Eddie Howe

[MagSA]

The whole credit in the bank thing only applies when you can see progress in solving the current issues. I am seeing a bit of progress but not enough to expect a change in the results. Big January window needed which I hope is used to give some impetus to this team and change the direction of travel. 

 

If we still plodding about with the same players and the same approach to games in Feb, then I am afraid the die is cast

[RodneyCisse]

Who’d be his replacement for those calling for the axe to drop?

[PauloGeordio]

8 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

This is like when you’ve been going out with a lass for a few years and it’s gone a bit stale. The moves you took pride in at the start of the relationship just aren’t delivering the goods any more.  

 

Do you keep plugging away with missionary, doggy, reverse cowgirl and hope things improve ?

 

Or do you take decisive action and suggest cosplay and mild S&M with a pre-agreed safeword ?

 

Because something needs to change, otherwise she’ll definitely be signing up for 1 on 1 classes with her gym instructor. 

 

Maybe Swiss Tony needs to have a word!

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by PauloGeordio

[SUPERTOON]

1 minute ago, RodneyCisse said:

Who’d be his replacement for those calling for the axe to drop?

It shouldn’t drop yet, but surely that’s the job of Wilson.

[500bhp]

16 minutes ago, Lush Vlad said:

Agree with this. Although I’m not sure he gets to start next season if we carry on like we are. Nor should he, IMO. It is a results business at the end of the day. We’ll end up bottom half without an upturn in performances and results. As much as I love the bloke. I don’t see why he’d get more money and more time in that scenario

 

The away form can’t be ignored and our play overall has been below par for a lot of this season. It all feels like it has gone a bit stale and predictable. 
 

More sad about it all than angry. As I don’t see where the changes are coming from for him to turn it around. Keeps playing the same system and the same underperforming players keep underperforming. 
 

Lost Isak, granted. But we’ve then spent a lot of money now to get worse as a side. We have spent a lot of money full stop since he got here. Yet we haven’t improved our control of games, meaning we are now incapable of seeing out wins and our chance creation seems the worst it has been since he’s been here. 
 

I do feel like he has been a victim of his own success for a lot of his time here. But this season has been poor whatever way you look at it. Performances and results haven’t been good enough and the away form spans all of 2025 now. 

 

 

 

Agree with all that. It does feel like the beginning of the end unfortunately. As has been mentioned before PIF didn't buy us to finish mid table with Bruce like performances away from home. 

 

He gets until the end of the season definitely, but if he has to go then make sure it happens in May. If we are serious about being top of the pile in five years, or whatever the CEO said, then I can only see one outcome unfortunately. 

[TheBrownBottle]

26 minutes ago, El Prontonise said:

 

Exactly, it's quite small time IMO.  We should be expecting trophies now on a semi regular basis.  While we aren't competing for the league anytime soon, cup runs should be a regular occurrence.

100%.  This doesn’t denigrate at all from Howe’s achievement - as far as I’m concerned, he’s guaranteed himself legendary status at the club by finally breaking that ridiculously long gap between trophies, and I love the man for it - but that doesn’t mean we should accept any old shite being served up afterwards.  

[Andy]

31 minutes ago, Menace said:

Sods law he's managed to stay fit for West Ham. Had we given him an extension he'd probably still be in the physio room.

 

No sods law or luck about it - he's on a pay as you play deal. 

[Danh1]

The thing for me isn’t even the poor season we are having in the league. It’s that he came out the other week saying you can’t expect to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, when that is exactly what’s happening.

 

Same formation, same like for like subs, same tactical approach. We cannot hold a lead away, once we concede it’s game over. Yet we aren’t doing anything to change things. It’s weird.

 

 

[ExiledGeordie]

The summer window killed us really with the lack of a proper board structure to deal with the Isak situation and then make sensible decisions in the transfer market. Howe needs to take some criticism for the summer signings too - Woltemade looks a good player but has been signed without us really looking like we know how to use him properly? Elanga and Ramsey have been a wasted 100m so far. Granted Thiaw has been a great signing and I think Wissa will score goals. The wingers are a major issue with the most productive and consistent winger being Murphy and he’s not exactly top tier is he. Again recruitment issues.

 

I was watching the Geordie journos summing up the game last night and they were saying how we now have a side of athletes with relatively few who can really play football and a lack of true guile to break teams down. It’s like Howe looks for tall, fast, powerful players only? I mean you need a mix of players and we’ve been crying out for a number 10 type for ages. 

