Eddie Howe

[Wallsendmag]

13 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

It’s a pattern at home - on this occasion it happened to be the Mackems, but Howe struggles to set up a team to be midtable opposition.  And it’s nowt to do with fixture pile-ups - it was the same last year.  In terms of home matches last season vs teams in 8th - 14th, the results were W2 L5.  This season (based on current standings) it’s W2 L3.  We’ve still got to play Brighton and Bournemouth at home - I wouldn’t bank on getting six points from those.  These are all clubs we’ve massively outspent, yet we struggle to breakdown every single time.  The Mackem game is completely in line with a pattern.

 

I said a few days beforehand on here that Sunderland would be awful opposition for us. Would have fancied our chances much more against Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Villa etc for the reasons you outline.

 

Howe doesn't seen to have a clue how to set up against teams that play a certain way.

[Andy84]

6 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

I said a few days beforehand on here that Sunderland would be awful opposition for us. Would have fancied our chances much more against Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Villa etc for the reasons you outline.

 

Howe doesn't seen to have a clue how to set up against teams that play a certain way.

This is a recent thing mind, because usually bottom half teams are meat and drink for us in recent seasons.  

[TheBrownBottle]

3 minutes ago, Andy84 said:

This is a recent thing mind, because usually bottom half teams are meat and drink for us in recent seasons.  

It’s at least two seasons this has been happening.  It’s mid-table sides rather than relegation fodder we tend to struggle with. 

[Wallsendmag]

4 minutes ago, Andy84 said:

This is a recent thing mind, because usually bottom half teams are meat and drink for us in recent seasons.  

 

Last season I remember serious struggles at home to the likes of West Ham, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth. Think we might well have lost against them all.

[TheBrownBottle]

1 minute ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Last season I remember serious struggles at home to the likes of West Ham, Brighton, Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth. Think we might well have lost against them all.

We did - we lost against all five. 

[Mills and Boon]

1 hour ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Howe doesn't seen to have a clue how to set up against teams that play a certain way.

 

How do you suppose we were the better team in the first half and were unlucky not to be two nowt up at half time?

 

Seems to me like we set up pretty well but didn't see it through into the second half. And it's not like the mackems changed anything, other than booting another of our defenders out of the game

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, Mills and Boon said:

 

How do you suppose we were the better team in the first half and were unlucky not to be two nowt up at half time?

 

Seems to me like we set up pretty well but didn't see it through into the second half. And it's not like the mackems changed anything, other than booting another of our defenders out of the game

If you consistently burn out in the second half then you haven’t been set up well at all.

[Whitley mag]

Danny Murphy nailed it on that talk sport interview, ride out the pressing storm for 30 mins, then they fall apart 2nd half and basically we’re not a very intelligent team.

 

That’s down to the manager and if Danny fucking Murphy has us sussed, it’s a safe bet everyone else in the league has.

 

This kill them with our intensity doesn’t work with 2 games a week unless you have a big squad. This is the crux of it for me can Howe adapt to being better in possession, has he got the elite coaches around him to implement this, or if we don’t qualify for Europe next season he thinks bingo as you were.

 

If it’s the latter there’s a big problem in terms of him matching the clubs ambitions. I don’t see us having the revenue to provide him with the squad to press teams twice a week for a longtime.

 

 

Edited March 26 by Whitley mag

[Myleftboot]

The question is,is Eddie a one game a week manager and always will be  or is it a squad issue.

[Ben]

26 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

Danny Murphy nailed it on that talk sport interview, ride out the pressing storm for 30 mins, then they fall apart 2nd half and basically we’re not a very intelligent team.

 

That’s down to the manager and if Danny fucking Murphy has us sussed, it’s a safe bet everyone else in the league has.

 

This kill them with our intensity doesn’t work with 2 games a week unless you have a big squad. This is the crux of it for me can Howe adapt to being better in possession, has he got the elite coaches around him to implement this, or if we don’t qualify for Europe next season he thinks bingo as you were.

