Eddie Howe

[Wolfcastle]

4 hours ago, Elliottman said:

Like Brighton 2 games ago. 

No this was quite a good performance.

[Pata]

30 minutes ago, Holmesy said:

Not sure what you're trying to highlight with this pal. The first comment (second on your list) was made in September last year before this shitshow of a season played out. Wissa looked like a decent signing, Elanga looked like a decent signing, Woltemade had obvious class, Ramsey I hadn't seen much of and Thiaw was an unknown quantity.

6 months later (3rd comment on your list), it was apparent that the players who looked good on paper looked shite/average in reality, or Eddie didn't know how to get the best out of them. 

 

 

 

Humility please. 
 

He didn’t even touch us apparently being out of Europe after the draw against PSG.

[Zero]

Now please stick to this 4231 and don’t go back to the 433 again

 

I don’t think we are that fucking good at this 4231 yet, it’s just that fucking Plan A has been found out by everyone already

[Ben]

4 hours ago, Zero said:

Now please stick to this 4231 and don’t go back to the 433 again

 

I don’t think we are that fucking good at this 4231 yet, it’s just that fucking Plan A has been found out by everyone already

 

At times yesterday it looked like a 4 4 2 

[Zero]

1 hour ago, Ben said:

 

At times yesterday it looked like a 4 4 2 

 

Nick switching the role occasionally 

 

Anyway it would work as long as Nick is playing in a more advanced role and Bruno is playing as a 6. In a way I would argue Bruno as part of the double pivot is the most crucial change. 
 

[Toonpack]

1 hour ago, Ben said:

 

At times yesterday it looked like a 4 4 2 

We've slipped into 442 on occasion for periods in games all season, the tactical inflexibility trope is just nonsense.

[Dr Venkman]

Looked like 4 4 1 1 to me the first phase of the game.

 

 

Edited May 18 by Dr Venkman

[Chicken Dancer]

9 hours ago, Holmesy said:

Not sure what you're trying to highlight with this pal. The first comment (second on your list) was made in September last year before this shitshow of a season played out. Wissa looked like a decent signing, Elanga looked like a decent signing, Woltemade had obvious class, Ramsey I hadn't seen much of and Thiaw was an unknown quantity.

6 months later (3rd comment on your list), it was apparent that the players who looked good on paper looked shite/average in reality, or Eddie didn't know how to get the best out of them. 

 

 

 

Thinking the transfer window was decent in September vs May are two completely different things  

I bet Liverpool fans thought they had an all timer of a window in September, it hasn’t quite worked out like that. 

[Kid Icarus]

Been curious for a while about how these seasons with big changes to squads affect the performance of successful teams while they're transitioning. Obviously a fair bit of context is stripped here and correlation ≠ causation, but it's a hunch at this point that at the very least big squad overhauls/changes to key players in successful teams present a huge risk for drop off. 

Man City
23-24 to 24-25
91 to 71
-22%

 

Followed up by:
25-26 - ~83 +16%

Liverpool
21-22 to 22-23
92 to 67
-27%
 

Followed up by: 
23/24 - 82 +22%
24/25 - 84 +25%/2.4%
 

and:

 

24-25 to 25-26
84 to ~60
28%

Newcastle
24-25 to 25-26
66 to ~50
24%
 

 

 

Edited May 18 by Kid Icarus

[The Prophet]

1 hour ago, Chicken Dancer said:

Thinking the transfer window was decent in September vs May are two completely different things  

I bet Liverpool fans thought they had an all timer of a window in September, it hasn’t quite worked out like that. 

 

I don't think that was the point of the post mind.

[Holmesy]

39 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

 

I don't think that was the point of the post mind.

Well, if you have any insight, spill the beans. I'm still trying to work it out 

[TRon]

9 hours ago, Zero said:

Now please stick to this 4231 and don’t go back to the 433 again

 

I don’t think we are that fucking good at this 4231 yet, it’s just that fucking Plan A has been found out by everyone already

 

 

We will get a better idea against Fulham next week tbf. 

 

Not really sure if it was successful because we were great or West Ham were awful. 

[dcmk]

Really hope we get someone commanding at the back.  Someone who has the same effect that Woodgate had in his brief time here.

 

In hindsight Guehi was probably the obvious answer.

[HawK]

4 hours ago, Toonpack said:

We've slipped into 442 on occasion for periods in games all season, the tactical inflexibility trope is just nonsense.

 

My retinas have burn-in, I close my eyes and I see Tonali, Bruno and Joelinton sitting 15 yards in front of Botman and Thiaw just shuffling left to right as the ball is played between the lines

[Mole]

It's definitely not nonsense, even ignoring the formation we have been very inflexible tactically all season. That's not to say the man can't be flexible, but we absolutely haven't been flexible all season and it's a concern that is justified. 

[gjohnson]

2 minutes ago, Mole said:

It's definitely not nonsense, even ignoring the formation we have been very inflexible tactically all season. That's not to say the man can't be flexible, but we absolutely haven't been flexible all season and it's a concern that is justified. 

