black_n_white Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 37 minutes ago, duo said: One of Eddie's biggest failings this lad - paid a club record fee for him with seemingly no clue where to fit him in the team. Unlike the Elanga and Wissa signings this one makes the least sense. Did they actually do any scouting? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 1 minute ago, black_n_white said: Unlike the Elanga and Wissa signings this one makes the least sense. Did they actually do any scouting? quick, sign a striker, any striker Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black_n_white Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 1 minute ago, Shearergol said: quick, sign a striker, any striker It really does feel that way, a massive punt which has completely backfired. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duo Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 In hindsight we'd have been better off telling Isak he ain't going anywhere - probably would have been better for both. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 6 hours ago, HMSIllustrious said: Just read an article about him “Jon Dahl Tomasson was right player wrong time, when arriving at Newcastle United in summer 1997.“ I hope we get a better headline for Nick‘s stay here in 30 years. Tomasson was much younger, was cheap and was thrown in far too soon. There aren’t any real similarities. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMSIllustrious Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 (edited) 1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said: Tomasson was much younger, was cheap and was thrown in far too soon. There aren’t any real similarities. Tomasson was 19, right? (true, Nick is older but a late bloomer) Played top flight for only 1.5 years before (just like Nick), came from an inferior league (similar to Nick) and was thrown in far too early (reminds me of someone). The price tag is the gulf between them…sadly. Edited May 11 by HMSIllustrious Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fak Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 3 minutes ago, HMSIllustrious said: Tomasson was 19, right? (true, Nick is older but a late bloomer) Played top flight for only 1.5 years before (just like Nick), came from an inferior league (similar to Nick) and was thrown in far too early (reminds me of someone). The price tag is the gulf between them…sadly. Tomasson wasn't a teenager when we signed him. Was 20 or 21. Im sure there was a video doing the rounds a while back of him having a tour of Sunderlands training ground when they came close to signing him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RUHRLYASLEEVESUP Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 2 minutes ago, Fak said: Tomasson wasn't a teenager when we signed him. Was 20 or 21. Im sure there was a video doing the rounds a while back of him having a tour of Sunderlands training ground when they came close to signing him. More reasons to detest them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colos Short and Curlies Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 1 hour ago, TheBrownBottle said: Tomasson was much younger, was cheap and was thrown in far too soon. There aren’t any real similarities. As well as the age, he was thrown into a position he was not suited for. Playing behind Shearer (or Les) and we see a different player. Stuck upfront, isolated with misfiring wingers and he had no chance Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 44 minutes ago, HMSIllustrious said: Tomasson was 19, right? (true, Nick is older but a late bloomer) Played top flight for only 1.5 years before (just like Nick), came from an inferior league (similar to Nick) and was thrown in far too early (reminds me of someone). The price tag is the gulf between them…sadly. Woltemade was in his mid-20s and a full German international when we signed him - Tomasson was coming off a good season for Heerenveen. The German top flight is a harder one to excel in. That’s why there was a massive disparity in transfer fees - Tomasson was misused and thrown in when he was raw. Woltemade should be far closer to the finished article. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The College Dropout Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 Woltemade had a really great 6 months. I’m not convinced he goes on to become a top player. He has talent but plays like he’s 19. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebelrouser Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 How can PIF not be furious at the Howe's for this debacle? Did someone else force the player on Eddie? I don't get it. His recent lack of playing time seems like it may be best to sell. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmesy Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 1 hour ago, Colos Short and Curlies said: As well as the age, he was thrown into a position he was not suited for. Playing behind Shearer (or Les) and we see a different player. Stuck upfront, isolated with misfiring wingers and he had no chance Sounds familiar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Magpie Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 On 10/05/2026 at 16:02, Conjo said: Feels like a no brainer that he would be great if we made some adjustments to the way we play. Mainly having our wide players play more like wide forwards so he has more runners around him when playing up top. I think a Barnes/Gordon - Woltemade - Osula trio up top over a season would do better than anything we've put out since Isak left. If Howe is unable to set up a team without a lone pacy striker up top, it's better for both parties that Woltemade moves on in the summer. Agree with this entirely. Howe seems strangely proud of his 4-3-3 even though it doesn't work any longer. I don't think he's going to change his scheme any time soon. Really would have loved to see Nick thrive here. But if Eddie stays, it's best for all involved to get back what we can for him, sign a Jamaican sprinter to play striker, and let Nick play for a team better suited to his skillset. I like him a lot and will follow his career wherever he may go. Serious