Eddie Howe

[Beth]

He needs to fuck off with this 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 shite, we don't have the required personnel to play it. 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 are the only viable formations with the dross we have atm. 

[The Bonk]

6 hours ago, Thumbheed said:

 

My concerns with Howe were and have always been he doesn't have a record of improving defences, which funnily enough is our weakest area and exactly what we need.  

 

So far, I've not seen anything to suggest I am wrong. 

 

As for team selection, he put Lewis in because Ritchie was suspended, Ritchie was 1st choice in all his games prior to suspension. (For someone who's analysed us for his interview, being unable to spot that Ritchie is poor and should not have been 1st choice is not a good sign)

 

Clarke was suspended, after Norwich and again should not have been selected in the first place. (We all know this)

 

Burn out? What burnout? We're not even half way through the season. 

 

Fernández has played one game for us, inspite of clearly being our best defender. (Again, something which everyone should agree on)

 

Shelvey and Willock have played the most games together, again, inspite of them both being defensively poor leaving massive gaps through the centre. 

 

None of what I've said is new to any us. I'm not saying anything which isn't a shared opinion for the majority of us, which, which makes it more frustrating that after a year off to reflect on his own weaknesses - and ours - he's still seemingly not addressed our defence in any meaningful manner and keeps making the most basic of mistakes.

 

Ultimately though, whatever defence you have of Howe is applicable to Bruce, so blaming the quality of the players just won't cut it.

 

 

 

 

Fernandez is hurt, isn't he? 

 

Fair criticism, but again, probably, on paper, the best two that fit into Howe's system. What are the other options? Hayden? Shite. Hendrick? Shite. Gan on, list the better duo.

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.......this last point, come on. Bruce ball was barely football, just no, there comes a point in time when you need to deploy a system, tactics and some semblance of formation. There was none of that under Bruce, just pure fucking luck, shithousing points we didn't deserve due to some herculean individual effort. Rafa had us in a defensive first, counter attack system, which worked for most of these numpty's. I'd expect that Rafa would have bought players that would improve the system and ease us into a more attacking team. We all know what happened instead.

Villa, Wolves, Brighton, Leeds (albeit look shit now), Palace, etc. all have better players than us. 

[Pata]

48 minutes ago, Beth said:

He needs to fuck off with this 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 shite, we don't have the required personnel to play it. 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 are the only viable formations with the dross we have atm. 

 

The current formation is very close to 4-2-3-1 actually, if it was marked like that no one would bat an eyelid.

[Kanji]

Seriously - stop harping back to Rafa’s period here. That was years ago, the players since then have aged, been injured, and have had over 2 years of bad coaching under Bruce.

 

No back 5 could have prevented the individual mistakes from today’s defenders and most of the games this season. We’ve had no proper investment in our defenders for years and we’ve sold off the best CB we’ve had since Colo. 

 

But again please use the old Rafa adage. 

[Hhtoon]

He's coaching and setting the team up to how he ultimately wants it to be. I'm sure he's aware now where the deficiencies are so I guess he has a choice...

 

1. change to a more conservative system to try and shore up/protect the defence. Potential short term gain but possibly a backwards step. 

 

2. Persevere and hopefully if we do get early signings in it'll all click in to place quicker.

 

 

[SchärMix]

1 hour ago, Beth said:

He needs to fuck off with this 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 shite, we don't have the required personnel to play it. 4-2-3-1 or 3-5-2 are the only viable formations with the dross we have atm. 

 

4231 and 442 are fundamentally the exact same. 

 

 

 

[MarkyMark]

5 hours ago, RS said:

Alex Ferguson was wank in his first season at Man U. Just saying. 

Alex Ferguson pulled Man Utd out of the relegation zone and finished midtable in his first season - and also had trophy-winning pedigree at Aberdeen (where he managed them to victory over Real Madrid in a European final).

 

Just saying ...

[GWN]

I won’t judge EH until it’s his team.

 

to do so is nuts, this mob should be nowhere near the PL .

[r0cafella]

11 minutes ago, GWN said:

I won’t judge EH until it’s his team.

 

to do so is nuts, this mob should be nowhere near the PL .

When will that be exactly? Isn’t part of his job getting the best out of what he has taken over?

 

I’m just curious what your metric is?

[Dandy Don]

2 hours ago, MarkyMark said:

Alex Ferguson pulled Man Utd out of the relegation zone and finished midtable in his first season - and also had trophy-winning pedigree at Aberdeen (where he managed them to victory over Real Madrid in a European final).

 

Just saying ...

And 8 of that team came through Aberdeen Academy.

Every team that wins a European trophy now is full of foreigners.

[Guest reefatoon]

3 hours ago, MarkyMark said:

Alex Ferguson pulled Man Utd out of the relegation zone and finished midtable in his first season - and also had trophy-winning pedigree at Aberdeen (where he managed them to victory over Real Madrid in a European final).

 

Just saying ...

Our very own Kevin Keegan first took charge of us when we were in the shit in the old second division, had some awful results in his first few games too and still managed to keep us up by the skin of our teeth. After that the rest was history. No way should we be judging Howe already.

[MrRaspberryJam]

2 hours ago, r0cafella said:

When will that be exactly? Isn’t part of his job getting the best out of what he has taken over?

 

Like he has with Joelinton?

 

Overall, the team we have - specifically the defence - is total horseshit. 

[Collage]

7 hours ago, SchärMix said:

 

4231 and 442 are fundamentally the exact same. 

 

 

 

I’d say a proper 4-2-3-1 should have wide forwards rather than wingers. Quite often a lineup is masquerading as a 4-2-3-1 to appear more attacking, when it’s really more of a 4-4-1-1 with wingers/wide midfielders who work hard defensively.

