Eddie Howe

[Mikky]

Just now, Ronaldo said:

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

You can’t become a possession based team if you don’t have at least 1 technical winger who is comfortable on the ball - same in CM - 2 areas massively hurting us and Tonali and Bruno in particular 

 

We lack a powerful CB and a commanding keeper 

[Sir Joel Inton]

3 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

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.

 

You cannot have control if you choose to play without the football. There were long periods we were happy to be camped in without possession during that match, as we have observed in many other away games this season.

 

Were we “digging in” at the mackems when both teams were trying to have as little possession as possible? They hardly had us under the cosh.

 

1 minute ago, oldtype said:

 

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?

 

 

 

 

You take possession of the football or move 10 yards further up the pitch. Having 11 men in our third whilst Burnley sat with the ball on the halfway line is conceding possession.

 

Why did we stop pressing? Was that not a tactical instruction either? We were pressing for 10 minutes and then stopped.

[Mikky]

2 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Just most of the spine of the team, then  

Pope/Ramsdale  - Schar - Joe/Ramsey - Elanga/Murphy - not exactly oozing class 

[Bimpy474]

I see our usual can't even enjoy the win for some has kicked in.

We're as mental as the team with the ups and downs on here 

 

We won guys, couldn't careless how we did it, we just did. Aye not the best performance, but feck it, three points and we won away.

[TRon]

42 minutes ago, Smal said:

I think that’s the most frustrated I’ve been watching us under Howe. I love him and if he ever goes it should be on his own terms imo, but if he doesn’t come up with an in possession plan then he ultimately won’t keep his job for that long. This is a very expensive football team that is unbelievable out of possession but looks all too often like a relegation candidate with the ball in more or less all phases of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

There was a couple of little passages of play where we just passed the ball backwards and sideways when we came under too much pressure. That led to us breaking their lines eventually as they were out of position when we finally picked someone out in space. We don't always need to turn it into a ping pong match. 

[HayDen Traces]

Is any of this lack of intensity down to Bunce's advice on injury prevention? I mean its noticeable how much we've dropped our levels this season...

[TheBrownBottle]

Just now, Mikky said:

Pope/Ramsdale  - Schar - Joe/Ramsey - Elanga/Murphy - not exactly oozing class 

I agree - it’s just that it isn’t a great look to have such a fundamental issue in the side / squad.  It’s the basics that haven’t been met. 

[Pata]

2 minutes ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

You cannot have control if you choose to play without the football. There were long periods we were happy to be camped in without possession during that match, as we have observed in many other away games this season.

 

Were we “digging in” at the mackems when both teams were trying to have as little possession as possible? They hardly had us under the cosh.

 

 

You take possession of the football or move 10 yards further up the pitch. Having 11 men in our third whilst Burnley sat with the ball on the halfway line is conceding possession.

 

Why did we stop pressing? Was that not a tactical instruction either? We were pressing for 10 minutes and then stopped.

 

When we are leading there's nothing wrong with letting Burnley sit with the ball on the halfway line?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, HayDen Traces said:

Is any of this lack of intensity down to Bunce's advice on injury prevention? I mean its noticeable how much we've dropped our levels this season...

 

Some of it will be, yeah. But TBF it might also be physically impossible to boss teams off the park every 3-4 days. 

[nufc123]

6 minutes ago, Bimpy474 said:

couldn't careless how we did it

It will be a big problem next couple of away games if we dont fix it because we are all over the place at the moment. We are not learning game after game after game, so yes I think we have to care about our performances. Its worrying how we dont seem to manage our issues.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by nufc123

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I really think we only have a handful of really top-quality players still. 

 

Who could form part of a really elite team/squad?

 

Botman (if he's not permanently injured)

Tino (but not elite on the ball)

Hall

Thiaw (but probably more the level of a backup for a top team)

 

Tonali (if he remembers how to play)

Bruno (but would need to change his habit of inviting too much contact)

Miley soon

 

Woltemade (if he keeps progressing)

Wissa (probably more as a squad option)

 

It's not really enough to form one brilliant team when you really analyse it, never mind to play in 4 competitions with high intensity and still have the quality to keep large periods of possession.

 

We really need to be confident and playing as greater than the sum of our parts to look good.  

[Heron]

Let's kick on from here Eddie. Some big wins this next week at home will see the negativity dissipate. No holding back - gain momentum.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by Heron

[oldtype]

3 minutes ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

You take possession of the football or move 10 yards further up the pitch. Having 11 men in our third whilst Burnley sat with the ball on the halfway line is conceding possession.

 

Why did we stop pressing? Was that not a tactical instruction either? We were pressing for 10 minutes and then stopped.

 

Yes, obviously the best thing to do when the opposition has possession is to get possession back, but how does pushing players forward into positions where they cannot affect the ball accomplish this? By definition, if you want to maximize the chances of wining the ball back, you want "eleven men behind the ball." 

 

And the reason basically every team presses less when they are ahead is because pressing generally increases the volitility of the game by pulling defenders out of possession, which exposes you to counterattacks. Teams also press less in general in the second half and as the game goes on because of fatigue.

