Nick Woltemade

[Jack14Bojangles]

2 minutes ago, ryanegg said:

For what it’s worth, didn’t Gordon get player of the tournament in the U21’s playing up front? 

Yes, I got that mixed up. Wolte was the top scorer.

But for me, Nick was also the MVP of the tournament. Since England won the title, Gordon then became MVP.

[Andy]

For all of Howe's faults, removing this lad from the centre forward position really isn't one of them IMO. Even when he was scoring he didn't look like scoring. 

[healthyaddiction]

1 minute ago, Jack14Bojangles said:

Yes, I got that mixed up. Wolte was the top scorer.

But for me, Nick was also the MVP of the tournament. Since England won the title, Gordon then became MVP.

You're getting even more confused. Gordon won player of the tournament the previous tournament. Harvey Elliot won player of the tournament when Woltemade was top scorer.

 

 

Edited April 19 by healthyaddiction

[Jack14Bojangles]

2 minutes ago, healthyaddiction said:

You're getting even more confused. Gordon won player of the tournament the previous tournament. Harvey Elliot won player of the tournament when Woltemade was top scorer.

 

You're right, thank you for the correction. 

[joeyt]

6 minutes ago, Andy said:

For all of Howe's faults, removing this lad from the centre forward position really isn't one of them IMO. Even when he was scoring he didn't look like scoring. 

 

Absolutely.

 

People remember a few of his goals at the start of the season and don't remember how bad he was there

[Hanshithispantz]

I think people remember his goals alongside him making great one touch passes and threading through great balls every game tbh. He's not going to frighten defenders with his pace, and obviously is going to find it harder than someone nippier to get ahead of defenders, but saying he was bad there is something else like.

[John P]

It is pretty mental that we've just given up on him being a starting striker for us in the last few months. He/we struggled to involve him much at times but he was completely new to the league and had notched 9 goals and a couple of assists before Xmas and shown some great little flashes of skill and creativity.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

If Kai Havertz can play up front for Arsenal then I'm convinced Nick can do well here. 

[Danh1]

4 hours ago, Hanshithispantz said:

I think people remember his goals alongside him making great one touch passes and threading through great balls every game tbh. He's not going to frighten defenders with his pace, and obviously is going to find it harder than someone nippier to get ahead of defenders, but saying he was bad there is something else like.

This. I won’t rewrite history, there was occasions when he was too deep and didn’t appear to have the hunger to score you’d expect from an out and out number 9.

 

As mentioned in another thread, at Stuttgart he played up front with Undav and was very successful. Would’ve liked to see us try to adapt our style to trying something new. As has been said multiple times though that’s one of the criticisms I have of Howe, the unwillingness to deviate from plan A.

[Andy84]

I remember when he dinked Pickford away at Everton thinking we’ve got a superstar on our hands here. Same with the Brighton away goal, absolutely nonchalant.  I hope we persevere with him

 

 

Edited April 19 by Andy84

[duo]

On 19/04/2026 at 18:59, Andy said:

For all of Howe's faults, removing this lad from the centre forward position really isn't one of them IMO. Even when he was scoring he didn't look like scoring. 

I disagree- I think Eddie has totally mismanaged Nick. Our results in the league were better with him in the side. After Chelsea game where he got a brace he was inexplicably dropped then played in midfield. Which is mental in itself- no one thought that would work. And by doing that he destroyed the lads confidence. The main reason his goals dried up was because we created nothing. It's been a problem even when Isak was playing. Howe got lucky that Murphy hit a purple patch something he's not been able to replicate. 

 

 

Edited April 21 by duo

[Geordie Ahmed]

13 minutes ago, duo said:

I disagree- I think Eddie has totally mismanaged Nick. Our results in the league were better with him in the side. After Chelsea game where he got a brace he was inexplicably dropped then played in midfield. Which is mental in itself- no one thought that would work. And by doing that he destroyed the lads confidence. The main reason his goals dried up was because we created fuck all. It's been a problem even when Isak was playing. Howe got lucky that Murphy hit a purple patch something he's not been able to replicate. 

 

That's not quite what happened though I do think he needs to go back to being played as a striker

 

After Chelsea he played the next game as a striker away to Man U, then he was on the bench as Wissa was back, then he played a couple of games as a striker, then back to the bench, it wasn't until a few games later that the midfield experiment started

 

Wissa getting back to "fitness" has actually been a problem 

 

Woltemade should really have been the primary striker and Wissa used to give him a rest 

[Mills and Boon]

59 minutes ago, duo said:

I disagree- I think Eddie has totally mismanaged Nick. Our results in the league were better with him in the side. After Chelsea game where he got a brace he was inexplicably dropped then played in midfield. Which is mental in itself- no one thought that would work. And by doing that he destroyed the lads confidence. The main reason his goals dried up was because we created fuck all. It's been a problem even when Isak was playing. Howe got lucky that Murphy hit a purple patch something he's not been able to replicate. 

