Eddie Howe

[dcmk]

Just now, Weezertron said:

If thats the only criteria for good scouting, then we should go for Lamine Yamal and Haaland in the summer. 

The players we attempted to sign were either out of favour or wanted to move to a bigger club.  And more importantly wanted wages we could afford to pay.

 

Don't think Yamal and Haaland would fit that now somehow.

[Weezertron]

1 minute ago, dcmk said:

The players we attempted to sign were either out of favour or wanted to move to a bigger club.  And more importantly wanted wages we could afford to pay.

 

Don't think Yamal and Haaland would fit that now somehow.

They'd both improve our first team. That's your criteria. 

[Nine]

2 hours ago, Turnbull2000 said:

in hindsight, would probably have been better off just using Gordon till the Xmas window, rather than two pretty much useless panic buys.

Wolte scored 7 in the league (before the winter window? I think) 

 

Useless is way to harsh

[dcmk]

5 minutes ago, Weezertron said:

They'd both improve our first team. That's your criteria. 

Yeh.  

 

The ones we targeted were the ones which were realistic, available and affordable.

 

Haaland and Yamal 

 

The Howe outers arguments really fall down quickly once you start to look a bit deeper.  That's where we are at - Haaland and Yamal?  Wow

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by dcmk

[TRon]

24 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

Agreed. Pretty sure Howe knows what he's doing with Woltamade, he just needs a bit of patience.

 

 

That would be a better take, and more in line with the Howe I know. 

[Weezertron]

Just now, dcmk said:

Yeh.  

 

The ones we targeted were the ones which were realistic, available and affordable.

 

Haaland and Yamal 

 

The Howe outers arguments really fall down quickly once you start to look a bit digger.  That's where we are at - Haaland and Yamal?  Wow

 

 

 

I never said anything about Howe out. 

 

Anyway, I'm glad the club are changing their approach this summer after realising it didn't work. 

[HaydnNUFC]

1 hour ago, Danh1 said:

We were linked with Wissa all window, and we wanted Elanga from the 2024 summer. £100 million or so. 

After spending a period of the close season trying to keep Callum Wilson around for another year despite looking absolutely finished last season. (in before a #bantz jibe about that being better than what we have).

 

The lack of proactivity with outgoings and holding onto players for too long is the main blotch on our transfers under Howe for me. This summer the full back situation where we could potentially need to sign 4 full backs should Tino leave is an example of this.

 

 

Edited April 11 by HaydnNUFC

[dcmk]

3 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

After spending a period of the close season trying to keep Callum Wilson around for another year despite looking absolutely finished last season. (in before a #bantz jibe about that being better than what we have).

We could have triggered a one year extension but offered him only a pay and play deal instead.

 

We were hardly desperate for him to stick around considering we didn't take up his one year option.

 

It's a nice narrative but it's misleading.

[HaydnNUFC]

1 minute ago, dcmk said:

We could have triggered a one year extension but offered him only a pay and play deal instead.

 

We were hardly desperate for him to stick around considering we didn't take up his one year option.

 

It's a nice narrative but it's misleading.

Keeping him around in any capacity would’ve been the wrong decision. He should’ve been sold in summer 2023 when we could’ve got a decent fee for him, came off the back of his best goalscoring return and had an injury free preseason. Same with Almiron. 
 

Instead he was kept around on a new contract, contributed next to nothing bar a handful of goals against poor sides in 2023-24 and we lost him for nowt.

[dcmk]

Just now, HaydnNUFC said:

Keeping him around in any capacity would’ve been the wrong decision. He should’ve been sold in summer 2023 when we could’ve got a decent fee for him, came off the back of his best goalscoring return and had an injury free preseason. Same with Almiron. 
 

Instead he was kept around on a new contract, contributed next to nothing bar a handful of goals against poor sides in 2023-24 and we lost him for nowt.

We could have kept him but didn't want him.   We offered him a poor pay and play deal that we knew was never going to be accepted, by all accounts.

 

His contract at West Ham also a pay and play just on much better terms.

 

Not sure what the point is, he was never a realistic option?

 

[Kid Icarus]

The approach was fine when we had a DoF and CEO who could get deals done. We didn't last summer.

[nufc123]

26 minutes ago, dcmk said:

The Howe outers arguments really fall down quickly once you start to look a bit deeper. 

What arguments? You are talking about strikers.

[Armchair Pundit]

2 hours ago, NUFC91 said:

 

Why do a few people keep bringing this up for, it's the same for every club who plays in Europe. What's the outcome we never strive for Europe because we get less time to train?

 

It's not the same when you've had a massive impact from losing your established striker and end up making emergency replacement signings as late into to window as we did, it's why pre-seasons are so important. Add to that where most teams that get into Europe tend to strengthen already established squads - we needed to do all that, even before things all got disrupted by the Isak saga and we never caught up after that.

[HaydnNUFC]

7 minutes ago, dcmk said:

We could have kept him but didn't want him.   We offered him a poor pay and play deal that we knew was never going to be accepted, by all accounts.

 

His contract at West Ham also a pay and play just on much better terms.

 

Not sure what the point is, he was never a realistic option?

