Eddie Howe

[Dan Gleebals]

That result will have one of two outcomes. A big fat kick up the arse or they implode. 

 

No getting away from how shit this squad is, fucking useless.

[ExiledGeordie]

2 minutes ago, Dan Gleebals said:

That result will have one of two outcomes. A big fat kick up the arse or they implode. 

 

No getting away from how shit this squad is, fucking useless.

Agreed and today was a reminder of just how diabolical they can be. I was feeling quite optimistic recently but that’s properly kicked me in the knackered today lol 

[Vinny Green Balls]

20 minutes ago, HTT II said:

And that wasn’t me, it was a guest of mine!

[Kanji]

The lack of consistent performances from the players has more to do with the lack of quality and mentality of these players and their lack of ability, lack of tactical awareness, lack of confidence. If you turn all of that around you get consistency. Top players are consistent. Ours are not top players. They sway between good, OK, sometimes brilliant. 

[SUPERTOON]

Obviously we would be having a different conversation if we had simply taken one of the many chances in the first half.

[ExiledGeordie]

Just now, Kanji said:

The lack of consistent performances from the players has more to do with the lack of quality and mentality of these players and their lack of ability, lack of tactical awareness, lack of confidence. If you turn all of that around you get consistency. Top players are consistent. Ours are not top players. They sway between good, OK, sometimes brilliant. 

I think if we can add some quality additions and cobble together a few wins to build confidence we’ll stay up. Otherwise we’ll go down with a whimper 

[Mattoon]

Howe certainly made the right noises to get the job, I was a little underwhelmed when he came in but I wasn't gutted. Hindsight, maybe this was more bite than he could chew but to say he's done nothing is blatantly ignoring the disjointed, defeatist, toothless mess Bruce left. There's much more cohesion and intent in the way we play now but the players can't match what's being asked of them, whether that be through inability or disinterest.

 

We've got Howe until at least the end of the season, he deserves his chance with his own players, only then can he be judged effectively. When has changing a manager twice in a season ever lead to anything other than relegation? 

 

Imperative that we get in at least 2 more players before Watford and pray they hit the ground running. Right now is the epitome of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic with this bunch.

[HaydnNUFC]

Just now, SUPERTOON said:

Obviously we would be having a different conversation if we had simply taken one of the many chances in the first half.

 

Also true. Not to take anything away from Cambridge as they worked their bollocks off but they created nowt. Their goal is Dubravka's fault and Schar's header just before it was awful. Their keeper was sublime and pulled off 2 great saves (also thought his distribtution was excellent) but we did enough to win the game in spite of how clueless we looked in the second half.

[Vinny Green Balls]

22 minutes ago, HTT II said:

Like I said typical fan post match hysteria or reaction, I’ve probably did the same with KK and definitely Sir Bobby, don’t pretend you haven’t had similar thoughts after a bad result, set of results, performances etc. It’s natural fan reactions man FFS!

This is true. Wasting my time going through that, you spoke  a lot of sense up to that point where you snapped.

 

Really strange how the battle lines are almost the exact same as they were then, apart from Pilko. Reading through that was a serious case of deja vu. It was a grim run, mind you, but there was a lot of, "Rafa has lost the plot. doesn't know what he's doing. No shape. Terrible substitutions..." Tbf there were a fair few more claiming that they are being oppressed by the Rafa clique then.

 

I mean FFS, even my comments sound the exact same.

[Mattoon]

1 minute ago, HaydnNUFC said:

 

Also true. Not to take anything away from Cambridge as they worked their bollocks off but they created nowt. Their goal is Dubravka's fault and Schar's header just before it was awful. Their keeper was sublime and pulled off 2 great saves (also thought his distribtution was excellent) but we did enough to win the game in spite of how clueless we looked in the second half.

 

First half felt like a matter of time for a win, even the second half we were dominant but as soon as that goal went in they panicked, lost all sensibilities and fluffed at everything. Sugar glass nerves.

[TRon]

1 hour ago, Mattoon said:

 

A few players low on confidence learning through press/social media they're desperate to replace them can't help. You'd think that would give you more fight to prove you've got an immediate future at the club but our lot seem to down tools as soon as the going gets tough. So it's hardly surprising seeing some of the gutless performances today from the likes of Longstaff. Not good enough, no interest in trying to be good enough.

