Eddie Howe

[Kid Dynamite 9333]

3 hours ago, Renton said:

I'm not sure operating a high press for a whole season with this many games is feasible even if we have 2 quality players in every position (we don't). 

Other than City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, I think every club in the league would swap their squad for ours. Theres only really LB where we haven't got a specialist backup. And that's because Tino and Burn can cover there. Howe should be doing more with the squad he's got and the money he's spent. 
 

Pope/Ramsdale

Tino/Trippier

Thiaw/Schar

Botman/Burn

Hall/(Burn/Tino)

Tonali/Miley

Bruno/Ramsey

Joelinton/Willock

Gordon/Barnes

Murphy/Elanga

Woltemade/Wissa

 

 

 

[Craig 12370]

Part of the issue for me is that some of our big hitters appear to be hoping others will do the hard graft for them. I don't see that out of bone-idleness, I see it out of carrying injuries / fatigue. 

 

The situation with Gordon I'm finding really frustrating. With Isak gone there's an opportunity for him, and also a need FROM him to step up further - but he's well off the boil. 

[Kid Dynamite 9333]

It's nuanced though. It's nigh on impossible to be a standout player in a team that is underperforming. If you haven't got people moving into space to receive the ball or to pull players out of position it's going to be much tougher to look like you're having a good game, even if you haven't really done a lot wrong. I think that's why the likes of Tonali and Bruno look off the boil at times, even though they are our best players by a country mile 

[Craig 12370]

Bruno was one of the only ones to come out of yesterday with any credit for me. Probably Thiaw as well. 

[Dr Gloom 26330]

yeah, bruno is the only one who tries to make things happen. no one else seems brave enough to pass the ball forwards. it's all sideways and backwards passing when we're confronted with a low block. 

[Craig 12370]

Livramento probably had his worst game for us. Tonali seems knackered and I wonder if given the enormity of the game, Miley should have come from the bench. 

Biggest issues were the wings though - completely ineffective and the fact they both ran the ball out of play summed it up for me. This game was prime for Gordon & Elanga getting in behind their man - neither of them seemed to have it in their locker though.

[YorkshireExile 89]

Quote

The situation with Gordon I'm finding really frustrating. With Isak gone there's an opportunity for him, and also a need FROM him to step up further - but he's well off the boil. 

 

It was impossible to know at the time, but the worst mistake we've made in the last couple of years was not flogging him to the dippers when we had the chance. Elliot Anderson would still be here and we'd have got 80M for him. We wouldn't get that much for him now. And Eddie should tell him to get his fucking hair cut!

[Rayvin 8351]

3 minutes ago, YorkshireExile said:

 

It was impossible to know at the time, but the worst mistake we've made in the last couple of years was not flogging him to the dippers when we had the chance. Elliot Anderson would still be here and we'd have got 80M for him. We wouldn't get that much for him now. And Eddie should tell him to get his fucking hair cut!

 

A happier way to look at that might be that without him, we may not have won the cup. He was important in the Arsenal games, I remember that much. Clutching at straws, I know.

[Gemmill 63125]

2 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

In woldemade we have a striker who looks tailor-made number 10 to help unpick a deep line. will howe ever use him in that role? 

 

Not in the middle of the season when they've had no time to train to that system, he won't. 

[strawb 5423]

Isn’t Tonali’s bairn due anytime now?
 

Might be a reason for his drop in form, everyone has a home life and all that.

[Dr Gloom 26330]

5 minutes ago, Gemmill said:

 

Not in the middle of the season when they've had no time to train to that system, he won't. 

 

not even in the sort of game where the 4-3-3 system has consistently failed? i'd rather go down swinging than with a whimper. 

 

 

[Renton 27766]

35 minutes ago, Kid Dynamite said:

Other than City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, I think every club in the league would swap their squad for ours. Theres only really LB where we haven't got a specialist backup. And that's because Tino and Burn can cover there. Howe should be doing more with the squad he's got and the money he's spent. 
 

Pope/Ramsdale

Tino/Trippier

Thiaw/Schar

Botman/Burn

Hall/(Burn/Tino)

Tonali/Miley

Bruno/Ramsey

Joelinton/Willock

Gordon/Barnes

Murphy/Elanga

Woltemade/Wissa

 

 

 

 

Fair point. You can question the quality of a lot of those players and positions through, especially in goal and crucially  centre forward,  where we haven't had a proper number 9 all season.

[Dr Gloom 26330]

if howe doesn't see 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 as a viable option (even when chasing a game) it raises questions about the woldemade signing as it looks like those systems would play to his strengths. there was one moment yesterday when someone played a lush line-breaking through ball for him but he was nowhere near getting onto it - he's just not that sort of player 

[YorkshireExile 89]

Quote

In woldemade we have a striker who looks tailor-made number 10 to help unpick a deep line.

 

Not convinced like. Yes he's got 'good feet' but he's also fragile and gets knocked off the ball easily. He's not going to get the time and space he was used to in Germany in the PL. He also appears to lack the aggression required and comes across as far too 'nice'. In fact apart from BDB, Bruno and Joelinton you can describe the rest of the team like that too. Drives me mad when I see them so easily pushed off the ball or standing off their man.