 

If it’s the latter there’s a big problem in terms of him matching the clubs ambitions. I don’t see us having the revenue to provide him with the squad to press teams twice a week for a longtime.

 

 

 

 

For what its worth, that is how Sunderland beat us on Sunday, they were wasting time from about the first 5 minutes. conserving energy for the last 20.

[Wallsendmag]

7 hours ago, Mills and Boon said:

 

How do you suppose we were the better team in the first half and were unlucky not to be two nowt up at half time?

 

Seems to me like we set up pretty well but didn't see it through into the second half. And it's not like the mackems changed anything, other than booting another of our defenders out of the game

 

We huffed and puffed mate. We were the better team for the first half hour but despite them playing a division 3 standard lad at centre half and a goalkeeper who looked like he'd never played before it took a gift from them for us to score.

 

They knew that if they could stay in the game up till HT they had a great chance of winning it which is how it turned out. I said at HT I wasn't confident at all about the 2nd half. Had a look at the odds for them to win the game. Could see it coming a mile off. They wouldn't play like that again in the 2nd half. They were 11/1 to win the game. Absolutely daft odds. I always bet with my head not my heart so I went with what I expected to happen and stuck a tenner on them. Whilst the £120 was of scant consolation, you don't get that sort of interest for leaving your money in the bank for an hour.

[Yorkie]

54 minutes ago, Myleftboot said:

The question is,is Eddie a one game a week manager and always will be  or is it a squad issue.

 

I think the answer to that is 'little of column A, little of column B.' I respect the guy's approach to the whole season and the general vibe that every single match has equal importance, but you can't argue with the results and the fact is (to borrow Rafa's short blanket analogy), Eddie Howe's NUFC bedspread doesn't appear cover four competitions. That's column A.

 

Where column B comes into it is, I think Eddie Howe's MCFC or LFC bedspread probably does cover four competitions. Give him their squads and academies and I think he'd smash it. 

 

But he doesn't have their squads and never will so he needs to change something to ensure the league form doesn't crumble if we get into Europe with him again.

[astraguy]

Utter utter nonsense Eddie can't handle 3 games a week FFS, We've just got to another semi final, round 5 of the fa cup and the last 16 of the champions league and we're 6 points off big spending Chelsea and 7 off 450m Liverpool. We have struggled due to the squad still being years off others and injuries to players and then the replacement getting injuries due to burn out.

Oh and since Eddie has come in i can't name an easy route we've had in cups, but we've always fought 

[Lush Vlad]

Keep hopping down from the fence to one side, then back up and over again.  

 

This morning I keep thinking I can't see him turning it around.  Whether we finish in the European places or not, I don't think he is going to tweak his style enough next season and we seem to have been fully found out.  I think he has full belief in what he is doing, which is great in one way.  He believes he can fine tune his system and make it better.  I'm not sure he can. 

 

You can count on one hand the amount of comfortable wins we have had in the league this season.  We've not had many memorable team performances in the Prem (Everton away, Man U home).  In fairness, perhaps some great individual ones.  But we used to be such a well oiled machine and worked as a unit. 

 

Every game feels like a slog and a lot closer than it needs to be.  We don't come from behind to turn games around, yet we struggle to play with a lead.  Regularly going to shit once we're ahead and not pressing home our advantage.  Eventually throwing the lead and then often the point away.  Usually with a heartbreaking 90+ goal from the opposition.

 

Tune in tomorrow, where I'll probably be back to making excuses for him and why I think he deserves a chance to try and turn it around  

[The College Dropout]

2 hours ago, Whitley mag said:

Danny Murphy nailed it on that talk sport interview, ride out the pressing storm for 30 mins, then they fall apart 2nd half and basically we’re not a very intelligent team.

 

That’s down to the manager and if Danny fucking Murphy has us sussed, it’s a safe bet everyone else in the league has.