 

They were never good enough, if they were, we wouldn't be talking about replacing them in the first place. I didn't see lack of effort today, just the same old failings we've been watching for years. 

[pedro111]

I think we have a severe mental block at the minute. Ever since Howe took over it just seems too much of a struggle to win a game. You could see it today almost from the off. We need to get rid of it, somehow.

[KaKa]

27 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

Howe has improved us tactically, to claim otherwise is pure revisionism built upon post match fewm after one admittedly unforgivable, rancid result. We should've beaten Brentford, Darlow was a bellend. We should've had a pen in the first half at Arsenal. We went down to 10 men v Norwich after 9 minutes and still deserved to win the game and probably would've won 11v11. Strength of our 2nd half display v Burnley warranted the result we got. Leicester got a bollocks penalty at 0-0 which would've been a fair reflection of that match after 45 minutes, second half was poor but the game wasn't a 4-0 on the balance of it. A goal that is stopped in the buildup 9/10 times and an individual error v Liverpool. Clark being shit, individual errors and shite refereeing cost us v Man City which wasn't on the balance a 0-4 game. Man Utd we deserved to win.

 

Today he deserves flak as the result is just purely embarrassing. Even though he's trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, he's clearly improved us tactically. Today doesn't change that.

 

 

 

 

Seeing some of the reactions on here the new lot should have just left Bruce in charge until January. The fat mess wasted all our decent fixtures and then trotted off once the harder games came along. 

[Guest HTT II]

1 minute ago, Vinny Green Balls said:

This is true. Wasting my time going through that, you spoke  a lot of sense up to that point where you snapped.

 

Really strange how the battle lines are almost the exact same as they were then, apart from Pilko. Reading through that was a serious case of deja vu. It was a grim run, mind you, but there was a lot of, "Rafa has lost the plot. doesn't know what he's doing. No shape. Terrible substitutions..." Tbf there were a fair few more claiming that they are being oppressed by the Rafa clique then.

 

I mean FFS, even my comments sound the exact same.

I do remember questioning Rafa and I’ve done it with many managers and I’m doing it with Howe, it’s natural, the key is to keep it balanced and to try and reach a constructive thought process. Give him better players, some time, and we are Bournemouth at their best supercharged. It’s worrying though at the moment because you see lots of managers take over shit teams with shit players and get a reasonable tune out of them at the start even if short term, I guess the occasion today and how it personally meant a lot to me, pissed me off because it’s my first game in what 5 years and probably my 5th or 6th in 14 years at home and I was with my brother and my boys and he was with his team-mates and most of the parents went, as well as the coaches and I know loads of pals and their families went too, many for the first time, many returning. As I said in the lift down from L7 to some poor bairn really upset, it will get better and this is what supporting NUFC is all about, it’s a lifetime of mostly suffering, but now, we have the rare chance to change all that and we will and Howe I hope and do think, will set the ball rolling. But again, today was very alarming as it was one of the worst performances I’ve seen at home in person from an NUFC team, only we were playing a League 1 side, imagine if this was SAFc doing that to us… 

[HaydnNUFC]

1 minute ago, pedro111 said:

I think we have a severe mental block at the minute. Ever since Howe took over it just seems too much of a struggle to win a game. You could see it today almost from the off. We need to get rid of it, somehow.

 

I did think this, that maybe a good chunk of our squad are just losers. They're used to losing and accept it as the norm, hence one of the reasons why Trippier looked so head and shoulders above much of them. Only way that gets rectified is by simply winning games but again the only way that we can do that is through the transfer market.

[Mattoon]

Just now, HaydnNUFC said:

 

I did think this, that maybe a good chunk of our squad are just losers. They're used to losing and accept it as the norm, hence one of the reasons why Trippier looked so head and shoulders above much of them. Only way that gets rectified is by simply winning games but again the only way that we can do that is through the transfer market.

 

Sugar glass nerves, they look so easily broken.

 

I also think that under Rafa he knew the players weaknesses and would only ask them to do what he knew they could do and built his team around their strengths, whereas a manager like Howe has a way he wants to play and the players are an extension of that philosophy meaning their deficiencies are glaringly obvious.

[Mattoon]

8 minutes ago, TRon said:

 

They were never good enough, if they were, we wouldn't be talking about replacing them in the first place. I didn't see lack of effort today, just the same old failings we've been watching for years. 

