Eddie Howe

[Yorkie]

23 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Not sure what mitigating circumstances you are referring to but we can no longer defend, are easily dominated in midfield, no longer press properly meaning we're easy to play through, concede a ridiculous amount of goals at the ends of each half, and have no sort of playing style. This latest trend of not turning up after HT as has been the case v Man City, Barcelona and Sunderland is also a concern.

 

If people are genuinely believing that's all down to selling Isak I have some magic beans they may be interested in buying.

 

It's not all down to selling Isak - and to put the spotlight on the manager, it's his job to find solutions and work with what he's got - but there's definitely a ripple effect.

 

'Selling Isak' - and the fact it was a saga which spanned the majority of the window - was lots of things. It was losing our golden ticket to becoming challengers. It was an absolute cast-iron guarantee that we would regress. It was putting us in a situation where we were incredibly weak (and eventually desperate) in the transfer market.

 

So when you apply the implications of Isak leaving to what's happened on the pitch; the ripples are evident imo. You need pick only one or two fixtures this season where, if you put a competent striker on the field, we've got more points. We've had issues with the midfield shape out of possession for years, but ultimately covered for it more often than not because we've outscored the opposition. More goals takes the pressure off the defence too. There's no hideously nervous football and a last gasp equaliser/winner if we're already 3-0 up.

 

Put incredibly simply, everything is easier when you've got a good striker. We lost ours and couldn't replace him with anyone of even proximal quality.

 

Like I say, you still need your manager to find solutions, I'm not absolving him of all blame here. But the impact of the Isak sale does get underestimated by some imo. Right now it looks like a sliding doors moment akin to the likes of Partizan.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Just now, Yorkie said:

 

It's not all down to selling Isak - and to put the spotlight on the manager, it's his job to find solutions and work with what he's got - but there's definitely a ripple effect.

 

'Selling Isak' - and the fact it was a saga which spanned the majority of the window - was lots of things. It was losing our golden ticket to becoming challengers. It was an absolute cast-iron guarantee that we would regress. It was putting us in a situation where we were incredibly weak (and eventually desperate) in the transfer market.

 

So when you apply the implications of Isak leaving to what's happened on the pitch; the ripples are evident imo. You need pick only one or two fixtures this season where, if you put a competent striker on the field, we've got more points. We've had issues with the midfield shape out of possession for years, but ultimately covered for it more often than not because we've outscored the opposition. More goals takes the pressure off the defence too. There's no last gasp equaliser/winner if we're already 3-0 up.

 

Put incredibly simply, everything is easier when you've got a good striker. We lost ours and couldn't replace him with anyone of even proximal quality.

 

Like I say, you still need your manager to find solutions, I'm not absolving him of all blame here. But the impact of the Isak sale does get underestimated by some imo. Right now it looks like a sliding doors moment akin to the likes of Partizan.

In addition to this I don't think anyone expected Pope to regress as much as he did

 

His kicking was always tragic but the rest of his game was gotten worse and that alone has cost us a fair few points 

[Jesse Pinkman]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

 

It's not all down to selling Isak - and to put the spotlight on the manager, it's his job to find solutions and work with what he's got - but there's definitely a ripple effect.

 

'Selling Isak' - and the fact it was a saga which spanned the majority of the window - was lots of things. It was losing our golden ticket to becoming challengers. It was an absolute cast-iron guarantee that we would regress. It was putting us in a situation where we were incredibly weak (and eventually desperate) in the transfer market.

 

So when you apply the implications of Isak leaving to what's happened on the pitch; the ripples are evident imo. You need pick only one or two fixtures this season where, if you put a competent striker on the field, we've got more points. We've had issues with the midfield shape out of possession for years, but ultimately covered for it more often than not because we've outscored the opposition. More goals takes the pressure off the defence too. There's no last gasp equaliser/winner if we're already 3-0 up.

 

Put incredibly simply, everything is easier when you've got a good striker. We lost ours and couldn't replace him with anyone of even proximal quality.

 

Like I say, you still need your manager to find solutions, I'm not absolving him of all blame here. But the impact of the Isak sale does get underestimated by some imo. Right now it looks like a sliding doors moment akin to the likes of Partizan.

We have one of the most talented strikers in Europe and a striker that scored 19 goals in the Prem last season. It’s just Howe can’t get the best out of them and prefers playing Gordon there 

[Yorkie]

Just now, Geordie Ahmed said:

In addition to this I don't think anyone expected Pope to regress as much as he did

 

His kicking was always tragic but the rest of his game was gotten worse and that alone has cost us a fair few points 

 

Aye totally; that's the other big issue. The striker situation was one thing but stick a much better goalie between the sticks and we might have got away with it, and I can repeat what I said about us having more points on the board. Not a hope with our current pair. If you've shite strikers and shite goalies, you're going absolutely nowhere.

[Yorkie]

2 minutes ago, Jesse Pinkman said:

We have one of the most talented strikers in Europe and a striker that scored 19 goals in the Prem last season. It’s just Howe can’t get the best out of them and prefers playing Gordon there 

 

It's refreshing to see a defence of the summer transfer window like. Certainly wasn't on my bingo card for today.

