Eddie Howe

[Wolfcastle]

Where would the form we've had since he's been here have us? Presuming its 8-10.

People might reasonably say with additions that should be higher but I'd be okay with something like that overall.

I think we may be playing differently because of the situation inherited than we would if we began afresh so may be some teething problems.

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Wolfcastle

[The Prophet]

3 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

Where would the form we've had since he's been here have us? Presuming its 8-10.

People might reasonably say with additions that should be higher but I'd be okay with something like that overall.

I think we may be playing differently because of the situation inherited than we would if we began afresh so may be some teething problems.

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday it was 8th, but there might have changed with today's results.

[RodneyCisse]

The gap in quality between the top 8 and the rest is what we need to break into.

[Nine]

A good summer and finish at 50+ points next season, a whole season of building this team into what he wants it to be and preparing for a top 7 push the season after.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Nine

[80]

4 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

Where would the form we've had since he's been here have us? Presuming its 8-10.

People might reasonably say with additions that should be higher but I'd be okay with something like that overall.

I think we may be playing differently because of the situation inherited than we would if we began afresh so may be some teething problems.

 

 

 

 

Form since Christmas has us knocking on the top 4... But like you say, a fresh season might have it's own teething problems. It took Robson nearly two years to crack the code and get us out of midtable, it shouldn't be forgotten.

[Yorkie]

If Palace, that Wolves team, an accident-prone Leicester and a Brighton side allergic to goals are capable of securing 8th-11th, then it shouldn't take a great deal for us to be among them next season. Once this season is gone, it's gone; if we have sufficient flexibility in the transfer market (i.e. a handsome budget and the ability to shift as much deadwood as possible) it shouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that we even rival West Ham as teams snapping at the established top 6.

 

That's not my prediction as such, I just think there's enough mobility between 7th-13th that there are opportunities available to us if we make good decisions and invest effectively. As much as it pains me to admit, the top six is the top six atm and it's going to take a sustained calamity and/or disproportionate investment for any of the chasing pack to wrestle their way in as soon as next year. 

[Holloway]

Wouldn't swap him for anyone now, he's the man for the project. I wanted The Fonz at one stage,glad that never happened ☺️

[Geordie Ahmed]

For next season I just want us not in a relegation battle but it's not inconceivable with an active summer we shouldn't be comfortable top half

 

Right now with the first half of the season a write off we are only 3 points off 10th

[Theregulars]

36 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

If Palace, that Wolves team, an accident-prone Leicester and a Brighton side allergic to goals are capable of securing 8th-11th, then it shouldn't take a great deal for us to be among them next season. Once this season is gone, it's gone; if we have sufficient flexibility in the transfer market (i.e. a handsome budget and the ability to shift as much deadwood as possible) it shouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that we even rival West Ham as teams snapping at the established top 6.

 

That's not my prediction as such, I just think there's enough mobility between 7th-13th that there are opportunities available to us if we make good decisions and invest effectively. As much as it pains me to admit, the top six is the top six atm and it's going to take a sustained calamity and/or disproportionate investment for any of the chasing pack to wrestle their way in as soon as next year. 

I mean I think we’re already at the place to which you allude in your first paragraph - that’s where we’d be, maybe higher, if we didn’t waste a quarter of the season on Bruce and Jones. 

 

I think we could crack the top 6 without a huge amount of investment - I think a lot would have to break right, but West Ham aren’t that impressive and Manchester United Football Mall are worse. We also have the advantage of no European football, and not being run by idiots and dildo salesmen respectively. 
 

That crude analysis of course doesn’t factor in improvement at other well-run clubs - I think Wolves fall into that definition and I think Leicester without European football would be difficult to surpass. Don’t get the hype about Crystal Palace at all, grotty club with a bang average side.

[Yorkie]

Annoyingly, despite their issues atm I think it's only a matter of time until Man Utd sort themselves out and return to the top 4, reducing the room again as they replace Arsenal/Spurs. Meanwhile those latter two are looking increasingly settled in their management; Spurs in-particular could go from strength to strength assuming Levy etc don't prod too much at Conte's volatility. 

 

I've always hated the 'big six' suggestion because, despite that lot occupying the aforementioned spaces in 3 out of 5 seasons post-Leicester miracle, the likes of Leicester (again) and West Ham have proven that it's actually bullshit. However, sadly, I think they'll all have their act together next season. Maybe Chelsea's wheels will fall off but I can't see it unless Tuchel goes. 

[Scotty66]

First unread post was followed by talk of reevaluating Howe and possibly getting rid of him. 

 

Skip to last page and talk about getting top 6/top 8 next season. 

