Eddie Howe

[andycap]

36 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

Agree now, sure. Not as easy a calculation when we were still fighting in the CL, in both domestic cups and early on in the league.

Not at all he was flagging basically a statue for weeks after 45 minutes. 

[LiquidAK]

3 minutes ago, andycap said:

We still lost majority of them so kids would of done. 

You can see how that's just hindsight though surely? He'd have gotten pelters if he rested players for kids and we lost perceived winnable games as a result, or if we whimpered out of the CL rather than being an inch away from qualifying.

[andycap]

We've known we'd be without joelinton and have to field a weakened midfield so surely a formation change to a more defensive shape and be a counter attacking team to utilise our pace up top should of been implemented and stop the goals getting conceded. 

[andycap]

1 minute ago, LiquidAK said:

You can see how that's just hindsight though surely? He'd have gotten pelters if he rested players for kids and we lost perceived winnable games as a result, or if we whimpered out of the CL rather than being an inch away from qualifying.

I don't think so myself fans aren't daft to know players are shagged get fresh legs on. Plus I'm talking about bringing fresh legs on not starting them. 

 

 

Edited February 18 by andycap

[LiquidAK]

Just now, andycap said:

I don't think so myself fans aren't daft to know players are shagged get fresh legs on. 

 

We have very different views on how reasonable and understanding some of our fans can be.

[Wolfcastle]

The more I think about it. The more I'm 100% behind him.

Not least because there's nobody else could do any better save for the possibility of something in training that would limit injuries and that might not even be a thing. There isn't going to be a player overhaul now.

Folk have to learn to ride out a disappointing spell as they're always going to happen and accept that you can go backwards one season and it not be a trend that you have to pre-empt with a change of manager. Ferguson and Wenger dropped backwards several times, KK and Sir Bobby did too.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

It’s fairly mad that we’re not all just sat here enjoying having such an amazing manager. Football is odd sometimes. 

[Geordie Ahmed]

I find it fascinating that there are some that are either done with Howe or think they are close to that.

 

Even if this season was a stinker I think he's earned the right to have that, the idea that a manager has to have mint season after mint season is utterly bizarre and there doesn't exist a manager that's ever had that. Pep is the best around yet seasons 1 and 4 were poor from him and season 8 looks like it will be a drop from the previous season (I guess after a treble it's always likely but their points total will be less).

 

As it is I don't even consider this season to be a stinker, think the majority felt top 4 would be tough and a good season would be Europa League spot, cup run and not embarrass ourselves in the CL. So far that is still very much on, in fact if we weren't robbed in Paris we would still be in the CL.

 

The above expectations would have been under normal circumstances but we've had a brutal injury situation. It's not just the number of injuries it's the positions that we've got them which has caused problems and given us very little flexibility. Miley has been forced to play way more minutes than would have been planned, long term that isn't necessarily a bad thing for his development but it's not ideal for the team. At that age players either go out on loan with no pressure or they get blooded in to the team gradually. Miley has played 1066 minutes in the League this season at 17 years old. As a comparison Phil Foden at 19 years old played 893 minutes in the PL (2019-20 season), the following season he managed 1614 minutes with 17 starts. There's be a pretty solid chance he surpasses that.

 

Of course I understand some will ask questions about the injury situation and what part Howe/medical team play a part in it but we've been hit with freak injuries that are just down to bad luck (Barnes, Burn, Anderson, Targett, Murphy, Pope, not injury but can add Tonali in this list) and not something we can blame anyone for. 

 

The performances recently have been a bit all over the place and overall we concede a lot of chances, I do think the reason for this is due to a combination of no Pope, Burn situation and the midfield profile (which can't be helped as there is no other midfielder available). And yes you can make the claim that Howe should do better and learn to adapt but we live in a world where City struggle with just Rodri missing. As things stand we are missing 4 players that walk into the starting eleven (Pope, Joelinton, Willock and Isak)

 

Ultimately, I hope we finish the season strongly and get a European spot but even if we don't I hope there isn't even the slightest bit of pressure on Howe. I 100% believe he needs to be here for the start of the next season and I am absolutely convinced that we'll have a good season as long as we don't get brutalised by injuries again. 

 

Many wrote Howe off in January 2022 and he made them look like a bunch of mugs. Anyone writing him off or even strongly questioning him will be made to look a right mug when we look back in 8-10 months time. 

[Wolfcastle]

Just without Pope alone being injured and being modest we'd probably have 5 more points

[Ronaldo]

20 minutes ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

I find it fascinating that there are some that are either done with Howe or think they are close to that.

 

Even if this season was a stinker I think he's earned the right to have that, the idea that a manager has to have mint season after mint season is utterly bizarre and there doesn't exist a manager that's ever had that. Pep is the best around yet seasons 1 and 4 were poor from him and season 8 looks like it will be a drop from the previous season (I guess after a treble it's always likely but their points total will be less).

