Eddie Howe

[Heron]

Since when was the league cup not a major trophy. What sort of absolute Mackem/ @HaydnNUFC bollocks is that.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2025 by Heron

[Heron]

4 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The League Cup is a major trophy - it’s just the lesser of the major trophies available.  The Division Two (or whatever they want to call it today) title isn’t a major trophy.

 

And the only time finishing 4th / 5th didn’t offer a European place was three decades ago, when English clubs returned after the Heysel ban, mostly because our coefficient was zero (and didn’t improve for a while because the league was shite). 
 

If Howe went tomorrow I’d argue that there should be a statue of the man outside the ground.  Even if he can’t turn this around and it all goes to shit then we should at least be able to acknowledge that he has done a fantastic job and we should be very grateful and happy that he’s been involved with our club.   I waited my entire life to see what happened earlier this year, I’m fucked if I’m underplaying that achievement (it’s worth remembering who we beat on the way to that trophy).  

100%

 

Imagine belittling that trophy win after we waited 70 years for one domestically man. Give your fucking heads a wobble. There's about 90 teams in English football that compete in that same competition yearly and whom would have loved to have won it  the others would be pretty nonchalant but pleased.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Heron

[Vinny Green Balls]

There has been fantastic and legitimate criticism of Howe recently from a number of supporters here. But it appears to me  that a small minority on here  have never taken to Howe, and seem to be more interested in being proven right at some point. That last part is probably a bit unfair on my part, but it sometimes seems this way to me given how much it has occurred. 

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute ago, Heron said:

100%

 

Imagine belittling that trophy win after we waited 70 years for one domestically man. Give your fucking heads a wobble.

It’s absolutely lost on me mate.  I’m ok with folks debating whether or not a manager is doing a good job, even debating whether or not someone else could do a better job.  But underplaying the man’s achievements is just shit crack.  I’d given up on ever seeing us winning anything in my lifetime - and I’m in my 40s, that’s a fair old length of time (and older lads and lasses than me had more years of failure to endure).  Howe’s management won us that trophy - no-one who watched the semis vs Arsenal or the final could argue against it.  Words fail!   

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

There has been fantastic and legitimate criticism of Howe recently from a number of supporters here. But it appears to me  that a small minority on here  have never taken to Howe, and seem to be more interested in being proven right at some point. That last part is probably a bit unfair on my part, but it sometimes seems this way to me given how much it has occurred. 

Agreed - for me, loyalty is extended more to the club than the individuals in it, so it’s what is best for the club.  At the moment, I still think that the best thing for the club is Howe remaining in situ - that can change.  But actually wanting the man to fail to prove a point is absolute anathema to me.  

[Guest]

Guys, I just said I was the happiest in my whole life when we won that. I had waited 30 years for it!

 

But come on, pretty much everyone except us agrees it's not one of the major trophies. There is a reason it has been called the Mickey Mouse cup for ages. And yes great teams we beat on the way. But we have some amazing players, and who many thought was the best striker in the world last season! I really do think Howe get's too much credit.

 

And I love him. I have previously said I think he sounds like the most intelligent manager I have ever listened to. But that doesn't mean I can't use my own intelligence to question him.

[Heron]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

It’s absolutely lost on me mate.  I’m ok with folks debating whether or not a manager is doing a good job, even debating whether or not someone else could do a better job.  But underplaying the man’s achievements is just shit crack.  I’d given up on ever seeing us winning anything in my lifetime - and I’m in my 40s, that’s a fair old length of time (and older lads and lasses than me had more years of failure to endure).  Howe’s management won us that trophy - no-one who watched the semis vs Arsenal or the final could argue against it.  Words fail!   

It's just social media kinda nonsense tbh.

 

Fans of the "big" clubs belittle it because it is understandably not on their list of priorities, but we've now won a cup more recently than the likes of Arsenal. I bet they're thinking twice about its importance now. Other fans only belittle it out of jealousy - we shouldn't listen to any of that shit. The major trophies in this country are the League Cup, League and FA Cup. It's been that way for decades. It doesn't change as soon as we win it.

