Eddie Howe

[AyeDubbleYoo]

31 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

 

I think a lot will depend on who takes ownership of last summer's transfer window. The way I see it, the CEO isn't going to sanction endless spending, it has to be in line with SCR. So if Howe isn't happy with his strike options, how do we fix that considering both Wolt and Wissa would have to be sold at a loss in order to buy new ones? 

 

If they were bought over his head (which I doubt) then he can justifiably throw it back at the board and tell them to deal with it. Will Howe be happy with sacrificing his blue chip players in order to get the ones he wants in? Or will he be happy to let Wilson bring players in and just coach the ones he's given?

 

 

I don’t know why nobody can envisage a constructive relationship where they work together to decide who to sign. 

[Milburn]

1 hour ago, Chicken Dancer said:

Yep. Anything the club does next will be considered a risk. 
 

A) stick with Howe, spend a lot of money on his players in the summer, we start shite and end up binning him by Christmas. Another manager comes in and probably wants a small overhaul next summer. 
 

b) part ways with Howe, appoint someone who just ends up being shit and we all end up pining for Howe again. 
 

There is of course the opposite of both options - where we can be really good with Howe or another manager next season. I think people on both sides of the argument struggle to see that as a possibility. 

I don’t think option A, spending a lot of money on his players, should even be on the table.

 

We’ve already tried that route. Spending big on, at the very best, bang average “PL-proven” players. People point to the lack of a CEO and Sporting Director last summer, but players like Elanga and Wissa were clearly Howe’s choices and players he would have wanted even with a proper setup in place. It hasn’t moved us forward. 

 

The club needs a reset in direction: targeting lesser-known profiles from the continent, building value, and actually having a coherent recruitment strategy. That shouldn’t even be up for debate at this point.

 

The real question is: does Howe fit into that model? Because it requires the manager to step back and accept that player recruitment and strategy are driven by others. I’m not convinced someone as detail-driven and hands-on as Howe will be comfortable with that.

 

 

Edited April 14 by Milburn

[Ben]

Would Howe leave us in the summer for Man U/ Liverpool/ Man City if he was offered a position?

[healthyaddiction]

1 minute ago, Ben said:

Would Howe leave us in the summer for Man U/ Liverpool/ Man City if he was offered a position?

Yes

[Tiotes Witch Doctor]

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

[Kid Icarus]

12 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

 

On 13/04/2026 at 08:42, Kid Icarus said:

On scale of points rather than position you only need to look at Guardiola and Klopp in their transition seasons.

 

Man City went from 91 points in 1st to 71 points in 3rd (-20 points), Liverpool went from 92 points in 2nd to 69 points in 5th (-23 points)

 

We're looking at a similar fall off, from 66 points to I dunno, ~50 odd points.

 

These are clubs with more or less unlimited resources with managers who are seen as the best around.

 

Man City spent £500m in that January just to ensure Champions League, they now look like having a decent chance of winning the league.

 

Liverpool spent £145m in the summer after they finished 5th and bounced back to 82 points in 3rd, setting them up to 84 points in 1st the following season under Slot.

 

 

 

 

[dcmk]

13 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

Well yes with Howe in his first season.  We finished in a CL place the season afterwards.

[Jaqen]

2 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

 

To be fair the league table is quite unique this season. There was 24 points between 6th and 14th last season, this season there's currently 6. 

[nufcjmc]

18 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

As a club the one that springs to mind is chelsea who went from 3rd to 12th then back to 6th but obviously not the same manager. 

 

 

Edited April 14 by nufcjmc

[Mahoneys Tache]

I expect Eddie can be awkward to work with because he’s got a clear vision and a lot of self belief. Which all the most successful managers have. I think he might make things difficult for DOF etc. 

[Mahoneys Tache]

30 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

Ferguson maybe? Season he won the league cup then kicked on from there. He was going to get the boot until he won the league cup. 

[Heron]

10 hours ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

As much as I have my frustrations with Howe, I'm finding the discourse around him currently extremely disrespectful. Some fans don't deserve him. 

 

We know how good he can be, there could be (and are) extremely valid reasons for whatever's gone down this season so far & some of the weird things we're seeing from him. Imo, you have to look at his entire body of work with us and analyse that rather than just this season, especially when the mooted alternatives are pretty mediocre imo.

 

I was watching the AWSF podcast last night and there was a suggestion it's too far gone - bollocks, football can change very quickly; Howe has literally proved this with us already when he took us from relegation fodder to CL qualifiers in 18 months. Maybe some of the current players aren't responding to him anymore, maybe the club's lack of direction or the splitting nature of the Isak situation has created a mental block for some of them. Fine, move them on if they're not committed to NUFC or don't think they can be back at 100% in.

