Eddie Howe

[Wolfcastle]

33 minutes ago, PauloGeordio said:

 

Sir Bobby was leaving in 9month anyway, so whilst comparable they're very different situations. We started most seasons badly under Sir Bobby, that wasn't the decisive factor in the decision to remove him. Replacing Eddie wasn't even on the distant horizon until recently. And a poor start and a poor 6-7month whilst technically dips are not the same either.

 

 

Edited February 8 by Wolfcastle

[Kid Icarus]

I totally appreciate the point that sacking SBR wasn't the wrong decision, but who he was replaced with was. However, I think you can also say that because the replacement was wrong it comes as part of a full package that was wrong, and a mistake I think the club would make again. 

 

I'd be surprised if the people who want Howe sacked also believe or trust that the club would get a better replacement tbh. I certainly don't and I wouldn't even if I wanted Eddie gone.

 

 

Edited February 8 by Kid Icarus

[Interpolic]

Shepherd made loads of errors with Robson - one was announcing it was his last season which is stupid at the best of times but even worse when there were discipline issues in the squad. He also started going over his head on transfers (Butt instead of Carrick who was available for less than half the money). 

 

I did think we were declining under Bobby but you back him or sack him, and Shepherd did neither. 

[Jonas]

21 minutes ago, toontownman said:

Moving SBR wasn't the wrong decision. The manner they did it and the person they replaced him with absolutely were.

 

SBR should have moved upstairs and been involved in his successor. Approached the right way with planning that might have been Mourinho. Although he was appointed at Chelsea a couple of months prior to SBR being sacked. 

 

No way SBR would have give his blessing to hiring Souness though.

 

Fast forward to now. Moving Howe out if things don't improve might not also be the wrong thing but that is all dependent on hiring the right successor. It can't be a gamble and must be an informed and clearly ambitious decision. Either way its a risk.

That was the plan, as reported at the time. Bring in an understudy of Sir Bobby's choice for a year to eventually take over which was to be Mourinho. As he was an unknown it was a bit dubious sounding prior to winning the CL that next season.  Mourinho has mentioned (in his book for one) that he didn't think Sir Bobby would step aside.

The choice to sack him so early in the season wasn't sound but arguably neither was the choice to stick with him alone for one last year (the year prior Southampton's form had dropped after Strachan announced he was leaving at the end of the season) but the choice of Souness was insane.

[The Prophet]

3 hours ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

It’s fairly daft to call the first Champions League a write off due to injuries when actually we would have gone on to qualify if it wasn’t for a ridiculous refereeing decision. 

 

The Champions League wasn't a write off, it was worth it for PSG alone, but Howe's opportunity to learn from it was limited given his inability to rotate.

 

3 hours ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

My main gripe is I’m not seeing any difference or any learning/adjustment. I’m seeing the same errors being made that have been prevalent for his entire time here. Even in the last week, what learning did he take from Trippier being embarrassed two games in a row, only to watch him be at fault for another 2 goals yesterday? 

 

There's been all kinds of criticism levelled at Howe that he's batted away. If anything, I'd say a lot of the systemic issues that we're seeing this season are a result of growing pains. We're rotating more frequently, but that in turn isn't giving the new lads in particular an opportunity to build any momentum or forge relationships with their team mates.

 

I have three main gripes of late. i) a lack of resilience, which is something I've previously never associated with an Eddie Howe team. ii) the strikers aren't performing. Again a new issue following the sale of Isak, something that should improve with more coaching and a bit of patience.

iii) the shape of the midfield at times, particularly when Bruno and Tonali play alongside together. This is an issue that has re-emerged fairly recently after looking like it had been resolved last season.

 

As for Trippier, we don't really have an alternative at the moment.

 

3 hours ago, Sir Joel Inton said:

 

He’s had two CL seasons and neither have been managed well and our league form has suffered considerably as a result. There may be multiple contributing factors but there are also very similar issues across both of those seasons that he is responsible for.

 

We've managed it much better this time. More rotation, lower intensity, less naive in Europe. It's not been perfect, but we're trending in the right direction In that regard. Ultimately though, we need more quality in the squad to continue the improvement.

 

In recent seasons both Klopp and Guardiola have had similar struggles, but they've had the benefit of being able to make vast changes to their squad without having to think about the financial repercussions.

[Interpolic]

Souness was the usual reactive Shepherd appointment - the old man has the young players running rings around him so let's bring a disciplinarian in to chin them instead. Swear it soothed his own ego to appoint formerly brilliant footballers like Dalglish, Gullit and Souness as well. 

