Eddie Howe

[The College Dropout]

People underestimate what a difference playing once a week makes and the impact of losing Isak. 
 

Villa did very well to get 65 points last season and go deep in the cups. And that was with a better squad (in the end) than we have. We needed a squad the level of theirs from the start and we didn’t get it.  

Ramsey was getting 20-45 minutes in that winning team. People want him to start for us. Says it all about the squad. 

[Matt1892]

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

So yes you do.  
 

I don’t think this squad is good enough to compete in 10 CL games and easily qualify for Europe via the league.  I said at the start of the season we could finish 8th and I could have no issue. 
 

So im still here.  When we are down to 1 game a week I expect we’ll finish the season strongly.  

 

 

 

I do.

 

I also think that if he can’t get us a spot in Europe at the end of the season then he will be sacked, and he won’t have any complaints.

[The Prophet]

7 hours ago, Slim said:

 

This is the mad thing. Champions League qualification and going deep in the cups might not be even on the radar if it wasn't for Howe. He's effectively moved the first team forward about five years of where it should be.

[Matt1892]

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

People underestimate what a difference playing once a week makes and the impact of losing Isak. 
 

Villa did very well to get 65 points last season and go deep in the cups. And that was with a better squad (in the end) than we have. We needed a squad the level of theirs from the start and we didn’t get it.  

Ramsey was getting 20-45 minutes in that winning team. People want him to start for us. Says it all about the squad. 

It doesn’t say anything about the squad, as Bruno and Tonali would be starters at Villa.

 

All it does tell us is that the manager decided to spend £45 million in the summer on a player who was a back up at Villa, to seemingly be a back up player here.

[The Prophet]

14 minutes ago, Matt1892 said:

It doesn’t say anything about the squad, as Bruno and Tonali would be starters at Villa.

 

All it does tell us is that the manager decided to spend £45 million in the summer on a player who was a back up at Villa, to seemingly be a back up player here.

 

Started more often than not when he was fit for Villa mind.

[The College Dropout]

31 minutes ago, Matt1892 said:

I do.

 

I also think that if he can’t get us a spot in Europe at the end of the season then he will be sacked, and he won’t have any complaints.

Fairs.

 

I don't think our squad is any stronger than Spurs or Villa and we are in tougher competiton than Villa.

 

I think we have maybe the 8th strong squad with a top 5 most difficult schedule. If Howe finishes top 10 he should keep his job imo. Top 13 for me.

 

Gordon, Elanga, Joelinton, Murphy, Ramsey and others I don't think are as good for another manager as some might think.

 

For me - we need to re-balance the squad as a starter and to do that with Howe. If Howe can't make the best of such a squad - then he goes. That squad should have top young or proven talents from England and then cheaper players abroad. Elanga, Ramsey, Wissa, even Barnes we need to avoid these type of transfers unless the fee is low. Hall, Tino even Gordon we should continue with. Then the Bruno, Tonali, Isak route.

[The College Dropout]

We were laughing at Villa playing Disasi at fullback for Villa. Our back-up fullbacks have a combined age of 68. They now have to play 3x a week and we wonder why we can't beat Brentford away.

 

Joelinton - love the bloke, he can't play at the level 3x a week. Miley and Ramsey and Willock is such a massive drop-off.

 

Elanga? Jesus wept.

 

Lack of structure at the top has come home to roost. But aye - let's focus on Eddie Howe.

[dcmk]

42 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

This is the mad thing. Champions League qualification and going deep in the cups might not be even on the radar if it wasn't for Howe. He's effectively moved the first team forward about five years of where it should be.

But he's lost a few away games recently

[elbee909]

17 minutes ago, dcmk said:

But he's lost a few away games recently

 

Which means he will never win another away game, nor a game, again. When will you wake up etc.

[nufc4eva]

He's just spent the best part of 260m, I think it's pretty fair to judge him if nowhere near Europe considering how teams like Bournemouth, Palace, Brighton, Brentford play and perform with a whole lot less spent.

 

The squad is shit because he's held out for these players in some cases and there were probably cheaper options to sit on the bench or be awful like Elanga. He knew he had issues if Tino or Hall were injured as lost Targett and thought Burn and Trip could cover and they can't do it.

 

I'm backing Howe despite this seeming otherwise but he had could and should have improved the squad even with the Isak shit. Other teams have lesser players and playing a whole lot more coordinated than we are.

[Nepharite]

Remember when we all thought we'd never win a game in London ever again, give owa man. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Support them all through thick and thin, Eddie has enough brownie points to demand your support.

[Yorkie]

5 minutes ago, nufc4eva said:

He's just spent the best part of 260m, I think it's pretty fair to judge him if nowhere near Europe considering how teams like Bournemouth, Palace, Brighton, Brentford play and perform with a whole lot less spent.

 

The squad is shit because he's held out for these players in some cases and there were probably cheaper options to sit on the bench or be awful like Elanga. He knew he had issues if Tino or Hall were injured as lost Targett and thought Burn and Trip could cover and they can't do it.

 

I'm backing Howe despite this seeming otherwise but he had could and should have improved the squad even with the Isak shit. Other teams have lesser players and playing a whole lot more coordinated than we are.

 

Is it? 

[The College Dropout]

22 minutes ago, nufc4eva said:

He's just spent the best part of 260m, I think it's pretty fair to judge him if nowhere near Europe considering how teams like Bournemouth, Palace, Brighton, Brentford play and perform with a whole lot less spent.

