Growing Pains

[Menace]

I'm fine. The revolving door moment at the club was how Isak left and how we replaced him - its set us back a few years and now this is what we have to deal with. We will go to become a club that finishes 7th-10th IMO.

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Mattoon said:

 

This is the bottom line really and what I was getting at with Howe being the architect of his own downfall. Every time we have a successful season, thats the benchmark at which every following season should be measured upon and if we fall short. Success is not linear, especially in a PSR age and I think if we jettison Howe, we will live to regret it.

Absolutely, I agree with this post. 

 

For me personally, the benchmark is the squad cost. Id expect to see us finish around what our budget is, if we don't then obviously further investigation is required. 

 

Anyone expecting CL qualification at this stage is asking for too much imo. 

[RS]

Manager’s great. Clubs being ran by a bunch of incompetents. Bring back Mandy. 

[George Bailey]

2 minutes ago, Menace said:

I'm fine. The revolving door moment at the club was how Isak left and how we replaced him - its set us back a few years and now this is what we have to deal with. We will go to become a club that finishes 7th-10th IMO.

This season 7-10th or do you mean we become a club that’s limit is 7-10th each season?

 

I would to think our ambitions are higher than also rans ultimately.

 

Can we be the best team in the world by 2030 - odds are on no 😂but we should be aiming to compete at elite levels more often than not.

 

The whole a team/club that tries mantra is fine but I think as a city, a fan base and as given the potential we have just waiting to be unleashed then we should be aiming higher longer term.

 

[HaydnNUFC]

I think the biggest part of this for me is I don't enjoy the football anywhere near as much as I did even 2 seasons ago. In 23-24 we were at least superb at home but I actually think the issue is wider than that. Modern football is fucking shite. The treatment of fans with rising ticket prices, stupid kick off times and draconian ticketing measures with IDing, having to bend over backwards to pass your ticket on for 1 match if your club allows it et al, the sheer amount of games there are, the social media circle whose modus operandi is ragebaiting for interactions, the overall quality of football that gets played in the PL, the general decline in the quality of atmosphere at matches, the elitism that PSR/SCR/whatever the fuck these shit fucking rules are perpetuates amongst countless other things.

 

So you've got that and us being fucking lifting this season for a variety of reasons on top of that. So aye. End the season please.

 

 

Edited March 27 by HaydnNUFC

[Kid Icarus]

On 27/03/2026 at 07:51, Interpolic said:

This season has been a huge reminder of how fucking awful loads of our fans are, many of whom are posting relentless, entitled, babyish fucking drivel on here all day every day. 

 

This is a good thread though. 

Yeah, this summarises most of my overriding feelings on where we are.

 

As unenjoyable as the season's been for all the reasons we're familiar with, there's a parallel with the worst days of Ashley in that the worst part in all of it for me is that my eyes have been opened to what parts of our fanbase are like.

 

It's hard not to think of our fanbase as this organic living thing, so to have seen the complete subservience and standing in the way of progress from the 'be careful what you wish for' crowd under Ashley's shameless long-term zombification of the club to now seeing the impatience for linear progression, entitlement for zero adversity, ignorance or indifference to mitigating circumstances, and subsequent 'let's risk everything' rhetoric under Howe, despite his incredible success in the short-term and having represented this club with a level of dedication, professionalism and success arguably better than anyone in the club's history, is as jarring as it is bile-inducingly galling.

 

I'm not saying these are the same people, but seeing both rise to the surface in our fanbase is absolutely shit to witness.

 

It's OTT but so much of the 'things have to change' rhetoric while absolving all responsibility for what that actually entails, disregard for the proficiency (or lack of) of those who would make the decision on a replacement, and how it's gone for us and other clubs who've made these decisions in the past keeps reminding me of similar situations that have been catastrophic for all of us outside of football: Brexit, successive Tory governments, Trump, and fitting neatly into the part of the analogy where no one ever fucking learns - a probable Reform government. Imo this cry for change from Howe is a Newcastle-level event along those lines and I don't think that's hysteria at all either.

 

This basically:

 

 

Edited March 31 by Kid Icarus

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

NWOAT

[Infinitely Content]

11 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

I think the biggest part of this for me is I don't enjoy the football anywhere near as much as I did even 2 seasons ago. In 23-24 we were at least superb at home but I actually think the issue is wider than that. Modern football is fucking shite. The treatment of fans with rising ticket prices, stupid kick off times and draconian ticketing measures with IDing, having to bend over backwards to pass your ticket on for 1 match if your club allows it et al, the sheer amount of games there are, the social media circle whose modus operandi is ragebaiting for interactions, the overall quality of football that gets played in the PL, the general decline in the quality of atmosphere at matches, the elitism that PSR/SCR/whatever the fuck these shit fucking rules are perpetuates amongst countless other things.

