Eddie Howe

[Drewboy74]

14 minutes ago, ffs said:

That's very well put. The last sentence sums up exactly our predicament. 

 The whole orthodoxy that a team has a bad run, or a bad season, and the manager gets fired, has always seemed kinda nuts to me. In any of our jobs any of us can have better and worse periods, and (most of the time) not get sacked for the bad stuff. Instead we get feedback, learn and improve. 

 If Howe stays then over a long enough time period he'll obviously do better. Right now he and the team are exhausted and it isn't working. It might not improve for a while given the games we've got lined up. But, eventually, it will. He'll figure it out, some of the players who are out of form will improve, it'll be OK. I might feel differently if relegation was a realistic possibility, but it isn't.

  Sometimes another team has a manager who's an obvious dud. From our perspective we want the other team to keep them for as long as possible. I would always be happy for another prem team to have Ange, for example, or Ten Hag.

  But Howe's clearly - clearly - not a dud. He has limitations (who doesn't) but is, at least, always trying to address them. He'll be as aware as anyone that he hasn't cracked the two games a week thing yet.

 All of the supposedly "elite" managers have become that by managing clubs with way more resources than we're currently permitted to deploy. If they came to manage us they'd struggle to keep their elite rep - because as above we aren't allowed to pay the very best players the wages they command. (Which is an outrage, and I hope will change)

 Why did Emery turn us down? Surely because he was able to see that PSR restricted both clubs but on reflection the stranglehold was looser at Villa because they had a much more valuable existing squad. And he's been proved right.

 I feel like we'll limp to the end of this season, get knocked out of the FA Cup at Villa, finish mid-table, probably not win the CL (although I have ££ backing us to). And then take stock, do way better next season with no Europe. And then 2027/28 we have a season in which Eddie tries to get the 2 games a week balance right, or righter.

  That all feels absolutely fine tbh. Yes the football has been a tough watch this season, but we're all big boys, aren't we?

 To all the Howe Out Now crew (if you're even real), I'm not even saying "who have you got in mind who's better?" (although ..), I'm saying rather "why are you freaking out so hard about this? you don't have to be like every other micropenis yapper out there. you're not aura farming (i hope). just accept that things are sometimes disappointing and that the optimal response to that isn't always to smash the place up. Unless you think that Howe is, or has become, an Ange or a Ten Hag. But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

👌

[TRon]

20 minutes ago, ffs said:

That's very well put. The last sentence sums up exactly our predicament. 

 The whole orthodoxy that a team has a bad run, or a bad season, and the manager gets fired, has always seemed kinda nuts to me. In any of our jobs any of us can have better and worse periods, and (most of the time) not get sacked for the bad stuff. Instead we get feedback, learn and improve. 

 If Howe stays then over a long enough time period he'll obviously do better. Right now he and the team are exhausted and it isn't working. It might not improve for a while given the games we've got lined up. But, eventually, it will. He'll figure it out, some of the players who are out of form will improve, it'll be OK. I might feel differently if relegation was a realistic possibility, but it isn't.

  Sometimes another team has a manager who's an obvious dud. From our perspective we want the other team to keep them for as long as possible. I would always be happy for another prem team to have Ange, for example, or Ten Hag.

  But Howe's clearly - clearly - not a dud. He has limitations (who doesn't) but is, at least, always trying to address them. He'll be as aware as anyone that he hasn't cracked the two games a week thing yet.

 All of the supposedly "elite" managers have become that by managing clubs with way more resources than we're currently permitted to deploy. If they came to manage us they'd struggle to keep their elite rep - because as above we aren't allowed to pay the very best players the wages they command. (Which is an outrage, and I hope will change)

 Why did Emery turn us down? Surely because he was able to see that PSR restricted both clubs but on reflection the stranglehold was looser at Villa because they had a much more valuable existing squad. And he's been proved right.

 I feel like we'll limp to the end of this season, get knocked out of the FA Cup at Villa, finish mid-table, probably not win the CL (although I have ££ backing us to). And then take stock, do way better next season with no Europe. And then 2027/28 we have a season in which Eddie tries to get the 2 games a week balance right, or righter.

