overall I our hitrate when signing players from other leagues has been out of this world. Absolute bargains all of them, and a huge profit on the 2 sales. The PL signings are looking like a mixed bag. A bit early to judge a few of them, but currently the biggest question marks are really the wingers, and possibly Ramsey. We still have a done decently well from buying within the league, but only Livra and potensially Hall looks like high value signings, while with the signings from outside the PL all of them has been of very high value, except for Trippier. Obviously you can argue that signings like Burn and Trippier was also high value for what they've done for us, but that's a different discussion.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2025 by Erikse

[80]

1 minute ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

I doubt the players are in 8-6 every day training. If its tactics and not fitness type training then I'm sure time could be found for a few weeks

 

Everyone has points in their career where a few extra hours are needed to solve a problem

I agree, and it could just be a case of putting the players to work with videos while flying to matches.

 

But I also think part of how we generate CL-level performances from the Murphys and Joelintons is through drilling actions into them in such a way they become muscle memory, and I don't think the Sakas and Rices require the same amount of concerted input, meaning less training time isn't as disruptive to them.

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, duo said:

Personally I think what is costing us this season is the lack of time Eddie has on the training ground with the squad.  A lot of the signings came late on in the window so he hasn't had the luxury of a week between games to work on tactics.

Yep, the man said himself back in May - but as per, we operated at a snail’s pace.  

[r0cafella]

3 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Yep, the man said himself back in May - but as per, we operated at a snail’s pace.  

It was odd, I'm not sure if we operated at a snails pace or we spent time trying to sign players we had no chance of signing. 

[macphisto]

One thing to note, if it hasn't already been said, is that we only had one fit striker for all of last season and this season too. That's bound to have an effect on results and shows what a miracle he performed last season. 

 

Overall, this season definitely feels like the end of an era for this team.

[bobbydazzla]

2 hours ago, duo said:

Personally I think what is costing us this season is the lack of time Eddie has on the training ground with the squad.  A lot of the signings came late on in the window so he hasn't had the luxury of a week between games to work on tactics.

 

I agree this is huge.

 

This is only the 2nd time in his career he's had to balance a European campaign with the demands of top flight domestic league and cup campaigns.

 

And we all know he has a meticulous approach to tactics and training that requires plenty of time on the training pitch.

 

It's a learning experience for him. His preferred ways of working need to be adapted to fit into a much more demanding fixture and travel schedule.

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[AyeDubbleYoo]

The fullbacks both being out at the same time is a really big problem. Burn should just not be playing there in games where we don't expect to be 70%+ defending. 

 

Gordon/Hall and Tino/Elanga or Murphy look like brilliant partnerships to me. Potentially anyway. 

[Kimbo]

14 hours ago, The Prophet said:

The low block stuff is one of the biggest myths in the fanbase. Until this season, we rarely struggled to open teams up.

 

We do need more players who are comfortable on the ball, but we don't need a playmaker.

Agree with this. Pretty much everyone struggles against a low block, and I don’t really think a lot of teams play like that against us anyway. West Ham gave us problems with pressing, not a low block. When we’re pressed we can’t pass through the lines, we try to rush it forward and lose it repeatedly. Right now every team is athletic, we can’t just outmuscle and outrun them, and they know what our weakness is.

[Abacus]

7 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

The fullbacks both being out at the same time is a really big problem. Burn should just not be playing there in games where we don't expect to be 70%+ defending. 

 

Gordon/Hall and Tino/Elanga or Murphy look like brilliant partnerships to me. Potentially anyway. 

 

I do agree, and also trying to adapt with an unconventional striker. Who is brilliant, just completely different to what we're used to. The Wissa injury has messed up a more gradual transition there.

 

Anyway the reason I quoted you was my only issue with your partnerships there is that Tino has been so good on the left. I suppose I've not had much of a chance to see him on the right.

[Scoot]

3 hours ago, Stottie said:

https://archive.li/20251104055551/https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6771541/2025/11/04/newcastle-away-form-tactical-issues/

 

The article has some good stuff. We are certainly vulnerable to a vertical pass through our midfield. I can't say whether this is a "flat shape of midfield" problem or an "insufficient pressing letting someone find a passing lane" problem. The nine winless away games listed feature two one nils and three nil nils.

One goal in each of those games would have brought three wins and two draws. We have the fourth tightest defence away from home (and the second lowest xG against for those who allow that stat). Our goals scored and xG for away from home are both woeful. Scoring goals away strikes me as the big problem.

 

 

Good article that but its what most have knew for a while.

[KaKa]

14 hours ago, Mole said:

As someone who only started watching this season I agree with this. The real issue is there has been too many players who don’t treat possession with the importance it requires or just lack the technical ability to be able to be consistent with it.

 

Luckily there are players in the squad who can do this and I genuinely believe we’ll start seeing them more often, the goal from what I can tell is to maintain pressure and it’s pretty hard to do that if you keep being sloppy with the ball and giving it away.

 

Howe is obviously no possession fanatic (nor should he be) but I doubt he’s particularly happy with how sloppy some of the performances have been so far this season.

 

What has your impression of Bruno and Tonali been when we have the ball considering you are seeing them for the first time this season? I am increasingly unimpressed by their use of the ball in this team, considering their reputation as two of the more technical players.

 

Think you pretty much missed the seasons when the team was more of an aggressive pressing team, and the midfield still seems more suited to that, but we rarely play that way anymore. We created chances by forcing teams into making mistakes. I think that's when we see the best of this bunch.

 

Currently we have wingers that are runners that are lethal getting in behind and into space, and I find it astonishing how poor a job both Tonali and Bruno do of finding them at the right time in transition. Bruno dwells on the ball too much and spoils a lot of potentially great transition opportunities, while Tonali often rushes things first time before players further up the pitch are ready to receive the pass.

 

Joelinton also gets bypassed a lot when he is in space to receive and carry the ball in transition, with Bruno and Tonali looking to whack a cross field switch of play pass at the wrong time too.

 

In scenarios where teams sit deeper, again, Tonali and Bruno should be the ones moving the ball quicker and finding the right options and spaces to exploit. In my opinion both take way too many touches in these instances and are not good enough shooting from the edge of the box when they are afforded the space to do so.

 

Very very disappointed in the midfield so far this season, particularly Bruno and Tonali, who I think should be so much better in there.

 

At points last season it looked like the midfield was right up there with any in the league, but it's far from it right now.

[Dr Venkman]

15 hours ago, Whitley mag said:

Don’t think signing Elanga and Ramsey had anything to do with Isak. They were long term targets and completely wrong profile to take us forward.

 

 

 

I’ve seen this come up a few times re: Ramsey and I don’t get it, at all. He looks a very tidy player, much better in possession than Joelinton and has a history of being a dynamic player/scoring a few goals. He’s barely played and some people seem to be writing him off.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2025 by Dr Venkman