[sixx]

I expect our form to pick up since we’re playing once a week now and I expect us to be better defensively for the remaining matches. Schar, Bruno and Tonali being back should help massively.

 

If things don’t pick up for the remainder of the season that’s when I’ll be properly worried.

[Bimpy474]

I really hope the board backs him, buys younger up and coming players, we have a great next season, and he shoves it right up the collective shitpipes of his critics.

[TheBrownBottle]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

It's not all down to selling Isak - and to put the spotlight on the manager, it's his job to find solutions and work with what he's got - but there's definitely a ripple effect.

 

'Selling Isak' - and the fact it was a saga which spanned the majority of the window - was lots of things. It was losing our golden ticket to becoming challengers. It was an absolute cast-iron guarantee that we would regress. It was putting us in a situation where we were incredibly weak (and eventually desperate) in the transfer market.

 

So when you apply the implications of Isak leaving to what's happened on the pitch; the ripples are evident imo. You need pick only one or two fixtures this season where, if you put a competent striker on the field, we've got more points. We've had issues with the midfield shape out of possession for years, but ultimately covered for it more often than not because we've outscored the opposition. More goals takes the pressure off the defence too. There's no hideously nervous football and a last gasp equaliser/winner if we're already 3-0 up.

 

Put incredibly simply, everything is easier when you've got a good striker. We lost ours and couldn't replace him with anyone of even proximal quality.

 

Like I say, you still need your manager to find solutions, I'm not absolving him of all blame here. But the impact of the Isak sale does get underestimated by some imo. Right now it looks like a sliding doors moment akin to the likes of Partizan.

The other way to look at it is that Howe’s high-intensity pressing game has been found out a couple of years back and a world class centre forward won so many points that the cracks were throughly covered over.  He’s wasted so much money on absolute shite - and neither in-game nor in terms of his signings does there seem to be any joined-up thinking or strategy.   If Howe had been appointed in July there’d have been calls for his head by Xmas - terrible signings, dire performances, shit results. 

[black_n_white]

The decline of aging players has been a major part, but the signings of the two ‘strikers’ and the sale of Isak is the major reason we've regressed this season. There is no logic to the Woltemade signing and Wissa was a last minute panic buy simple as. I’ve said before those two decisions may have cost the club years to recover from.

[Wallsendmag]

4 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Aye totally; that's the other big issue. The striker situation was one thing but stick a much better goalie between the sticks and we might have got away with it, and I can repeat what I said about us having more points on the board. Not a hope with our current pair. If you've shite strikers and shite goalies, you're going absolutely nowhere.

 

Good job we brought in 2 expensive strikers and a goalie in the summer then 

[The Butcher]

From the final and in Isak was pretty shite, if memory serves. Never lasted more than an hour and his form plummeted.

[Kid Icarus]

On 17/12/2025 at 10:27, Kid Icarus said:

It's funny how zooming out to look at the bigger picture usually means 'our away form this year' and not -within the same year - winning a cup, qualifying for the Champions League for the second time in 3 years, or how we lost the focal point of our attack, lost our DoF on the eve of the transfer window, lost our CEO with no replacement for a year, had a huge squad turnover, and how the fallout from that was dumped on Howe's desk and he was expected to get on with it.

 

On 06/08/2025 at 09:10, Kid Icarus said:

Worth repeating as well that our scouting team have done a very good job.

 

We currently have no CEO or DoF and the people in charge of being DoF and negotiating are scouts, one of which is 31, and Jamie Ruben. 

 

I don't blame Andy Howe and Nickson, the position they're in is ridiculous and I'm sure they're doing their best. The ownership allowing this to be the situation we're in because they had a weak contingency plan and didn't react are ultimately to blame.

 

On 08/02/2026 at 09:30, Kid Icarus said:

Your CEO being M.I.A for a year, your DoF walking out on the eve of the transfer window and then the club not replacing either until a month or two after the window closed isn't Howe being given the reigns, or Howe being given control, as if it's some sort of reward or privilege that he wanted or earned.

 

It's all of us being left in the shit and Howe having the responsibility of digging us out of it thrust upon him while those above him looked (and continue to look) at every time-critical decision that's their responsibility and respond to it by throwing their hands up and saying "inshallah". Some might say it's culture clash, or due diligence, others might say it's gross incompetence. 

 

On 28/02/2026 at 18:37, Kid Icarus said:

Once again though, why it's his team is not only being overlooked, but he's taking all the flack for it. 

 

This team is what he managed to put together having been thrown into a DoF role in the summer, when he shouldn't have, and bailing us out in the process.

 

With some people Howe would have been much better off throwing his hands up and saying it's not his job.

33 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Not sure what mitigating circumstances you are referring to but we can no longer defend, are easily dominated in midfield, no longer press properly meaning we're easy to play through, concede a ridiculous amount of goals at the ends of each half, and have no sort of playing style. This latest trend of not turning up after HT as has been the case v Man City, Barcelona and Sunderland is also a concern.

