Eddie Howe

[The College Dropout]

3 minutes ago, dcmk said:

I do somewhat agree.

 

But none of us are privvy to what's happening in training.  So to not use them when desperately needed has been confusing.  Can only assume there is a good reason, and weren't ready / fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also agree with that. The transfer approach in the summer has to be questioned. I felt we were 2-3 players light of being able to challenge on all fronts. Another CM, RW and RCB. And a starting LB. The emergence of Miley and Anderson kicking on maybe negates CM but the others were needed. 
 

 

Our wingers aren’t top 4 wingers. Our 4 CBs aren’t top 4 quality. Our 3 LBs there’s not a single top 4 LB among them. 

[Kid Icarus]

2 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

This is an incredible thing to say like. We've had like 11 players out, most with serious injuries like broken bones. Of course it's bad luck and of course it has stretched his ability to manage the squad to beyond breaking point. 

 

All these posts saying Howe has fucked up the management of the squad and this can't go on in future seasons - he presumably won't have to contend with a whole team out in future seasons and will have a deeper squad. It won't be an issue. 

 

It's got nowt to do with how he's managed the squad and everything to do with a lot of people not being able to handle the downturn in form and wanting to make this into something it isn't. And the way Howe has performed before having to navigate these ridiculous circumstances, you'd expect a bit more leeway tbh. 

 

 

 

14 at one point IIRC. It's without question the worst injury crisis I've seen while supporting the club and the next one on the list (06/07 under Roeder) pales in comparison 

[TRon]

8 minutes ago, dcmk said:

I do somewhat agree.

 

But none of us are privvy to what's happening in training.  So to not use them when desperately needed has been confusing.  Can only assume there is a good reason, and weren't ready / fit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True, we don't really know what Howe is seeing behind closed doors, so we can only really comment on what's there in front of us. No one here is pretending to be an expert, it's just some amateur opinions being exchanged.

[The College Dropout]

2 minutes ago, Jaqen said:

 

He was rotating Isak/Wilson, Miggy/Murphy and Longstaff/Tonali a fair bit. Barnes/Gordon rotation had just started when Barnes got injured after 8 minutes in his second start. Played weakened sides in the league cup other than the Chelsea game too. It's not like he's purposely played the same 11 each week recently he's just favoured a kanckered Gordon or Miggy over Ritchie etc which is fair enough really. 

That’s 3/4 positions. 
 

What was the plan with Trippier and Bruno? league cup R3 we started Pope and brought on all our best players. Haaland sat on the bench for 90 minutes.  

[sushimonster85]

22 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

 

Howe is the opposite. He prioritises the next game over absolutely everything

 

To be fair to Howe, it's way easier to rotate when the only aim is to not get relegated. Rafa seasons we never really looked in any danger of relegation in the second half of seasons. 

[huss9]

take them away to saudi for a few days in january.

get away from the cold and the negativity.

[Jonas]

`100% behind him.

 

Just thought it worth reiterating

[St. Maximin]

On the subject of Rafa, it might seem negative but I wonder if he could have experimented with the 3 CBs and WBs the odd match like Rafa did. Not his fault we had an injury crisis, but the same midfielders wasn’t working. Meanwhile we still had a few defensive options on the bench - sure Dummett/Krafth/Burn/Manquillo/Ritchie could have slotted in here and there…

[The College Dropout]

5 minutes ago, sushimonster85 said:

 

To be fair to Howe, it's way easier to rotate when the only aim is to not get relegated. Rafa seasons we never really looked in any danger of relegation in the second half of seasons. 

Agreed. But I think he did that at Liverpool in his prime too. He was a horses for courses manager. 
 

https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/66639-is-rafael-benitezs-rotation-policy-still-hurting-liverpool.amp.html

 

Howe is the same horses for all courses typically.  
 

Like I said. Howe is a better manager at this time. I don’t want Rafa back. But Howe has contributed to this predicament. 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by The College Dropout

[Yorkie]

7 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

14 at one point IIRC. It's without question the worst injury crisis I've seen while supporting the club and the next one on the list (06/07 under Roeder) pales in comparison 

 

Trying to find the peak issue then. I think it's:

 

Given, Babayaro, Moore, Emre, N'Zogbia, Luque, Owen, Ameobi

 

... in late Jan '07. We still had Solano, Dyer and Martins to see us through. Likes of Milner and Parker too. 

[Kid Icarus]

There have been so many times over the last couple of years that Howe has put out a left field team that had everyone scratching their heads, only for it to work perfectly.

 

Back 5 and Bruno are the only certain starters with everyone available. 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Kid Icarus

[Interpolic]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

 

Trying to find the peak issue then. I think it's:

 

Given, Babayaro, Moore, Emre, N'Zogbia, Luque, Owen, Ameobi

 

... in late Jan '07. We still had Solano, Dyer and Martins to see us through. Likes of Milner and Parker too. 