[Guest]

So the main point of my post was about his streaks and questioning his tactical ideas, that in some ways footballing wise and entertainment wise seems to have gone backwards since his Bournemouth days. But I guess easiest to ignore that. LOL

[Heron]

1 minute ago, Marxen the Mag said:

Guys, I just said I was the happiest in my whole life when we won that. I had waited 30 years for it!

 

But come on, pretty much everyone except us agrees it's not one of the major trophies. There is a reason it has been called the Mickey Mouse cup for ages. And yes great teams we beat on the way. But we have some amazing players, and who many thought was the best striker in the world last season! I really do think Howe get's too much credit.

 

And I love him. I have previously said I think he sounds like the most intelligent manager I have ever listened to. But that doesn't mean I can't use my own intelligence to question him.

On what basis does Howe get too much credit for it? We beat like 4 of the top 5 clubs (at the time of playing them) in the country to win it. If Howe is at fault for all of the current misgivings how can he not be credited with tactically out doing last year's top 2 sides?

[Guest]

And I brought it up because many of you let his achievements cloud your judgements when it comes to what MIGHT be the best for the club. 

 

ALL big clubs in the world have changed managers who have won them great things and come out just as strong if not stronger on the other side. But maybe to you we are not a big club yet...

 

I love him and think he is the most likeable manager I have ever seen and I deeply identify myself with him. But that doesn't necessarily mean he is the best for the club. Like many others I have seen on there, some of his comments after the last game about importance of height have deeply shaken me to the level of loosing so much faith in him.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Marxen the Mag

[The Prophet]

What might be best for the club?

[Vinny Green Balls]

1 minute ago, Marxen the Mag said:

And I brought it up because many of you let his achievements cloud your judgements when it comes to what MIGHT be the best for the club. 

Are you serious? Most who are on you right now have criticized Howe recently. I think it is more likely that you are gaslighting us, and it is you who are clouded.

[Heron]

6 minutes ago, Marxen the Mag said:

So the main point of my post was about his streaks and questioning his tactical ideas, that in some ways footballing wise and entertainment wise seems to have gone backwards since his Bournemouth days. But I guess easiest to ignore that. LOL

I base it on what I see from Howe.

 

We scored some of the most goals in the league last year that we've ever scored (if I recall correctly), changing tactics to beat the countries top sides on the way to our first trophy in years.

 

In seasons prior we had one of the best defences in Europe and won lots of scrappy but organised 1-0s.

 

I just think there's a lot of nonsense perpetuated on social media when we hit a bad patch tbh. He's not untouchable and we have been woeful in the last two away games, but it feels like folk rewrite history to me like.

 

Howe has earned the right to be backed in times such as these.

 

I rarely see many viable alternatives or solutions either...

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Heron

[Vinny Green Balls]

And seriously this dude is acting like Howe has played Allardyce ball since he’s been here when we’ve had some of the most electrifying victories in recent memory.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Vinny Green Balls

[Vinny Green Balls]

2 minutes ago, Heron said:

I base it on what I see from Howe.

 

We scored some of the most goals in the league last year that we've ever scored (if I recall correctly), changing tactics to beat the countries top sides on the way to our first trophy in years.

 

In seasons prior we had one of the best defences in Europe and won lots of scrappy but organised 1-0s.

 

I just think there's a lot of nonsense perpetuated on social media when we hit a bad patch tbh. He's not untouchable and we have been woeful in the last twe away games, but it feels like folk rewrite history to me like.

 

Howe has earned the right to be backed in times such as these.

 

I rarely see many viable alternatives or solutions either...

I think the other problem is that many suffer from extreme cases of a an alternate form of recency bias, and so the past few years go into the fog.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Vinny Green Balls

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

And seriously this dude is acting like Howe has played Allardyce ball since he’s been here when we’ve had some of the most electrifying victories in recent memory.