Howe gets the season to try and work it out for me but he does look a little bit like he’s running out of ideas with the team. The like for like subs and not taking any risks just isn’t working. Throw Wissa on with Woltemade to try and get a result maybe. Like I said he gets the chance to try and work things out and find an answer but maybe his time is naturally coming to an end here. The England job might be a convenient get out for all if things haven’t improved. We do still have opportunities to win another cup but our inconsistent form and terrible away form just feels like we aren’t going to see enough improvements to achieve anything major this season. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by ExiledGeordie

[St1pe]

I honestly think he’s been let down badly by some of the current players and signings. Wingers have been missing all season bar flashes, we’ve missed chances at pivotal moments then shit losses start to weigh up brining the whole mood down. There’s also been a stack of individual errors a massive decline in certain key players like Joelinton, Pope etc. Injuries have been fucking dreadful - no first team fullbacks playing at the same time for most of the season, Gordon having to play up front badly. 
 

Howe isn’t a PFM manager. I don’t care how shit we get he deserves the season and a good chunk of the next one to get grip on things. 
 

My biggest criticism of him is we’re very all or nothing and don’t control the game. I suppose a Rafa/Mou type would get that even from these players but then you don’t get the type of PSG a Spurs style routs we can produce on our day. 
 

Basically I think we’re going to have a shit season and probably just have to back the team as best we can on the pitch then see what happens over time. 

[Menace]

25 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

This is like when you’ve been going out with a lass for a few years and it’s gone a bit stale. The moves you took pride in at the start of the relationship just aren’t delivering the goods any more.  

 

Do you keep plugging away with missionary, doggy, reverse cowgirl and hope things improve ?

 

Or do you take decisive action and suggest cosplay and mild S&M with a pre-agreed safeword ?

 

Because something needs to change, otherwise she’ll definitely be signing up for 1 on 1 high intensity classes with her gym instructor. 

 

 

 

 

 

I love you Robert.

 

Never change.

[Thumbheed]

I still believe Wissa will change our fortunes. 

 

If you watched him yesterday, he didnt look like he did much, but his movement and direction of runs opened up bits of space for others to exploit and I dont think it was a coincidence that we looked better when he came on. 

 

With Woltemade, I like him as a player and he's done well to score the goals he has, but he's extremely static and his naturally positioning condenses the pitch in key areas, and because we have to get closer to him we end up leaving spaces that the opposition exploit if/when he loses the ball. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Thumbheed

[SUPERTOON]

1 minute ago, St1pe said:

I honestly think he’s been let down badly by some of the current players and signings. Wingers have been missing all season bar flashes, we’ve missed chances at pivotal moments then shit losses start to weigh up brining the whole mood down. There’s also been a stack of individual errors a massive decline in certain key players like Joelinton, Pope etc. Injuries have been fucking dreadful - no first team fullbacks playing at the same time for most of the season, Gordon having to play up front badly. 
 

Howe isn’t a PFM manager. I don’t care how shit we get he deserves the season and a good chunk of the next one to get grip on things. 
 

My biggest criticism of him is we’re very all or nothing and don’t control the game. I suppose a Rafa/Mou type would get that even from these players but then you don’t get the type of PSG a Spurs style routs we can produce on our day. 
 

Basically I think we’re going to have a shit season and probably just have to back the team as best we can on the pitch then see what happens over time. 

His signings though. The summer set us back massively. We haven’t improved the starting 11 since we signed Tonali.

[ExiledGeordie]

6 minutes ago, Danh1 said:

The thing for me isn’t even the poor season we are having in the league. It’s that he came out the other week saying you can’t expect to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome, when that is exactly what’s happening.

 

Same formation, same like for like subs, same tactical approach. We cannot hold a lead away, once we concede it’s game over. Yet we aren’t doing anything to change things. It’s weird.

 

 

Well summed up, it’s like he refuses to change things up or doesn’t know how to which is odd either way.

[ExiledGeordie]

3 minutes ago, Thumbheed said:

I still believe Wissa will change our fortunes. 

 

If you watched him yesterday, he didnt look like he did much, but his movement and direction of runs opened up bits of space for others to exploit and I dont think it was a coincidence that we looked better when he came on. 

 

With Woltemade, I like him as a player and he's done well to score the goals he has, but he's extremely static and his naturally positioning condenses the pitch in key areas, and because we have to get closer to him we end up leaving spaces that the opposition exploit if/when he loses the ball. 

 

 

 

 

 

A fit Wissa from the start of the season would’ve been massive, his injury completely fucked us.

[Keegans Export]

23 minutes ago, RodneyCisse said:

Who’d be his replacement for those calling for the axe to drop?