 

and the game is just different now. Almost every team in the league has most of their players running around, pressing like nutcases. You need a squad to manage it. Every single other side in the league would suffer badly if they had 11 fit first team level players for over a month. Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool - the lot. 

[Kid Icarus]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Trying to find the peak issue then. I think it's:

 

Given, Babayaro, Moore, Emre, N'Zogbia, Luque, Owen, Ameobi

 

... in late Jan '07. We still had Solano, Dyer and Martins to see us through. Likes of Milner and Parker too. 

Yeah, it was when we were playing Huntington, Patterson, Ramage. Ironically Dyer was available

 

IIRC the injuries weren't anywhere near as long lasting as the ones we've had with Barnes, Murphy, Pope, Burn, Willock, Botman, and then Wilson, Isak, Joelinton, Longstaff being in and out. It's crazy.

[Fezzle]

1 minute ago, Kid Icarus said:

Yeah, it was when we were playing Huntington, Patterson, Ramage. Ironically Dyer was available

 

IIRC the injuries weren't anywhere near as long lasting as the ones we've had with Barnes, Murphy, Pope, Burn, Willock, Botman, and then Wilson, Isak, Joelinton, Longstaff being in and out. It's crazy.

That 4-1 derby day team was rank ha

[Collage]

1 minute ago, Interpolic said:

 

and the game is just different now. Almost every team in the league has most of their players running around, pressing like nutcases. You need a squad to manage it. Every single other side in the league would suffer badly if they had 11 fit first team level players for over a month. Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool - the lot. 

but maybe the injuries are partly an effect of not rotating the squad enough while playing an intense pressing game. And a small(ish) squad.

[jack j]

1 minute ago, Fezzle said:

That 4-1 derby day team was rank ha

Amdy Faye and an OAP Lee Clark Centre midfield

[Kid Icarus]

2 minutes ago, Fezzle said:

That 4-1 derby day team was rank ha

05/06 but aye it was awful. 

[Interpolic]

8 minutes ago, Collage said:

but maybe the injuries are partly an effect of not rotating the squad enough while playing an intense pressing game. And a small(ish) squad.

 

I don't see any evidence of that. He was rotating the squad fine before rotating the squad meant giving Matt Ritchie minutes. 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2023 by Interpolic

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, Interpolic said:

 

I don't see any evidence of that. He was rotating the squad fine before the rotating the squad meant giving Matt Ritchie minutes. 

Ritchie should’ve been starting league cup games tbf

[Jonas]

31 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

This is an incredible thing to say like. We've had like 11 players out, most with serious injuries like broken bones. Of course it's bad luck and of course it has stretched his ability to manage the squad to beyond breaking point. 

 

All these posts saying Howe has fucked up the management of the squad and this can't go on in future seasons - he presumably won't have to contend with a whole team out in future seasons and will have a deeper squad. It won't be an issue. 

 

It's got nowt to do with how he's managed the squad and everything to do with a lot of people not being able to handle the downturn in form and wanting to make this into something it isn't. And the way Howe has performed before having to navigate these ridiculous circumstances, you'd expect a bit more leeway tbh. 

 

 

 

A lot of people say we lost the title in 1996 because Gillespie got injured for a few month and they're probably not wrong given it would only have took a few more points that we'd likely have gotten just off his presence/balance alone. Howe's been without ten Gillespies and some are condemning him.

[The College Dropout]

27 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

There have been so many times over the last couple of years that Howe has put out a left field team that had everyone scratching their heads, only for it to work perfectly.

 

Back 5 and Bruno are the only certain starters with everyone available. 

 

 

 

As in… playing what he thinks is his strongest team again and again?

[Collage]

5 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

I don't see any evidence of that. He was rotating the squad fine before rotating the squad meant giving Matt Ritchie minutes. 

 

 

 

Full backs, mainly (Trips and Burn)

It’s also about substitutions, he tends to make late ones. For me it’s just natural to think that we’ve suffered due to the amount of games, playing the way we do. 

[Jonas]

1 hour ago, huss9 said:

Scrape past sunderland.

have a bit of a break.

really go for the fa cup even if it means finishing 17th and get us back into europe.

Dalglishian

[Memphis]

I would be interested to read the inevitable report that will be commissioned about the relationship between our style of play/training and the injury level. I support Howe completely in the way he leads and the way he represents the club, he seems like a genuinely good person. I also think his style may be leading to our injuries and his loyalty to middling players may be exaggerating our depth issues. 

 

It's far more complex than a lot of our fans care to admit. But you can hold both of those opinions - that he's a good man and a good manager, and that his style may be problematic for us - at the same time.

[Interpolic]

24 minutes ago, The College Dropout said:

Ritchie should’ve been starting league cup games tbf

 

Man City was much changed without needing to use Ritchie, he did start at Old Trafford, and he was on for nearly a half at Stamford Bridge. The latter was a quarter final which most agreed was a priority.