 

I don’t think you’re seeing my overriding point. It isn’t just about Wilson; we’ve been poor at letting players go at the right times where Wilson alongside others were given new contracts instead of being sold. He scored 18 PL goals in 22-23 at 30, we could’ve gotten a decent fee for that and given his injury record it was within our interest then to move him on and get an understudy to Isak.
 

Almiron was the same, should’ve been sold at the end of a season everyone knew he wouldn’t replicate in terms of numbers when we could’ve got a decent fee but he was given a new contract before proceeding to contribute nothing and we then lost him for nothing.

Trippier too, should probably have been let go when Bayern came in for him. We’ve instead lost him for nowt, and there’s now a good chance we have to sign 4 full backs in the summer.

 

I’ve the same opinion with Joelinton, think he should’ve been let go in summer 2024 but was instead given a new contract on apparently more money than Isak.

 

Its poor player trading/squad management.

 

 

Edited April 11 by HaydnNUFC

[Weezertron]

30 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

The approach was fine when we had a DoF and CEO who could get deals done. We didn't last summer.

 

Should we have pivoted?

[Kid Icarus]

36 minutes ago, Weezertron said:

 

Should we have pivoted?

I think we did in the end tbh. Just rather by being forced to after missing out rather than choosing to beforehand.

 

It's all hypothetical but I don't think the makeshift recruitment team we had in the summer would have had much luck getting the likes of Isak, Tonali, Botman, and on the flipside Ashworth or Staveley might have faired better in stealing the march on say Delap or Mbeumo. All I know for certain is that the setup that we had in the summer was as a result of gross incompetence from PIF and Reuben, at least imo anyway.

 

 

Edited April 11 by Kid Icarus

[astraguy]

2 Shite goalkeepers No tino for 4 months Hall missed a month or two at the start Botman not having a decent run of games because of stop Start injuries Thiaw ran into the ground Lost Bruno for a considerable amount of time Wissa form flatlining due to injury Ramsey taking a while to settle Losing miley for 2 month It’s been a awful season for Many reasons not just about Eddie Howe, Yet we nearly got to the last 8 of the cl, 5th round of the fa cup, Semi of Carabao Cup again....Another club without the REVENUE of the top 6 and thats a fucking success 

 

 

Edited April 11 by astraguy

[Groundhog63]

10 minutes ago, astraguy said:

2 Shite goalkeepers No tino for 4 months Hall missed a month or two at the start Botman not having a decent run of games because of stop Start injuries Thiaw ran into the ground Lost Bruno for a considerable amount of time Wissa form flatlining due to injury Ramsey taking a while to settle Losing miley for 2 month It’s been a awful season for Many reasons not just about Eddie Howe, Yet we nearly got to the last 8 of the cl, 5th round of the fa cup, Semi of Carabao Cup again....Another club without the REVENUE of the top 6 and thats a fucking success 

 

 

 

Amen

[Weezertron]

16 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

I think we did in the end tbh. Just rather by being forced to after missing out rather than choosing to beforehand.

 

It's all hypothetical but I don't think the makeshift recruitment team we had in the summer would have had much luck getting the likes of Isak, Tonali, Botman, and on the flipside Ashworth or Staveley might have faired better in stealing the march on say Delap or Mbeumo. All I know for certain is that the setup that we had in the summer was as a result of gross incompetence from PIF and Reuben, at least imo anyway.

 

 

 

 

Fair. I think we pivoted to lesser players for similar fees. I don't think it was a pivot in approach, but maybe they didn't have time to draft a new list. Though I'd hope we'd always have a database of players that lean more to potential (granted Big Nick probably falls into this category, but with a big fee)

[Kid Icarus]

5 minutes ago, Weezertron said:

 

Fair. I think we pivoted to lesser players for similar fees. I don't think it was a pivot in approach, but maybe they didn't have time to draft a new list. Though I'd hope we'd always have a database of players that lean more to potential (granted Big Nick probably falls into this category, but with a big fee)

It's a funny one, I think Woltemade and Ramsdale were maybe the only definitive pivots within the window itself, but because there were so many players before we signed Woltemade it was very much needs must and not ideal.

 

Thiaw was a long-term pivot from Guehi and I'd say has been a success.

 

Ramsdale was always a poor choice for me but for a loan and a small fee it wasn't the end of the world.

 

Ramsey was opportunism I think and he's looking better and better.

 

Elanga has the biggest question mark over him, but I still have hope, and he also seems to have been signed with Isak (or similar) in mind.

 

Wissa has been a failure, no question. I still don't think it was a poor decision at the time though, just an overspend. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he had a good season next season either.

 

Will be an interesting summer for sure, I'm not sure whether we'll double down on the above, plus some others (new 'keeper, midfielder, right back etc) or draw a line under some of them and start again. 

[McDog]

14 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

It's a funny one, I think Woltemade and Ramsdale were maybe the only definitive pivots within the window itself, but because there were so many players before we signed Woltemade it was very much needs must and not ideal.

 

Thiaw was a long-term pivot from Guehi and I'd say has been a success.

 

Ramsdale was always a poor choice for me but for a loan and a small fee it wasn't the end of the world.

