Eddie Howe

[La Parka]

I mean I remember people saying Anderson wouldn't get above league one quality. Look at him now. 

 

Even limited players like longstaff have had good careers thanks to being given chances. 

[Wallsendmag]

I watch quite a bit of the U21s/U18s as their home games are a 10 minute walk away and being brutally honest I don't see any of the current crop ever being good enough.

 

Elliot Anderson stood out a mile. He was in the U18s as a 16 year old and looked different class. You could see a mile off that he would make it. Used to love watching him play. Miley was another one. Probably didn't stand out out quite as much for me but you could still see he was going to be a player. There's none of them there that I think the same off and can only assume that's what Howe thinks.

 

These 2 lads could be mainstays in the England team for the next decade which is a feather in the cap for our Academy.

[Monters]

10 minutes ago, La Parka said:

I mean I remember people saying Anderson wouldn't get above league one quality. Look at him now. 

 

Even limited players like longstaff have had good careers thanks to being given chances. 

Yeah lucky bastards simply being given a career! Nothing do with, application, desire, training everyday in way that forces the manager to take notice and put you in the team!

 

This young centre forward, what’s his attributes, pace, trickery, strength etc?

 

Or is it just not being Wissa?

 

Personally I haven’t seen him play so don’t know but surely the people demanding he be given a chance know what he’ll bring?

 

Bad example given the opposition but suppose he plays next league game doesn’t get a sniff and we lose heavily, is that good management of him or the team?

 

 

Edited January 27 by Monters

[Kid Icarus]

Is this the newest thing to throw at Howe?

 

Seems pretty clear that if youth prospects are good enough they'll play or be signed. Even in the 4 years Howe has been here he's regularly played Miley and Anderson from the academy and signed Lewis Hall.

 

What sort of percentage of youth players who don't meet the expected standards of a team also expected to be competing to get in the CL still be playing?

 

I don't even see the premise for the argument tbh, if anything it should be that they're loaned out to try and get them to improve that way.

[KingArthur]

1 hour ago, Lush Vlad said:

It’s been a feature of Howe’s time here. We are poor at building attacks from

the back and we really need Bruno as the link man. When he’s not there or playing as an 8. It’s a lot of passing along the back line and trying to get down the flanks. Before we invariably lose it. Or it’s a long diagonal, which we’re not great at without Schar. 
 

Even when Bruno plays further forward. He soon gets fed up and starts dropping. He was doing it after 5-10 minutes the other week, I think against Wolves?

 

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that teams realise Tonali is poor on the ball, especially under pressure and having to shift it quickly. They can also easily cut off passing lanes and funnel the ball where they want. Such as to Burn when he is playing left back. Nowhere near as easy when Bruno plays there. As he is press resistant, his passing is better, he can find space and also wins fouls or gets away on the half turn. 
 

Teams have already nullified Elanga, Gordon and Woltemade in our system. So not sure why Tonali would be any different. 
 

I can see the argument for keeping him deeper. As that is where he has looked at his best previously and he offers the defensive cover to the back 4. However I can’t see how anyone can watch us and think we are ‘fine’ when trying to build possession or dictate play. 
 

An actual DM who is comfortable on the ball and sits that bit deeper would be ideal. But we’ve been saying that for years and Howe seems dead against it for some unknown reason. 

Bruno does drop occasionally, but they have done that with Tonali for long. They have freedom to switch positions, even Joelinton occasionally ends up deepest of the 3. This is not just Bruno wanting the ball, which he does. He carries the team. 
When we are in problems with the press, we are usually too deep and our ability with the ball is pretty poor. Burn, Tonali, Pope and Trippier are not really good under pressure...

Bruno moving deeper doesn't solve the problem that we cannot break into the box. He helps us beat the press, but what is opponent doesnt even try to press? He is the one we need to get on the ball 25-30 yards from opponent goal, not 50. Tonali cannot play throughballs, but he can switch play very well.  Tonali is poor/average passer, but that means he surely cannot then play as a 8 in our system. 

We have enough ability to get the ball to final third. It's not like opponents are pinning us back (maybe PSG and City do it), the problem is we have no imagination, combination, long shots, 1-2s, dribbles etc up top. It's just cross after cross after cross. Would Bruno dropping as a 6 help that? Perhaps in one way, but then his ability from right half space would be lost. Meaning there is someone like Tonali or Willock, who are not able to receive the ball between the lines, cannot dribble and would most likely just play the easy pass towards the flank.