 

This kill them with our intensity doesn’t work with 2 games a week unless you have a big squad. This is the crux of it for me can Howe adapt to being better in possession, has he got the elite coaches around him to implement this, or if we don’t qualify for Europe next season he thinks bingo as you were.

 

If it’s the latter there’s a big problem in terms of him matching the clubs ambitions. I don’t see us having the revenue to provide him with the squad to press teams twice a week for a longtime.

 

 

 

When we were solid at least we wouldn't concede.

 

And when we had Wilson or a Barnes, Isak, Bruno, Gordon, Schar to Joelinton etc. we had common routes to goals or magic. We don't have that KO punch anymore and frail mentally.

 

Some of it is coaching for sure. Longstaff's comments ring loud. But a lot of it is we don't have the personnel.

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Lush Vlad said:

Keep hopping down from the fence to one side, then back up and over again.  

 

This morning I keep thinking I can't see him turning it around.  Whether we finish in the European places or not, I don't think he is going to tweak his style enough next season and we seem to have been fully found out.  I think he has full belief in what he is doing, which is great in one way.  He believes he can fine tune his system and make it better.  I'm not sure he can. 

 

You can count on one hand the amount of comfortable wins we have had in the league this season.  We've not had many memorable team performances in the Prem (Everton away, Man U home).  In fairness, perhaps some great individual ones.  But we used to be such a well oiled machine and worked as a unit. 

 

Every game feels like a slog and a lot closer than it needs to be.  We don't come from behind to turn games around, yet we struggle to play with a lead.  Regularly going to shit once we're ahead and not pressing home our advantage.  Eventually throwing the lead and then often the point away.  Usually with a heartbreaking 90+ goal from the opposition.

 

Tune in tomorrow, where I'll probably be back to making excuses for him and why I think he deserves a chance to try and turn it around  

I think it's really hard to tell and the rest of the season will tell us a lot. 

[TheBrownBottle]

11 minutes ago, astraguy said:

Utter utter nonsense Eddie can't handle 3 games a week FFS, We've just got to another semi final, round 5 of the fa cup and the last 16 of the champions league and we're 6 points off big spending Chelsea and 7 off 450m Liverpool. We have struggled due to the squad still being years off others and injuries to players and then the replacement getting injuries due to burn out.

Oh and since Eddie has come in i can't name an easy route we've had in cups, but we've always fought 

You need to tell Eddie that, then - he’s the one who rolls it out as an excuse

[Lush Vlad]

Just now, r0cafella said:

I think it's really hard to tell and the rest of the season will tell us a lot. 

 

This is the thing though.  I keep thinking if he gets us into any sort of European football.  Then you really can't then look to move on from him.  He would 100% deserve another summer and season to get us back on track. 

 

But then on the flip side of that.  Do I think he is going to start addressing some of the glaring issues with how we set up?  Will he move on from certain players that are constantly letting us down?  Do the club even have the funds for the necessary rebuild and is he the man to lead it?

 

The more I think about it.  The more I think performances are more important with finishing in a European spot.  If we actually start competing in games for longer spells and there seems to be some sort of discernible gameplan.  Then I'd feel a lot more positive about next season.  

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

 

This is the thing though.  I keep thinking if he gets us into any sort of European football.  Then you really can't then look to move on from him.  He would 100% deserve another summer and season to get us back on track. 

 

But then on the flip side of that.  Do I think he is going to start addressing some of the glaring issues with how we set up?  Will he move on from certain players that are constantly letting us down?  Do the club even have the funds for the necessary rebuild and is he the man to lead it?

 

The more I think about it.  The more I think performances are more important with finishing in a European spot.  If we actually start competing in games for longer spells and there seems to be some sort of discernible gameplan.  Then I'd feel a lot more positive about next season.  

Ahh, Interesting take. 

 

For me, European football would be the shield. If he gets us in to Europe then we are basically at Par imo, despite a few turgid performances we would have to go again.

