Eddie Howe

[Pixelphish]

I don't envy the leadership group dealing with this situation, that's for sure. Think I change my mind every hour.

[Turnbull2000]

Title challenge 

 

Aim next season should by 6-7th, with 5th being a bonus. 

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Pixelphish said:

I don't envy the leadership group dealing with this situation, that's for sure. Think I change my mind every hour.

I keep asking myself how is Eddie going to fix it and im not really seeing it honestly. 

 

We look out of ideas, it really is his last days at Bournemouth stuff. 

 

Is the old style even possible anymore? I mean it requires buy in from every single player and even then, due to the nature of the play profile it it doesn't come off we will struggle. Idk just feels like it's a natural point to part ways. 

 

But then again give me a few hours and I might change my mind  

[Pixelphish]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

I keep asking myself how is Eddie going to fix it and im not really seeing it honestly. 

 

We look out of ideas, it really is his last days at Bournemouth stuff. 

 

Is the old style even possible anymore? I mean it requires buy in from every single player and even then, due to the nature of the play profile it it doesn't come off we will struggle. Idk just feels like it's a natural point to part ways. 

 

But then again give me a few hours and I might change my mind  

For me it's, assume we keep him and we look like an animal again next season with no Europe. What happens if we make Europe then fall apart again?

Then the devil's advocate position is he's never had the squad to compete on multiple fronts, but he's at least partly responsible for a lot of the squad he has right now, but then that's a failure in senior leadership.

[Groundhog63]

5 minutes ago, Geordie Magpie said:

24-25 Villa were in the Champions League, reached the Quarter Finals of that, the semi final of the FA Cup and finished 6th in the league....

Got £64m for Duran and spent it on borrowing Rashford, Disasi and Ascensio, that season, then Elliott, Sancho and Luiz this.

[Pixelphish]

Just now, Pixelphish said:

For me it's, assume we keep him and we look like an animal again next season with no Europe. What happens if we make Europe then fall apart again?

Then the devil's advocate position is he's never had the squad to compete on multiple fronts, but he's at least partly responsible for a lot of the squad he has right now, but then that's a failure in senior leadership.

 

And ofc Ballsack.

[Zero]

Ultimately it’s the Plan A that’s the problem. I mean, if Plan A still works, then Howe did have a point to persist it.

 

1. Is it really due to the players no longer willing to follow instructions?

 

2. Or, is the tactic (especially the pressing part) no longer worked / being found out by opponents?

 

In the beginning of the season most of us thought the answer would be Yes for 1 and No for 2. The rat was the reason. Now I think the majority here had changed their mind.

[TRon]

10 minutes ago, Pixelphish said:

I don't envy the leadership group dealing with this situation, that's for sure. Think I change my mind every hour.

 

 

When Jacob Murphy is part of the leadership group it's not that surprising we don't show much fight on the pitch. 

 

Trippier still has it mind, but he's a few games from setting off to the sun somewhere. 

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Pixelphish said:

For me it's, assume we keep him and we look like an animal again next season with no Europe. What happens if we make Europe then fall apart again?

Then the devil's advocate position is he's never had the squad to compete on multiple fronts, but he's at least partly responsible for a lot of the squad he has right now, but then that's a failure in senior leadership.

Yeah that was the next question I had also. Do we end up back here in 2 years? Is that even possible? I mean how are we replacing our spine? We had a crack at replacing players like Miggy who weren't integral and it's been a disaster. The rats replacement are as bad too. 

[black_n_white]

We could be in danger of becoming a mid to lower league side if we don’t recruit smart in the summer (even then it might take a season or two through transition). I’ll say it again, last summer has cost us seasons with the dross we brought in.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

3 minutes ago, Zero said:

Ultimately it’s the Plan A that’s the problem. I mean, if Plan A still works, then Howe did have a point to persist it.

 

1. Is it really due to the players no longer willing to follow instructions?

 

2. Or, is the tactic (especially the pressing part) no longer worked / being found out by opponents?

 

In the beginning of the season most of us thought the answer would be Yes for 1 and No for 2. The rat was the reason. Now I think the majority here had changed their mind.

 

I don't think those are the only options mind. 

[NWMag]

9 hours ago, Mills and Boon said:

 

That's a honking formation seemingly cobbled together just to shoehorn Woltemade into the side. Fuck knows what people have seen from him to make him so important to us

Its not a bad formation, plenty of cover at the back, width provided by the wing backs, and 2 fast strikers.

 

It’s not directly to get Wolt in, but he’s currently part of the squad and he clearly isn’t being used as a striker in the 433. For £70m we need to get him in the team, playing slightly deeper with 2 fast strikers off him would work well IMO. 
 

Even regardless of personnel, I think the 433 is done, everyone knows how we set up, we constantly get bypassed in midfield and it’s just gone stale.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

4-2-3-1 seems obvious but the 2 CMs would have to get about a lot.

[Wallsendmag]

Goalkeepers and centre forwards are worth their weight in gold. One stops the opposition scoring and the other one does the damage down the other end. Having watched Sevilla around half a dozen times this season on the telly I'm fairly confident when I say had we not loaned them our goalkeeper and played him this season we'd have around 10 more points than we currently have. He's head and shoulders above these 2 planks we've had keeping goal for us this season.