 

 

 

It is going more and more towards Allardyce ball with the players he is building the team around... I want us to play like Bournemouth did, with better players and a stronger defence and I'm puzzled why he has changed philosophy that much that I think he might have lost it tactically.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Marxen the Mag

[Vinny Green Balls]

It is going to be nothing like Allardyce ball. Seriously, man

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

It is going to be nothing like Allardyce ball. Seriously, man

I was ok when we played with intensity. It doesn't have to be fluid passing, although done effectively, again like Bournemouth, that is a joy to watch.

 

You think he will get the intensity back? I don't see it. And with the players we have who doesn't overall seem good enough on the ball, I don't see that either. 

[Interpolic]

God almighty it's gonna be a long 2 weeks. 

[Vinny Green Balls]

1 minute ago, Marxen the Mag said:

I was ok when we played with intensity. It doesn't have to be fluid passing, although done effectively, again like Bournemouth, that is a joy to watch.

 

You think he will get the intensity back? I don't see it. And with the players we have who doesn't overall seem good enough on the ball, I don't see that either. 

He did last December. Just look back at some of the criticisms then (many of which were valid and strikingly similar to now). But some of you have this tendency to either rewrite history, or just be plain ahistorical. 

[Guest]

To be honest, I am not one to have posted much at all. Like ever.

 

The years of Ashley caused me to very nearly give up football completely.

 

I guess I got the fire back with Howe, so it just deeply frustrates me as I love the man. Truly do. Which might be lost in some of this. I wish I had the optimism some of you do. I will take a few months break from posting, and let's see where we are end of the year. I hope all you positive people are right. I truly do.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Marxen the Mag

[LionOfGosforth]

3 minutes ago, Marxen the Mag said:

To be honest, I am not one to have posted much at all. Like ever.

 

The years of Ashley made to very nearly give up football completely.

 

I guess I got the fire back with Howe, so it just deeply frustrates me as I love the man. Truly do. Which might be list in some of this. I wish I had the optimism some of you do. I will take a few months break from posting, and let's see where we are end of the year. I hope all you positive people are right. I truly do.

 

37 posts in 9 years, many of which have been in the past hour arguing that our best manager of the past 3 decades might not be much cop and his achievements overrated. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, LionOfGosforth said:

 

37 posts in 9 years, many of which have been in the past hour arguing that our best manager of the past 3 decades might not be much cop and his achievements overrated. 

So the more you post the more right you are. Is that your logic?

 

As I said I felt sorry for some of the people on here who made very good points but was just shut down and ridiculed. Otherwise I wouldn't even have posted now.

 

And maybe I should just get back to appreciating what we are based on how we have been the last decades. We are owned by PIF though and want to be one of the best clubs in the world. Maybe that has been lost on many people as well. Let's see how PIF feels and what they might do. We live in a new reality. That's the truth.

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Marxen the Mag

[Ashley17]

He's more than earned the right to lose a few away games and not get compared to Sam Allardyce (for fuck sake). It's great having a manager who gets it, doesn't make excuses and mostly says the right things. Our entire game plan has had to change, not just because of Isak but because the player best suited to replace him without having to change everything has yet to kick a ball for us. I don't think it's rocket science, teams have started to swamp big Nick and the fullbacks haven't been available to carry the ball up the field. Teams leave Burn as the out ball and he shovels it up the line, not his fault but we are easy to stop playing at the minute. Everybody just looks a bit leggy too which isn't surprising given the workload. Could we rotate the midfield a bit? Imagine the backlash if we'd lost these last few away games and not played Bruno or Tonali, there's hell on and he's played the full strength team. 

 

I think some of the fanbase have become a bit lethargic. Too critical when we win (for not winning well and playing sparkling football for 90 minutes) and the roof caves in when we lose. I don't see anybody getting more out of this set of players, just got to stick with it and trust results on the road will turn around (hopefully the home form doesn't slip in the mean time!)

[Vinny Green Balls]

This reminds me of the Jordan Peterson strategy of debate where he would start with a wild take, but by the end pretend that he was taking a more  moderate stance all along. 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2025 by Vinny Green Balls