Eddie Howe

[mayubeproud]

1 minute ago, Fak said:

 

I'm not sure if this post clarifies anything or just makes it worse. 

 

 

 

They had to sell their best players (Fabregas, Van Persie, Sanchez, etc) to rivals for multiple seasons

 

Not being able to sign much world class players.

 

They became irrelevant from contending title by late 2010s. Even 4th place finish looked like a distance dream.

 

They had to change their culture to get back to the top. It's a fact.

[TRon]

1 hour ago, Geogaddi said:

We can't be an elite club with PSR as it is anyway, Chelsea got Mourinho plus unlimited money, same with Man City. We will never be allowed to do so and that's the difference.  We could appoint Pep tomorrow and he would struggle to turn us into an elite team with PSR.  Chelsea and Man United for example spend about a billion quid every summer and pay unlimited wages but look nowhere near winning the league.

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think it's fair to expect us to be an elite club with the PSR shackles. I just want to see us making progress year on year for the most part. Obviously there will be blips along the way, but this season it just feels like there is no pattern or direction as to how we are set up. It feels like we've gone backwards from where we were a couple of seasons ago. 

[bobbydazzla]

21 minutes ago, mayubeproud said:

I'm sorry if you misunderstood what I mean by 'poor'. It is literally poor in financial terms.

Performance wise, it was mediocre or half decent.

 

Are we talking about the same Arsenal who were consistently in the top 5 clubs by revenue throughout the 2010’s. An era when Chelsea and Man City had massive injections of capital and supercharged their way to success pre-PSR. 

 

The same Arsenal who would consistently have revenue that was £100m a season more than the next placed team that wasn’t in the Top 5 by revenue.

 

The same Arsenal that won 4 cups and was regularly in the Top 4 in the league. 

 

Cos that’s the Arsenal I’m talking about. Not the financially poor and mediocre footballing side that you’re referring to.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[Geogaddi]

2 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

 

I don't think it's fair to expect us to be an elite club with the PSR shackles. I just want to see us making progress year on year for the most part. Obviously there will be blips along the way, but this season it just feels like there is no pattern or direction as to how we are set up. It feels like we've gone backwards from where we were a couple of seasons ago. 

A big part of that Is losing Isak though, sell your best player and its hard to improve especially when numerous top class players we went after turned us down as we aren't allowed to pay them top wages.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by Geogaddi

[TRon]

1 minute ago, Geogaddi said:

A big part of that Is losing Isak though, sell your best player and its hard to improve especially when numerous top class players we went after turned us down as we aren't allowed to pay them top wages.

 

 

 

 

Granted. But given we did lose Isak, once we signed Woltemade, I would have expected us to adjust our game better to utilise his strengths instead. It looks like we are still trying to play as if we have Isak up front. I've often looked at the line ups on matchday and thought, yeah that looks good. But then when we actually go through the game it looks like everyone is playing to a different tune. 

 

Plus the in-game management has been pretty poor most of the season, our subs rarely seem to make a positive contribution. 

[The Prophet]

16 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

Granted. But given we did lose Isak, once we signed Woltemade, I would have expected us to adjust our game better to utilise his strengths instead. It looks like we are still trying to play as if we have Isak up front. I've often looked at the line ups on matchday and thought, yeah that looks good. But then when we actually go through the game it looks like everyone is playing to a different tune. 

 

Plus the in-game management has been pretty poor most of the season, our subs rarely seem to make a positive contribution. 

 

Howe wants to adjust our gsme, he's said as much, but he's evidently struggling to do so with a three game a week calender.

[TRon]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Howe wants to adjust our gsme, he's said as much, but he's evidently struggling to do so with a three game a week calender.

 

 

It's the same calendar for everyone tbf. Even if we didn't get our first choice signings, we spent big on PL experience and we do have a reasonable size squad to choose from. I think we could have complained about that the last couple of seasons, but this time round we usually have some options on the bench and for rotation. 

[SUPERTOON]

6 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Howe wants to adjust our gsme, he's said as much, but he's evidently struggling to do so with a three game a week calender.

Not much evidence of what he wants to adjust it to. That’s the issue currently imo. If we could see some signs of it that would be a positive.

[The Prophet]

Just now, TRon said:

 

 

It's the same calendar for everyone tbf. Even if we didn't get our first choice signings, we spent big on PL experience and we do have a reasonable size squad to choose from. I think we could have complained about that the last couple of seasons, but this time round we usually have some options on the bench and for rotation. 

