Eddie Howe

[Holmesy]

Just now, NE27 said:

 

I mean we looked pretty fucked a couple of seasons ago and he somehow got that team playing in a way to keep us up?

 

He's going to have bad games, even the very best have poor runs.

 

Eddie howe is not world class, but he's very near the best of the rest and has potential if can learn how to grind out results during times of weakness like this.

 

I'm still 100% behind them all, but second half today was as grim as it's been since the dark days.

The grinding out result is the key. If he can add that to his toolkit I think he’ll belong at the very top table. From what he’s saying though, I don’t think he wants to - front foot all the time regardless of the circumstances 

[MagMal]

We need to stop trying to win each game 4 nil, we need some boring 1 nils and get the shape back to the team.

[gbandit]

3 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

Constructive!

I’ve already made a bunch of comments. The idea that you’ll never see him as a top manager again made me laugh. He’s been forced in the last month to play almost exclusively the same lineup until the last couple of games when he has been able to make slight alterations. 
 

I agree that things look very poor at the moment, the team is very disjointed and we’re leaking goals. What that says about Howe is very little, I’d be worried if we’d been this poor with our best line up or even if it was half of our best line up. However, Miggy is fucked, Gordon is fucked, Isak has been playing with an injury until he looked like himself today. Burn  has just come back from an injury. Joelinton’s been in and out of the team with injuries. No one knows exactly what’s going on with Trippier but whatever it is, he’s been fucked mentally. Longstaff always plays poorly for a run of games after coming back from an injury. 
 

These are all reasons why we look so incoherent and shite. Howe’s job is to come up with a plan B but coming up with different tactics when players are half match fit or exhausted isn’t easy

[Amir_9]

1 minute ago, Deuce said:

They’re our historic rivals and whatnot, but losing to Sunderland really doesn’t matter as much these days. Certainly not something that should automatically trigger the manager’s sacking.

 

To be honest with you although it would be nice to get a win against them again by this point it's like trying to get one over an ex who is in a sad current state of saggy tits, bad teeth and a drug problem.

 

Even if they win these are destined to be shit for quite the time to come going by their recent trajectory.

[LiquidAK]

Giving Sunderland way too much relevance in 2023. They're just a non-entity as far as markers of success. They win and it'll be their best result in the last decade. We win and I'm not convinced it makes our top 2 results for this season - PSG & Manchester United at Old Trafford both much better results.

[Orphanage]

5 minutes ago, BShearer said:

 

 

home form was something to rely on but today a shit Forest gave us no chance and tactically I cannot see what have we worked on before the Luton game or todays game. what was the plan ?

 

5 minutes ago, BShearer said:

 

Perhaps the worn out players are no longer listening ?

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Orphanage
cos

[Shadow Puppets]

In my eyes, it’s quite simple what is happening. An incredibly fatigued squad leads to poor results which leads to a loss of confidence. It was completely evident today. I don’t think fatigue played any part, but damaged confidence certainly did.

 

It’s a difficult rut to get out of, but Eddie will manage it.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Shadow Puppets

[Kid Icarus]

1 minute ago, Holmesy said:

The football was crap, but he was managing a championship squad in the PL. Look at the team he won the Champions League with as well though, not exactly stellar.

My point is his squad management was superior, his tactical flexibility was superior, his ability to change games was superior.

When we’re in full flow under Eddie we’re a joy to watch. But if we’re not at 100%, we’re not just below par, we’re fucking terrible! 

A lot of those players are still here and have just been playing in the Champions League because of Howe tbf.

 

I loved Rafa and will always defend him, but in terms creating a team bigger than the sum of its parts, there's no comparison between him and what Howe's done.

 

In a way Howe's set a rod for his own back - now he's got us in the Champions League with a lot of Rafa era players, rather than thinking of it as a remarkable achievement, those players are reimagined as better players. So then when the bad results come it's less "these are Championship level players" and more "Howe should be doing better"

[Holmesy]

1 minute ago, gbandit said:

I’ve already made a bunch of comments. The idea that you’ll never see him as a top manager again made me laugh. He’s been forced in the last month to play almost exclusively the same lineup until the last couple of games when he has been able to make slight alterations. 
 

