Eddie Howe

[Wallsendmag]

3 minutes ago, Novocastrian said:

Neither striker is actually performing at the moment (I like Wolte, I don’t rate Wissa). We’re clutching at straws if we think putting two underperforming players in together is going to fix anything. We need to get the rest of the team working with the strikers but they are so different and they are rotated within every game. All in all it just looks like amateurish squad building. 

 

We might as well give Osula a run of games, he may or may not have something.

 

They *might* just complement each other though and bring out the best in each other but if we don't try it, we'll never know. Not sure what he's got to lose by that least giving it a go. We didn't score last weekend and didn't score this weekend either. Worst case scenario we play them together and don't score then either.

 

It's not exactly fashionable but I wouldn't mind us going to the old 442 to see if that brings us any joy. Stick the 2 of them up top, give Elanga a run on the right, play Barnes on his favoured left, 2 CMs and see if anything changes because it's clearly not working at the moment, especially in an attacking sense.

 

People are becoming as frustrated with his reluctance to change anything than the performances themselves.

[wong989]

25 minutes ago, Pixelphish said:

 

His sabbatical where by all accounts he visited a number of coaches to educate and improve himself speaks loudly for this. Really hope he can continue to evolve as I'd prefer he was here for a very long time.

This is what I don't understand about the team seemingly continue to encounter the same problems, maybe being in the job is hindering his ability to think in a different way, but evolution is needed 

[Famous Nick]

next games will be huge test for him. PSG, Liverpool, City all away from home. going into these with a loss at home vs Villa in the same round when Chelsea and Man U. win away games to build a bit of gap on us. our chances to be in CL next season is very bad now.

 

 

[Pilko]

PSG will be rough IMO. Just got to hope we can claw something from the game. It's one where we'll defend first & counter rather than need to take the game to them and that probably suits us a bit.

 

But then he's got about the best chance in 30 years to fuck the Anfield hoodoo off. Given how crap they've been lately it'll be frustrating if we roll over for our usual simple dusting in that one.

 

City, I think it's too big a mountain to climb but we shall see. Couldn't really blame him if we lost all three tbh. 

[Chicken Dancer]

23 minutes ago, Novocastrian said:

Neither striker is actually performing at the moment (I like Wolte, I don’t rate Wissa). We’re clutching at straws if we think putting two underperforming players in together is going to fix anything. We need to get the rest of the team working with the strikers but they are so different and they are rotated within every game. All in all it just looks like amateurish squad building. 

 

We might as well give Osula a run of games, he may or may not have something.

We’ve nowt to lose. We look out of ideas in the league and I’d not be against at least trying it.

 

With Osula I’d not be against giving him a run of games, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. 

[Novocastrian]

8 minutes ago, Chicken Dancer said:

We’ve nowt to lose. We look out of ideas in the league and I’d not be against at least trying it.

 

With Osula I’d not be against giving him a run of games, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. 

Desperate times.

[dcmk]

4 hours ago, Novocastrian said:

Our ascent was largely built on being almost faultless in the transfer market. We had a disaster in the summer. It’s coming home to roost now unfortunately. 

So why is Eddie out the solution? 

[NWMag]

One thing that irritates me is we never seen to create long range shooting opportunities, or take any long range shots. 

 

I’m not saying we should spend all game taking pot shots, but you look at Buendias goal and Cunha/Dorgu goals today, I feel like we are never having these kind of efforts, or even finding ourself in the space to have these efforts. 

[huss9]

31 minutes ago, Chicken Dancer said:

We’ve nowt to lose. We look out of ideas in the league and I’d not be against at least trying it.

 

With Osula I’d not be against giving him a run of games, and I can’t believe I’m saying that. 

not scared to get get a shot off.

[Erikse]

10 minutes ago, NWMag said:

One thing that irritates me is we never seen to create long range shooting opportunities, or take any long range shots. 

 

I’m not saying we should spend all game taking pot shots, but you look at Buendias goal and Cunha/Dorgu goals today, I feel like we are never having these kind of efforts, or even finding ourself in the space to have these efforts. 

 

I agree. Problem is that except from Schar and Barnes we don't have players who can hit them all that well. People say that Villa are lucky with their goals, but maybe they're just really good at long range shots and well coached in terms of when they should go for it.

 

 

Edited January 25 by Erikse

[ExiledGeordie]

13 minutes ago, NWMag said:

One thing that irritates me is we never seen to create long range shooting opportunities, or take any long range shots. 

 

I’m not saying we should spend all game taking pot shots, but you look at Buendias goal and Cunha/Dorgu goals today, I feel like we are never having these kind of efforts, or even finding ourself in the space to have these efforts. 

Totally agree, we’re so passive and predictable around the box 

[NWMag]

4 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

I agree. Problem is that except from Schar and Barnes we don't have players who can hit them all that well. People say that Villa are lucky with their goals, but maybe they're just really good at long range shots and well coached in terms of when they should go for it.

 

 

 

Yeah there is that, Gordon has scored the odd couple & Bruno too, but it just feels like we don’t consider it as a viable option, our build up feels slow and laboured and by the time we have the ball in those areas, there is no space. It would be nice if the ball went to one of the wide players, and instead of taking multiple touches and passing it backwards or sideways, they just cut inside and had a dig. 

[Keegans Export]

Just now, ExiledGeordie said:

Totally agree, we’re so passive and predictable around the box 

It's so frustrating. Obviously their first goal was a great strike but there were two or three one-touch passes that led to him receiving the ball in a little pocket of space. Can't recall us doing anything like that once. 