 

Maybe lack of effort is a bit harsh, like I mentioned above they have fragile nerves and heads are going down too quick. Today was the most frustrated I've been watching us as we moved up the pitch quickly and with intent, knocked the ball around quite well but then jelly legs in the final third.

 

At this point I think some of the players need out as much as we need them out, they look shot here and need a clean slate and we desperately need confidence on the pitch.

[Rod]

3 minutes ago, Mattoon said:

 

Sugar glass nerves, they look so easily broken.

 

I also think that under Rafa he knew the players weaknesses and would only ask them to do what he knew they could do and built his team around their strengths, whereas a manager like Howe has a way he wants to play and the players are an extension of that philosophy meaning their deficiencies are glaringly obvious.

Good observation.

[Lazarus]

Ive come in to see if everyone has calmed down and.........doesnt look like it

 

Howe got it wrong today - but given our last match was called off and we still had 5 or 6 players missing, his options were truly limited today. It looks like hes tried to improvise a system based on who was fit and its backfired.

 

I think if we had a new DM and a new striker we would have won that easily.

 

We need at least 2 in for Watford, including a striker.

[Vinny Green Balls]

30 minutes ago, Kanji said:

People here have similar reactions to society today on anything and everything - it’s either pure joy or pure depression and complaining. There is no balance. 

Howe has a shit squad and is dealing with injuries and COVID impact to the squad. He sent out a team of premier league footballers (debatable tbh) and they created enough chances to win the game, they just didn’t “Put in the netttttttt!” (John Ando voice). His subs were poor and he never really was able to turn it around once we were down, deserves criticism for that.

 

The players are also to blame: sloppy, lacked focused, didn’t stay onside, didn’t execute the original game plan and lost to a lower league side.

 

What is absolutely certain is we need players and we need to replace nearly ever single player in the squad in the next 2-3 transfer windows. Now whether Howe is the man to take us on past this one and the next one rests solely on how or if he and this squad performs. 

speaking way too much sense here.

[TRon]

23 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Obviously we would be having a different conversation if we had simply taken one of the many chances in the first half.

 

Th reason we didn't can be seen when you look at the stats for our players end product. It's not a coincidence. 

[Collage]

14 minutes ago, Mattoon said:

 

Sugar glass nerves, they look so easily broken.

 

I also think that under Rafa he knew the players weaknesses and would only ask them to do what he knew they could do and built his team around their strengths, whereas a manager like Howe has a way he wants to play and the players are an extension of that philosophy meaning their deficiencies are glaringly obvious.

Yes, I think they’re different managers in that way. Howe is more of an ideologist, a teacher if you like, while Rafa is pragmatic and focused on getting maximum results from the material at his disposal.

 

 

Edited January 8, 2022 by Collage

[KaKa]

10 minutes ago, Mattoon said:

 

Sugar glass nerves, they look so easily broken.

 

I also think that under Rafa he knew the players weaknesses and would only ask them to do what he knew they could do and built his team around their strengths, whereas a manager like Howe has a way he wants to play and the players are an extension of that philosophy meaning their deficiencies are glaringly obvious.

 

It's pretty clear that this is ultimately the issue.

 

The new owners ultimately decided to go with a manager whose philosophy is to play attacking football, and they felt that with the signings in January it would ultimately see the teams fortunes turn around, and the fans would appreciate that style more. I still think that will indeed ultimately be the case too.

 

The alternative would have been to go for a more defensive minded manager to try and grind out results and keep the team up, but then do you just stick with that longer term after? And if they had gone that route would you then back such a manager with players for that style in January if that's not how you ultimately want the side to play going forward?

 

If they really believe in Howe's philosophy and overall approach then just get him in and let him start building this thing with them from the ground up. If we are able to get players in that then gel better with the manager and keep us up then great, and if not, if we do end up going down for a year then so be it, and we'll just have to re-start from there.

[Happinesstan]

4 hours ago, Klaus said:

 

I didnt get this at all. Longstaff was having a mare and should have been off.

Longstaff came off at the same time.

[Collage]

And what we really needed this season, in our situation, was of course a results-orientated manager, a Rafa-type, an Emery, who also became our top target. Howe may show to be a great long-term choice and I like him, but he’s not an ideal manager in our current situation.