[Rod]

12 minutes ago, Mikky said:

You can’t become a possession based team if you don’t have at least 1 technical winger who is comfortable on the ball - same in CM - 2 areas massively hurting us and Tonali and Bruno in particular 

 

We lack a powerful CB and a commanding keeper 

Big Dan Burn and Nick Pope.

[TRon]

3 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I really think we only have a handful of really top-quality players still. 

 

Who could form part of a really elite team/squad?

 

Botman (if he's not permanently injured)

Tino (but not elite on the ball)

Hall

Thiaw (but probably more the level of a backup for a top team)

 

Tonali (if he remembers how to play)

Bruno (but would need to change his habit of inviting too much contact)

Miley soon

 

Woltemade (if he keeps progressing)

Wissa (probably more as a squad option)

 

It's not really enough to form one brilliant team when you really analyse it, never mind to play in 4 competitions with high intensity and still have the quality to keep large periods of possession.

 

We really need to be confident and playing as greater than the sum of our parts to look good.  

 

 

That's fine if we are playing against really elite clubs. The issue has been not being able to make our quality count against mid-lower tier PL clubs. Even today the only difference was they won the battle for worst finishes. 

[Heron]

We've weakened in some areas and strengthened in others this last few windows I think (personnel wise). We can be stronger (as a team) in time, but we need to be given time. Howe needs to be given time. He will come through.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by Heron

[timeEd32]

Our current pace has us 5-6 goals short from our wingers so far compared to the last three seasons. Despite a number of problems imagine where we’d be with those. 
 

The Gordon and Murphy chances today are examples of where in the past we bury those and the game is done. It’s the difference between some of the late heartbreaks and comfortably getting 3 points.

[Bimpy474]

14 minutes ago, nufc123 said:

It will be a big problem next couple of away games if we dont fix it because we are all over the place at the moment. We are not learning game after game after game, so yes I think we have to care about our performances. Its worrying how we dont seem to manage our issues.

 

 

 

 

To be fair i don't disagree, but I'd rather not do that now. I'll enjoy the win tonight, and then look at things tomorrow.  I'm certainly concerned with the way we're playing, we're very inconsistent, but as i said. A win, three points, an away win. I'm happier tonight than i was after Man Utd, that's for sure.

[oldtype]

Just now, timeEd32 said:

Our current pace has us 5-6 goals short from our wingers so far compared to the last three seasons. Despite a number of problems imagine where we’d be with those. 
 

The Gordon and Murphy chances today are examples of where in the past we bury those and the game is done. It’s the difference between some of the late heartbreaks and comfortably getting 3 points.

 

Really bad and/or unlucky finishing is clearly one of our biggest problems this season, coupled with the central midfielders inexplicably going to shit

[nufc123]

4 minutes ago, Bimpy474 said:

 

To be fair i don't disagree, but I'd rather not do that now. I'll enjoy the win tonight, and then look at things tomorrow.  I'm certainly concerned with the way we're playing, we're very inconsistent, but as i said. A win, three points, an away win. I'm happier tonight than i was after Man Utd, that's for sure.

Agree on that. I just think it has been going on for so long that we cant ignore our performances, or lack of them.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2025 by nufc123

[Andy]

20 minutes ago, Heron said:

Let's kick on from here Eddie. Some big wins this next week at home will see the negativity dissipate. No holding back - gain momentum.

 

The inability to do this has been the defining element of our season unfortunately. Hopefully this is the time; the next few fixtures are relatively kind, the next 5 in the league are all ones you'd have to see as being winnable if we want to have a good crack at Europe. 

[Yorkie]

3 minutes ago, oldtype said:

 

Really bad and/or unlucky finishing is clearly one of our biggest problems this season, coupled with the central midfielders inexplicably going to shit

 

That's harsh on Bruno like. He's had far more good games than bad and regularly delivered in massive moments. The collective isn't operating that well, granted.

 

The point about finishing is absolutely true obvs.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

14 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

 

That's fine if we are playing against really elite clubs. The issue has been not being able to make our quality count against mid-lower tier PL clubs. Even today the only difference was they won the battle for worst finishes. 

Yeah, but the same applies no matter who you’re playing. If you don’t have sufficient quality you won’t necessarily outplay the teams you mention. 

[Heron]

1 minute ago, Andy said:

 

The inability to do this has been the defining element of our season unfortunately. Hopefully this is the time; the next few fixtures are relatively kind, the next 5 in the league are all ones you'd have to see as being winnable if we want to have a good crack at Europe. 

It has, but we said similar/same around this time last year too. With tweaking we flipped it and went on a solid run. Now is the time to do the same. Gritty as we may need to be - I'm convinced we can do it. With a better Janaury and summer and hopefully a good run into the end of this season the test will be whether we can start in full flow next season. That is something we must master along with being harder to break down away from home (again).

[gdm]

I think we all agree we’ve been shite this season. I do wonder if Keegan hadn’t resigned if we’d have turned on him so quick. 
 

he needs time to figure this out and he deserves time.