 

I love this place 

[SUPERTOON]

Anyone know what page number he was announced ?

[STM]

There are 6 clubs whos whole structure relies on being in the top 4, that means 2 of them are either underachieving or having a meltdown. Whenever said clubs fail in that objective, they inevitably sack their managers, when they sack their managers more turmoil ensues... or they improve and usurp one of the other 4 and that process repeats itself.

 

My point is, we need to be ready to pounce in 3 or 4 years time, when Klopp leaves Liverpool, Pep leaves City, Chelsea struggle with new owners etc or whatever the circumstance of that moment may be.

 

It seems inconceivable that we could get in the top 4 right now but circumstances are forever changing.

 

My point is, we can always rely on other clubs to have their own issues. We need to get our own house in order and allow nature to take its course.

 

Theoretically, getting to 7th should be straightforward, if we spend enough money in the right areas. Getting top 4 is very hard and putting on title challenge a virtual impossibility. We just need to take one step at a time.

 

Top 8 should be our aim. I'm not saying we should sack Eddie if we don't achieve it but that's where we need to go. We need European football too.

 

The way I see it, if we have ambition we are in a league with "the other 14", for now. We need to go win it in the next two seasons.

[HaydnNUFC]

We need to get to the point where we're the best of the other 14. Football doesn't work like this but 26 games are played against those 13 teams we need to be better than, 78 points available. If a team picks up 78 points they're playing Champions League football. ~65 gets you Europa League, this is where we need to get to. The club now has momentum and a feelgood factor probably almost as strong as it was in the 90s; the significance of that can't be underestimated. We've lost 1 home game in 10, to Man City, and from Howe's appointment up to now we're 8th in the table. Think about the momentum and periods when the club was really ticking: 1992-1994. First half of 2016-17 despite it being in the Championship. This calendar year so far. So many neutrals and opposition have commented on the atmosphere at SJP, teams won't want to come here. Now that feelgood factor, think of it in August. New players, new season, sun beaming. Yes fucking please. It's worth a few more points to us and other clubs can't replicate that, for various reasons.

 

It's all about recruitment and getting it right. We won't be able to shift everyone we want to shift in the summer but we do need some surgery regardless of how well we've done recently, so we have to make the 1 or 2 signings it takes each season to get to where we want to be. Bellamy and Robert took us from finishing 11th two years running to 4th. Van Dijk and Allison have taken Liverpool from around 4th spot to being one of the best teams the PL has ever seen. These types of transformational signings are the ones we need, Bruno's one of them (who we were able to get when 18th, so I've no worries about attracting players). A goalscorer, CB, CM and probably a winger are what we'll need. 

 

Given our form since Howe took over as well as other factors I've mentioned, if we can get the recruitment right I don't see why we can't be on the cusp of the Europa League spots, 9th-6th. West Ham, Villa, Wolves and Leicester are who we'll be competing with. Leicester will be having a quasi overhaul this summer as well so they could again be as poor (by their recent standards) as they have been this season. Arsenal and Man Utd are probably 2-3 seasons away from competing with, Chelsea and Spurs another 2-3 after that. From my own personal view though I'd be happy with a season where we're simply not entering anyone's minds in regards to relegation. I expect though that after the summer we'll move beyond clubs like the 3 promoted, Everton, Southampton, Brentford, Brighton et al.

 

Either way it'll be a steady build that we must recruit well for but it's going to be some ride. Strap in.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by HaydnNUFC

[LV]

Top 10 next season for me. All depends on the summer signings though really. 

[Theregulars]

1 hour ago, Yorkie said:

Annoyingly, despite their issues atm I think it's only a matter of time until Man Utd sort themselves out and return to the top 4, reducing the room again as they replace Arsenal/Spurs. Meanwhile those latter two are looking increasingly settled in their management; Spurs in-particular could go from strength to strength assuming Levy etc don't prod too much at Conte's volatility. 

 

I've always hated the 'big six' suggestion because, despite that lot occupying the aforementioned spaces in 3 out of 5 seasons post-Leicester miracle, the likes of Leicester (again) and West Ham have proven that it's actually bullshit. However, sadly, I think they'll all have their act together next season. Maybe Chelsea's wheels will fall off but I can't see it unless Tuchel goes. 