 

It objectively isn't though.

 

It's Howe's seconds attempt to manage such a calender, the first was kiboshed by an injury crisis.

 

I take your point on the squad size, but clearly he's struggling to get his ideas across without time on the training ground. This is something he'll need to improve going forward and should be aided by a less turbulent summer. 

[The Prophet]

1 minute ago, SUPERTOON said:

Not much evidence of what he wants to adjust it to. That’s the issue currently imo. If we could see some signs of it that would be a positive.

 

Agreed, although the most recent evidence suggests that we're going for something similar to how Villa set up.

[Ben]

True Geordie and his mates will have a meltdown if we lose this tonight

[mayubeproud]

11 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

 

Are we talking about the same Arsenal who were consistently in the top 5 clubs by revenue throughout the 2010’s. An era when Chelsea and Man City had massive injections of capital and supercharged their way to success pre-PSR. 

 

The same Arsenal who would consistently have revenue that was £100m a season more than the next placed team that wasn’t in the Top 5 by revenue.

 

The same Arsenal that won 4 cups and was regularly in the Top 4 in the league. 

 

Cos that’s the Arsenal I’m talking about. Not the financially poor and mediocre footballing side that you’re referring to.

 

 

 

Their exact positions in the 2010s: 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, 5

Being satisfied about finishing 4th, just try to hang on to that position without showing any ambition, then not even able to get into top 4 by late 2010s

That's football heritage, if I borrow Jose's terms.

 

Financial wise, look at the notable players they sold in 2010s:

Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Alex Song, Sagna, Vermaelen, Giroud, Alex Sanchez

They are not able to hold on to their best players at all. That's football heritage.

 

And look at the list of players they bought for at least.....just £15m:

Cazorla, Ozil, Alex Sanchez, Welbeck, Xhaka, Mustafi, Lacazatte, Aubameyang, Leno, Lucas Torreira, Saliba, Nicolas Pepe, Tierney

That's the whole list. In 10 years. That's football heritage.

How many Champions League quarter finals have these players played before they signed? I'm sure Ozil, Sanchez had played for Real Madrid and Barca. Welbeck surely played for Man Utd......as a backup. The later signings, I'm not bothered to check, maybe 0, or 1, 2 or 3 CL QFs combined. That shows the decline in the quality they could afford. That's football heritage.

[Kimbo]

2 minutes ago, Ben said:

True Geordie and his mates will have a meltdown if we lose this tonight

I think I will as well.

[TRon]

10 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

It objectively isn't though.

 

It's Howe's seconds attempt to manage such a calender, the first was kiboshed by an injury crisis.

 

I take your point on the squad size, but clearly he's struggling to get his ideas across without time on the training ground. This is something he'll need to improve going forward and should be aided by a less turbulent summer. 

 

He'll get the chance to turn things round, he's earned it. I expect us to look a lot better second half of the season with Wissa available, but I do think we've dropped too many points and goals for this to be anything other than a disappointing season. The last two games have been a real kick in the teeth tbh. 

[Interpolic]

True Geordie exists to get as many clicks and money for himself as possible, doesn't give the first fuck about the club or anybody else. 

[Erikse]

8 minutes ago, mayubeproud said:

Their exact positions in the 2010s: 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, 5

Being satisfied about finishing 4th, just try to hang on to that position without showing any ambition, then not even able to get into top 4 by late 2010s

That's football heritage, if I borrow Jose's terms.

 

Financial wise, look at the notable players they sold in 2010s:

Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Alex Song, Sagna, Vermaelen, Giroud, Alex Sanchez

They are not able to hold on to their best players at all. That's football heritage.

 

And look at the list of players they bought for at least.....just £15m:

Cazorla, Ozil, Alex Sanchez, Welbeck, Xhaka, Mustafi, Lacazatte, Aubameyang, Leno, Lucas Torreira, Saliba, Nicolas Pepe, Tierney

That's the whole list. In 10 years. That's football heritage.

How many Champions League quarter finals have these players played before they signed? I'm sure Ozil, Sanchez had played for Real Madrid and Barca. Welbeck surely played for Man Utd......as a backup. The later signings, I'm not bothered to check, maybe 0, or 1, 2 or 3 CL QFs combined. That shows the decline in the quality they could afford. That's football heritage.

