Eddie Howe

[Doops]

7 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

You do understand that this is not an argument in favour of Howe being a manager who should be at a club with ambitions of being in Europe consistently?  As long as we’re out of the cups quickly and have no European football then everything will be tickety-boo?

It was an explanation as to why we are not playing like we did when Eddie got us going. I was questioning why anyone would be "bamboozled" by the drop off this season 

[Cristov]

Like I said, im content with Eddie just now but a poll on potential Eddie replacements would be interesting, but up to someone else to come up with the names! 

 

Because im stumped who could do a better job in the circumstances. 

 

 

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute ago, Doops said:

It was an explanation as to why we are not playing like we did when Eddie got us going. I was questioning why anyone would be "bamboozled" by the drop off this season 

Which is fair enough - but if Howe requires it for his methods to work, then he’s hit his managerial ceiling 

[number9shirt]

I do think the derby defeat was the beginning of the end.

[themostkindsir]

Eddie needs some fresh ideas, if he is to stay I think he needs a new coach to bring a different dimension to our play.

We've, on the whole, been below par approaching a year.

[HaydnNUFC]

6 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Which is fair enough - but if Howe requires it for his methods to work, then he’s hit his managerial ceiling 

 

Aye, this is a big part of my psyche atm. We as a club can’t afford to keep writing off 1 season in 2 because Eddie Howe can’t cope with managing 3 games a week regularly.

[TheEntertainer]

The new poll is miles better than the yes/no we had before. That is all...

[Wolfcastle]

Energy isn't to blame for the overall performances. We started out the season as we mean to go on with Liverpool aside a spate of lacklustre displays.

Though there were four clean-sheets therein for the arguement about the defensive side.

[bobbydazzla]

1 hour ago, Doops said:

And all of that takes energy. Especially as he built his whole game plan around being intense. I'd safely say we would be much higher in the league if there was only one game a week to empty the tank in. It's mental energy as well as physical.

Mental energy I agree 100% and I don’t think that’s spoken about enough. 

 

As an example look at how utterly shite Trips went after he got busted for his extra-marital rattling. His head was popped and his performances dropped off a cliff.

 

But the physical energy is a mixed bag. To be solid at the back defensive players don’t necessarily need to expend loads of energy. We could have adapted our approach to remain solid at the back but also introduced less intensity for the forwards, instead we’re still flogging the forwards to exhaustion and we’re weak as piss at the back. 
 

We’ve got the worst of both worlds. 

 

 

Edited February 1 by bobbydazzla

[Vinny Green Balls]

9 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

Aye, this is a big part of my psyche atm. We as a club can’t afford to keep writing off 1 season in 2 because Eddie Howe can’t cope with managing 3 games a week regularly.

if he does it a third time, then we could begin to argue that it's ceiling. We just don't have enough data points yet imo. And it's not like 23-24 was an unmitigated disaster. We missed out on Europe with 60 points because of a really flukey Man United win.

 

 

Edited February 1 by Vinny Green Balls

[mouldy_uk]

5 minutes ago, themostkindsir said:

Eddie needs some fresh ideas, if he is to stay I think he needs a new coach to bring a different dimension to our play.

We've, on the whole, been below par approaching a year.

I think we’ve been pretty poor (on average), since the cup final. I honestly think that drained so much emotional energy out the club and city to achieve what we did. Also, it was the beginning of the end of the rat. We were then denied a decent pre-season which might have allowed us to regain thay energy and focus. 
 

I’m still team Eddie, but I have some gripes.

[Vinny Green Balls]

1 minute ago, mouldy_uk said:

I think we’ve been pretty poor (on average), since the cup final. I honestly think that drained so much emotional energy out the club and city to achieve what we did. Also, it was the beginning of the end of the rat. We were then denied a decent pre-season which might have allowed us to regain thay energy and focus. 
 

I’m still team Eddie, but I have some gripes.