 

So you've got that and us being fucking lifting this season for a variety of reasons on top of that. So aye. End the season please.

 

 

 

Many Villa fans say the same regarding their football too, that it's been in decline since Emery's first season. I found it interesting because most generally agree that Emery is a top class manager, perhaps even better than Howe yet is suffering the same challenges and criticisms. 

I don't know why it's the case exactly, but it certainly feels like they're significant external influences at play rather than Howe or Emery simply not being good enough.

 

 

Edited March 27 by Infinitely Content

[Mr Misery]

I think Mark Knopfler should make a version of "Premier League corrupt as fuck" and they should play that before every home game.

[Mike]

3 hours ago, Froggy said:

 

 

Eddie Howe has spent €800m at Newcastle Michael. 

 

I will sew your mouth to your hoop and hook a feeding tube up you fucking pendejo. Fuck out of the thread.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Football fan opinion is incredibly short term generally, it's understandable but not really something I get into that much. Try not to be too high and mighty but the fan reaction is probably the worst thing about this season - much worse than the actual football itself. 

 

This season has been a grind, but if next season is good we'll be fine again. 

 

The off field progress has been slow-ish, but if this summer goes well we can be confident in Wilson et al again and that's fine too. 

 

We haven't moved on the big projects as fast as people would like but it's only slow until it isn't. They could announce the training ground project is starting at any time now and the stadium maybe soon after. The stadium is a very difficult decision and will take years to build anyway.

 

Howe is IMO our best ever manager and I want to hang onto him until it's absolutely obvious that the club could do clearly better under someone else. 

 

We won't see linear progress to winning the PL but I really don't care about that anyway. I just want us to try to compete and function as a PL club, I won't forget the Ashley era for many years yet, 

 

 

Edited March 27 by AyeDubbleYoo

[HaydnNUFC]

11 minutes ago, Infinitely Content said:

Many Villa fans say the same regarding their football too, that it's been in decline since Emery's first season. I found it interesting because most generally agree that Emery is a top class manager, perhaps even better than Howe yet is suffering the same challenges and criticisms. 

I don't know why it's the case exactly, but it certainly feels like they're significant external influences at play rather than Howe or Emery simply not being good enough.

 

 

 

The whole discourse with Howe easily gets tiresome as it’s the same debate with the same points being brought up, rightly or wrongly, from both sides. The truth amongst it all in addition to external factors imo is somewhere in the middle. It almost always is. I’ve made my peace with that.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

I agree with the general assessment of PL football being crap though, can’t stand all the long throws and VAR and diving and shit like that. Don’t watch any full matches now apart from ours. 
 

If Gateshead had a decent stadium I would consider less PL engagement. 

 

 

Edited March 27 by AyeDubbleYoo

[KDT]

It’s been said many times before but what’s probably been the biggest issue is how quickly we got that champions league qualification after the takeover. Unrealistic expectations of constant success on the back of that, there’s absolutely been errors along the way but it’s as though success for us every season should now be a given.

 

The ride up to success should’ve been the fun part and maybe a season or two in the Europa league would’ve been better to set expectations with parts of the fanbase. 

 

 

Edited March 27 by KDT

[Virtua Stiva]

The general standard of the play is absolutely a factor in the general mood IMO. This season has been an absolute slog and we’ve been dragged into the gutter. That Wales/Bosnia game last night was the most I’ve enjoyed a game of football in ages. There may not have been many top quality players on show but it was two teams looking to win with a bit of needle thrown in to boot. 

[Froggy]

7 minutes ago, Mike said:

I will sew your mouth to your hoop and hook a feeding tube up you fucking pendejo. Fuck out of the thread.

 

Pendejo.  Black, Mexican and Irish? Boy have you have lost your way 'cause I'll help you find it. 

 

Maybe you thought it was 800 million pesos Howe has spent?

[Mike]

imo we've hit a ceiling in our progress because the team we've assembled and won a cup with was a series of flukes that will be nearly impossible to recreate going forward. So we've plateaued for a bit because the next challenges are a bit beyond us for the moment. 2030 is a fucking joke. In 2030 I'll be wearing Hathaway's thighs like a scarf. See you can say fucking anything, doesn't make it true.

