Eddie Howe

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, Thumbheed said:

For perspective, we are 4 points off 5th place. 

 

Doesn't excuse some of the performances and results but to say this has been an insanely disjointed season, thats an extremely healthy position to be in. 

 

The main reason why I never been too down. Of course, what we really need is consistently better performances, but we've never been far behind. 

 

TBH I don't necessarily expect the season to 'turn around' as such, I expect ups and downs right until the end. Would love to be wrong. 

[LionOfGosforth]

When confidence is brittle as it is with us, the lack of ruthlessness in front of goal that has plagued us all season manifests into a pressure-filled second half like that. All I can say is, thank fuck we won a must win game and let's hope it's a springboard for the next few games.

[Nucasol]

5 minutes ago, The Butcher said:

I would love to know how much we actually work on our possession game in training.

Apparently we don’t as much as Leeds according to Longstaff.

[Weezertron]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

The main reason why I never been too down. Of course, what we really need is consistently better performances, but we've never been far behind. 

 

TBH I don't necessarily expect the season to 'turn around' as such, I expect ups and downs right until the end. Would love to be wrong. 

Problem is everyone else is keeping the same pace or better in the table. Either we need to improve, or a few teams above us need to hit a rough patch. We've been a handful of points off the top 5 for months now.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

FWIW I'm sure it will boost the players a lot more than it boosts us. They probably don't worry about how they win as much as we do. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, Weezertron said:

Problem is everyone else is keeping the same pace or better in the table. Either we need to improve, or a few teams above us need to hit a rough patch. We've been a handful of points off the top 5 for months now.

 

Well sure, but as long as you're nearby it just takes something small to change the picture. 

[Thumbheed]

13 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

The main reason why I never been too down. Of course, what we really need is consistently better performances, but we've never been far behind. 

 

TBH I don't necessarily expect the season to 'turn around' as such, I expect ups and downs right until the end. Would love to be wrong. 

 

The only times I think a manager's time should circle the drain is when they're unable to implement any notion of a style or identity on a team, or when the team have put down tools. 

 

Talk off sacking a legendary manager for the sole reason of poor away form is quite frankly just plain idiotic. 

 

 

[Yorkie]

30 minutes ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

I do wonder if he is persisting with this sit back routine when we go ahead to get us through it with a win or two and build confidence defensively. 

We were extremely good defensively in his first full season and I wonder if that is the aim. Grab a lead and hold onto it, issue being we cannot hold a fart in at the moment but he’s hoping when we do, it’ll start to click.

 

It's clearly not a tactical choice. We invite pressure because we're poor in possession and miss loads of chances. He's not saying "score early and sit back, lads." 

 

All of that pressure in the second half started immediately after kick-off when we knocked the ball about at the back, got pressed, lost it, conceded a corner. We're on the back foot from the word go.

 

He's still accountable to this, but the issue isn't "he keeps telling them to sit back."

[Disco]

21 minutes ago, Aiston said:

 

As always, Disco to act a cunt because someone dared criticise Howe.

 wow you genuinely are raging. Bringing out the personal abuse because we didn’t get beat. Hilarious. 
 

Happy New Year.

[Vinny Green Balls]

Just now, Disco said:

 wow you genuinely are raging. Bringing out the personal abuse because we didn’t get beat. Hilarious. 
 

Happy New Year.

he has some seriously abysmal ideas across the board.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, Yorkie said:

It's clearly not a tactical choice. We invite pressure because we're poor in possession and miss loads of chances. He's not saying "score early and sit back, lads." 

 

This is it like, we're so bad with the ball it's unreal. 

 

A lot of it tonight was down to mental individual decisions though TBH, I wonder if Howe needs to do more individual work with some players. Bruno inviting fouls that aren't fouls, Tonali firing the ball to nowhere, Murphy doing inexplicable Murphy things, Pope hoofing the ball to nobody etc.

 

Like I keep saying, some of it is down to confidence but we've always had these errors in our game. 

[Sir Joel Inton]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

 

It's clearly not a tactical choice. We invite pressure because we're poor in possession and miss loads of chances. He's not saying "score early and sit back, lads." 

 

Then why on a number of occasions each match do we have 11 men behind the ball when the opposition are in possession?

 

Why do we stop pressing and playing with intensity? None of that is due to a missed pass.

[SUPERTOON]

The biggest issue may be the drop off from Tonali. No idea what has happened there.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, SUPERTOON said:

The biggest issue may be the drop off from Tonali. No idea what has happened there.

 

If we had any other players you could easily argue he should be dropped. 

 

Or it's possible there's a reason he should be rested, but he basically can't be. 

[The Butcher]

I think it looked tactical. Barnes dropped deep and Miley moved inside.

[Rod]

1 minute ago, Disco said:

 wow you genuinely are raging. Bringing out the personal abuse because we didn’t get beat. Hilarious. 
 

Happy New Year.

Ignore him. He thought Pope was shite tonight which tells you where his mind is.

[Yorkie]

1 minute ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

Then why on a number of occasions each match do we have 11 men behind the ball when the opposition are in possession?

 

Why do we stop pressing and playing with intensity? None of that is due to a missed pass.

 

It is, like. Of course there'll be spells in games where the tactical choice is to dig in, but the reason why we're continuously on the back-foot is because of our lack of control.

[SUPERTOON]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

If we had any other players you could easily argue he should be dropped. 

 

Or it's possible there's a reason he should be rested, but he basically can't be. 

Aye, if Miley didn’t have to play RB, I’d play him instead.

[cubaricho]

2 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

he has some seriously abysmal ideas across the board.

They’ve been on ignore since like day two of being on the board. Glad to hear I made the right choice nice and early.  

[TheBrownBottle]

7 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

 

The only times I think a manager's time should circle the drain is when they're unable to implement any notion of a style or identity on a team, or when the team have put down tools. 

 

Talk off sacking a legendary manager for the sole reason of poor away form is quite frankly just plain idiotic. 

 

 

I mean, it isn’t in the long run - if your away form means you can’t achieve anything or get anywhere.  It’s far too soon to be sacking Howe IMO, though. 

[Mikky]

1 minute ago, SUPERTOON said:

The biggest issue may be the drop off from Tonali. No idea what has happened there.

4 positions hurting us - GK - CB - CM - RW

[El Prontonise]

35 minutes ago, Aiston said:

 

As always, Disco to act a cunt because someone dared criticise Howe.

 

How utterly pathetic are you?!?

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by El Prontonise

[Ronaldo]

The RW issue is a joke, mind. Been our weakest for so long.

[oldtype]

5 minutes ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

Then why on a number of occasions each match do we have 11 men behind the ball when the opposition are in possession?

 

Why do we stop pressing and playing with intensity? None of that is due to a missed pass.

 

It is *perfectly normal* to have most players behind the ball when your opposition has an extended spell of possession in your own half. What exactly are players going to do if pushed forward? Stand offside?

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by oldtype

[TheBrownBottle]

3 minutes ago, Mikky said:

4 positions hurting us - GK - CB - CM - RW

Just most of the spine of the team, then