 

The main reason we create fuck all with him in the team is because he's literally not even a presence up top. We've looked better with Osula in the side, and Osula isn't good either outside of his running giving us options 

[Zero]

We looked better when Osula is playing up top?

 

Sorry but did we even win a single game with Osula starting this season?

[Superior Acuña]

There were significant concerns around Nick’s performances and a few shocker games but we’ve hit new depths since he was dropped. While he was playing, September-November, was the best we’ve been for any period this season aside from one week over new year (he also started one of those).

 

 

Edited April 20 by Superior Acuña

[Mills and Boon]

19 minutes ago, Zero said:

We looked better when Osula is playing up top?

 

Sorry but did we even win a single game with Osula starting this season?

 

I mean I've seen us win a game with Wolter up top and scoring and we looked shit as an attack

[Zero]

3 minutes ago, Mills and Boon said:

 

I mean I've seen us win a game with Wolter up top and scoring and we looked shit as an attack

 

you know what? We defend like fucking shit once playing Osula and go back to Eddies favourite “plan A”. 
 

if Plan A is the only way to make Osula work / look better in attacking, while conceding shit loads and unable to register even 1 win, tell me what’s the fucking point of starting Osula? 

[Mills and Boon]

Our defending has gone to shit no matter who is playing, but Osula does press much better than Nick too.

 

We don't play the way we do to make Osula look good. You've got it arse about face. Osula looks better suited to the way we play 

[Moose]

I know Nick isn't exactly a speed demon but I think it's a myth to say that he doesn't press.

 

The difference in points we've earned from when he starts as a striker compared to when Osula/Gordon/Wissa starts up front is stark. I know there's a lot of other moving parts to that equation but it seems Nick is pretty low down on the list of our troubles.

 

He's far from the finished article but it would be a grave mistake to give up on him now and toss him aside. Whoever takes over from Howe will get a tune out of him, I'm sure of it.

[Mills and Boon]

It's not that he doesn't press, just that he's not good at it.

 

There's not much he's actually good at. Nice touch here and there. One nice pass per game. It's not much to build an attack around 

[TheBrownBottle]

I think the manager can be reasonably criticised for his signing, but I can’t criticise him for not playing Woltemade - he sees him train, and he didn’t look good at all at when he started.  He had a purple patch where everything he touched went in, but his (and the team’s) performances weren’t good. 
 

Granted, we look utterly shite at the moment, but if Howe thought the lad could offer something - given the pressure he’s under - it would be crackers not to play him.  He’s not playing because he likely isn’t worth a start. 

[Zero]

53 minutes ago, Mills and Boon said:

Our defending has gone to shit no matter who is playing, but Osula does press much better than Nick too.

 

We don't play the way we do to make Osula look good. You've got it arse about face. Osula looks better suited to the way we play 

 

Probably you gotta answer this question first: why emphasize so much on pressing? What’s the purpose of pressing? We press for what?

 

 

Edited April 20 by Zero

[DC Magpie]

1 hour ago, Zero said:

We looked better when Osula is playing up top?

 

Sorry but did we even win a single game with Osula starting this season?

 

I'll say it again:

 

Nick starts up top: 9 starts, 20 league points.

Anyone else up top: 24 starts, 22 league points.

 

Nick is quite literally the reason we're not facing relegation this year. I honestly cannot fathom how stubborn you have to be as a manager to ignore that. And I'm gonna post this video once more ask you Eddiephiles who else on our roster can do half of this (from up top, not 80 yards from goal). Everything in the box, where he belongs.

 

Side note: Look at him after Bruno draws the PK - Nick grabbed the ball and went straight to the spot. Does anyone think he's got that confidence today? 

 

 

 

[OverThere]

We won more games when he started at CF and we lost more when he didn't. The end.

[Infinitely Content]

So Woltemade was performing well and Howe just inexplicably dropped him, and then spent the rest of the season refusing to play this supposedly brilliant striker in his position? I know Howe’s not flavour of the month but are those in favour of Woltemade suggesting that our manager whose knowledge of the game is vastly superior to anyone on this board just dropped him for absolutely no reason? And then stubbornly refused to put him back there? I don’t think so.

 

It’s easy to level it at Howe not being able to use him in a time where Howe is seemingly the reason for everything dysfunctional about us this season, but I think those people are forgetting how lousy a lot of Woltemade’s performances were. I’m sure there is something Howe can do to get a bit more out of him, and I understand we’re all searching for answers, but this idea that he’s some superstar striker being shunned is incorrect imo.