For the record, I'm not one of those calling for him to be sacked but this is such a poor defence.

 

If Howe walked today, I don't know who I'd want to replace him because my knowledge outside the PL is massively limited. Fortunately we have a team of directors who are handsomely remunerated to make those decisions.

 

It's no different to questioning underperforming players - do I know who we could replace Elanga with? Nope. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't trust our scouts to identify someone I'd previously never heard of because that's their job.

 

If your question was a more general one than a defence of Howe then fair enough 👍🏻

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Keegans Export

[Gallowgate Toon]

Some semi interesting comments about we were crossing from too deep in his post match interview. He always wants us to work into those channels from wide for cutbacks, but teams know this.

 

Makes it dafter that he took Woltemade off imo, he at least attracts players when we're punting it in which can create more gaps for the likes of Wissa.

[Menace]

There's no guarantee a replacement hits the ground running. Look how long it took Glasner/Iraola to stamp their mark on the team. Which begs the question - is it actually worth looking at a replacement considering this is Howe's team? No doubt the upper management will get a bit itchy if we're still shite this time next year but I absolutely do not want to entertain the idea of looking for a new manager until its beyond saving.

 

Not to say he's got a lot right this season, but Pep was doing a lot of odd things last season too, and I'd wager they'll probably win the league this season.

[Gawalls]

33 minutes ago, RodneyCisse said:

Who’d be his replacement for those calling for the axe to drop?

Nobidy calling for it as I can see just people saying it could be on the horizon and it could be. This ownership have never sacked a manager yet so none of us know when they call it a day, totally unknown situation we're in so this is he isn't he is pointless really.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Gawalls

[Chicken Dancer]

He shouldn’t be sacked anytime soon but the fact there’s people who’ll start blaming the kit man before Howe is part of the problem imo. 
 

He’s the most incredible manager in (most of) our lives, but he has to shoulder a large chunk of the blame for this season. I can’t remember the last time he made a tactical sub - always like for like. 
 

The fact he’s starting to come out and talk shit after a game is a red flag to me that the end may be nigh. At the start and middle parts of his tenure he would admit when we were shit without digging out players, now it seems every week he was happy with something.

 

Hate to say it but think last summer will go down as a huge sliding doors moment in his tenure. 

[Lush Vlad]

9 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

Some semi interesting comments about we were crossing from too deep in his post match interview. He always wants us to work into those channels from wide for cutbacks, but teams know this.

 

Makes it dafter that he took Woltemade off imo, he at least attracts players when we're punting it in which can create more gaps for the likes of Wissa.

Even worse that our attacking tactics still seem to be that passing triangle to work an opening for a low cross near the box. Then if teams sit off, just slowly pass it about sideways and then occasionally hump a loopy cross into 2-3 players who are massively outnumbered and are usually a lot smaller than the defenders they’re up against.
 

That seems to be our attacking set up every week. It’s painful.  

[SUPERTOON]

You watch us away you would be convinced the players aren’t playing for him. It’s a different story at home of course, although I don’t think we have been great there for the majority.

[Heron]

3 hours ago, Optimistic Nut said:

 

We weren't all about Isak, but he made us excellent when we played well, and got us good results when we played average. He was world class for 2 years here. 

I agree. He was the icing on an already decent cake. He wasn't the full cake - which was my point.

[Heron]

8 hours ago, Whitley mag said:

Not moving any goal posts, stick by my point that the brilliance of Isak has maybe masked the fact that where just not that great of an attacking team under Howe.

Think the evidence of this season pretty much supports this.

If you take a top class player out of any side it will be less effective especially if you're team is built to play to said individuals strengths. It doesn't make them a bad side all of a sudden just because said player is removed. The team has to adapt and thus far hasn't had opportunity to do so because we signed 2 strikers 6 or 7 games into the season and since then have has only one or two opportunities to do any significant amount of training owing to fixture congestion.

 

It's entirely unfair on Howe and the everyone at the club to suggest the only reason we won owt was because of Isak.

 

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by Heron

[Sibierski]

4 hours ago, Lucky said:

 

 

The Burnley game is massive.

 

 

It’s nothing close to a massive game for me. It’s against a side that’s poor, 2nd bottom and comfortably the 2nd worse side in league. If we win 2-1, it’s just a shrug of the shoulders. Doesn’t say anything about changing a corner etc. 

 

Last night was the massive one, to get ahead of a side we have to finish above, and we once again fumbled an open goal and now 6 points behind with a very hard away run still to come in 2026. 
 

League is effectively done for me, just need to ensure we hook up some form so we go into cup games not completely off the boil.