 

[johnny36]

1 hour ago, johnny36 said:

We complain about fatigue but hardly ever use our full compliment of 5 subs

True, but our substitutions are baffling at times..3-0  up at PSV and he takes Trippier off at 87 mins knowing that he will be playing 3 games in 7 days..At 3-0 Trippier  should have been subbed off at 60 mins

4-1 win at Everton. Woltemade subbed off at 90 mins for Gordon..Woltemade had been playing every game at that stage

 

[The College Dropout]

2 hours ago, The Butcher said:

How many 18 year olds are PL standard? Hardly any. Look at Man Utd. They hoy bairns in all the time. Most of them don't make it, but at least they're given a chance.

 

Can't even remember who we were playing, but we were leading comfortably with 5 minutes to go. We had four kids and Willock on the bench. Willock got put on.

 

Our kids are never given a chance, not even cameos in cups. 

Traditionally Man U have been good enough to win games and play shit youth.

 

I do agree though when we are big goals up, youth could do with more minutes - just because. But I also get that Howe has a squad to keep happy.

[johnny36]

1 hour ago, La Parka said:

Probably because we are chasing games more often and he's scared to change out a purple or take a bigger risk

 

 

 

True, but our subs are baffling at times.. 3-0 up at PSV..leaves Trippier on for 87 mins knowing he will be playing 3 games in 7 days..should have been taken off much earlier..

4-1 win at Everton he subs Woltemade off at 90 mins when game was won with 30 mins to go, runs players into the ground for no reason

[Tross]

2 hours ago, The Butcher said:

Our kids are never given a chance, not even cameos in cups. 

 

All of our cup games have been tight games this season with the exception of Bradford at home where Alex Murphy got his cameo?!

 

Edit: He also played 15 mins against Fulham where we nicked a winner in the last minute so stfu 

 

 

Edited January 27 by Tross

[TBG]

Currently top of the form table

 

 

My gaffa

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Yeah, we've been up there for a while, surreal really. 

[Wilson]

11 minutes ago, Tross said:

so stfu

 

[The College Dropout]

19 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Yeah, we've been up there for a while, surreal really. 

We did have a good fixture run. Where draws were bad results.

----

It's unlikely to be a problem next season and if the draw was different it may be a stupid thing to say. But I do think when we are in the CL (or Europe in general) we should dial-in one of the domestic cups with kids. We'll likely not have a squad capable of challenging for League Cup, FA Cup, CL & League for some years but Howe genuinely tries to win them all

[Menace]

If our youth are any good they wouldn't end up playing for Gateshead or Carlisle. That Australian tour told me all I needed to know about our youth.

[Coffee_Johnny]

Is there actually a problem with how we are doing? 
There’s a fair bit of frustration re Howe/our performances in this thread. Also a casual look at our league position might lead to thinking we are having a stinker of a season with no signs of improvement. How do you think our league form has been over the last dozen games since the November international break? I bet we can all recall disappointing results in that time. 

Do you think we have been poor, worse than usual, overall? 
 

Well, in the last 12 games we’ve accrued 21 points; 1.75 points per game. If we kept that up over a full season we would total 67 points. Normally enough for 4th (and exponentially better than the 12 points, 1.09 ppg, we managed in the first 11 games). 
Interspersed through this same 12 game period, we’ve played 5 cup games:

1-2 loss away to Marseille, 2-2 draw away to Leverkusen, home FA Cup win on penalties—after amazing 3-3—over Bournemouth, 0-2 LC SF home loss to Man City, and 3-0 home win over PSV. 
 

So in the last 17 games against PL or CL opposition, in 9 weeks: Won 8, Drew 4, Lost 5. Whatever the ‘eye test’ concludes and our internal ‘if only’  woulda-shoulda-coulda, whispers, that doesn’t look too bleak to me.
Given we had to find a striking solution/new way to play, I don’t even think we were too far off it in the first 11 games; bar the away losses to West Ham and Brentford (which were bookended by two great wins—home to Man City and Athletic Club). 

 

[GWN]

Steve Bruce 

Graeme Souness

Ruud Gullit 

Jack Charlton 

Steve McLaren 

John Carver 

Alan Pardew 

Joe Kinnear 

 

 

just gonna leave this here and you work out my feelings on our manager .