[Jonas]

22 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

I totally appreciate the point that sacking SBR wasn't the wrong decision, but who he was replaced with was. However, I think you can also say that because the replacement was wrong it comes as part of a full package that was wrong, and a mistake I think the club would make again. 

 

I'd be surprised if the people who want Howe sacked also believe or trust that the club would get a better replacement tbh. I certainly don't and I wouldn't even if I wanted Eddie gone.

 

 

 

The shortlist couldn't have been sounder last time. Emery, Howe. But suspect the people that drew that up aren't there now.

[Dr.Spaceman]

Imagine how long they'd take to decide on a new manager 

[dcmk]

The XG table suggests we have been unlucky so far this year..  7 points off where we should be and sitting in 6th.

[The Prophet]

1 hour ago, Whitley mag said:

It would be good to see what he would do with some young talents like Kees Smit, Methalie and see we’ve also been linked with Bouaddi the 18yo midfielder from Lille.

 

These are the type of signings that are risky but probably represent our best chance of moving forward next summer.

 

This sounds like a solid idea on paper, but they won't come cheap. Smit has appointed Mendes as his agent and is courting half of Europe. You're talking £50 million fee minimum.

 

I do also worry for young players joining this club. While Howe is a fantastic coach, capable of enhancing their development, the patience of the fanbase seems to be getting worse. It took what? Four months for some of the summer signings to be completely written off. A young lad learning the game needs time and patience to play through his mistakes, will that be afforded here or will it be groan O'clock from the off?

[Terrymac1966]

The team had no shape last night.

Every formation looks like an experiment...Brentford looked to have a plan while our raft of substitutions looked pretty random and desperate....his red eyes at the presser looked all over like a manager who is towards the end.

I love the man but equally everything is finite in football.

Is time up....I dont think our signings have helped in any way

[Amir_9]

26 minutes ago, dcmk said:

The XG table suggests we have been unlucky so far this year..  7 points off where we should be and sitting in 6th.

 

I think Aston Villa have more or less shown XG to be a joke stat this year. As unlucky as we may have been, there are some clear player investment , tactical and in-game management errors for a while now that doesn't help our luck.

 

 

Edited February 8 by Amir_9

[Wallsendmag]

5 hours ago, SUPERTOON said:

I still think it’s the minority of fans that have turned mind. Social media doesn’t represent the overall feeling.

 

Boos were very loud at HT and FT inside the ground yesterday mind. Certainly louder than any positive support.

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, PauloGeordio said:

 

It’s the worst example possible.  The lesson from history wasn’t in sacking Robson - it was sacking him too late out of a sense of sentiment.  Our away form in 03/04 was simply dogshit (sound familiar?) and he’d clearly lost the dressing room.  We waited too long and appointed the wrong man.  I can’t believe that anyone who was around at that time would use that as an example of keeping Howe on - it makes a case for the opposite. 

 

 

Edited February 8 by TheBrownBottle

[Izakaya]

39 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Boos were very loud at HT and FT inside the ground yesterday mind. Certainly louder than any positive support.

 

Thought the boos weren't too bad on my live coverage, then saw a few videos from in the ground and yeah, they were very very loud. 

[huss9]

5 hours ago, Nucasol said:

I was at the 4-2 Villa loss - my 23rd birthday IIRC, which ultimately he was sacked after. I travelled down with 10 of the lads, all season ticket holders and away day regulars at that time, and I can’t remember anyone calling for SBR out, before on the train or after. The ReadyToGroom Walter Mitty brigade have well and truly done a number as time has gone on.

i'm sure their keeper took bellamy out and they should have been down to 10.

there was no calling out SBR from the away at all.

even the wolves game at home - discontent more towards the players.

[Izakaya]

The sad thing is that if he is sacked or leaves, he will take a sabbatical and refresh his tactics and add a whole new element to his toolkit. He'll then get another PL job and absolutely smash it, and more than likely win another trophy if not the league itself, then we look like the daft cunts for letting him go. 

 

 

[Fak]

Just now, Izakaya said:

The sad thing is that if he is sacked or leaves, he will take a sabbatical and refresh his tactics and add a whole new element to his toolkit. He'll then get another PL job and absolutely smash it, and more than likely win another trophy if not the league itself, then we look like the daft cunts for letting him go. 

 

 

 

So we should sack him and then re-appoint him in 18 months is that what you're saying?