[Fantail Breeze]

1 hour ago, Mr Raspberry Jam said:

 

Like he has with Joelinton?

 

Overall, the team we have - specifically the defence - is total horseshit. 

 

You could argue for every Joelinton who has improved, there is an ASM who has regressed.

 

I think Howe’s philosophy will take time to embed and as time goes on we’ll get more Joelinton’s and less ASM’s. I just worry we don’t have that time.

[RS]

4 hours ago, MarkyMark said:

Alex Ferguson pulled Man Utd out of the relegation zone and finished midtable in his first season - and also had trophy-winning pedigree at Aberdeen (where he managed them to victory over Real Madrid in a European final).

 

Just saying ...

Lost 6 of his first 8 games. Just saying. 

[MrRaspberryJam]

Just now, Fantail Breeze said:

 

You could argue for every Joelinton who has improved, there is an ASM who has regressed.

 

I think Howe’s philosophy will take time to embed and as time goes on we’ll get more Joelinton’s and less ASM’s. I just worry we don’t have that time.

 

Touché. There's sufficient time to keep us up - half a season is left and we're only 3pts adrift. A good transfer window will see us home and dry methinks. 

[buzza]

I prefer we get beat but still stick to the system he wants to play, this way we should have a bit more success against the teams out of the top six/seven.

The players will start to play better and surely some of the reffing decisions and luck needs to come our way at some point???

[buzza]

as well as  new players coming in and giving us a lift

[jackyboy]

You can't expect Howe to set the team up for Bruce ball one week then Howe ball the next. He's coaching a system into them that we need to play every week for the players to benefit and get used to it. Given time we'll reap the rewards. If we go down on the way, and I hope we don't, then so be it.

He was dealt a lousy hand and so was Amanda but at least they are here and we now have hope

[morpeth mag]

We have effectively played 451 for most of the last two games and I think using the extra player (Joelinton) in midfield has worked in terms of competing for possession and making chances on the break.

No system survives the Clark and Shelves errors and sadly no team can survive playing Ritchie at full back.

[Lush Vlad]

I think so far.  Bar an awful 20 minutes or so against Arsenal and the Leicester game after we went 1-0 down.  I can see a lot of positives and I think there are reasons to be optimistic.  The shape is better, a lot of players have upped their game and now look like useful members of the squad.  The fitness levels are definitely up, we often press in numbers and commit more people forward.  There is the semblance of a gameplan at least, unlike before.  

 

I think my biggest worry is that the defence looks just as bad, if not worse, than it did before.  I get he is limited to who he can pick, we have played some tough games and the back 4 is now more exposed.  Mainly due to the fact we don't have 8-9 players camped on the edge of our box like we did under Bruce.  But we struggle for goals as it is and don't really have anyone in the team bar Wilson and maybe ASM, who you think are going to have decent opportunities and score.  So if we keep conceding soft goals, which have been a theme so far.  Then we're well and truly fucked. 

 

[steve_69]

1 minute ago, Lush Vlad said:

I think so far.  Bar an awful 20 minutes or so against Arsenal and the Leicester game after we went 1-0 down.  I can see a lot of positives and I think there are reasons to be optimistic.  The shape is better, a lot of players have upped their game and now look like useful members of the squad.  The fitness levels are definitely up, we often press in numbers and commit more people forward.  There is the semblance of a gameplan at least, unlike before.  

 

I think my biggest worry is that the defence looks just as bad, if not worse, than it did before.  I get he is limited to who he can pick, we have played some tough games and the back 4 is now more exposed.  Mainly due to the fact we don't have 8-9 players camped on the edge of our box like we did under Bruce.  But we struggle for goals as it is and don't really have anyone in the team bar Wilson and maybe ASM, who you think are going to have decent opportunities and score.  So if we keep conceding soft goals, which have been a theme so far.  Then we're well and truly fucked. 

 

You simply can't plan for the kind of individual errors our players are making though. That inevitably comes with having shit players.
We can work on shape and system as much as we want, but Clark dropping the kind of clangers he does every game, Darlow's crisp packet hands, Shelvey's blind pass, Dubravka's mistakes make all of that hard work redundant.

[Lush Vlad]

6 minutes ago, steve_69 said:

You simply can't plan for the kind of individual errors our players are making though. That inevitably comes with having shit players.
We can work on shape and system as much as we want, but Clark dropping the kind of clangers he does every game, Darlow's crisp packet hands, Shelvey's blind pass, Dubravka's mistakes make all of that hard work redundant.

 

I do agree on the individual mistakes.  But putting Clark back in was a mistake on his part, mind.  Not sure what he was expecting from him, the bloke is finished.  May as well have played Krafth or Hayden at centre back if Schaer wasn't 100%.  

 

It's hard to judge at this stage, really.  As we have had a mixture of tough games were we expected to get fuck all and subsequently got exactly that.  Then Norwich was ruined after 10 minutes, Brentford was a different system and Burnley was just a slog.  Nobody looks good against those shithouses. 

 

I think we'll know a bit more mid to late Jan.  Got an ok run of fixtures coming up after Man U and hopefully the players will be getting more comfortable with the new tactics and set up.  Got to start getting some wins to go with the positives.  

[Optimistic Nut]

I think he’s brilliant. You can see exactly what he wants to do and I think he’ll get there. Was fully expecting a few tankings along the way but I think second half of the season we’ll be far more consistent against the clubs from say 8th down. Was surprised to see last night we were unbeaten against the bottom half sides, he’ll turn those draws into wins.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Optimistic Nut

[Lush Vlad]

It's good to see that most the fans are on board and fully behind him.  See a few mongs on Twitter trying to suggest it's no better than Bruce  but we had the same drongos spouting this shite about Bruce being the same as Rafa.  So not really paying attention to that nonsense.