[black_n_white]

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Yeah, we've been up there for a while, surreal really. 

Let’s see where we are I 5 matches…

[The College Dropout]

16 minutes ago, Coffee_Johnny said:

Is there actually a problem with how we are doing? 
There’s a fair bit of frustration re Howe/our performances in this thread. Also a casual look at our league position might lead to thinking we are having a stinker of a season with no signs of improvement. How do you think our league form has been over the last dozen games since the November international break? I bet we can all recall disappointing results in that time. 

Do you think we have been poor, worse than usual, overall? 
 

Well, in the last 12 games we’ve accrued 21 points; 1.75 points per game. If we kept that up over a full season we would total 67 points. Normally enough for 4th (and exponentially better than the 12 points, 1.09 ppg, we managed in the first 11 games). 
Interspersed through this same 12 game period, we’ve played 5 cup games:

1-2 loss away to Marseille, 2-2 draw away to Leverkusen, home FA Cup win on penalties—after amazing 3-3—over Bournemouth, 0-2 LC SF home loss to Man City, and 3-0 home win over PSV. 
 

So in the last 17 games against PL or CL opposition, in 9 weeks: Won 8, Drew 4, Lost 5. Whatever the ‘eye test’ concludes and our internal ‘if only’  woulda-shoulda-coulda, whispers, that doesn’t look too bleak to me.
Given we had to find a striking solution/new way to play, I don’t even think we were too far off it in the first 11 games; bar the away losses to West Ham and Brentford (which were bookended by two great wins—home to Man City and Athletic Club). 

 

We’ve had a relatively easy run the last 12 games. 
 

We’ll almost certainly get less points over the next 12 just due tougher fixtures.  
 

In the last 12 we played 3 promoted teams - 2 at home. Wolves, Palace, Chelsea and Spurs at home.  
 

In the next 12 we face Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs away.  Last year we got 3 points from

those? The season we finished 4th - 5? 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

29 minutes ago, black_n_white said:

Let’s see where we are I 5 matches…

 

Well obviously, that's how form works 

 

 

Edited January 27 by AyeDubbleYoo

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

Well obviously

The next 5 being..

Liverpool (A)

Brentford (H)

Spurs (A)

City (A)

Everton (H)

 

9 points would be excellent. 7 solid. 6 bare minimum. Could easily get 4 points.

 

Wouldn't expect to climb the table with anything less than 8 points.

[SUPERTOON]

Just now, The College Dropout said:

The next 5 being..

Liverpool (A)

Brentford (H)

Spurs (A)

City (A)

Everton (H)

 

9 points would be excellent. 7 solid. 6 bare minimum. Could easily get 4 points.

 

Wouldn't expect to climb the table with anything less than 8 points.

Based on our performances and other games in around them, I’d be amazed if we get more than 6 points. I also think spurs will have a new manager by the time we play them.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 minute ago, The College Dropout said:

The next 5 being..

Liverpool (A)

Brentford (H)

Spurs (A)

City (A)

Everton (H)

 

9 points would be excellent. 7 solid. 6 bare minimum. Could easily get 4 points.

 

Wouldn't expect to climb the table with anything less than 8 points.

 

Maybe, maybe not, but it's irrelevant to the fact we were in decent form before this. 

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

Maybe, maybe not, but it's irrelevant to the fact we were in decent form before this. 

The last 5 being:

Villa (H)

Wolves (A)
Leeds (H)

Palace (H)

Burnley (A)

 

You would hope to get 15 points from those. 11 being solid. We got 10. Not terrible. But it was definitely a run you would expect to make hay in.

 

Fixtures often make form. We would look at 10 points from the next 5 as excellent. Rightfully so.

5 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Based on our performances and other games in around them, I’d be amazed if we get more than 6 points. I also think spurs will have a new manager by the time we play them.

Aye you would want 6 points as a minimum. A win at WHL is always an excellent result no matter what Spurs are like.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Not sure you can ever plan to win every game like, but I never disputed the points that the last fixtures were easier the next ones. That's just a fact. 

[The College Dropout]

You go into a fixture run like that - you probably have too. I expect at least one of those fixtures Howe will rotate the team and leave out key players against a stronger side or in a Cup.

1 minute ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Not sure you can ever plan to win every game like, but I never disputed the points that the last fixtures were easier the next ones. That's just a fact.