I agree that things look very poor at the moment, the team is very disjointed and we’re leaking goals. What that says about Howe is very little, I’d be worried if we’d been this poor with our best line up or even if it was half of our best line up. However, Miggy is fucked, Gordon is fucked, Isak has been playing with an injury until he looked like himself today. Burn  has just come back from an injury. Joelinton’s been in and out of the team with injuries. No one knows exactly what’s going on with Trippier but whatever it is, he’s been fucked mentally. Longstaff always plays poorly for a run of games after coming back from an injury. 
 

These are all reasons why we look so incoherent and shite. Howe’s job is to come up with a plan B but coming up with different tactics when players are half match fit or exhausted isn’t easy

As has been touched on plenty of times, he had the players to rotate fullbacks and rest the likes of Trippier, but chose not to. Trippier then went on to make a series of costly errors and everyone cried ‘fateeeg’. I say poor squad management.

 

We’ve been wide open in midfield for weeks. It doesn’t take a lot to tell Longstaff to hang on the halfway line when we go forward or at set pieces. It also doesn’t take much to know that Forest are full of pace and would try and hit us on the counter. Once you see it a couple of times, fucking react and stop it happening again. It’s basic stuff that isn’t happening. How many times do we have to get hit on the counter this season for Eddie to do something about it?! 

[Jonas]

5 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

Giving Sunderland way too much relevance in 2023. They're just a non-entity as far as markers of success. They win and it'll be their best result in the last decade. We win and I'm not convinced it makes our top 2 results for this season - PSG & Manchester United at Old Trafford both much better results.

Heck if we beat Liverpool the week before it'll be not even top that.

[Kid Icarus]

Incidentally Steve McManaman just said in his summary of our match that we look out on our feet. You hear it fairly regularly so it's not like we're just imagining it or being biased.

[BennyBlanco]

I hope he’s got enough in his locker to dig us out of this slump. I’ll echo a few others and reiterate the need to be brave to drop some of the stalwarts from last year. Been painfully obvious to us laymen that Burn and Almirons limitations have started to impact directly on results. Livramento should be playing as a starter, simple as that, dunno why he’s been dropped the last few games. Amazing what’s happened when he’s come on though.

 

If January comes and goes and we haven’t strengthened then I’ll be very worried and wary of our future under Eddie. 

[Holmesy]

5 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

A lot of those players are still here and have just been playing in the Champions League because of Howe tbf.

 

I loved Rafa and will always defend him, but in terms creating a team bigger than the sum of its parts, there's no comparison between him and what Howe's done.

 

In a way Howe's set a rod for his own back - now he's got us in the Champions League with a lot of Rafa era players, rather than thinking of it as a remarkable achievement, those players are reimagined as better players. So then when the bad results come it's less "these are Championship level players" and more "Howe should be doing better"

I agree to an extent. He’s definitely improved individual players through coaching, but for me Rafa is the master at making a team better than the sum of its parts. 
Rafa never had the likes of Botman, Pope, Trippier, Bruno, Isak, Gordon, Wilson? Joelinton etc. They are a world apart from what Rafa was working with.

 

Anyway, moot point and totally off track

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Holmesy

[Dokko]

8 minutes ago, LiquidAK said:

Giving Sunderland way too much relevance in 2023. They're just a non-entity as far as markers of success. They win and it'll be their best result in the last decade. We win and I'm not convinced it makes our top 2 results for this season - PSG & Manchester United at Old Trafford both much better results.

 

I agree to an extent. Winning doesn't mean that much, it's the losing. 

[Decky]

Losing to Sunderland is an embarrassment and a disaster lads I’m sorry. It’s not just another game to the local fans and that is largely what football is about. Losing to them is worth losing 5 games in a row and the lads deserve the shite coming their way to lose to a side vastly inferior to them know the implications of it. 