 

As it is I don't even consider this season to be a stinker, think the majority felt top 4 would be tough and a good season would be Europa League spot, cup run and not embarrass ourselves in the CL. So far that is still very much on, in fact if we weren't robbed in Paris we would still be in the CL.

 

The above expectations would have been under normal circumstances but we've had a brutal injury situation. It's not just the number of injuries it's the positions that we've got them which has caused problems and given us very little flexibility. Miley has been forced to play way more minutes than would have been planned, long term that isn't necessarily a bad thing for his development but it's not ideal for the team. At that age players either go out on loan with no pressure or they get blooded in to the team gradually. Miley has played 1066 minutes in the League this season at 17 years old. As a comparison Phil Foden at 19 years old played 893 minutes in the PL (2019-20 season), the following season he managed 1614 minutes with 17 starts. There's be a pretty solid chance he surpasses that.

 

Of course I understand some will ask questions about the injury situation and what part Howe/medical team play a part in it but we've been hit with freak injuries that are just down to bad luck (Barnes, Burn, Anderson, Targett, Murphy, Pope, not injury but can add Tonali in this list) and not something we can blame anyone for. 

 

The performances recently have been a bit all over the place and overall we concede a lot of chances, I do think the reason for this is due to a combination of no Pope, Burn situation and the midfield profile (which can't be helped as there is no other midfielder available). And yes you can make the claim that Howe should do better and learn to adapt but we live in a world where City struggle with just Rodri missing. As things stand we are missing 4 players that walk into the starting eleven (Pope, Joelinton, Willock and Isak)

 

Ultimately, I hope we finish the season strongly and get a European spot but even if we don't I hope there isn't even the slightest bit of pressure on Howe. I 100% believe he needs to be here for the start of the next season and I am absolutely convinced that we'll have a good season as long as we don't get brutalised by injuries again. 

 

Many wrote Howe off in January 2022 and he made them look like a bunch of mugs. Anyone writing him off or even strongly questioning him will be made to look a right mug when we look back in 8-10 months time. 

No one questioning a manager should be accused of being a mug when we’ve won 2 out of 8 PL games with some pretty comfortable looking fixtures. Fans are always entitled to ask questions. You can love the bloke and not be sure he’s the right fit long term.
 

Out of curiosity what will happen, in your opinion, in the next 8-10 months?

 

 

Edited February 18 by Ronaldo

[Geordie Ahmed]

36 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

No one questioning a manager should be accused of being a mug when we’ve won 2 out of 8 PL games with some pretty comfortable looking fixtures. Fans are always entitled to ask questions. You can love the bloke and not be sure he’s the right fit long term.
 

Out of curiosity what will happen, in your opinion, in the next 8-10 months?

 

 

 

 

Are you not sure he's the right fit long term?

 

I'm absolutely convinced that he is

 

As for the next 8-10 months, for me it's a case of get this season out of the way, back him in the summer by making a few additions (obvious areas of weakness are RW, LB and Striker situation due to injury prone players) and I think we start the next season well and we'll be amongst the mix for a top 4 race (subject to just having a normal injury situation of course)

[Displayname]

1 hour ago, LiquidAK said:

You can see how that's just hindsight though surely? He'd have gotten pelters if he rested players for kids and we lost perceived winnable games as a result, or if we whimpered out of the CL rather than being an inch away from qualifying.

First of all the manager should not make decision based on how fans will react, so thats really not a good arguement even if it were true. 

 

And you can call it hindsight, but I thought it was pretty clear early on that it wasnt going to end well playing the same players 90 minutes twice a week for an extended period of time. Even after they showed clear signs of fatigue.

Wouldnt play kids in the CL though, but used them as subs in the PL and let them have full games in the league cup.

 

[LiquidAK]

3 minutes ago, Displayname said:

First of all the manager should not make decision based on how fans will react, so thats really not a good arguement even if it were true. 

 

And you can call it hindsight, but I thought it was pretty clear early on that it wasnt going to end well playing the same players 90 minutes twice a week for an extended period of time. Even after they showed clear signs of fatigue.

Wouldnt play kids in the CL though, but used them as subs in the PL and let them have full games in the league cup.

 

Not even close to suggesting that, thankfully I doubt he gives a fuck what some of the more reactionary loons think 

[STM]

1 hour ago, Ronaldo said:

No one questioning a manager should be accused of being a mug when we’ve won 2 out of 8 PL games with some pretty comfortable looking fixtures. Fans are always entitled to ask questions. You can love the bloke and not be sure he’s the right fit long term.
 

Out of curiosity what will happen, in your opinion, in the next 8-10 months?

 

 

 

 

Why exactly is he not a right fit long term?

 

Give me the manager who you'd sack and replace him with?

 

Should Liverpool fans have question Klopp at Xmas last year? 

 

Of course fans are allowed to question Howe but if you do, your arguement needs to be watertight given what's he's done since he walked through the door.

 

What I see, is a bunch of entitled pathetic fans not dealing with a rough patch... an easily explained rough patch no less.