[Zero]

6 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

I don't think those are the only options mind. 

well people are either saying change the team for Howe or simply change the manager. Or you mean just keep everything the same and tell Howe to sort it out himself?

[Collage]

33 minutes ago, RUHRLYASLEEVESUP said:

A title challenge ?

 

is everything ok mate ?

[Guybrush]

23 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I'm struggling with this mind, you want him to clear out the players who the club brought in under his watch with the consistent narrative of "small pool of players". 

 

What does that look like exactly? Does the small pool of players suddenly become huge so a refresh is a piece of piss? Or was the small pool of players talk a load of bollocks?

I've perhaps not been as attentive to the whole "small pool of players" argument, so it's difficult to say. 

 

My feeling comes from being at the match and seeing some of the players that just weren't interested. I'm not sure what difference a new manager would make in that context, so a clear out of the players that want away or aren't good enough is a better refresh than refreshing the manager, if that make sense. 

[TheBrownBottle]

4 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

Goalkeepers and centre forwards are worth their weight in gold. One stops the opposition scoring and the other one does the damage down the other end. Having watched Sevilla around half a dozen times this season on the telly I'm fairly confident when I say had we not loaned them our goalkeeper and played him this season we'd have around 10 more points than we currently have. He's head and shoulders above these 2 planks we've had keeping goal for us this season.

It was the biggest mystery of last summer to me - we desperately needed a new keeper, and we lowballed on Trafford despite having the usual tiny shortlist.  A club should be prepared to spend more on a keeper than any other position than CF as far as I’m concerned - it’s so vital to have a competent keeper.  

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Guybrush said:

I've perhaps not been as attentive to the whole "small pool of players" argument, so it's difficult to say. 

 

My feeling comes from being at the match and seeing some of the players that just weren't interested. I'm not sure what difference a new manager would make in that context, so a clear out of the players that want away or aren't good enough is a better refresh than refreshing the manager, if that make sense. 

I hear you on that. 

 

I think from where I sit, if we have players who aren't interested in playing for us then generally speaking that falls on the manager. You bring a new manager in those scenarios to either make them listen or ship them out. 

 

People like to bring Fergie up when longevity is mentioned but one of the factors behind his longevity was that absolute ruthlessness. If you didn't listen to him you were out. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

11 minutes ago, Zero said:

well people are either saying change the team for Howe or simply change the manager. Or you mean just keep everything the same and tell Howe to sort it out himself?

 

Ah right, I meant it just wasn't they're 'not willing to follow instructions'. It's also that their confidence is shot, they're used to losing, things are going wrong, the pressure is on, some are looking at the summer or the WC, etc etc.  

 

We need to refresh the players but I don't think the main reason is they're not willing. It's lack of confidence in some cases and lack of ability in others (with overlap obviously). 

[Guybrush]

14 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I hear you on that. 

 

I think from where I sit, if we have players who aren't interested in playing for us then generally speaking that falls on the manager. You bring a new manager in those scenarios to either make them listen or ship them out. 

 

People like to bring Fergie up when longevity is mentioned but one of the factors behind his longevity was that absolute ruthlessness. If you didn't listen to him you were out. 

Aye, gotcha. I agree on the Fergie point too, Howe is the complete opposite of that, he's far too loyal. 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Guybrush said:

Aye, gotcha. I agree on the Fergie point too, Howe is the complete opposite of that, he's far too loyal. 

I don't know if Eddie is too loyal or not honestly, but what I feel is his responsibility is the selection of the team, the tactics he chooses...

[Wallsendmag]

18 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

It was the biggest mystery of last summer to me - we desperately needed a new keeper, and we lowballed on Trafford despite having the usual tiny shortlist.  A club should be prepared to spend more on a keeper than any other position than CF as far as I’m concerned - it’s so vital to have a competent keeper.  

 

Goalkeepers can win and lose you league titles that's how important they can be. Bless Pavel, I loved him to bits, but Keegan said himself if we'd had Schmeichel in 95/96 we win the Premier League.

 

Pope has been on the decline since his last shoulder injury. He didn't come back from that as the same Keeper. Ramsdale is someone I've never been convinced by. He's openly admitted that he struggles to retain his concentration in games. Concentration for a goalkeeper is an absolutely crucial part of their game. Always felt he was a strange signing. I do think we'd be in a much better position had we just kept hold of Vlachodimos.

[Groundhog63]

3 minutes ago, Wallsendmag said:

 

Goalkeepers can win and lose you league titles that's how important they can be. Bless Pavel, I loved him to bits, but Keegan said himself if we'd had Schmeichel in 95/96 we win the Premier League.

 

Pope has been on the decline since his last shoulder injury. He didn't come back from that as the same Keeper. Ramsdale is someone I've never been convinced by. He's openly admitted that he struggles to retain his concentration in games. Concentration for a goalkeeper is an absolutely crucial part of their game. Always felt he was a strange signing. I do think we'd be in a much better position had we just kept hold of Vlachodimos.

Appreciate the bloke's had a remarkable season in Spain but I'd like to see what you said about him when we signed him? Not enough to go and google the cunt but interested, all the same 

[Chicken Dancer]

Suggesting a title challenge next season is almost as mad as the lad who was suggesting we were gonna win 6 or 7 of our final games (before Palace).

 

We’ll be fine with no Europe and challenge for the European spots but then we will probably have another down year in 27/28.