Aye, that’s a fair point - you’d think at some point the Manchester United Experience Theme Park might get it right, or simply just spend enough to have a reliably decent team. I was talking to my brother who is a fan (I know, it stings) - he’s also a sports writer and watches every game of theirs religiously, so I think he’s pretty reliable source. His view is that it’s not possible

for them to compete properly again unless nobody associated with the Glazers makes any decision to do with players, coaching or football management - so if they just put money up for purchases and then let “football people” run with it, they’d be useful. He’s not sure they get desperate enough until they’re completely out of Europe, which may become less of an issue with UEFA’s new backdoor ESL rule. He thinks any manager is pointless absent that change. They do seem too toxic to sort out within one season to me, but I’m an outsider and there’s a lot of clickbait mileage in criticising them / writing them off right now, so hard to tell if it’s accurate.

 

They don’t half trot out some mediocre players for all the insane money they’ve spent - Lindelof is bobbins, Matic is barely mobile and McTominay is, at best, an OK water carrier.

[toon25]

3 hours ago, Nine said:

A good summer and finish at 50+ points next season, a whole season of building this team into what he wants it to be and preparing for a top 7 push the season after.

 

 

 

This.

 

Would be happy finishing anywhere in a solid mid-table position. Can't take all of this fucking about with relegation any more 

[Dr Jinx]

2 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Annoyingly, despite their issues atm I think it's only a matter of time until Man Utd sort themselves out and return to the top 4, reducing the room again as they replace Arsenal/Spurs. Meanwhile those latter two are looking increasingly settled in their management; Spurs in-particular could go from strength to strength assuming Levy etc don't prod too much at Conte's volatility. 

 

I've always hated the 'big six' suggestion because, despite that lot occupying the aforementioned spaces in 3 out of 5 seasons post-Leicester miracle, the likes of Leicester (again) and West Ham have proven that it's actually bullshit. However, sadly, I think they'll all have their act together next season. Maybe Chelsea's wheels will fall off but I can't see it unless Tuchel goes. 

Well in the sense that anything can happen in football, yes they could get things right again, but certainly not imminently.. that club have problems from top to bottom. They’ve changed at the top without really changing at all so it’s hard to imagine them getting some sort of inspiration.

 

They’ve run through a train of mostly excellent managers, damaging their reputations, Ralf Ragnick (sp) the latest.. he looks totally out of his depth there yet he’s highly respected in European football.

 

I can’t imagine sticking in any other current candidate, either Poch or Ten Haag would make all that much difference when so much of that squad look checked out. Can’t see them lashing out another 500m over next 2 seasons on new players, so who’s going to come in there and make a difference?

[54]

Why do other fans seem to think that Howe is smug? Seen it on a few forums now, he's literally the complete opposite  

[Tiresias]

On the Man U returning to the 'top 4' I think tbh the big 6 or top 4 descriptors are bit misleading now. I think Liverpool and Man City are a long long long way ahead of everyone else. Chelsea last won the league 2017.

 

The only upset in that was last year with Liverpool (and indeed City if above 90 points is the hallmark of these teams) underperforming and Man U somehow getting to second, and yet I don't really think anyone thought they could plausibly win the whole thing so that can be chalked up to Covid disrupted season and Liverpool. Chelsea are closest to them and yet with their ownership situation who knows if they still will be? 

 

I think it will be a long time before we are challenging them, and in fact more likely they will slump before we get close. Those teams are basically winning every game all season apart from a few (which are then always a crisis), everyone below them isn't close to that level. You have them, then 5 or 6 plausible champions league contenders below and we can maybe hope to be a sort of best of the rest for next few seasons. I don't think we will be serious champions league contenders for a few years.

 

There are so many questions, what are the expectations really, it could be all this is a long term project we want Howe on for the long hall, but if he has an indifferent season next year and Poch is still free and asks if we want him do the owners say no? Things will be different, and Howe will be perfectly aware of this. He is kinda on a free hit now, he has almost achieved his most important aim. Personally I would be very happy to see steady improvement but I might get a bit unhappy (but not SACK THE COACH unhappy) if we get knocked out the cups super early and it's just a grindy mid table year next season. 

[NG32]

40 minutes ago, 54 said:

Why do other fans seem to think that Howe is smug? Seen it on a few forums now, he's literally the complete opposite  

Yeah, he is pretty humble. 

[The Prophet]

He's got quite a smug face, but he's a very humble chap.

[80]

1 hour ago, 54 said:

Why do other fans seem to think that Howe is smug? Seen it on a few forums now, he's literally the complete opposite  

Because he's better than them, and they know it.

[Consortium of one]

Yeah.  I'd say he humbly smug as opposed to being smugly humble.

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

His conscious attempts to not be too presumptive can make his face look a bit smug, especially in the face of leading questions or general hyperbole, which is common in football interviews. Hes absolutely not a smug person from everything ive ever seen, like.

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Super Duper Branko Strupar