 

We are who we will be for probably the next few years. We're a cup team inexorably climbing the ladder rung by rung.

[Infinitely Content]

Also I'm with Mike, when you stop a moment to consider the fact that if we were to qualify for the Europa league, whether this season or even next, we would likely be the favourites to win it. The fact I can say that in a serious, calm manner is a mark of the enormous progress made under this brilliant manager and his team.

 

 

Edited March 27 by Infinitely Content

[Chicken Dancer]

People don’t want change for the sake of change though. Not once have I seen anybody say ‘Howe is shit’ or anything similar. Everyone’s in agreement that he’s been incredible and likely the greatest NUFC manager in our lifetime. I was definitely ‘Howe’s the man but I’ve got some major concerns’ at 10:44 on Sunday morning to now being fully fledged member of the  ‘I’d like a change’ camp. 
 

The way I see it, people want change for a combination of the following;

 

- last summer we blipped a fuck load of money on absolutely bang average at best, absolute shite at worst, despite having an opportunity to really kick on 

 

- our next fixture is in April, yet the same issues that were plaguing us in the infant part of the season are still happening now. Go a goal ahead? No matter, we still won’t win. Need a goal in the last minute? Here you go lads. Teams must fucking love playing us. 

 

- lost twice to Sunderland. Despite what people say, it’s the fixture that means the most to plenty fans. I personally could accept defeat if we’d maybe just not got the rub of the green or were beaten by an absolute belter, but instead we had to go out with a whimper. That second half on Sunday was the most pissed off I’ve been in fucking ages and it was the straw for me, I can’t lie. It wasn’t supposed to be like this; we got our takeover, had plenty success since and they’ve came up, recruited way, way better than us in the summer, beat us twice and have a very good chance of finishing above us. All in their first season - that’s just completely unacceptable. 
 

- the insistence to persist with things that just clearly aren’t working. Woltemade in midfield this season, Burn at LB a couple of seasons ago. 
 

- we’ve lost our identity/mojo/whatever you want to call it. Maybe Howe is trying to reinvent us, but whatever this is, isn’t working. Nobody can sit there and tell me with a straight face we’ve played well more than 5 times in the league this season, and I’m not talking about the odd first half here and there. 1) Villa (a), Liverpool (H), Everton (A), City (H). Maybe I’ve missed one or two but from memory that’s it. Even the home wins against Wolves, Fulham, Burnley - even Leeds - we weren’t exactly great. We’ve been laboured as fuck all season (back end of last season too imo) and I’ll be glad when it’s done and we can enjoy the World Cup. 
 

A huge red flag for me are the parallels between what’s happening now and what happened in the arse end of his time at Bournemouth. That Bournemouth lad who posted on here summarised it and it’s eerily similar to what’s happening now. There was one who went on a NUFC podcast when we appointed Howe who basically said the same stuff. 

Would I like a change? Personally yes I would.
 

Do I think Howe more than deserves a chance to have a go at next season? Yes I do.
 

I’d like to see us be a little more creative in the transfer market and be a lot more ruthless with the squad. If we start handing out new deals to some of the shite then you can at least lower your expectations and prepare for another season of hovering around 8th-14th.  Same goes if we start bidding for the likes of Solanke.

 

If he’s to stay, add a new coach or two to your team. Just get some fresh ideas or something, it’s went very stale. Fergie done it, Pep does it. It works fine for them so injecting a bit of life into the tactical side of things wouldn’t be a bad thing imo. Not that I think Howe would ever entertain the idea. 

[Super Duper Branko Strupar]

4 minutes ago, Infinitely Content said:

when you stop a moment to consider

 

Beyond too many on here unfortunately.

[Mike]

3 minutes ago, Chicken Dancer said:

People don’t want change for the sake of change though. Not once have I seen anybody say ‘Howe is shit’ or anything similar. Everyone’s in agreement that he’s been incredible and likely the greatest NUFC manager in our lifetime. I was definitely ‘Howe’s the man but I’ve got some major concerns’ at 10:44 on Sunday morning to now being fully fledged member of the  ‘I’d like a change’ camp. 
 

The way I see it, people want change for a combination of the following;

 

- last summer we blipped a fuck load of money on absolutely bang average at best, absolute shite at worst, despite having an opportunity to really kick on 

 

- our next fixture is in April, yet the same issues that were plaguing us in the infant part of the season are still happening now. Go a goal ahead? No matter, we still won’t win. Need a goal in the last minute? Here you go lads. Teams must fucking love playing us. 