 

The squad is shit because he's held out for these players in some cases and there were probably cheaper options to sit on the bench or be awful like Elanga. He knew he had issues if Tino or Hall were injured as lost Targett and thought Burn and Trip could cover and they can't do it.

 

I'm backing Howe despite this seeming otherwise but he had could and should have improved the squad even with the Isak shit. Other teams have lesser players and playing a whole lot more coordinated than we are.

What well operated club lets the manager decide 100% who they sign and who they sell?

 

Cant be many. 
 

 

No club with a proper leadership structure would sanction £55m for Elanga. Thats Man U-esque. 
 

I’m not blaming Eddie for that. He’s the manager. He should have influence on transfers but he needs a committee to say no in that situation.  Dan Ashworth doesn’t sanction that deal. Again Dan Ashworth forces us to sell Joelinton. We need a proper DOF and other major factors involved. We need to strike a balance.

 

 

Edited November 12, 2025 by The College Dropout

[cubaricho]

29 minutes ago, nufc4eva said:

The squad is shit

 

 

You need to go touch some grass dude. 

[LionOfGosforth]

4 minutes ago, cubaricho said:

 

 

You need to go touch some grass dude. 

 

Honestly, it's like a round robin of knackers that rotate in for a shift to piss and moan, then clock off for the night and hand-off to the next shift

[Hudson]

2 hours ago, Matt1892 said:

It doesn’t say anything about the squad, as Bruno and Tonali would be starters at Villa.

 

All it does tell us is that the manager decided to spend £45 million in the summer on a player who was a back up at Villa, to seemingly be a back up player here.

People where crying out for a back up midfielder after we sold longstaff. We got one, with a higher celling. 

[Jewel]

32 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

What well operated club lets the manager decide 100% who they sign and who they sell?

 

Cant be many. 
 

 

No club with a proper leadership structure would sanction £55m for Elanga. Thats Man U-esque. 
 

I’m not blaming Eddie for that. He’s the manager. He should have influence on transfers but he needs a committee to say no in that situation.  Dan Ashworth doesn’t sanction that deal. Again Dan Ashworth forces us to sell Joelinton. We need a proper DOF and other major factors involved. We need to strike a balance.

 

 

 

Didn't we bid 50m for Elanga when Ashworth was still here? The summer when we sold Minteh and Anderson?

 

The fact is Eddie has had a long term interest in signing Elanga, and absolutely has to take 100% of the blame if this particular transfer doesn’t work out. 

 

It's just galling, man. We've been crying out for a marquee signing on the Right Wing for 3 years, a real game changer, only to then go and drop 55m on Elanga ffs.

[SUPERTOON]

1 minute ago, Jewel said:

Didn't we bid 50m for Elanga when Ashworth was still here? The summer when we sold Minteh and Anderson?

 

The fact is Eddie has had a long term interest in signing Elanga, and absolutely has to take 100% of the blame if this particular transfer doesn’t work out. 

 

It's just galling, man. We've been crying out for a marquee signing on the Right Wing for 3 years, a real game changer, only to then go and drop 55m on Elanga ffs.

That was Mitchell, not that it would have been his decision.

[Matt1892]

1 hour ago, The College Dropout said:

We were laughing at Villa playing Disasi at fullback for Villa. Our back-up fullbacks have a combined age of 68. They now have to play 3x a week and we wonder why we can't beat Brentford away.

 

Joelinton - love the bloke, he can't play at the level 3x a week. Miley and Ramsey and Willock is such a massive drop-off.

 

Elanga? Jesus wept.

 

Lack of structure at the top has come home to roost. But aye - let's focus on Eddie Howe.

These are all players that the manager wanted, unless the argument is that the club is to blame for backing the manager with the players he wanted? People couldn’t believe it when he wanted Elanga the previous summer.

 

I am not convinced they are the back up fullbacks either.

[The Prophet]

The squad is alright, perhaps barring a spare full back. 

 

It's been made to look worse by Joelinton, Gordon and Elanga being out of nick.

[Matt1892]

24 minutes ago, Hudson said:

People where crying out for a back up midfielder after we sold longstaff. We got one, with a higher celling. 

I don’t think anyone is disputing we needed that depth, more that we cant complain about the quality when the manager decided to spend £45 million on him a few months ago.

 

I am not writing Ramsey off by the way and I don’t think he is match sharp, but if the line is it is the clubs fault for backing the manager by signing the player that he wants, as a way of defending that manager is a strange line to go with.

[Matt1892]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

The squad is alright, perhaps barring a spare full back. 

 

It's been made to look worse by Joelinton, Gordon and Elanga being out of nick.

The squad is decent, people are only playing it down to take pressure off the manager.

[The Prophet]

Just now, Matt1892 said:

The squad is decent, people are only playing it down to take pressure off the manager.

 

He shouldn't need the pressure taking off him really.

[Matt1892]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

He shouldn't need the pressure taking off him really.

Rightly or wrongly it goes with the territory, expectations are raised by both what he has achieved and the money spent by the club during that time.

 

 

[The Prophet]

5 minutes ago, Matt1892 said:

Rightly or wrongly it goes with the territory, expectations are raised by both what he has achieved and the money spent by the club during that time.

 

 

 

What are those expectations though? We're looking at a poor run of form at the moment, unless you're playing for the title, it happens.