 

 

They finished 8th in 20/21 and went on to spend 136m euro (net) the next season. Then missed out on CL again, and spent another 163m euros (net) in 22/23. That's how they got back into CL positions. Some great signnings in there, mind, but they were expensive.

[Nucasol]

8 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

True Geordie exists to get as many clicks and money for himself as possible, doesn't give the first fuck about the club or anybody else. 

This. He’d have us lose every week if it bagged him a million extra subscribers.

[bobbydazzla]

17 minutes ago, mayubeproud said:

Their exact positions in the 2010s: 3, 4, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, 5

Being satisfied about finishing 4th, just try to hang on to that position without showing any ambition, then not even able to get into top 4 by late 2010s

That's football heritage, if I borrow Jose's terms.

 

Financial wise, look at the notable players they sold in 2010s:

Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Alex Song, Sagna, Vermaelen, Giroud, Alex Sanchez

They are not able to hold on to their best players at all. That's football heritage.

 

And look at the list of players they bought for at least.....just £15m:

Cazorla, Ozil, Alex Sanchez, Welbeck, Xhaka, Mustafi, Lacazatte, Aubameyang, Leno, Lucas Torreira, Saliba, Nicolas Pepe, Tierney

That's the whole list. In 10 years. That's football heritage.

How many Champions League quarter finals have these players played before they signed? I'm sure Ozil, Sanchez had played for Real Madrid and Barca. Welbeck surely played for Man Utd......as a backup. The later signings, I'm not bothered to check, maybe 0, or 1, 2 or 3 CL QFs combined. That shows the decline in the quality they could afford. That's football heritage.

You’re completely off your lips if you think all of that justifies describing them as a financially poor and mediocre club with no ambition.

 

They declined from their peak unbeatable season era, but they were still regularly achieving things on the pitch that any club outside of the PSR Protected 5 could only dream of whilst also making a minimum of £100m more in annual revenue than any of the other 16 clubs in the league.
 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by bobbydazzla

[Nucasol]

9 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

True Geordie exists to get as many clicks and money for himself as possible, doesn't give the first fuck about the club or anybody else. 

Also he wants more tarmaccing than a gypsy doing your driveway.

 

 

 

[OpenC]

I keep seeing this three games a week thing like we're a Northern League club playing Saturday Tuesday Thursday Saturday Tuesday Thursday to try and catch up after a rained off December and January. Surely we're just doing weekend/weekday with an occasional unfortunate Sunday Wednesday Saturday arrangement, we're not regularly playing three games a week are we?

[Fak]

4 minutes ago, Nucasol said:

Also he wants more tarmaccing than a gypsy doing your driveway.

 

 

 

 

Did we ever find out what @bobbydazzla sent back in response?

[bobbydazzla]

2 minutes ago, Fak said:

 

Did we ever find out what @bobbydazzla sent back in response?

Any hole is a goal 

[Erikse]

2 minutes ago, OpenC said:

I keep seeing this three games a week thing like we're a Northern League club playing Saturday Tuesday Thursday Saturday Tuesday Thursday to try and catch up after a rained off December and January. Surely we're just doing weekend/weekday with an occasional unfortunate Sunday Wednesday Saturday arrangement, we're not regularly playing three games a week are we?

 

No idea how that became a thing. If we only play in the weekends for a while, then we're not playing twice a week, are we?

[OpenC]

6 minutes ago, Erikse said:

No idea how that became a thing. If we only play in the weekends for a while, then we're not playing twice a week, are we?

 

Saturday first week, Sunday second week is no games a week if you're making a point of counting Sunday to Saturday I guess.  According to BBC we had three games August, five September, six October and November and we'll have eight in December, it's nothing like three a week

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by OpenC

[Sir Joel Inton]

10 minutes ago, OpenC said:

I keep seeing this three games a week thing like we're a Northern League club playing Saturday Tuesday Thursday Saturday Tuesday Thursday to try and catch up after a rained off December and January. Surely we're just doing weekend/weekday with an occasional unfortunate Sunday Wednesday Saturday arrangement, we're not regularly playing three games a week are we?

 

If you double count games, we play 3 times in a week often.

 

In December:

10 - Leverkusen

14 - mackems

17 - Fulham

 

14 - mackems

17 - Fulham

20 - Chelsea

 

17 - Fulham

20 - Chelsea

26 - Man Utd