 

As a club, we need to figure out what we're doing to achieve our publicly stated ambitions before this summer. The initial honeymoon is over, we need to set a strong, stable direction for the next phase - players/agents won't buy in at all otherwise. As fans, we'll buy in too if we can see where it's all going.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I know we can’t believe everything Howe says in public but he seems to have a great relationship with Hopkinson and Wilson. I feel like we’re talking about two different people sometimes

 

No doubt he has his vision and there will be a certain amount of disagreement. That would be with any manager. Hopefully it’s productive. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

10 hours ago, Zero said:

The only top team that might consider Howe is Arsenal. Man Utd and Chelsea are also similar to Liverpool - it’s the DOF that hold the power, not the “head coach”. They know Howe isn’t flexible enough to fit in their current structure 

Does anyone ever think the fact it wouldn’t fit any elite club means it is actually not Howe’s approach? 
 

Must have said about a hundred times but he’s not a dinosaur, he’s a young manager who spends his time learning how to improve. Seems extremely unlikely that he’s decided that he’ll only work as some kind of football king who controls everything. 

[500bhp]

42 minutes ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

 

I asked that exact same question yesterday morning......!

 

 

I'm not as knowledgeable as others on here of the situations at other PL teams but I've been trying to think of examples where a club has had a shit league campaign and dropped 8-10 positions like we have but not sacked the manager at the end of the season. Then the following season he's got them back up towards the top of the league? 

 

Can't think of any examples**, probably because most ambitions clubs sack the manager after falling 8-10 league places.

 

** I think Moyes at Everton about 15 years ago may have done this. 

[Jesse Pinkman]

Hopefully club goes all in on Iraola in the summer could be a real project acquisition.

 

He can lose his best players and still kick on, imagine what he could do with Howe type money. 

 

 

Edited April 14 by Jesse Pinkman

[Johny4317]

9 minutes ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

Hopefully club goes all in on Iraola in the summer could be a real project acquisition.

 

He can lose his best players and still kick on, imagine what he could do with Howe type money. 

 

 

 

Would hardly say they’ve kicked on given they’re 3 points ahead of us in 11th

[SUPERTOON]

11 minutes ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

Hopefully club goes all in on Iraola in the summer could be a real project acquisition.

 

He can lose his best players and still kick on, imagine what he could do with Howe type money. 

 

 

 

Kick on how ? 

[Geordie Ahmed]

13 minutes ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

Hopefully club goes all in on Iraola in the summer could be a real project acquisition.

 

He can lose his best players and still kick on, imagine what he could do with Howe type money. 

 

 

 

How did they get on in the other 3 competitions?

[astraguy]

1 hour ago, Heron said:

We really need wor flags atm for wor Eddie,We have some embracing  cunts around here 

[Wolfcastle]

2 hours ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

Ferguson at Man United 89/90 to 90/91 was exactly that scenario (except for winning a cup 89/90 too).  

 

 

Edited April 14 by Wolfcastle

[Interpolic]

2 hours ago, Tiotes Witch Doctor said:

Genuine question, is there any precedent here with managers finishing 13-15th after spending a lot of money on a squad then coming back stronger the next season and finishing top 6/winning a trophy?

 

I'm aware we live in an age where managers are sacked very quickly.

 

Bobby Robson at NUFC - finished 11th twice with good backing then 4th, 3rd, 5th.

 

There'll be more modern examples somewhere but not loads because the culture is now to sack the manager at the first setback. 

[Mattoon]

4 hours ago, Milburn said:

I don’t think option A, spending a lot of money on his players, should even be on the table.

 

We’ve already tried that route. Spending big on, at the very best, bang average “PL-proven” players. People point to the lack of a CEO and Sporting Director last summer, but players like Elanga and Wissa were clearly Howe’s choices and players he would have wanted even with a proper setup in place. It hasn’t moved us forward. 

 

The club needs a reset in direction: targeting lesser-known profiles from the continent, building value, and actually having a coherent recruitment strategy. That shouldn’t even be up for debate at this point.

 

The real question is: does Howe fit into that model? Because it requires the manager to step back and accept that player recruitment and strategy are driven by others. I’m not convinced someone as detail-driven and hands-on as Howe will be comfortable with that.

 

 

 

Howe has suggested already that hes ok with that model? Of course he wants a say in the transfers he wants, but he's not this mad control freak people are making him out to be, he's just meticulous. Also, where has this ridiculous notion come from that he only wants PL proven plodders? Am I just imagining Bruno, Tonali and Thiaw, etc...?

[Wallsendmag]

9 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

Bobby Robson at NUFC - finished 11th twice with good backing then 4th, 3rd, 5th.

 

There'll be more modern examples somewhere but not loads because the culture is now to sack the manager at the first setback. 

 

Define "good backing". We made a profit of 500k in the transfer market in 99/00 and a net spend of £5m in 00/01 which were the 2 seasons we finished 11th. 

 

His "marquee" signing over those 2 seasons would likely have been Carl Cort.

 

 

Edited April 14 by Wallsendmag

[Kid Icarus]

Those figures are wrong, but tbh I don't think it matters. The player trading we did was very much with a view to improve improve the squad, not to make profit.

 

The only players we sold at that time that it was obvious we didn't want to sell and would be difficult to replace/improve upon were Hamman and Domi.

 

We got good fees for players we didn't want: Pistone, Howey, Goma etc.

 

And Robson wanted Cort as well, there's no question about that, he mentions it in his autobiography.

 

 

Edited April 14 by Kid Icarus