Eddie Howe

[gbandit]

Just now, Menace said:

 

If he is kept on and doesn't manage to turn it around - we will be in a relegation fight next season.

No we won’t be in a relegation fight next season. Also, it’s a pretty absurd argument to say “if he doesn’t turn it around we’ll be in a relegation fight next season”.

 

I was just thinking that if we bring someone new in and they don’t turn this around we’ll be in a relegation fight next season. It’s an absurd premise to include the logic for being relegated tied to the premise itself, resulting in the relegation outcome. You could say that about anything

[Menace]

It's not really absurd though is it? We have misfiring wingers, misfiring strikers and a leaky defence, these are the exactly the things that cook up recipe for disaster.

 

Imagine telling someone at the beginning of the season we'll be bordering 14th/15th towards end of season, they'd think you've lost the plot - but here we are.

[Kid Icarus]

Funny thing about those stats that stands out for me is the amount of shots that we face. Combine that with our xGA being good (5th best last time I checked) and the first thing that comes to mind is that the opposition are being told to try their luck more because our 'keeper's shite.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Yeah but the point is it’s still a debate about if we’ll turn it around or we won’t. And that also applies to a new manager. So it doesn’t really add anything to say how bad we are now, we know that. 

[Ben]

"Quality of shots faced" What sort of stat is that ? 

[Menace]

Just now, Kid Icarus said:

Funny thing about those stats that stands out for me is the amount of shots that we face. Combine that with our xGA being good (5th best last time I checked) and the first thing that comes to mind is that the opposition are being told to try their luck more because our 'keeper's shite.

 

You're right. I think Pope's cost us significantly this season and an improvement was key last summer, sadly this didn't happen and both Ramsdale and Pope aren't that far apart in quality.

[gbandit]

I’m not trying to disguise the fact we’re awful at the moment. We are. And we have been poor for large stretches this season. However, if Howe’s here next season and we have a good transfer window we’ll be in Europe again in 27/28

[Displayname]

8 minutes ago, gbandit said:

I’m not trying to disguise the fact we’re awful at the moment. We are. And we have been poor for large stretches this season. However, if Howe’s here next season and we have a good transfer window we’ll be in Europe again in 27/28

I was thinking that myself before we had a 3 weeks break now and still don't look any better at all coming out of it.

 

A summer reset may certainly change things, but i for sure don't take it for granted anymore. 

[Deuce]

21 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Yeah but the point is it’s still a debate about if we’ll turn it around or we won’t. And that also applies to a new manager. So it doesn’t really add anything to say how bad we are now, we know that. 

At this point you’re just asking for clairvoyance

[Deuce]

I do agree that we’d be having a very different conversation if Wissa were sitting on 10 league goals and Pope had simply replicated even last season’s form.

[gbandit]

10 minutes ago, Displayname said:

I was thinking that myself before we had a 3 weeks break now and still don't look any better at all coming out of it.

 

A summer reset may certainly change things, but i for sure don't take it for granted anymore. 

That’s fair 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Deuce said:

I do agree that we’d be having a very different conversation if Wissa were sitting on 10 league goals and Pope had simply replicated even last season’s form.

Popes been off since he did his shoulder again, ik not surprised his level has dropped personally. 

 

As for Wissa, we didn't clock he came for the pay day and are paying the price. 

[TRon]

22 minutes ago, gbandit said:

I’m not trying to disguise the fact we’re awful at the moment. We are. And we have been poor for large stretches this season. However, if Howe’s here next season and we have a good transfer window we’ll be in Europe again in 27/28

 

 

For us to be in Europe we'll need a top class striker with pace. Those are pretty hard to nail down. 

[kingxlnc]

I actually think with how bad things have been this season, next season will be the total opposite and even a title challenge. 

25 points lost from winning positions would have us second. Everything that could have gone wrong this season has gone wrong. Luck evens itself out and we're probably not that far from sorting it all out. 

Yes it does need a major refresh and can see us with a new spine next season (GK, CB - don't think Thiaw is a number 1 CB), Bruno and ST) which could go a long way. 

 

The old stalwarts - Schar, Trippier, Pope, Krafth will be gone. Others will be relegated in terms of importance: Burn + J. Murphy. Especially if we don't get some form of Europe. 
Tino and Gordon will be gone. 
Other older players may have moved on, Willock certainly, perhaps Botman and even Wissa. 

It is reconstruction surgery for sure. But it's exactly what the team has needed. 1 game a week, time for a new team to mesh well and gel and who knows where it could lead?

[TheBrownBottle]

Just now, kingxlnc said:

I actually think with how bad things have been this season, next season will be the total opposite and even a title challenge. 

25 points lost from winning positions would have us second. Everything that could have gone wrong this season has gone wrong. Luck evens itself out and we're probably not that far from sorting it all out. 

Yes it does need a major refresh and can see us with a new spine next season (GK, CB - don't think Thiaw is a number 1 CB), Bruno and ST) which could go a long way. 

 

The old stalwarts - Schar, Trippier, Pope, Krafth will be gone. Others will be relegated in terms of importance: Burn + J. Murphy. Especially if we don't get some form of Europe. 
Tino and Gordon will be gone. 
Other older players may have moved on, Willock certainly, perhaps Botman and even Wissa. 

It is reconstruction surgery for sure. But it's exactly what the team has needed. 1 game a week, time for a new team to mesh well and gel and who knows where it could lead?

Dropping 25 points from winning positions isn’t bad luck - it’s a pattern.  We have a mentally weak side and a coaching team seemingly unable to arrest it.  The odd moment will balance out over a season. 

[RUHRLYASLEEVESUP]

3 minutes ago, kingxlnc said:

I actually think with how bad things have been this season, next season will be the total opposite and even a title challenge. 