We were fantastic until about late April. I don't know why this keeps being said. We were concerned that we'd drop off, and we didn't. 

[Heron]

11 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

Aye, this is a big part of my psyche atm. We as a club can’t afford to keep writing off 1 season in 2 because Eddie Howe can’t cope with managing 3 games a week regularly.

I think it's ignoring the fact we simply cannot invest to the level of other clubs owing to PSR too to say that mind. Villa have been very similar to us and not won a cup. There's nothing to suggest they'll manage the fixture schedule well next year based on how they were last year either.

[The Prophet]

5 minutes ago, mouldy_uk said:

I think we’ve been pretty poor (on average), since the cup final. I honestly think that drained so much emotional energy out the club and city to achieve what we did. Also, it was the beginning of the end of the rat. We were then denied a decent pre-season which might have allowed us to regain thay energy and focus. 
 

I’m still team Eddie, but I have some gripes.

 

Our run following the cup final for what it's worth...

 

Beat Brentford 2-1

Beat Ipswich 3-0

Beat Man United 4-1

Best Palace 5-0

Lost 4-1 to Villa

Beat Ipwich 3-0

Drew with Brighton 1-1

Beat Chelsea 2-0

 

 

Edited February 1 by The Prophet

[Wolfcastle]

12 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

We were fantastic until about late April. I don't know why this keeps being said. We were concerned that we'd drop off, and we didn't. 

We dropped off when Eddie took bad about then. Not been the same since.

[HaydnNUFC]

27 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

if he does it a third time, then we could begin to argue that it's ceiling. We just don't have enough data points yet imo. And it's not like 23-24 was an unmitigated disaster. We missed out on Europe with 60 points because of a really flukey Man United win.

 

 

 

 

I'd argue it was more down to quite a poor away record that season (6 wins from 19, 5 of those coming after we exited Europe) as well as only being able to take 1 point from 2 games against Luton and throwing away a lead to 10 man Liverpool at home. 1 more win and that Man Utd win doesn't matter.

 

23 minutes ago, Heron said:

I think it's ignoring the fact we simply cannot invest to the level of other clubs owing to PSR too to say that mind. Villa have been very similar to us and not won a cup. There's nothing to suggest they'll manage the fixture schedule well next year based on how they were last year either.

 

Whilst I agree that it is undoubtedly a factor, my concerns is more the no real showing of evolution of how we play to be able to deal with 3 games a week better. We signed more of the same of what we had and/or what we didn't need in the summer in Elanga and Ramsey imo. No one we've signed recently, not just in the summer just gone, has allowed us to be able to play in different ways or exert control by being able to keep and pass the ball better. That, plus I don't think the squad management generally has been particularly good over the last 3 years. Players who should've been moved on a season or two ago are still getting regular minutes (Trippier, Willock, Pope and imo Joelinton) and players have been sold a lot more later than they should've been (Wilson & Almiron). 3 of those players mentioned got new contracts when they should've been sold. I think what we're watching this season is a culmination of all of those things.

 

As well as the loss of Isak which has been immense. We've been backed into a corner with that and the jury is out on the two lads we've brought in. But I do think, certainly in Woltemade's case, that no attempt has been made to play to his strengths. He's regularly isolated, no midfielder near him and the wingers with chalk on their boots when he receives the ball. I see him as a Firmino type; will play through the middle in a front 3 but needs attackers and goal getters near him whether that's the two wingers or the two wingers plus a number 10-y type player that Howe's never played. 

 

 

Edited February 1 by HaydnNUFC

[Vinny Green Balls]

9 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

We dropped off when Eddie took bad about then. Not been the same since.

We won a fair few games when he was in the hospital. I’d hardly call the last few games of the season a drop off. Everton was nearly disastrous. Losing away to Arsenal was par for the course. 
 

I think the argument is much more sound if you start with this season. The claims that it has been going on for a year sound like revisionist history to me. And people keep on saying this shit despite the evidence being laid out to them.