  That all feels absolutely fine tbh. Yes the football has been a tough watch this season, but we're all big boys, aren't we?

 To all the Howe Out Now crew (if you're even real), I'm not even saying "who have you got in mind who's better?" (although ..), I'm saying rather "why are you freaking out so hard about this? you don't have to be like every other micropenis yapper out there. you're not aura farming (i hope). just accept that things are sometimes disappointing and that the optimal response to that isn't always to smash the place up. Unless you think that Howe is, or has become, an Ange or a Ten Hag. But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

 

 

Emery didn't turn us down because the PSR stranglehold was looser at Villa, at the time Villa weren't even on the horizon. His team Villareal were in the Champions League quarter final so it was a lot to give up to come to a relegation threatened Newcastle. Even so the deal was done until we leaked it from our end and that put him in a difficult position at home in Spain. 

[duo]

4 hours ago, OoOGazOoO said:

I don't agree with Eddie that our performances have been good, 

tbh that was the only part of his presser I disagreed with 

 

 

Edited February 9 by duo

[TRon]

23 minutes ago, Drewboy74 said:

Yeah I know, but for me, long-term stability is more important than a game against them lot. 

 

Definitely. I just want to see us playing decent football again. Doesn't have to be breakneck seat of your pants stuff like we have got used to, just some composure and control would be great. I think that would give the team a lot more confidence than a solitary result. Although no denying, a win in a local derby would be a massive confidence booster for the players as well as the rest of the city. 

[Pata]

5 hours ago, Memphis said:

I think even Eddie himself would recognise that you shouldn't keep a player - or a manager - around based on what they've done in the past. On the pitch, look at Kieran Trippier - monumental signing at the time, played an enormous role in upping our quality and professionalism at a crucial point, he was incredible. Until he wasn't. And now, we are seeing him being played based on a lack of a viable alternative, yes, but more a belief in a player whose time at the top level is well and truly over.

 

I should stipulate that I adore Eddie. Personally, I love the way he represents us, understands the club and the supporters, speaks very well. I appreciate his work ethic as well, you cannot accuse him of lacking effort or desire. He has done things for this club that no one else ever has and I will always revere him for that.

 

That said, we live in the present, not the past. And in the present, he appears to be lacking something he once had - maybe it's as simple as not having a top-class striker. But he also seems to be unable to get the best out of these players. We have seen consistent development from players under Eddie until this year. No one apart from Lewis Miley or Lewis Hall can say they've really upped their game this year. Many have regressed. Eddie consistently had us as more than the sum of our parts, now we appear to be less. And while that fact may not be his fault, the lack of development and lack of dynamism is.

 

No manager deserves to be kept on simply because of things they've done in the past. There is only tomorrow in the game of football. And so I think people are asking the wrong question. The question shouldn't be: Does Eddie Howe deserve to be retained as manager? The question you have to ask yourself is this: Is Eddie Howe (for us) the managerial equivalent of Kieran Trippier? Or is he Alan Shearer - able to recover from a devastating setback with a few modifications and get back to his very best? 

 

I don't know the answer for sure. But the evidence I've seen so far is starting to suggest that he's running out of ideas. 

Have Eddie’s legs gone?

 

Or maybe we shouldn’t compare him to a 35 year old fullback ffs? 

[cubaricho]

49 minutes ago, ffs said:

But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

Louder for those in the back, please.

[AJ9]

1 hour ago, ffs said:

That's very well put. The last sentence sums up exactly our predicament. 

 The whole orthodoxy that a team has a bad run, or a bad season, and the manager gets fired, has always seemed kinda nuts to me. In any of our jobs any of us can have better and worse periods, and (most of the time) not get sacked for the bad stuff. Instead we get feedback, learn and improve. 

 If Howe stays then over a long enough time period he'll obviously do better. Right now he and the team are exhausted and it isn't working. It might not improve for a while given the games we've got lined up. But, eventually, it will. He'll figure it out, some of the players who are out of form will improve, it'll be OK. I might feel differently if relegation was a realistic possibility, but it isn't.