 

- lost twice to Sunderland. Despite what people say, it’s the fixture that means the most to plenty fans. I personally could accept defeat if we’d maybe just not got the rub of the green or were beaten by an absolute belter, but instead we had to go out with a whimper. That second half on Sunday was the most pissed off I’ve been in fucking ages and it was the straw for me, I can’t lie. It wasn’t supposed to be like this; we got our takeover, had plenty success since and they’ve came up, recruited way, way better than us in the summer, beat us twice and have a very good chance of finishing above us. All in their first season - that’s just completely unacceptable. 
 

- the insistence to persist with things that just clearly aren’t working. Woltemade in midfield this season, Burn at LB a couple of seasons ago. 
 

- we’ve lost our identity/mojo/whatever you want to call it. Maybe Howe is trying to reinvent us, but whatever this is, isn’t working. Nobody can sit there and tell me with a straight face we’ve played well more than 5 times in the league this season, and I’m not talking about the odd first half here and there. 1) Villa (a), Liverpool (H), Everton (A), City (H). Maybe I’ve missed one or two but from memory that’s it. Even the home wins against Wolves, Fulham, Burnley - even Leeds - we weren’t exactly great. We’ve been laboured as fuck all season (back end of last season too imo) and I’ll be glad when it’s done and we can enjoy the World Cup. 
 

A huge red flag for me are the parallels between what’s happening now and what happened in the arse end of his time at Bournemouth. That Bournemouth lad who posted on here summarised it and it’s eerily similar to what’s happening now. There was one who went on a NUFC podcast when we appointed Howe who basically said the same stuff. 

Would I like a change? Personally yes I would.
 

Do I think Howe more than deserves a chance to have a go at next season? Yes I do.
 

I’d like to see us be a little more creative in the transfer market and be a lot more ruthless with the squad. If we start handing out new deals to some of the shite then you can at least lower your expectations and prepare for another season of hovering around 8th-14th.  Same goes if we start bidding for the likes of Solanke.

 

If he’s to stay, add a new coach or two to your team. Just get some fresh ideas or something, it’s went very stale. Fergie done it, Pep does it. It works fine for them so injecting a bit of life into the tactical side of things wouldn’t be a bad thing imo. Not that I think Howe would ever entertain the idea. 

 

My feeling is Howe hopefully has enough support in the club to break through whatever he's dealing with tactically here, rather than this being another landmark in his journey. SAF would be selling insurance if he was 45 now.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

7 minutes ago, Mike said:

imo we've hit a ceiling in our progress because the team we've assembled and won a cup with was a series of flukes that will be nearly impossible to recreate going forward. So we've plateaued for a bit because the next challenges are a bit beyond us for the moment. 2030 is a fucking joke. In 2030 I'll be wearing Hathaway's thighs like a scarf. See you can say fucking anything, doesn't make it true.

 

We are who we will be for probably the next few years. We're a cup team inexorably climbing the ladder rung by rung.

Not sure I’d call it flukes, it was great signings and a great manager tapping into the inherent potential of this club.

 

I agree the 2030 stuff is fanciful since we haven’t got a new stadium etc and financial rules are still there to stop us. But I kind of brush off things that executives say most of the time anyway. At least they’re expressing some desire to improve. 

[Mike]

Honest question and I'll likely out myself as a mentalist when I ask this but still.

 

Pre Isak bullshit, how many of us had us as dark horses to win the league this season? I will happily raise my hand and say I was convinced we were gonna Leicester the dump this year.

[Chicken Dancer]

Just now, Mike said:

 

My feeling is Howe hopefully has enough support in the club to break through whatever he's dealing with tactically here, rather than this being another landmark in his journey. SAF would be selling insurance if he was 45 now.

Yeah he definitely has support within the club and rightly so. As I say, he deserves a shot to make version II of his team, but it might get worse before it gets better imo.

 

Above all, I hope it never turns nasty for him. There’s been pretty much universal support for him inside the ground since he got here, but I’ve definitely noticed a few murmurs and vocal displeasure this season. 

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, Mike said:

Honest question and I'll likely out myself as a mentalist when I ask this but still.

 

Pre Isak bullshit, how many of us had us as dark horses to win the league this season? I will happily raise my hand and say I was convinced we were gonna Leicester the dump this year.

Not me but some absolute mentalists were sneaking it to conversations