[Lush Vlad]

8 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

I agree. Problem is that except from Schar and Barnes we don't have players who can hit them all that well. People say that Villa are lucky with their goals, but maybe they're just really good at long range shots and well coached in terms of when they should go for it.

 

 

 

They are. They work on it in training all the while and have a whole dataset of ball tracking for set pieces and long shots from free kicks since Emery has been there. I forget what the technology is called, golfers use it? 

You can’t keep saying they’re flukes if they keep scoring them. Even if it means they may well struggle in a game when they don’t get a low percentage chance go in from 25 yards.
 

It’s clearly a weapon for them and something they work on. We don’t work the ball quickly or incisively enough to set someone for a strike from distance. 

[Heron]

Would love to know if he's telling the wingers to come inside as often as they do, or at least Gordon.

[NWMag]

I just think we are too structured and safe these days. I mean today I kept noticing Barnes was basically RWB in defence, meaning Miley was coming out to pressure the LB, and if we did win the ball back, our players were too deep to take advantage. 
 

we need to take the shackles off a little bit IMO

[Weezertron]

20 minutes ago, Erikse said:

 

I agree. Problem is that except from Schar and Barnes we don't have players who can hit them all that well. People say that Villa are lucky with their goals, but maybe they're just really good at long range shots and well coached in terms of when they should go for it.

 

 

 

 

It is mental that at this level all footballers don't have a good shot on them. I might understand defenders at a push, but even they should be able to strike a ball. 

 

I've hit some lush strikes in my time and I'm absolutely shit. 

 

 

Edited January 25 by Weezertron

[SteV]

Speaking of ball-striking - did anyone else see the lad taking the half time challenge today?

 

Don’t think I’ve ever seen an adult so incapable of kicking a football.

[Chicken Dancer]

1 hour ago, dcmk said:

So why is Eddie out the solution? 

It definitely isn’t, despite what people might think in the moment. 
 

He deserves grace and the opportunity to figure it out - if we’re being honest he probably deserves a ‘bad’ season given what he’s achieved so far. 
 

However, it is completely on him to find a solution. I know people will point to results and at the end of the day it is a results business. But despite what people might not like to admit (or at least say out loud) we’ve been pretty dire all season on the eye - the majority of the wins seem laboured and the performances across the board have generally been pretty tepid. I think it’s pretty obvious that if we hadn’t done so well in the Champions League, the noise would be a lot louder. 
 

I’m still fully ‘Howe in’ but he deserves plenty stick at the minute, but he equally deserves a shot to figure it out, even if it takes another summer window. How patient the decision makers are is an another question. 

[TRC]

I get the Howe out side from the football side of things, but honestly when was the last time the club made any good decisions?

 

We would get someone terrible in and begin a cycle of going through managers  imo

[Lotus]

I can’t see any benefit to getting rid of EH atm.

 

He's not been given the players he needs to make his system work. 
 

And if we changed to a manager that was more tactical and coached a more penetrating type of football, I doubt we’d have the budget to buy them. 

[Jonas]

1 hour ago, NWMag said:

One thing that irritates me is we never seen to create long range shooting opportunities, or take any long range shots. 

 

I’m not saying we should spend all game taking pot shots, but you look at Buendias goal and Cunha/Dorgu goals today, I feel like we are never having these kind of efforts, or even finding ourself in the space to have these efforts. 

Its got to have a better percentage of leading to something than what we've been doing for too long which is demonstrably not working. If we were creating lots you might argue percentage wise its a waste of ball to have a pop but were not.

 

[Casey]

3 minutes ago, Lotus said:

I can’t see any benefit to getting rid of EH atm.

 

He's not been given the players he needs to make his system work. 
 

And if we changed to a manager that was more tactical and coached a more penetrating type of football, I doubt we’d have the budget to buy them. 

I don't want Eddie gone either but saying he's not been given the players he needs is a bit of a wild take. Didn't we spend 200mil in the summer on players wherein he was essentially manager & acting DoF?

 

Or do you feel that the players were forced upon us due to desparation?

 

 

Edited January 26 by Casey

[r0cafella]

3 minutes ago, Lotus said:

I can’t see any benefit to getting rid of EH atm.

 

He's not been given the players he needs to make his system work. 
 

And if we changed to a manager that was more tactical and coached a more penetrating type of football, I doubt we’d have the budget to buy them. 

I'm not Eddie out, but how do you square that? I mean he bought these players how can they not fit his system? The compromised set up we have should avoid that. 

[Lotus]

1 minute ago, Casey said:

I don't want Eddie gone either but saying he's not been given the players he needs is a bit of a wild take. Didn't we spend 200mil in the summer on players wherein he was essentially manager & acting DoF?

 

Or do you feel that the players were forced upon us due to desparation?

 

 

 

I’ve genuinely no idea how involved EH was. I think there’s lots assuming going on (and they could be right tbf).

 if you think back a couple of year to our first top 4 finish, we just outrun everyone. We didn’t outplay many teams and we still don’t. Fulham probably play better football than us but that doesn’t make them more successful. EH needs players who will consistently outrun the opposition. As long as we clock more KMs than them we do well. 
Pure shithousery and stamina monsters = a successful EH team.

We’ve moved away from that and we’re not as effective.

We also need a striker who can kind make something out of nothing. Doesn’t have to be Isak, Demba Ba would’ve loved that 22/23 team.

Wissa and Wolt don’t look like those kind of strikers, unfortunately.