Eddie Howe

[timeEd32]

A tiny part of me wants him to get sacked so we hire an “upgrade” just to see how spectacularly that experiment fails.

[black_n_white]

1 minute ago, Casey said:

Next season? You're very generous pal.

 

I think he's given the season. I'm resigned to midtable mediocrity in the league and hoping we can have some magical runs in the cups and CL.

Not really, he’s proven without European football (which is very likely now) we can be a top 5 team.

[McCormick]

Yes, it has to improve, and Howe knows it as well as anyone but there’s absolutely no way we should be turning on him. 

[Pilko]

1 minute ago, Dr Venkman said:

He changed the system when Ramsdale went down. Don’t let facts get in the way, though.

 

"won't or can't impact games in flight with substitutes or changes to the system."

 

Did it impact the game? No, we lost and created basically one chance of note all night. Don't let your inability to read get in the way, though.

[oldtype]

6 minutes ago, JoeyBartoon said:

Get a grip ffs. He’s been a fantastic servant and will always be a legend but  a cup win doesn’t mean he is immune from criticism or losing his job. He’s spent a fortune and is failing in our most important competition. 

I say “first domestic silverware in seventy years” gets you at least one season of “immune from criticism” and I’d rather not have us be the sort of fanbase where it doesn’t.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2025 by oldtype

[MagMal]

5 minutes ago, oldtype said:

As far as I can tell, no serious team in Europe is primarily playing 4-4-2 at this point and I assume there’s a reason for that.

 

Well long throws seem to be back in fashion, a bit of 442 little and large up top with fast wingers might be worth ago, at least we have the players for it as we obviously don't have the play maker we desperately need.

[Novocastrian]

1 minute ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

What evidence do you have that Conte and Mourinho think the job is beneath them? 

Mourinho would walk on broken glass to SJP for this job. I’d prefer if he kept on walking though….

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, Doctor Zaius said:

 

We've moved away from the counter press. Weve certainly changed in style and it's nowhere near as intense. 

I think we just do it badly now. Woltemadd struggles to intiate the press consistently.  
 

We signed the same profile of player we already have apart from Woltemade who was 6th choice. 

[Matt1892]

2 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Just have to hope that every PL team fields a reserve side and instructs them to sit back, like Man Utd today. 

Yeah, they sat back and let us have the ball for the majority of the second half, yet we didn’t create any meaningful chances for either Woltemade or Wissa.

 

He went with Isak and Wilson in games, so why not go with Woltemade and Wissa when we were dominating? So frustrating.

[dcmk]

1 minute ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

What evidence do you have that Conte and Mourinho think the job is beneath them? 

Referring to how Conte and Mourinho treated the Spurs job.  Which they both thought was beneath them and didn't even try.

[Andy]

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

The idea was to improve the depth though, quite obviously. 

 

If you want to be a club that competes at the top end of the table consistently, you normally look to improve the depth by bringing in either better players or different styles of players though. The players you've already got then ideally become the "depth".

 

So far it looks to me like we've signed more of the same in terms of style, and arguably worse footballers - certainly no better anyway. 

 

At this stage you could only really argue that Thiaw has improved us. 

[PCW1983]

Just now, El Prontonise said:

 

Nah, not next next season. 

He deserves the rest of this season, if we don’t finish in a Europa league spot minimum then for me, I’d sack him at the end of the season. 
The expectation has to be Europe is a red line, we have the squad and have spent good money, he has no excuses to not deliver that IMO. 

[Mazzy]

He's not going to be sacked mid season. If anything he leaves in the summer after talks with the board etc etc 

[Danh1]

Mourinho shouldn’t be anywhere near us mind. Not even yesterdays man at this point. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I want us to play better but I don’t know what I actually want Howe to do tactically. It’s easy to say things should change but I don’t really know what to. 

 

Also accept that it’s incredibly difficult to change something you’ve been working on for years in the middle of a season with matches every 3-4 days.
 

Has to get summer for another crack IMO.  

[BeloEmre]

Taking of Woltemade when the rest of the game is about to get crosses in the box. 
 

Just play both Wissa and Woltemade you wank.

[Ronaldo]

How many away games against mediocre to poor sides has that been without testing the keeper? It’s just relentlessly rigid, shit, players confused, frustrated, making glaringly poor decisions in the final third and arguing with each other. We are so predictable and easy to defend against.

 

I’m not saying sack him but he’s getting it so wrong so frequently and it’s getting worse. It will end in tears at some point with him going for someone more accomplished but that can’t be an afterthought. They need to look at it now.

[Aiston]

6 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Criticism is fair.  Advocating sacking him isn’t. 

 Agreed, that is as always literally 2 or 3 though.

[Vinny Green Balls]

1 minute ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

What evidence do you have that Conte and Mourinho think the job is beneath them? 

Two season Conte and past it Mourinho. Whether they’d take the job or not it would madness to sack Howe and pick either of them. No mater what, we’d be looking to a new manager again by 2028 if either did come.

[nemtizz]

1 minute ago, oldtype said:

I say “first domestic silverware in seventy years” gets you at least one season of “immune from criticism” and I’d rather not be have us be the sort of fanbase where it doesn’t.

This is insane

[Casey]

Just now, black_n_white said:

Not really, he’s proven without European football (which is very likely now) we can be a top 5 team.

I mean sure, aye. But you have to make it to next season?

 

If we finish 10th, drop out CL in the knockouts without more than a cup semi, I don't really see the good faith stretching til another season. Shall see though.

[andycap]

2 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

A tiny part of me wants him to get sacked so we hire an “upgrade” just to see how spectacularly that experiment fails.

Why? Managers run there course eventually normally starts when they start playing conservative and struggle to change things. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

 

If you want to be a club that competes at the top end of the table consistently, you normally look to improve the depth by bringing in either better players or different styles of players though. The players you've already got then ideally become the "depth".

 

So far it looks to me like we've signed more of the same in terms of style, and arguably worse footballers - certainly no better anyway. 

 

At this stage you could only really argue that Thiaw has improved us. 

Fair enough, I was just saying what the aim of the window was. Agree or disagree, probably merits to both. 

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, timeEd32 said:

A tiny part of me wants him to get sacked so we hire an “upgrade” just to see how spectacularly that experiment fails.

Same.  
 

In certain we’ll be back to permanently mid table.  
 

The big issue has been the leadership. This entire project has lost steam, momentum, direction and belief.  We’ll continue to throw around the 7th/8th most money in the league. But smart thinking ? Nope. 

[Crimson Cardigan]

Feel for him for a bit tonight. Totally controlled the game and yet watched our players make spectacularly poor decisions and dreadful execution over and over. Yes, of course, he bears responsibility but the players need to hang their heads after that.