[Lotus]

5 hours ago, TRon said:

 

But when you say he got given the wrong players you are already making an assumption that he had no input on the players who would be coming in. That's not been my impression, I doubt we bring anyone in who he doesn't want here. 

It appears to have been erroneous judgment then.

[TheBrownBottle]

6 hours ago, Nucasol said:

I was at the 4-2 Villa loss - my 23rd birthday IIRC, which ultimately he was sacked after. I travelled down with 10 of the lads, all season ticket holders and away day regulars at that time, and I can’t remember anyone calling for SBR out, before on the train or after. The ReadyToGroom Walter Mitty brigade have well and truly done a number as time has gone on.

I was there too and there was zero calls for his head at the ground - but the crack on Keith Barrett’s coach going back was that most I heard thought he’d be sacked and there weren’t many voices I heard that day who would have pushed back on it.  A bit different from foaming at the mouth calls for his head, mind. 

[Colos Short and Curlies]

28 minutes ago, Izakaya said:

The sad thing is that if he is sacked or leaves, he will take a sabbatical and refresh his tactics and add a whole new element to his toolkit. He'll then get another PL job and absolutely smash it, and more than likely win another trophy if not the league itself, then we look like the daft cunts for letting him go. 

 

 

yeah but he ain’t doing that big reinvention whilst in any job, it needs a sabbatical.

 

so no we won’t look daft if that scenario happens

[Whitley mag]

43 minutes ago, Izakaya said:

The sad thing is that if he is sacked or leaves, he will take a sabbatical and refresh his tactics and add a whole new element to his toolkit. He'll then get another PL job and absolutely smash it, and more than likely win another trophy if not the league itself, then we look like the daft cunts for letting him go. 

 

 

Someone in this thread said we were all a bit misty eyed about Keegan’s time here and the rest of the country just see him as trophy-less at Newcastle.

 

It’s not beyond the realms we’re all currently a bit misty eyed due to having one of the longest runs in sport without a trophy.

 

Eddie has his place assured in the clubs history, but it’s also worth remembering he’s had more money to spend than any manager in our history.

 

It’s also worth noting in regard to the Keegan point and how the rest of the country might assess Eddie’s time here, that a lot of average managers have won the league cup over the years.

 

To name just a few Steve McClaren, Souness, Alex McLeish, Michael Laudrup, Juande Ramos and Ten Hag.

 

He could go on to better things after leaving here but there’s also a chance he joins the club above.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8 by Whitley mag

[Izakaya]

42 minutes ago, Fak said:

 

So we should sack him and then re-appoint him in 18 months is that what you're saying?

 

I mean, without sacking him, ideally yes, he takes a 12mth mental health break, we survive with a caretaker and he comes back refreshed and carries on. 

 

I don't want him sacked, I want him to have a period of R&R and to stay managing us. 

 

This obviously would unfortunately never happen. 

[AJ9]

9 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

Someone in this thread said we were all a bit misty eyed about Keegan’s time here and the rest of the country just see him as trophy-less at Newcastle.

 

It’s not beyond the realms we’re all currently a bit misty eyed due to having one of the longest runs in sport without a trophy.

 

Eddie has his place assured in the clubs history, but it’s also worth remembering he’s had more money to spend than any manager in our history.

 

It’s also worth noting in regard to the Keegan point and how the rest of the country might assess Eddie’s time here, that a lot of average managers have won the league cup over the years.

 

To name just a few Steve McClaren, Souness, Alex McLeish, Michael Laudrup, Juande Ramos and Ten Hag.

 

He could go on to better things after leaving here but there’s also a chance he joins the club above.

 

 

 

 

 

I get your point and not at all massively disagreeing on the idea that we are maybe emotionally invested in Howe due to the cup win.

 

Do feel that the comparison of him with that lot are a low blow mind for a couple reasons…

 

1. Winning the LC in this modern era is harder for sure. When city started to treat it properly, loads of the top teams followed suit. 
 

2. He’s done this while also qualifying twice for champions league and rescuing us from relegation, with an absolutely stinking squad

 

 

[AJ9]

10 minutes ago, Izakaya said:

 

I mean, without sacking him, ideally yes, he takes a 12mth mental health break, we survive with a caretaker and he comes back refreshed and carries on. 

 

I don't want him sacked, I want him to have a period of R&R and to stay managing us. 

 

This obviously would unfortunately never happen. 

wouldn’t be against this either