  Sometimes another team has a manager who's an obvious dud. From our perspective we want the other team to keep them for as long as possible. I would always be happy for another prem team to have Ange, for example, or Ten Hag.

  But Howe's clearly - clearly - not a dud. He has limitations (who doesn't) but is, at least, always trying to address them. He'll be as aware as anyone that he hasn't cracked the two games a week thing yet.

 All of the supposedly "elite" managers have become that by managing clubs with way more resources than we're currently permitted to deploy. If they came to manage us they'd struggle to keep their elite rep - because as above we aren't allowed to pay the very best players the wages they command. (Which is an outrage, and I hope will change)

 Why did Emery turn us down? Surely because he was able to see that PSR restricted both clubs but on reflection the stranglehold was looser at Villa because they had a much more valuable existing squad. And he's been proved right.

 I feel like we'll limp to the end of this season, get knocked out of the FA Cup at Villa, finish mid-table, probably not win the CL (although I have ££ backing us to). And then take stock, do way better next season with no Europe. And then 2027/28 we have a season in which Eddie tries to get the 2 games a week balance right, or righter.

  That all feels absolutely fine tbh. Yes the football has been a tough watch this season, but we're all big boys, aren't we?

 To all the Howe Out Now crew (if you're even real), I'm not even saying "who have you got in mind who's better?" (although ..), I'm saying rather "why are you freaking out so hard about this? you don't have to be like every other micropenis yapper out there. you're not aura farming (i hope). just accept that things are sometimes disappointing and that the optimal response to that isn't always to smash the place up. Unless you think that Howe is, or has become, an Ange or a Ten Hag. But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

Fucking yes

[Smal]

1 hour ago, ffs said:

That's very well put. The last sentence sums up exactly our predicament. 

 The whole orthodoxy that a team has a bad run, or a bad season, and the manager gets fired, has always seemed kinda nuts to me. In any of our jobs any of us can have better and worse periods, and (most of the time) not get sacked for the bad stuff. Instead we get feedback, learn and improve. 

 If Howe stays then over a long enough time period he'll obviously do better. Right now he and the team are exhausted and it isn't working. It might not improve for a while given the games we've got lined up. But, eventually, it will. He'll figure it out, some of the players who are out of form will improve, it'll be OK. I might feel differently if relegation was a realistic possibility, but it isn't.

  Sometimes another team has a manager who's an obvious dud. From our perspective we want the other team to keep them for as long as possible. I would always be happy for another prem team to have Ange, for example, or Ten Hag.

  But Howe's clearly - clearly - not a dud. He has limitations (who doesn't) but is, at least, always trying to address them. He'll be as aware as anyone that he hasn't cracked the two games a week thing yet.

 All of the supposedly "elite" managers have become that by managing clubs with way more resources than we're currently permitted to deploy. If they came to manage us they'd struggle to keep their elite rep - because as above we aren't allowed to pay the very best players the wages they command. (Which is an outrage, and I hope will change)

 Why did Emery turn us down? Surely because he was able to see that PSR restricted both clubs but on reflection the stranglehold was looser at Villa because they had a much more valuable existing squad. And he's been proved right.

 I feel like we'll limp to the end of this season, get knocked out of the FA Cup at Villa, finish mid-table, probably not win the CL (although I have ££ backing us to). And then take stock, do way better next season with no Europe. And then 2027/28 we have a season in which Eddie tries to get the 2 games a week balance right, or righter.

  That all feels absolutely fine tbh. Yes the football has been a tough watch this season, but we're all big boys, aren't we?

 To all the Howe Out Now crew (if you're even real), I'm not even saying "who have you got in mind who's better?" (although ..), I'm saying rather "why are you freaking out so hard about this? you don't have to be like every other micropenis yapper out there. you're not aura farming (i hope). just accept that things are sometimes disappointing and that the optimal response to that isn't always to smash the place up. Unless you think that Howe is, or has become, an Ange or a Ten Hag. But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

 

superb post 

[1881]

I find it both incredible and disheartening that - At this point - people think that Eddie Howe should either be sacked now, or if things don’t improve. 
 