 

Obviously that means closing an eye to some of the failings but you'd have to back him to get it right at that juncture imo.  

[Lush Vlad]

Just now, r0cafella said:

Ahh, Interesting take. 

 

For me, European football would be the shield. If he gets us in to Europe then we are basically at Par imo, despite a few turgid performances we would have to go again.

 

Obviously that means closing an eye to some of the failings but you'd have to back him to get it right at that juncture imo.  

 

I mean, I say all this now.  But obviously squeaking 7th or 8th and getting into Europe next season.  Would be better than a load of good performances, but only finishing 10th.  

 

I'm just trying to not look at the result and the outcome only and look at the bigger picture.  But it doesn't usually work that way with football fans.  It doesn't with me, anyway  

[r0cafella]

Just now, Lush Vlad said:

 

I mean, I say all this now.  But obviously squeaking 7th or 8th and getting into Europe next season.  Would be better than a load of good performances, but only finishing 10th.  

 

I'm just trying to not look at the result and the outcome only and look at the bigger picture.  But it doesn't usually work that way with football fans.  It doesn't with me, anyway  

Haha. You have the opposite problem to me. I often tend to want to look so far ahead I gloss over the current happenings.  

[Coffee_Johnny]

52 minutes ago, astraguy said:

Utter utter nonsense Eddie can't handle 3 games a week FFS, We've just got to another semi final, round 5 of the fa cup and the last 16 of the champions league and we're 6 points off big spending Chelsea and 7 off 450m Liverpool. We have struggled due to the squad still being years off others and injuries to players and then the replacement getting injuries due to burn out.

Oh and since Eddie has come in i can't name an easy route we've had in cups, but we've always fought 

You make good points, but it is evident that given our squad quality and depth, we—Eddie’s team—have not been able to handle the additional demands. We’re are heading to our lowest points return under his leadership. Injuries, but more so bad transfer dealings, have played their part. But perhaps Howe needs to reflect on whether he should have cut his cloth accordingly. 
That said to steal someone’s metaphor there is no point blaming the pilot/navigator for hitting some turbulence. Unless the impact could have been minimised by charting a different course. 

[astraguy]

59 minutes ago, Coffee_Johnny said:

You make good points, but it is evident that given our squad quality and depth, we—Eddie’s team—have not been able to handle the additional demands. We’re are heading to our lowest points return under his leadership. Injuries, but more so bad transfer dealings, have played their part. But perhaps Howe needs to reflect on whether he should have cut his cloth accordingly. 
That said to steal someone’s metaphor there is no point blaming the pilot/navigator for hitting some turbulence. Unless the impact could have been minimised by charting a different course. 

Give Eddie a dof and the players he wants early not a crisis to deal with every summer 

[Jackie Broon]

I think he has got things wrong in terms of managing the number of games we have had.

 

It seems like he has favoured trying to manage fatigue by the way we play, rather than by using his full squad, particularly for the first half of the season. But I think that the cost of that in terms of dropping points in the league has probably been greater that what it has saved us in fatigue and benefit of having our best players on the pitch most of the time, and we've still ended up knackered at this stage of the season.

 

 

[Optimistic Nut]

3 minutes ago, Jackie Broon said:

I think he has got things wrong in terms of managing the number of games we have had.

 

It seems like he has favoured trying to manage fatigue by the way we play, rather than by using his full squad, particularly for the first half of the season. But I think that the cost of that in terms of dropping points in the league has probably been greater that what it has saved us in fatigue and benefit of having our best players on the pitch most of the time, and we've still ended up knackered at this stage of the season.

 

 

 

This was a month ago:

 

 

We've played 27 league games for instance but only Tonali, Thiaw & Bruno of the outfield players have started 20+ of them. Tonali & Thiaw with the most on 23.

 

We've played 10 Champions League games, no-one has started more than 8.