Eddie Howe

[joeyt]

There's no one in the world I want more to turn it around than Eddie but also want him to be able to leave on a high and us not to end up hating him

[GEFAFWISP]

2 minutes ago, Maggies said:

He has no plan B meaning we can’t be successful when playing twice in a week.

 

He is not ruthless enough to refresh the squad. The lack of activity in January is evidence enough.

 

For both of those reasons alone, I’m hoping he’s replaced at end of the season.

 

The risk of replacing him is very low. We’re 14th in the league! Thankfully not enough games left for us to be in the relegation mix! We’re aren’t living in the Ashley era of success measurements - we should expect (not hope) to be finishing a lot higher in the league. 

 

 

 

Can see why Hopkinson thought the January window was outstanding, didn't give Eddie any transfer funds to squander.

[Mike]

So my current concern is..if he has less say in transfers will he just not play the players that don't fit? Because the Woltemade thing is officially weird.

[OverThere]

Just now, Mike said:

So my current concern is..if he has less say in transfers will he just not play the players that don't fit? Because the Woltemade thing is officially weird.

Yup

[The Prophet]

Just now, Mike said:

So my current concern is..if he has less say in transfers will he just not play the players that don't fit? Because the Woltemade thing is officially weird.

 

He's done this before with Gordon and Hall, to be fair.

 

Not that I agree with it, but it's not his first rodeo.

[Mike]

Like if this season is the price we have to pay to get an Eddie Howe that is less intractable and more fluid in his game management (whatever that looks like) then I think it's a fair price.

[1881]

I’m keeping faith in Eddie Howe, but if he doesn’t recall Pope (in particular) and Woltemade for the remaining games then I will begin to wonder. 

[Zero]

Just now, Mike said:

So my current concern is..if he has less say in transfers will he just not play the players that don't fit? Because the Woltemade thing is officially weird.

If he can drop Woltemade, the most expensive signing in the summer, even got a great start - who else Howe can’t drop?

 

[Mike]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

He's done this before with Gordon and Hall, to be fair.

 

Not that I agree with it, but it's not his first rodeo.

 

But the split between how we performed with Nick up front vs him in the midfield should warrant a return to Nick up front, imo. Are we points wise a way better team with Nick up top?

[500bhp]

31 minutes ago, astraguy said:

i fucking hate this stick that gets handed down, Spent? compared to what other teams have over the 14 we haven't and cant just rinse and recycle like they can? Get fucked

 

The mackems who were in league 1 about 4 years ago have bought a whole new team for what we spent on Wissa, Woltemade, Elanga and Ramsey. They've beat us twice this season with that new team, and will finish above us and may even get into Europe. I'll also add Brentford and Bournemouth who lost their best players last summer but signed astute replacements. They are also above us. 

 

As a club we fucked up last summer with our PL proven first transfer approach. Howe takes the majority of that blame as he had a free go at his targets once he allegedly ousted our DOF. 

[The Prophet]

Just now, Mike said:

 

But the split between how we performed with Nick up front vs him in the midfield should warrant a return to Nick up front, imo. Are we points wise a way better team with Nick up top?

 

I agree there's nothing to lose with sticking him up top at this point, but Edward is stubborn.

[Andy84]

I think it may be at the point where he no longer has the power to turn it around and it’s out of his hands. Maybe it’s the players not taking on board the instructions, maybe something else. But times come at clubs where there’s no way back for a manager and sadly I think this is one of those occasions. 

[Mike]

Just now, The Prophet said:

 

I agree there's nothing to lose with sticking him up top at this point, but Edward is stubborn.

 

That's where I am. The stubborness is a major red flag if he's going to be a part of a system rather than the focal point. This is assuming our assumptions about the summer are at all accurate.

[Barnes23]

11 minutes ago, Maggies said:

The risk of replacing him is very low. We’re 14th in the league!

 

That is a very short-sighted way of looking at it, tbh. His tenure has to be assessed as a whole in relation to our direction for the future, and our current league position needs to fit within a greater context of what has happened this season - the things which Howe is responsible or partially responsible for, and the things he is not.

 

This season is done but there is every chance, if we did part company with Howe, that our next appointment could a) do worse next season than Howe would have done and b) go badly wrong. We have to understand what has gone wrong this season, the extent to which Howe is responsible for it/can turn it around and weigh that against his work with us as a whole. If we do decide to replace him, we had also better be very confident in the candidates we are able to attract. Personally, I don't see an abundance of attractive options. 

 

 

Edited April 18 by Barnes23

[Armchair Pundit]

7 minutes ago, joeyt said:

There's no one in the world I want more to turn it around than Eddie but also want him to be able to leave on a high and us not to end up hating him

 

I get the feeling it's too late for that in the mind of some.