 

 

[STM]

45 minutes ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

 

Are you not sure he's the right fit long term?

 

I'm absolutely convinced that he is

 

As for the next 8-10 months, for me it's a case of get this season out of the way, back him in the summer by making a few additions (obvious areas of weakness are RW, LB and Striker situation due to injury prone players) and I think we start the next season well and we'll be amongst the mix for a top 4 race (subject to just having a normal injury situation of course)

Don't worry, 90% of our fans are fully behind, even if they are slightly frustrated at the moment.

 

Of course the 90% might be wrong. They may have backed the wrong horse but you will notice the 10% won't be able to give you a viable alternative.

[Thumbheed]

If you're expectations were for us to be 6th or higher minimum then I can understand why you'd ben questioning Howe's future both short and long term but I'm going to question how grounded your reality actually is, especially with the injuries we've had this year.

 

If you were happy with us getting 7th this year and felt that was a realistic acheivment, then you have to accept the performance that come with getting that position.

 

We're 8th.

[SUPERTOON]

Just now, Thumbheed said:

If you're expectations were for us to be 6th or higher minimum then I can understand why you'd ben questioning Howe's future both short and long term but I'm going to question how grounded your reality actually is, especially with the injuries we've had this year.

 

If you were happy with us getting 7th this year and felt that was a realistic acheivment, then you have to accept the performance that come with getting that position.

 

We're 8th.

Aye although if we continue with current performances we won’t stay there. Hopefully returning players will help us improve of course.

[Vinny Green Balls]

9 minutes ago, STM said:

Don't worry, 90% of our fans are fully behind, even if they are slightly frustrated at the moment.

 

Of course the 90% might be wrong. They may have backed the wrong horse but you will notice the 10% won't be able to give you a viable alternative.

Klopp on odd years and Pep on even years.

[Myleftboot]

He needs to be judged when we have a full squad back.

[Ronaldo]

3 hours ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

 

Are you not sure he's the right fit long term?

 

I'm absolutely convinced that he is

 

As for the next 8-10 months, for me it's a case of get this season out of the way, back him in the summer by making a few additions (obvious areas of weakness are RW, LB and Striker situation due to injury prone players) and I think we start the next season well and we'll be amongst the mix for a top 4 race (subject to just having a normal injury situation of course)

No, I still hope he is the right fit long term. I’m far from sure of it but he’s absolutely what we needed for stage 1 and I’ll always appreciate his hard work. 

[Ashley17]

7 minutes ago, Ronaldo said:

No, I still hope he is the right fit long term. I’m far from sure of it but he’s absolutely what we needed for stage 1 and I’ll always appreciate his hard work. 

I think that’s fair. It’s frustrating because he obviously got us to “stage 2” ahead of schedule and now it’s probably conceivable that we are back in stage 1. You have to believe things would have turned out differently were it not for injuries but how much of that was down to the workload and way we play is probably a debate for another day. He’s been the same since arriving in that we are going to play his way regardless of who is available. We took some hidings in the first few months and some of the recent spell has reminded me of that.-I think that’s commendable to a point but he needs to show some flexibility for a plan B. 
 

Crazy that we have beaten Man Utd home and away, Villa home and away, Man City, Arsenal, PSG, the mackems…yet it’s been a pretty average season for end results.

[Upthemags]

Eddie will be sacked if next season is a repeat of this one. Think most, if not effectively all fans, though, agree that his credit in the bank has earned him this season as a wash.

 

Doesn't matter to me, as far as Eddie is concerned, whether we finish 8th or 13th this season. He deserves a crack with a fresh roster and reinforcements next season.

[madras]

1 hour ago, Upthemags said:

Eddie will be sacked if next season is a repeat of this one. Think most, if not effectively all fans, though, agree that his credit in the bank has earned him this season as a wash.

 

Doesn't matter to me, as far as Eddie is concerned, whether we finish 8th or 13th this season. He deserves a crack with a fresh roster and reinforcements next season.

There will only be a repeat of this seasons results if we get a repeat of the bizarre injuries.

[PCW1983]

1 minute ago, madras said:

There will only be a repeat of this seasons results if we get a repeat of the bizarre injuries.

I still feel that not qualifying for Europe is unacceptable and it’ll carry some damaging consequences for us in terms of stature, attraction and retention. 
im not saying that he should lose his job if we fail to qualify for Europe but if it was my club, the conversation would have to be had because for all there has been some injury anomalies that’s not the only cause of some poor performances. 

[madras]

2 minutes ago, PCW1983 said:

I still feel that not qualifying for Europe is unacceptable and it’ll carry some damaging consequences for us in terms of stature, attraction and retention. 
im not saying that he should lose his job if we fail to qualify for Europe but if it was my club, the conversation would have to be had because for all there has been some injury anomalies that’s not the only cause of some poor performances. 

It is but the context of why the situation occurs has to be taken into account.