 

 

Edited February 1 by Vinny Green Balls

[Wolfcastle]

4 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

We won a fair few games when he was in the hospital. I’d hardly call the last few games of the season a drop off. Everton was nearly disastrous. Losing away to Arsenal was par for the course. 
 

I think the argument is much more sound if you start with this season. The claims that it has been going on for a year sound like revisionist history to me. And people keep on saying this shit despite the evidence being laid out to them.

 

 

 

We won two of the last six games, one at home to Ipswich with Brigton, Villa and Everton being poor showings. That's a drop off.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

42 minutes ago, Heron said:

I think it's ignoring the fact we simply cannot invest to the level of other clubs owing to PSR too to say that mind. Villa have been very similar to us and not won a cup. There's nothing to suggest they'll manage the fixture schedule well next year based on how they were last year either.

 

Exactly, it's mental to imagine we should be managing our schedule like Man City do when our squad is nowhere near that level. 

 

Also we are kind of vulnerable because we can't maintain possession like some top teams can. To do that would mean a significant rebuild which we also might not be able to afford. We would be talking about replacing 5 or 6 starters and we would also need attacking ability that could turn that dominant possession into goals in basically the opposite way to what we've done since Howe has been here. We would also then complain about all the low blocks we wouldn’t be able to break down. 

 

Agreed we have bought some players similar to what we already had when some people would have gone another way, but I'd argue that shows we were actively trying to improve our depth so that we could handle those extra games better while keeping our style quite similar. 

 

 

Edited February 1 by AyeDubbleYoo

[The Prophet]

The evolution point is an interesting one. It hasn't always been successful, but there's been a clear development in the way we play of late, more so away from home.

 

 

Edited February 1 by The Prophet

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Just now, The Prophet said:

The evolution point is an interesting one. It hasn't always been successful, but there's been a clear development in the away we play of late, more so away from home.

I’d say for a few months TBH, it hasn’t always worked but various different things have been happening. 

[Vinny Green Balls]

Just now, Wolfcastle said:

We won two of the last six games, one at home to Ipswich with Brigton, Villa and Everton being poor showings. That's a drop off.

Brighton has often been the norm under Eddy. Losing to Villa is expected even with the fine form we were in. Losing 4-1 sucked though. Everton and to a lesser extent Brighton were poor. But to say that was a drop off misses that apart from Everton, it was a very difficult schedule at the end. We beat Chelsea. And before the last two games, we lost once in 8. Arsenal was absolutely aa expected. So the only two disappointing results in those 6 you mentioned were Brighton and Everton. We finished the season doing just enough to get 5th, taking 19 of the last 30 points. 1.9 pts per game in our last 10. You can arbitrarily pick the last 6, but realistically we weren’t dog shit until Everton.

[The Prophet]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

I’d say for a few months TBH, it hasn’t always worked but various different things have been happening. 

 

From around Man United away, you could at least start to see a plan.

[Vinny Green Balls]

Seriously though, just say this season for the drop off and there is no argument. We were 4th in the form table after the Cup win even with those final two games. Villa were first and 3 points better, and still needed a point to overtake us.

 

But it feels agenda driven to me to try to extend the drop off back as far as possible.

 

 

Edited February 1 by Vinny Green Balls

[The Prophet]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

Brighton has often been the norm under Eddy. Losing to Villa is expected even with the fine form we were in. Losing 4-1 sucked though. Everton and to a lesser extent Brighton were poor. But to say that was a drop off misses that apart from Everton, it was a very difficult schedule at the end. We beat Chelsea. And before the last two games, we lost once in 8. Arsenal was absolutely aa expected. So the only two disappointing results in those 6 you mentioned were Brighton and Everton. We finished the season doing just enough to get 5th, taking 19 of the last 30 points. 1.9 pts per game in our last 10. You can arbitrarily pick the last 6, but realistically we weren’t dog shit until Everton.

 

We also played really well at Arsenal and fluffed a few good chances with Raya keeping them in it early doors.