We've spent the season trying to play clever on the outside with no-one in or running into the box. Then inevitably going back the defence, who gives it to Pope who hoofs it long either out of play or to the opposition. Makes our possession and passing stats look ok but that's about it. As a few on here have mentioned, our method has been figured out and the raging intensity that got us CL in the first place has gone. Whether the players just cant maintain it due to ageing or something else, that seems to be lacking now. Also our skill in the dark arts/sh**housery seems to have vanished too

[Ben]

2 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

We've spent the season trying to play clever on the outside with no-one in or running into the box. Then inevitably going back the defence, who gives it to Pope who hoofs it long either out of play or to the opposition. Makes our possession and passing stats look ok but that's about it. As a few on here have mentioned, our method has been figured out and the raging intensity that got us CL in the first place has gone. Whether the players just cant maintain it due to ageing or something else, that seems to be lacking now. Also our skill in the dark arts/sh**housery seems to have vanished too

 

I think our short passing by two or three players to get out or into situations looked good yesterday, Hall, Tonali and Bruno are masters at it.

[Mole]

7 minutes ago, gjohnson said:

We've spent the season trying to play clever on the outside with no-one in or running into the box. Then inevitably going back the defence, who gives it to Pope who hoofs it long either out of play or to the opposition. Makes our possession and passing stats look ok but that's about it. As a few on here have mentioned, our method has been figured out and the raging intensity that got us CL in the first place has gone. Whether the players just cant maintain it due to ageing or something else, that seems to be lacking now. Also our skill in the dark arts/sh**housery seems to have vanished too

Yeah tactically the team have definitely been figured out and there's not just a desire to evolve but a necessity. I get why people are concerned by it and it's a justified concern, but I want to see how the summer goes and if next season provides in noticeable improvement as this seems the direction we are heading.

[The Prophet]

I was concerned when I saw the Brighton line up and performance, but the last two have been a lot better, granted we're still haunted by our second half drop-offs.

 

Good interview post match too, talking about it being the right time to bring Woltamade in and how he wants him between the lines.

 

He's got a long way to go, but it's nice to have some encouragement at least.

[Coffee_Johnny]

5 hours ago, Dr Venkman said:

Looked like 4 4 1 1 to me the first phase of the game.

 

 

 

I was super confused at times. Hall was central midfield, Tonali was left of a back three. There is obviously a lot of fluidity in the formation and instructions. We certainly found lots of space. 

[gjohnson]

11 minutes ago, Ben said:

 

I think our short passing by two or three players to get out or into situations looked good yesterday, Hall, Tonali and Bruno are masters at it.

Yes it looked good yesterday, but its not as if its a regular thing. We've become masters at dicking around on the wing and doing nothing with it.

 

It should also be considered how many points we've sacrificed from winning positions after the 80th minute. Is that players mentality or coaching? How many games this season have we taken a lead and tried to shut up shop? You would think after 2 or 3 we would have realised its not a strength and should continue to go for more goals

[RS]

He’s fucking great.  Will continue to prove the “replace him with somebody but I haven’t got a clue who” doubters continuously wrong. #eddie4eva

[Toonpack]

57 minutes ago, Mole said:

It's definitely not nonsense, even ignoring the formation we have been very inflexible tactically all season. That's not to say the man can't be flexible, but we absolutely haven't been flexible all season and it's a concern that is justified. 

Where do you develop full blown tactical flexibility ??

 

Answer - it's in that training time that we hardly got.

 

We've been as flexible as could be expected, 433, 442, 451, 532 at times. What more could you expect in the circumstances 😁

[Mole]

9 minutes ago, Toonpack said:

Where do you develop full blown tactical flexibility ??

 

Answer - it's in that training time that we hardly got.

 

We've been as flexible as could be expected, 433, 442, 451, 532 at times. What more could you expect in the circumstances 😁

Again I am not just talking about the formation but the entire approach to how we play, we have shown little in terms of adaptability this season. I never said he or the players aren't trying or that he won't be successful in the future. It's just it hasn't been there this season and I think people being concerned is very valid.

 

Also you aren't wrong there has been limited training time to achieve this and I do want to be fair, in the set up we have played the last two games he was not helped by the fact Bruno got injured ( the entire reason Woltemade was tried in midfield to begin with) and other issues which made the switch in system quite difficult to do earlier.

 

 

Edited May 18 by Mole

[timeEd32]

5 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

Been curious for a while about how these seasons with big changes to squads affect the performance of successful teams while they're transitioning. Obviously a fair bit of context is stripped here and correlation ≠ causation, but it's a hunch at this point that at the very least big squad overhauls/changes to key players in successful teams present a huge risk for drop off. 

Man City
23-24 to 24-25
91 to 71
-22%

 

Followed up by:
25-26 - ~83 +16%

Liverpool
21-22 to 22-23
92 to 67
-27%
 

Followed up by: 
23/24 - 82 +22%
24/25 - 84 +25%/2.4%
 

and:

 

24-25 to 25-26
84 to ~60
28%

Newcastle
24-25 to 25-26
66 to ~50
24%
 

 

 

 

 

City's 2023/24 was also kind of like us last season in the sense that they pushed a core group for probably one more season than is ideal in terms of transitions / long term planning. But City won the league, which I actually think is one of Pep's crowning achievements coming off of the treble, and we won a trophy / qualified for the CL.