[NE27]

Just now, Decky said:

Losing to Sunderland is an embarrassment and a disaster lads I’m sorry. It’s not just another game to the local fans and that is largely what football is about. Losing to them is worth losing 5 games in a row and the lads deserve the shite coming their way to lose to a side vastly inferior to them know the implications of it. 

 

It is, but I think it being the final nail in Eddie's coffin would make us one of the biggest laughing stocks in football.

 

Would make us Sunderland actually

[duo]

9 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Incidentally Steve McManaman just said in his summary of our match that we look out on our feet. You hear it fairly regularly so it's not like we're just imagining it or being biased.

It annoys me when people say we can't use it as an excuse as it's a fact that the team are on their knees.  We've played pretty much the same team all season with Eddie having very little opportunity to change things up. Our whole success has been built on our press and intensity.  And in the second half that was just lacking - the team put it all out there in the first half. I thought it was telling that NF had a stronger bench than us and we able to add fresh legs.  

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by duo

[Dokko]

Just now, Decky said:

Losing to Sunderland is an embarrassment and a disaster lads I’m sorry. It’s not just another game to the local fans and that is largely what football is about. Losing to them is worth losing 5 games in a row and the lads deserve the shite coming their way to lose to a side vastly inferior to them know the implications of it. 

 

I think there's a lot of people on here not wanting to show how much this means, like. Protectionism. I'm usually a protectionist (safety bets etc..) but hoying my nads on the chopping block to say, that if we lose, it would be the worst result in my time supporting the club.

[Cf]

Losing to Sunderland would be shit yes.

 

But you don't fire your manager because of a single result. 

[Ronaldo]

5 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

A lot of those players are still here and have just been playing in the Champions League because of Howe tbf.

 

I loved Rafa and will always defend him, but in terms creating a team bigger than the sum of its parts, there's no comparison between him and what Howe's done.

 

In a way Howe's set a rod for his own back - now he's got us in the Champions League with a lot of Rafa era players, rather than thinking of it as a remarkable achievement, those players are reimagined as better players. So then when the bad results come it's less "these are Championship level players" and more "Howe should be doing better"

Rafa finishing 10th with the team that lost 10 times in the Championship was bloody impressive mind.

[Kid Icarus]

1 minute ago, Holmesy said:

I agree to an extent. He’s definitely improved individual players through coaching, but for me Rafa is the master at making a team better than the sum of its parts. 
Rafa never had the likes of Botman, Pope, Trippier, Bruno, Isak, Gordon, Wilson? Joelinton etc. They are a world apart from what Rafa was working with

 

It wouldn't be the same Joelinton and that's kind of the point. Howe is a huge factor in who these players are.

 

We don't have the same Joelinton, Schär, Almiron, Longstaff, Murphy and others. Howe got to the Champions League largely using those players. No comparison for me, what Howe did was remarkable, what Rafa did was commendable.  

[The Butcher]

Losing the next two and to Sunderland and I think quite a few would turn on him.

[dcmk]

2 minutes ago, Decky said:

Losing to Sunderland is an embarrassment and a disaster lads I’m sorry. It’s not just another game to the local fans and that is largely what football is about. Losing to them is worth losing 5 games in a row and the lads deserve the shite coming their way to lose to a side vastly inferior to them know the implications of it. 

I'm dreading it.

 

If we lose that then the bandwagon for changes would be in full swing.  All the feel-good factor around the club would have vanished in a space of a couple of months.

[Kid Icarus]

1 minute ago, Ronaldo said:

Rafa finishing 10th with the team that lost 10 times in the Championship was bloody impressive mind.

It was really impressive, definitely.

[madras]

Just now, Ronaldo said:

Rafa finishing 10th with the team that lost 10 times in the Championship was bloody impressive mind.

To be fair qlwe had a squad that shouldn't have gone down in the first place and should never have had a worry about getting promoted