There are very few seasons since the late 1950s where we have had better results than this season. And although the football has been frustrating at times it is still better than it has been for the majority of seasons in the last 70 years! 
 

Where’s  the perspective and since when have we developed such a sense of entitlement? I have supported since 1970 and the last few seasons have been on a par with the Keegan years and the later Robson years. 
 

the last thing we need is a change of manager and I think people are being delusional if they think we are going to get a better manager than Howe. PSR  is preventing us competing with the best and that is unlikely to change so that is not going to have an attraction to the top managers.
 

Eddie Howe is the last person who we should be look at getting rid of and if we do I believe it will be a huge mistake.

[timeEd32]

We're in the middle of playing 7 away games (8 total) in 24 days. Games in bold are against clubs top 15 globally in revenue. 

 

Nov 22: Man City (h)
Nov 25: Marseille (a) - 2 days rest
Nov 29: Everton (a) - 3 days rest

Dec 2: Tottenham (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 6: Burnley (h) - 3 days rest
Dec 10: Leverkusen (a) - 3 days rest
Dec 14: Sunderland (a) - 3 days rest
Dec 17: Fulham (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 20: Chelsea (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 26: Man Utd (a) - 5 days rest
Dec 30: Burnley (a) - 3 days rest

Jan 3: Crystal Palace (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 7: Man City (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 10: Bournemouth (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 13: Leeds (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 18: Wolves (a) - 4 days rest
Jan 21: PSV (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 25: Aston Villa (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 28: PSG (a) - 2 days rest
Jan 31: Liverpool (a) - 2 days rest

Feb 4: Man City (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 7: Brentford (h) - 2 days rest
Feb 10: Tottenham (a) - 2 days rest
Feb 14: Aston Villa (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 18: Qarabag (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 21: Man City (a) - 2 days rest

Feb 24: Qarabag (h) - 2 days rest
Feb 28: Everton (h) - 3 days rest
Mar 4: Man Utd (h) - 3 days rest

 

 

Edited February 9 by timeEd32

[Mattoon]

2 hours ago, bobbydazzla said:

This seasons Champions League glory is still on like 

 

 

 

FYP

[1881]

8 minutes ago, timeEd32 said:

We're in the middle of playing 7 away games (8 total) in 24 days. Games in bold are against clubs top 15 globally in revenue. 

 

Nov 22: Man City (h)
Nov 25: Marseille (a) - 2 days rest
Nov 29: Everton (a) - 3 days rest

Dec 2: Tottenham (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 6: Burnley (h) - 3 days rest
Dec 10: Leverkusen (a) - 3 days rest
Dec 14: Sunderland (a) - 3 days rest
Dec 17: Fulham (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 20: Chelsea (h) - 2 days rest
Dec 26: Man Utd (a) - 5 days rest
Dec 30: Burnley (a) - 3 days rest

Jan 3: Crystal Palace (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 7: Man City (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 10: Bournemouth (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 13: Leeds (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 18: Wolves (a) - 4 days rest
Jan 21: PSV (h) - 2 days rest
Jan 25: Aston Villa (h) - 3 days rest
Jan 28: PSG (a) - 2 days rest
Jan 31: Liverpool (a) - 2 days rest

Feb 4: Man City (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 7: Brentford (h) - 2 days rest
Feb 10: Tottenham (a) - 2 days rest
Feb 14: Aston Villa (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 18: Qarabag (a) - 3 days rest
Feb 21: Man City (a) - 2 days rest

Feb 24: Qarabag (h) - 2 days rest
Feb 28: Everton (h) - 3 days rest
Mar 4: Man Utd (h) - 3 days rest

 

 

 

The other thing that never seems to get taken into account is the amount of travelling we have to do compared to other clubs which must eat into the training/preparation time as well as being tiring.

[Mattoon]

11 minutes ago, 1881 said:

I find it both incredible and disheartening that - At this point - people think that Eddie Howe should either be sacked now, or if things don’t improve. 
 