25 points lost from winning positions would have us second. Everything that could have gone wrong this season has gone wrong. Luck evens itself out and we're probably not that far from sorting it all out. 

Yes it does need a major refresh and can see us with a new spine next season (GK, CB - don't think Thiaw is a number 1 CB), Bruno and ST) which could go a long way. 

 

The old stalwarts - Schar, Trippier, Pope, Krafth will be gone. Others will be relegated in terms of importance: Burn + J. Murphy. Especially if we don't get some form of Europe. 
Tino and Gordon will be gone. 
Other older players may have moved on, Willock certainly, perhaps Botman and even Wissa. 

It is reconstruction surgery for sure. But it's exactly what the team has needed. 1 game a week, time for a new team to mesh well and gel and who knows where it could lead?

A title challenge ?

 

is everything ok mate ?

[AyeDubbleYoo]

9 minutes ago, Deuce said:

At this point you’re just asking for clairvoyance

 

That's the pointlessness of the "if Eddie stays and doesn't improve we'll be in a relegation battle" question. I didn't bring that up. Obviously nobody would want to keep Eddie if they thought he would never do better than he's doing now. It's a pointless thing to say. 

[TRon]

3 minutes ago, kingxlnc said:

I actually think with how bad things have been this season, next season will be the total opposite and even a title challenge. 

25 points lost from winning positions would have us second. Everything that could have gone wrong this season has gone wrong. Luck evens itself out and we're probably not that far from sorting it all out. 

Yes it does need a major refresh and can see us with a new spine next season (GK, CB - don't think Thiaw is a number 1 CB), Bruno and ST) which could go a long way. 

 

The old stalwarts - Schar, Trippier, Pope, Krafth will be gone. Others will be relegated in terms of importance: Burn + J. Murphy. Especially if we don't get some form of Europe. 
Tino and Gordon will be gone. 
Other older players may have moved on, Willock certainly, perhaps Botman and even Wissa. 

It is reconstruction surgery for sure. But it's exactly what the team has needed. 1 game a week, time for a new team to mesh well and gel and who knows where it could lead?

 

 

Losing that many players is the easy part. Replacing them with similar quality not so much. 

[Guybrush]

At the moment, I'm erring on the side of needing a squad refresh over a management change. It's going to be a big summer whatever happens. 

[kingxlnc]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

Dropping 25 points from winning positions isn’t bad luck - it’s a pattern.  We have a mentally weak side and a coaching team seemingly unable to arrest it.  The odd moment will balance out over a season. 

I agree but sometimes you get stuck in a rut without time and space to figure it out and it's felt so overwhelming this season with the run of games. I usually watch most games but even for me between Oct and Feb I was finding it extremely inconvenient how many games back to back - hard to get your mojo when you're in the results business and things aren't working. You usually stick with what you know works best

[Kid Icarus]

30 minutes ago, Menace said:

 

You're right. I think Pope's cost us significantly this season and an improvement was key last summer, sadly this didn't happen and both Ramsdale and Pope aren't that far apart in quality.

Pope's amount of mistakes this season has been crazy like. The fact that plenty of people think he's still a much better overall 'keeper than Ramsdale probably says it all about our situation like. 

[r0cafella]

Just now, Guybrush said:

At the moment, I'm erring on the side of needing a squad refresh over a management change. It's going to be a big summer whatever happens. 

I'm struggling with this mind, you want him to clear out the players who the club brought in under his watch with the consistent narrative of "small pool of players". 

 

What does that look like exactly? Does the small pool of players suddenly become huge so a refresh is a piece of piss? Or was the small pool of players talk a load of bollocks?

[kingxlnc]

1 minute ago, TRon said:

 

 

Losing that many players is the easy part. Replacing them with similar quality not so much. 

True - but sometimes it just takes the right type of players to come in and make it all click.

Just adding Trippier, Bruno, Burn and Wood transformed a side going down into one that had top 6 form for a half season. 

In 2011/12 - just Ba, Cabaye, Santon and later Cisse transformed a midtable side into a top 5 one. 

In 2001/02 - Bellamy and Robert alone galvanised a team that finished 11th to 3rd. 

Of course, we thought that's what was needed this summer just gone - just a top class RW and back up CF away. 

[St. Maximin]

8 hours ago, Mills and Boon said:

 

It doesn't say much? To me it shows Howe has had us overachieving in the league since he's come in. Props to Villa and Brighton too

True it does say that; it’s still a fantastic achievement from the guy given where we were when he took over. More it doesn’t tell us the full story. It shows we’ve been more consistent than the other teams (for the most part). Villa have had a lot of similarities to us without as much money, while Spurs, Chelsea and Man Utd have been at times awful during that period. Brighton have overachieved too. Then more importantly you factor in recent form, which should be used to judge a manager’s future over 3-4 years ago. 
 

Still don’t want my favourite ever manager to go mind, but it’s becoming more and more concerning. 

[Geordie Magpie]

2 hours ago, Groundhog63 said:

 

It's "fair" to criticise any manager during a rough patch but what isn't "fair" is your total minimisation of the amount of games we've played. Actually laughable you used Villa as the opposing example to aid your dismissal of the workload. 

Villa are in the Europa. Completely less demanding. Iirc they also bombed out, R1, of the Carabou. Granted they've done things differently, spending fortunes on loans for eg, but let's see how they cope next season before wanking oneself off over the assumed bolsteing of one's arguement this.

Also, the 3 week break, you mentioned? Wasn't 2 weeks of that International? Half the squad away?

 

Don't get me wrong, it's been a very frustrating season but let's not let facts get in the way of opinions 😉😂

24-25 Villa were in the Champions League, reached the Quarter Finals of that, the semi final of the FA Cup and finished 6th in the league....