 

I really don't want us to become one of those clubs with an endless churn of journeymen or the latest, trendiest foreign coaches, that get a year tops to do anything. We've had four years of Eddie, three of which have been a vast improvement, so it feels a bit rubbish to bin him off at a 3 in 4 decent season ratio to me - it's just been a perfect storm this season imo, plenty of factors which I still don't think can be laid at Eddie's door. That said, it's blatantly obvious at this point that his insistent focus on only having a 'Plan A' is naïve at best, with a season like we've had, transfers aside, he really needed to work smarter, not harder and be able to adapt tactics to suit the situations we found ourselves.

 

The other thing, with the owners, I get the feeling they've always wanted to get to the point of appointing a 'superstar' manager/coach and it wouldn't surprise me if their idea of that would be someone like Mourinho... which doesn't instil me with hope for building a lasting legacy like having Eddie as manager has.

[Dokko]

Could quite easily not win another game this season. Potentially finish on the points we're on. If so, its going to be close as the other teams know they are in a relegation fight, we're on the beach or thinking about WC and moves. 

[Newcastle Fan]

13 minutes ago, 1881 said:

I’m keeping faith in Eddie Howe, but if he doesn’t recall Pope (in particular) and Woltemade for the remaining games then I will begin to wonder. 

 

He is paid to make us better not the other way around ffs

[Dokko]

17 minutes ago, 1881 said:

I’m keeping faith in Eddie Howe, but if he doesn’t recall Pope (in particular) and Woltemade for the remaining games then I will begin to wonder. 

 

If 2026 Pope is the answer, then the question wasn't worth asking anyway.

[Mikky]

14 minutes ago, 500bhp said:

 

The mackems who were in league 1 about 4 years ago have bought a whole new team for what we spent on Wissa, Woltemade, Elanga and Ramsey. They've beat us twice this season with that new team, and will finish above us and may even get into Europe. I'll also add Brentford and Bournemouth who lost their best players last summer but signed astute replacements. They are also above us. 

 

As a club we fucked up last summer with our PL proven first transfer approach. Howe takes the majority of that blame as he had a free go at his targets once he allegedly ousted our DOF. 

Yes - these are his signings - we had 2 years to prep for sumner 2025 - simply no excuse and he pays the price 

[1881]

5 minutes ago, Dokko said:

 

If 2026 Pope is the answer, then the question wasn't worth asking anyway.

but 2026 Pope is still better than 2026 Ramsdale imho

[Whitley mag]

If Howe stays we get the likes of Connor Gallagher and Liam Delap next season, it’s a recipe for mediocrity and a relegation battle.

 

He needs to walk away with his head held high, or the club need to make a horrible decision and sack him.

The former is the preferable option and the club needs a huge shot in the arm with an ambitious appointment, it might be a younger manager from Europe, but it needs to be someone who can get us playing football that is watchable again.

 

The club treat us as customers now and the place will be half empty with much more shite served up like that today.

 

 

Edited April 18 by Whitley mag

[AyeDubbleYoo]

34 minutes ago, nufc123 said:

It’sa totally different situation though (I know you know).

Aye true, I guess that’s why people like the idea of a fresh manager. I understand it but I don’t buy that it’s inevitable. 

[Dokko]

1 minute ago, 1881 said:

but 2026 Pope is still better than 2026 Ramsdale imho

 

Like arguing over which type of tropical disease you want to kill you. The ones where your eyeballs explode or your genitals fall off.

[Mills and Boon]

1 minute ago, Whitley mag said:

If Howe stays we get the likes of Connor Gallagher and Liam Delap next season, it’s a recipe for mediocrity and a relegation battle.

 

He needs to walk away with his head held high, or the club need to make a horrible decision and sack him.

The former is the preferable option and the club needs a huge shot in the arm with an ambitious appointment, it might be a younger manager from Europe, but it needs to be someone who can get us playing football that is watchable again.

 

The club treat us as customers now and the place will be half empty with much more shite served up like that today.

 

 

I'm not a fan of Gallagher, but Delap would be better in our side than any of the current lot

[Wandy]

4 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

If Howe stays we get the likes of Connor Gallagher and Liam Delap next season, it’s a recipe for mediocrity and a relegation battle.

 

He needs to walk away with his head held high, or the club need to make a horrible decision and sack him.

The former is the preferable option and the club needs a huge shot in the arm with an ambitious appointment, it might be a younger manager from Europe, but it needs to be someone who can get us playing football that is watchable again.

 

The club treat us as customers now and the place will be half empty with much more shite served up like that today.

 

I don't buy this idea that he is going to walk away, and thus giving up a payoff. Yesterday's presser to me seemed to be a message to the owners that if they want rid of him then they are gonna have to sack him.

 

 

Edited April 18 by Wandy