question - Is avoiding relegation worth the fee we paid for him even if he doesn't ultimately flourish here? Because without his league goals earlier in the season, we'd be right in the midst of that dreck now. I would think it's worth almost any sum to avoid that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBrownBottle Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 3 hours ago, DC Magpie said: Agree with this entirely. Howe seems strangely proud of his 4-3-3 even though it doesn't work any longer. I don't think he's going to change his scheme any time soon. Really would have loved to see Nick thrive here. But if Eddie stays, it's best for all involved to get back what we can for him, sign a Jamaican sprinter to play striker, and let Nick play for a team better suited to his skillset. I like him a lot and will follow his career wherever he may go. Serious question - Is avoiding relegation worth the fee we paid for him even if he doesn't ultimately flourish here? Because without his league goals earlier in the season, we'd be right in the midst of that dreck now. I would think it's worth almost any sum to avoid that. For £69m we could’ve bought most strikers on the planet. I’m pretty sure that someone vaguely competent could’ve found a player for that money who could’ve scored 7 league goals - I mean, Bobby Shinton did finish top scorer with the same tally of course, but that’s not usually something to shout about. Callum Wilson - who we realised on a free having decided that an ageing player made out of paper mache couldn’t hack the PL anymore - has scored 6. On average, Woltemade needs 70 mins more to score a goal than this version of Wilson. Woltemade has been poor, and I’m not convinced at all that this is solely down to Howe’s tactics. Every time Howe moved the lad further back, he’d drop further back again. He doesn’t appear to have a striker’s instincts; worse, his vaunted technical ability isn’t close to being high enough to justify the half-arsed strolling about he does during a match. He’ll likely go back to Germany at some point to pootle about for a top six side over there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobsonsWonderland Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 8 hours ago, rebelrouser said: How can PIF not be furious at the Howe's for this debacle? Did someone else force the player on Eddie? I don't get it. His recent lack of playing time seems like it may be best to sell. To be fair he was not on the top of the list. Pedro Delap Ekitika Sesko And these were only the failed bids we knew about. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 I thought having a big lad with good feet might help us hold onto the ball a bit more, shame it hadn't worked out like that. Haven't given up on Nick, but he still has a lot to learn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ9 Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 I like him as a player. However, I just don’t see what type of football you play to get him in positions to score 15 goals a season. Not just in Howe’s system but any system. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Magpie Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 (edited) 6 hours ago, AJ9 said: I like him as a player. However, I just don’t see what type of football you play to get him in positions to score 15 goals a season. Not just in Howe’s system but any system. Fair, but as a great Brit is rumored to have once said, it's a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma, innit? Is it the fact that Nick's game simply isn't suited to the EPL? Is it that Eddie's system is old and predictable? Some combination? Because given what we've seen this year I'm not sure I'd trust any striker outside maybe Haaland to score 15 for us this year the way we're playing. Speaking of Haaland, whatever Nick's future and wherever he may play next year, he has to bust his ass in the weight room this summer to get stronger. That part of his game should be easiest to fix. I wonder if his diet has something to do with that. Edited May 12 by DC Magpie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbo Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 I was trawling through premier league top scorers to find the last time a striker with his lack of pace or strength got a good return. I gave up after going back 12 seasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mills and Boon Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 Is he vegan or something? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 1 minute ago, Kimbo said: I was trawling through premier league top scorers to find the last time a striker with his lack of pace or strength got a good return. I gave up after going back 12 seasons. You're probably looking at a Berbatov type player which don't exist any more Even if you think of current good strikers in the Prem now, there's none that are both slow and weak Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFEE Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 16 hours ago, rebelrouser said: How can PIF not be furious at the Howe's for this debacle? Did someone else force the player on Eddie? I don't get it. His recent lack of playing time seems like it may be best to sell. Maybe because PIF told Howe all along they wouldn’t sell Isak only to crumble late in the window. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smal Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 he looked genuinely fast when tracking back one time at the weekend, so he is capable of decent top end. It’s the lack of aggression in his game that massively holds him back imo. No aggression in duels, no aggression in shooting, sprinting or even his passing now. I do think the way he has been reffed has something to do with it, another factor in his huge loss of confidence across the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 7 minutes ago, joeyt said: You're probably looking at a Berbatov type player which don't exist any more Even if you think of current good strikers in the Prem now, there's none that are both slow and weak Berbatov was absolutely rapid compared to Woltemade mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now