There are very few seasons since the late 1950s where we have had better results than this season. And although the football has been frustrating at times it is still better than it has been for the majority of seasons in the last 70 years! 
 

Where’s  the perspective and since when have we developed such a sense of entitlement? I have supported since 1970 and the last few seasons have been on a par with the Keegan years and the later Robson years. 
 

the last thing we need is a change of manager and I think people are being delusional if they think we are going to get a better manager than Howe. PSR  is preventing us competing with the best and that is unlikely to change so that is not going to have an attraction to the top managers.
 

Eddie Howe is the last person who we should be look at getting rid of and if we do I believe it will be a huge mistake.

 

The irony is that Eddie has set the level he is being judged on, himself. Our meteoric rise under his tenure is what is measured, had we found ourselves at this point after just surviving relegation and slowly moving up the table, this wouldn't be happening.

 

We can't keep harping on about the past, we're a different team now, but we can't focus solely on the present with a plethora of mitigating circumstances being ignored either. To make an informed view you need to take everything into account, past, present, future and all the disruptions in between. Eddie has been stoic throughout and only now is showing signs it's getting to him, but he's a perfectionist and no one on this planet will be feeling it more than him.

 

This is not the time to turn on our most successful manager in all of our lifetimes, now is the time to buck the PL trend and double down on our support, he will get there, but he'll get there quicker with 52,000 voices behind him, backing him, cheering him on, showing we trust him to get it right.

[Interpolic]

Some really nice, thoughtful, eloquent posts. Maybe where not all thick. 

[RobsonsWonderland]

I agree with the above which is why we needed to find a way to bring a couple of loan players, senior pros or short term deals to help us fill some gaps.

 

Or we have to trust the youngsters on the bench.

 

In the end it seems Eddie or the club are not comfortable with either option.

 

[barton]

2 hours ago, ffs said:

That's very well put. The last sentence sums up exactly our predicament. 

 The whole orthodoxy that a team has a bad run, or a bad season, and the manager gets fired, has always seemed kinda nuts to me. In any of our jobs any of us can have better and worse periods, and (most of the time) not get sacked for the bad stuff. Instead we get feedback, learn and improve. 

 If Howe stays then over a long enough time period he'll obviously do better. Right now he and the team are exhausted and it isn't working. It might not improve for a while given the games we've got lined up. But, eventually, it will. He'll figure it out, some of the players who are out of form will improve, it'll be OK. I might feel differently if relegation was a realistic possibility, but it isn't.

  Sometimes another team has a manager who's an obvious dud. From our perspective we want the other team to keep them for as long as possible. I would always be happy for another prem team to have Ange, for example, or Ten Hag.

  But Howe's clearly - clearly - not a dud. He has limitations (who doesn't) but is, at least, always trying to address them. He'll be as aware as anyone that he hasn't cracked the two games a week thing yet.

 All of the supposedly "elite" managers have become that by managing clubs with way more resources than we're currently permitted to deploy. If they came to manage us they'd struggle to keep their elite rep - because as above we aren't allowed to pay the very best players the wages they command. (Which is an outrage, and I hope will change)

 Why did Emery turn us down? Surely because he was able to see that PSR restricted both clubs but on reflection the stranglehold was looser at Villa because they had a much more valuable existing squad. And he's been proved right.

 I feel like we'll limp to the end of this season, get knocked out of the FA Cup at Villa, finish mid-table, probably not win the CL (although I have ££ backing us to). And then take stock, do way better next season with no Europe. And then 2027/28 we have a season in which Eddie tries to get the 2 games a week balance right, or righter.

  That all feels absolutely fine tbh. Yes the football has been a tough watch this season, but we're all big boys, aren't we?

 To all the Howe Out Now crew (if you're even real), I'm not even saying "who have you got in mind who's better?" (although ..), I'm saying rather "why are you freaking out so hard about this? you don't have to be like every other micropenis yapper out there. you're not aura farming (i hope). just accept that things are sometimes disappointing and that the optimal response to that isn't always to smash the place up. Unless you think that Howe is, or has become, an Ange or a Ten Hag. But the truth is that if Eddie left, fans of other clubs/our hated rivals would be really pleased.

