Eddie Howe

[Shays Given Tim Flowers]

Given how often it’s been said that we only have plan A, remind yourselves that we played 5 at the back tonight. Not for the first time this season. 

[Stifler]

4 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

oh have a rest, man. You've been off the boil for weeks with youre reactions, dude.

Have I?

All I’ve said in the concerns everyone else is saying. Who’s responsible for it?

Howe is not just the manager, he’s the most senior figure at the club outside of the owners who’s been at the club at the longest. If it’s not on him then who is it on?

 

We play Gordon who has done the sum of fuck all, all season and all last season.

He’s brought in Elanga who is being kept out of the team by Murphy who he was supposed to be replacing.

We can’t hit a corner into the box.

We haven’t scored a direct freekick since Trippier against Man City in Howe’s first season in charge.

Our goalkeeper gives possession away at every opportunity and is now costing us goals whilst we have enough goalkeepers on the bench for a 5 a side team.

Gordon gets red cards in high pressure situations and still gets to come back into the team like he’s done fuck all wrong.

We keep losing control of games and just sitting back waiting for the other team to score.

We can play against the top team but falter against teams we should be looking to beat.

His in game management and substitutions are totally ineffective and he often waits until a game is lost to make subs.

He lets situations like Burn against Brentford happen because he never learns.

[RobS]

2 minutes ago, Andy said:

Hard to say how he fixes the away form as we are clearly a different team mentally, but the first step for me is to ditch the five at the back idea. 

 

Line up and approach the games as we do at home until it works. Having half of the outfield positions occupied by defenders just naturally encourages us to sit back and try to protect. Then when it inevitably goes wrong, it's hard to get momentum again. 

 

Our centre halves are all good defenders. We don't need three of them on the pitch. 

we dont have enough full backs to play another 90 minutes with that formation, its obvious.

No Krafth, or Trips. Hall and Tino literally back 1 game, everyone hating on Burn as LB.

5 at the back allowed Murphy to cover for 60 minutes. 

Its squad management, its Howe trying to learn from the last campaign where running the same 11 into the ground ruined our season.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

He had the right idea tonight, but let down by personnel. Would have been a different matter if Hall had started, but I see why he didnt. Had to rest Wolt and Gordon isnt the answer. We defended well and gave them very little first half and a better striker and we go in 2-0 at least. Then whatever Pope decided to do and a sucker punch with a canny finish. Then they packed the middle and we couldn't get anything in from the sides. Very annoying.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2025 by Super Duper Branko Strupar

[Vinny Green Balls]

3 minutes ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

I know he has a a kid but Neave would have been better upfront.

 

At least he knows the role and a continental game is less physical than the premier League.

 

Burn staying on and Schar going off when chasing the game was also the wrong decision

 

 

What evidence do we have that he'd be better up front as a kid? I think it's fairly clear that every option beyond Woltemade and Osula is fucking abysmal. We didn't lose the game because Gordon started there today.

[Sibierski]

Howes biggest issue for me is how we routinely look like such an average side (at best) with the ball, despite having a side full of internationals. Bruno G / Tonali look so bad away from home because the movement and passing confidence of all is so low.

Just shouldn’t be a thing, yet it is. And we’ve never looked like improving. We all said we needed more technical players in summer because it was breaking down sides that sat deep that was our perceived problem, but it’s more just general in play we need them for. 
 

I really have no confidence we will improve away enough to rescue this season. Wissa etc. back and we will still have same problems. Fundamentally broken. Home form different question we here 8 times out 10 we’ll nail it. 

[Vinny Green Balls]

1 minute ago, Stifler said:

Have I?

All I’ve said in the concerns everyone else is saying. Who’s responsible for it?

Howe is not just the manager, he’s the most senior figure at the club outside of the owners who’s been at the club at the longest. If it’s not on him then who is it on?

 

We play Gordon who has done the sum of fuck all, all season and all last season.

He’s brought in Elanga who is being kept out of the team by Murphy who he was supposed to be replacing.

We can’t hit a corner into the box.

We haven’t scored a direct freekick since Trippier against Man City in Howe’s first season in charge.

Our goalkeeper gives possession away at every opportunity and is now costing us goals whilst we have enough goalkeepers on the bench for a 5 a side team.

Gordon gets red cards in high pressure situations and still gets to come back into the team like he’s done fuck all wrong.

We keep losing control of games and just sitting back waiting for the other team to score.

We can play against the top team but falter against teams we should be looking to beat.

His in game management and substitutions are totally ineffective and he often waits until a game is lost to make subs.

He lets situations like Burn against Brentford happen because he never learns.

yes you have, you've been nothing but visceral reactions for weeks. You've said some utterly stupid shit in the heat of anger a number of times over the last few weeks.

[Bizza]

60th minute reactionary subs, Gordon upfront, took forever to get Wolte on. 

 

All on Howe. 

 

Needs to sort it out ASAP. 