 

Ramsey was opportunism I think and he's looking better and better.

 

Elanga has the biggest question mark over him, but I still have hope, and he also seems to have been signed with Isak (or similar) in mind.

 

Wissa has been a failure, no question. I still don't think it was a poor decision at the time though, just an overspend. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he had a good season next season either.

 

Will be an interesting summer for sure, I'm not sure whether we'll double down on the above, plus some others (new 'keeper, midfielder, right back etc) or draw a line under some of them and start again. 

 

 

Agree with all of that tbf. Window will be damn interesting next summer although I sure hope it has little in similarity from the last summer.

[TRon]

1 hour ago, Kid Icarus said:

I think we did in the end tbh. Just rather by being forced to after missing out rather than choosing to beforehand.

 

It's all hypothetical but I don't think the makeshift recruitment team we had in the summer would have had much luck getting the likes of Isak, Tonali, Botman, and on the flipside Ashworth or Staveley might have faired better in stealing the march on say Delap or Mbeumo. All I know for certain is that the setup that we had in the summer was as a result of gross incompetence from PIF and Reuben, at least imo anyway.

 

 

 

 

The owners don't appear to know their football, which tbh is the case with most owners. It was definitely a fuck up to let the CEO and DOF situation drift for months on end, don't think there can be much question about that. But by the same token, it did allow Howe to go for the players he wanted without much obstruction so he has to take some responsibility. I just don't buy he is the type of man to have players foisted on him, especially when there is no DOF other than people who he was happy working with anyway, albeit not at that level. 

[Weezertron]

27 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

It's a funny one, I think Woltemade and Ramsdale were maybe the only definitive pivots within the window itself, but because there were so many players before we signed Woltemade it was very much needs must and not ideal.

 

Thiaw was a long-term pivot from Guehi and I'd say has been a success.

 

Ramsdale was always a poor choice for me but for a loan and a small fee it wasn't the end of the world.

 

Ramsey was opportunism I think and he's looking better and better.

 

Elanga has the biggest question mark over him, but I still have hope, and he also seems to have been signed with Isak (or similar) in mind.

 

Wissa has been a failure, no question. I still don't think it was a poor decision at the time though, just an overspend. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he had a good season next season either.

 

Will be an interesting summer for sure, I'm not sure whether we'll double down on the above, plus some others (new 'keeper, midfielder, right back etc) or draw a line under some of them and start again. 

although we know each other IRL, it’s nice to have a non combative discussion on here about the club. 

[Kid Icarus]

50 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

The owners don't appear to know their football, which tbh is the case with most owners. It was definitely a fuck up to let the CEO and DOF situation drift for months on end, don't think there can be much question about that. But by the same token, it did allow Howe to go for the players he wanted without much obstruction so he has to take some responsibility. I just don't buy he is the type of man to have players foisted on him, especially when there is no DOF other than people who he was happy working with anyway, albeit not at that level. 

 

Even if this were true, none of this happens in a vacuum. In other words, not having a CEO and DoF in place doesn't just mean that the only other thing that changes is that Howe gets the players he wants, and that's it.

 

Even in a situation where we just go for Howe targets, it also means:

 

a lower chance of getting those players - the people in makeshift CEO and DoF positions aren't experienced in those roles, and potentially don't have the contacts, skills, expediency to pull off the deals that say Ashworth and Staveley could. This is exactly what we saw, with multiple targets missed, particularly strikers.

 

Howe, Nickson and A.Howe's work capacity is compromised, meaning that not only does their effectiveness in their makeshift roles suffer, but their effectiveness in their existing roles suffer. It then impacts whoever else needed to step in for them, and on and on.

 

Those are just the two off the top of my head but they're huge imo. As I've said loads of times before, Howe being put in that position wasn't like some sort of reward that he should be thankful for, it was a poison chalice that was thrust upon him, that he, Nickson and A.Howe did to pull us out of the shit, and that we should if not thank them for (though I personally think we should) at the very least not blame them for, when it was PIF and Reuben's lack of planning that was at fault.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11 by Kid Icarus

[Yorkie]

3 hours ago, HaydnNUFC said:

I don’t think you’re seeing my overriding point. It isn’t just about Wilson; we’ve been poor at letting players go at the right times where Wilson alongside others were given new contracts instead of being sold. He scored 18 PL goals in 22-23 at 30, we could’ve gotten a decent fee for that and given his injury record it was within our interest then to move him on and get an understudy to Isak.
 

Almiron was the same, should’ve been sold at the end of a season everyone knew he wouldn’t replicate in terms of numbers when we could’ve got a decent fee but he was given a new contract before proceeding to contribute nothing and we then lost him for nothing.

Trippier too, should probably have been let go when Bayern came in for him. We’ve instead lost him for nowt, and there’s now a good chance we have to sign 4 full backs in the summer.

 

I’ve the same opinion with Joelinton, think he should’ve been let go in summer 2024 but was instead given a new contract on apparently more money than Isak.

 

Its poor player trading/squad management.

 

Both absolutely fucking mint in the cup final, if that means anything at all. We also got cash for Miggy, so who cares.