 

 

exactly this 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Lovely posting. 

[La Parka]

He's still shit tho.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rod]

1 hour ago, Interpolic said:

Some really nice, thoughtful, eloquent posts. Maybe where not all thick. 

We are or we're, you thick twat!

 

 

Edited February 9 by Rod

[TheEntertainer]

2 hours ago, TRon said:

 

 

Emery didn't turn us down because the PSR stranglehold was looser at Villa, at the time Villa weren't even on the horizon. His team Villareal were in the Champions League quarter final so it was a lot to give up to come to a relegation threatened Newcastle. Even so the deal was done until we leaked it from our end and that put him in a difficult position at home in Spain. 

Yeah 100% this. 

 

Also in response to some of the rest of the post this was responding to, I don't think anyone thinks Howe is a shite manager, unfortunately in football most managers have a shelf life at a club and results seems to decline despite the fact we can all clearly see the manager is talented and has acheived fantastic things previously. That's my worry, not that Howe's a knacker and should never have been given the job, I'm worried that through burnout, our style of play not working anymore or whatever it is, we've gone as far as we can under Howe. It's a weird thing about football and I think it's maybe because it's so hard to manage people at the very top level for an extended period of time, but managers who are succesful for extended periods of time are the exception not the rule, even Pep's not seemed at his best the last couple of years, he's just lucky to have infinite money to throw at the problem and Mourinho was the best in the world and now he's really not.  

 

I still want him to turn it around as I've said, it currently doesn't feel like he's going to. Doesn't mean he won't, but the worry is he's taken us as far as he can (which has obviously been incredible, but doesn't mean we should now accept that he can do no wrong). 

 

I'm not really sure what micro penises or aura farming have to do with any of it so I'll just skip that bit. 

[Rod]

34 minutes ago, TheEntertainer said:

Yeah 100% this. 

 

Also in response to some of the rest of the post this was responding to, I don't think anyone thinks Howe is a shite manager, unfortunately in football most managers have a shelf life at a club and results seems to decline despite the fact we can all clearly see the manager is talented and has acheived fantastic things previously. That's my worry, not that Howe's a knacker and should never have been given the job, I'm worried that through burnout, our style of play not working anymore or whatever it is, we've gone as far as we can under Howe. It's a weird thing about football and I think it's maybe because it's so hard to manage people at the very top level for an extended period of time, but managers who are succesful for extended periods of time are the exception not the rule, even Pep's not seemed at his best the last couple of years, he's just lucky to have infinite money to throw at the problem and Mourinho was the best in the world and now he's really not.  

 

I still want him to turn it around as I've said, it currently doesn't feel like he's going to. Doesn't mean he won't, but the worry is he's taken us as far as he can (which has obviously been incredible, but doesn't mean we should now accept that he can do no wrong). 

 

I'm not really sure what micro penises or aura farming have to do with any of it so I'll just skip that bit. 

My god, you couldn't be any more wrong. Some of our fans leave me cold. Get a grip for goodness sake.

[KaKa]

On 07/02/2026 at 23:25, PauloGeordio said:

 

 

Never felt more confident he'll figure things out now.

 

This is the point he needed to reach. Rethinking things completely.

[Vinny Green Balls]

In a society that often rewards self-centered narcissistic behavior, we've got a humble and very self-aware coach who has also given us some of the best results in our lifetimes. How could you not root for him to turn it around?

 

 

Edited February 10 by Vinny Green Balls

[TheBrownBottle]

8 minutes ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

In a society that often rewards self-centered narcissistic behavior, we've got a humble and very self-aware coach who has also given us some of the best results in ourl ifetimes. How could you not root for him to turn it around?

He was honest to the point that it’s actually worrying - very few modern managers / head coaches expose their own vulnerabilities in that way.  It’s a mark of the man. 

[GideonShandy]

4 hours ago, Rod said:

We are or we're, you thick twat!

 

 

 

Tell that to andycap.