[gbandit]

1 minute ago, Super Duper Branko Strupar said:

He had the right idea tonight, but let down by personnel. Would have been a different matter if Hall had started, but I see why he didnt. Had to rest Wolt and Gordon isnt the answer. We defended well and gave them very little first half and a better striker and we go in 2-0 at least. Then whatever Pope decided to do and a sucker punch with a canny finish. Then they packed the middle and we couldn't get anything in from the sides. Very annoying.

 

 

 

Perfect summary

[black_n_white]

Is Howe accountable for this woeful away form? If not when will he be? This isn’t a short term problem. How does he fix it?

[Vinny Green Balls]

It was a great capitulation, but unlike at West Ham and Brentford, we created a lot of chances tonight.

[Lotus]

1 minute ago, Shays Given Tim Flowers said:

Given how often it’s been said that we only have plan A, remind yourselves that we played 5 at the back tonight. Not for the first time this season. 

I’m not sure it’s the formation, it’s the mentality with the ball. Other teams are much braver with the ball and rely on passing through midfield. Bournemouth in no way has better players than us but can progress the ball up the pitch in very dangerous positions better than we can. 
We’re good when we outrun teams. Not if we’re forced into a ‘football battle’.

[The Prophet]

39 minutes ago, Newcastle Fan said:

Every fucking time he played Gordon upfront this season it ended up being a terrible decision yet again this weird fantasy he has with Gordon being a striker who can run behind players and score dosn't stop.

 

Didn't really have too many other options, unless you play Gordon up top v Everton.

[Magpie Mover]

We as a club have been poor away from home for years, decades in fact. Mentally weak players who can only perform at home and one of the  least proactive coaches in the game. Honestly picking Gordon at CF is just brain dead and stupid. Miley once again on the bench and then playing at RB, you couldn't make this shit up. Deciding that Elanga was the upgrade at RW that we needed and paying 55m for him, whoever made that decision should be fired. This all in on physical over technical players is going to end in a whimper this season.

 

I'm looking forward to the reset that is coming.

[Vinny Green Balls]

Just now, LiquidAK said:

Generous 

I like Stiflera lot, and think he's been one of the great fixtures on the forum. But he's just lost it recently for some reason.

[The Butcher]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

Didn't really have too many other options, unless you play Gordon up top v Everton.

Barnes, Elanga, even Neave. 

 

[RobS]

1 minute ago, The Prophet said:

 

Didn't really have too many other options, unless you play Gordon up top v Everton.

And we all know how that will end...

[Colos Short and Curlies]

2 minutes ago, RobS said:

we dont have enough full backs to play another 90 minutes with that formation, its obvious.

No Krafth, or Trips. Hall and Tino literally back 1 game, everyone hating on Burn as LB.

5 at the back allowed Murphy to cover for 60 minutes. 

Its squad management, its Howe trying to learn from the last campaign where running the same 11 into the ground ruined our season.

 

That would be fine if Tino hadn't played left back.

 

Same xi but Tino RB, Burn LB.

 

I'm the first to moan about the predictability of our approach, Burn at LB and lack of plan B, but the 5-4-1 is proven to get far less than the sum of parts. I'd say Burn at LB is the lessor of the evils

[Vinny Green Balls]

 as predicted it's busy in here tonight.

[Andy84]

Just now, Vinny Green Balls said:

 as predicted it's busy in here tonight.

We’re shite again 

[Optimistic Nut]

I know they're out of form and fitness, but I think he needs to make:

 

Ramsdale

Tino

Hall

Thiaw

Botman

Bruno

Tonali

Ramsey

Elanga

Barnes

Woltemade 

 

his core XI, with changes for genuine rotation. I don't think our home results would be worse, our away results definitely can't get any worse. That on paper is our best team imo, the team that in 2-3 years time you could see a lot of that side being key players in still. Run with it. He's spent £100m on Ramsey & Elanga, he must have had a plan for them? Granted form hasn't been great but he needs to start backing them and himself a bit more. Getting the best out of players is meant to be his thing. Needs to start proving it again for me. 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2025 by Optimistic Nut

[J7]

Not sure what people were seeing in that first half to say we played well. Pass completion was about 75% and they had us camped in our own area desperately defending. They wasted a few good chances. Granted we had some too, but let’s be honest, Marseille aren’t great. 17 defeats in a row against clubs from top 4 leagues, until we turn up with our horrendous away record.

 

If Burn starts left back again on Saturday, Howe will deserve all the criticism coming his way.

[RobS]

Just now, Colos Short and Curlies said:

 

That would be fine if Tino hadn't played left back.

 

Same xi but Tino RB, Burn LB.

 

I'm the first to moan about the predictability of our approach, Burn at LB and lack of plan B, but the 5-4-1 is proven to get far less than the sum of parts. I'd say Burn at LB is the lessor of the evils

I assumed that Howe was terrified of Burn vs Greenwood and favoured having 1 of Tino or Hall on that side at all times.

[black_n_white]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Didn't really have too many other options, unless you play Gordon up top v Everton.

Gordon should t be on the pitch vs Everton, not had the greatest return at his old club.

[El Prontonise]

Just now, Andy84 said:

We’re shite again 

 

It's away from home, as we have been most of the calendar year.

 

Be fine again after spurs next Tuesday.