 

If people are genuinely believing that's all down to selling Isak I have some magic beans they may be interested in buying.

See above. I should just have a pinned post tbh, I've repeated so often. I find it weirder that so many people seem to have memory-holed all of last summer tbh.

[TheBrownBottle]

2 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Good job we brought in 2 expensive strikers and a goalie in the summer then 

I thought he got a free pass on wasting £130m of the club’s money as they weren’t his first choice. 

[Scottish Mag]

4 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

The other way to look at it is that Howe’s high-intensity pressing game has been found out a couple of years back and a world class centre forward won so many points that the cracks were throughly covered over.  He’s wasted so much money on absolute shite - and neither in-game nor in terms of his signings does there seem to be any joined-up thinking or strategy.   If Howe had been appointed in July there’d have been calls for his head by Xmas - terrible signings, dire performances, shit results. 

If his style was “found out a couple of years ago” he doesn’t get a champions league place, and a cup final win surely? That doesn’t happen if something’s been figured out that easily.
 

As for the if How has been appointed in June that’s a bit of a “if my auntie had balls she would be my uncle” argument tbh. You’re changing the context to make the point work.  The reality is he didn’t come in in July, he came into a relegation fight, improved us massively, qualified for the Champions League team twice and won a cup.

[Yorkie]

2 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

8 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Aye totally; that's the other big issue. The striker situation was one thing but stick a much better goalie between the sticks and we might have got away with it, and I can repeat what I said about us having more points on the board. Not a hope with our current pair. If you've shite strikers and shite goalies, you're going absolutely nowhere.

Expand  

 

Good job we brought in 2 expensive strikers and a goalie in the summer then 

 

Well yeah, the recruitment hasn't worked, certainly in the short term. In the post of yours I quoted I offered a theory as to why. 

[duo]

This video - although not about Eddie - does highlight some points from 7 min 30 secs onwards - as to reasons we are seeing what we are seeing on the pitch

 

 

[Yorkie]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

4 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Good job we brought in 2 expensive strikers and a goalie in the summer then 

I thought he got a free pass on wasting £130m of the club’s money as they weren’t his first choice

 

Sigh. Ah well. Enjoy your evenings, lads.

[Jesse Pinkman]

10 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

It's refreshing to see a defence of the summer transfer window like. Certainly wasn't on my bingo card for today.

Well not all of us are in the Craig Hope bubble. 
 

We went out and bought Germany’s starting striker who was being lined up as Kane’s heir at Bayern AND one of the top goal scorers in the Prem last year who scored nearly as much as Isak.
 

To claim he has no good strikers is factually incorrect. We have more fire power than most in the league. He just doesn’t have a clue how to use them. 

If Howe was a top class manager he would adapt his system to get the best out of them. But he can’t. That’s Howe’s fault not the board. 
 

Don’t get me wrong the window was a shambles and we did overpay but we ended up there or there abouts in the end. 
 

 

 

 

[Wallsendmag]

Just now, TheBrownBottle said:

I thought he got a free pass on wasting £130m of the club’s money as they weren’t his first choice. 

 

Also gets a free pass for bringing Ramsdale in whilst loaning out a Greek International Goalkeeper who is having a very good season in La Liga with Sevilla without giving him a chance I suppose. Seen him play a handful of times this season and I'll stick my neck out here and say he's better than what we've got.

[Kid Icarus]

1 minute ago, Yorkie said:

 

Well yeah, the recruitment hasn't worked, certainly in the short term. In the post of yours I quoted I offered a theory as to why. 

The recruitment hasn't worked, until it has, at which point everyone just quietly moves on and "I like the look of Gordon/Livramento/Hall/Barnes/Ramsey"

[Interpolic]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

 

Sigh. Ah well. Enjoy your evenings, lads.

 

They're both already really enjoying their evenings. 

[Holmesy]

19 minutes ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

 

I think another manager will face the same issue unless one of two things happen, squad improves and/or they are willing to chuck the cups and prioritise the league/Europe 

 

If that is the ask then absolutely no reason Howe can't do that 

European football doesn't seem to have affected Villa, and they have a similar sized squad to ours. Could it be that Emery has developed a style of football that is more conducive to playing in multiple competitions?

When we talk about possession football, it's pretty obvious why all the top teams play it - they can manage the game, tire out the opposition and manage their own energy expenditure to prevent fatigue. There's a reason all of the elite managers play it. 
We, on the other hand, run around relentlessly, chase back constantly because we can't keep possession and end up fucking knackered, and injured.

A new manager doesn't have to prioritise one or the other if they play the right kind of football. In fact, Eddie doesn't have to prioritise one or the other if he realised what is staring all of us in the face, and changed his fucking philosophy. 

 

[SUPERTOON]

Got no issue with anyone wanting a change or thinking he may have taken us as far as he can. But some of the rewriting of history and seeming hate towards him is sad to see tbh.

[Mountain]

12 hours ago, RUHRLYASLEEVESUP said:

Eh ?

 

I don't want a minger managing my club.

[RUHRLYASLEEVESUP]

Just now, Mountain said:

 

I don't want a minger managing my club.

Gawd