[Howmanheyman 43887]

2 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

if howe doesn't see 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 as a viable option (even when chasing a game) it raises questions about the woldemade signing as it looks like those systems would play to his strengths. there was one moment yesterday when someone played a lush line-breaking through ball for him but he was nowhere near getting onto it - he's just not that sort of player 

 

I was shouting for him to be replaced a while before willock put a decent through ball for him which he was nowhere near getting to despite being in as good a position as the defender was. I'm genuinely foaming at some of our players, they don't do it on purpose I know but that performance yesterday stunk the place out, the front three in particular were as bad a forward line I've seen on any particular match. We've all tried to understand there's work to be done with integrating big nick but if it's going to be that problematic wtf did we sign him for? That non pass to Gordon early was criminal and the dummy went out from Gordon after that, the fact he didn't play it despite having time and seeing him but opting to hold onto it for another second or two before thinking a little dink pass to elanga was the better option? Fuck me, that's almost a bad decision as his goal was. 

[ewerk 39195]

26 minutes ago, strawb said:

Isn’t Tonali’s bairn due anytime now?
 

Might be a reason for his drop in form, everyone has a home life and all that.

 

Howe has said that between illness and knocks that he isn't fully fit.

[The Fish 12558]

15 hours ago, wykikitoon said:

We've been giving possession away a lot this season. 

No, we haven't. Not really. 

 

 

 

 

[wykikitoon 28515]

1 hour ago, Dr Gloom said:

yeah, bruno is the only one who tries to make things happen. no one else seems brave enough to pass the ball forwards. it's all sideways and backwards passing when we're confronted with a low block. 

I said this yesterday. It's get up to a point and instead of put the ball in the box its turn around and pass back then left to right forward back back long ball hand over possession rinse and repeat 

[Rayvin 8351]

11 minutes ago, The Fish said:

No, we haven't. Not really. 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with you on this, so the question following isn't a challenge, it's just curiosity - Why do you think we're misfiring, based on the data?

[YorkshireExile 89]

Quote

Why do you think we're misfiring

 

1. Our wingers haven't been told that they need to be making runs behind because Woltemade isn't going to do it?

2. Woltemade has been told to play like Isak but is incapable/unwilling to carry out those instructions.

3. The midfield haven't been told to look for through balls in behind. 

I don't believe any of the above scenarios are true, which leaves..

4. The players are short of confidence and/or mentally exhausted and as a result are not taking responsibility and are playing it safe (and sideways).

5. The players don't give a shit and are actively ignoring Howe.

 

Lets hope it's no. 4 cos the others all point to needing a new head coach.

 

[Kid Dynamite 9333]

2 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

if howe doesn't see 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 as a viable option (even when chasing a game) it raises questions about the woldemade signing as it looks like those systems would play to his strengths. there was one moment yesterday when someone played a lush line-breaking through ball for him but he was nowhere near getting onto it - he's just not that sort of player 

When Wissa was a whisker away from getting a toe onto that ball over the defence I said to my dad that Nick would have been 20yds behind the play. 
 

The quickest solution to this malaise might be to get Wissa fit and just drop him into last seasons setup as Isak's replacement

[The Fish 12558]

1 hour ago, Rayvin said:

 

I agree with you on this, so the question following isn't a challenge, it's just curiosity - Why do you think we're misfiring, based on the data?

 

Partly it's a tactical/personnel issue:

We've attempted to switch from a high intensity, high pressing side towards a more possession based side. Isak, Elanga, Gordon, Barnes... these are all players best suited to a team that wins the ball high up the pitch, or devastates on the counter. 

We're more and more facing teams who play with a low-block. We can't rely upon a predatory striker like Isak (unless Wissa is that answer) to snaffle up a half chance. We're not even making the same kind of half chances. 

 

It's partly form - nobody is really playing well. And not just having their form restricted by the strategy, there is a fragility throughout the squad. Bruno is up for the fight, so are Joelinton and Burn, but unless it inspires the squad it's just noise without focus, y'know?

 

It's partly fixture congestion, Howe is not or can not get consistent performances out of the squad when he has 2+ games a week. 

 

It's partly injuries/suspensions to key players at key times - Gordon, Wissa, Hall, Livramento, etc.

 

What we need is a spell of favourable fixtures with key players fit and firing. So Wissa, Woltemade, Gordon, Hall, Livramento, Bruno, Tonali, et al

 

We need to play quick passing triangles between Bruno, Tonali, Hall, Livramento, and ultimately Woltemade. We need widemen either joining those passing shapes, or be the recipient of the final ball. I think we're equipped to play that and a high pressing game. 

[NJS 5297]

Might be result affected but my current thinking is that it won't be a bad thing if we lose on Wednesday. I just can't see us beating two from the remaining teams as it stands. It's a shitter but that's how I feel. 

[Howmanheyman 43887]

There's a thought, and I hope it's not the case, that Eddie has flogged them for a few years and it's caught up with them, especially the older ones who've been here about the same time as Eddie himself? Mourinho used to do the same albeit he had bigger and better squads and it still caught up with him. 

[Craig 12370]

I do think there are some within the squad who have hit their saturation point. We always said that the squad he would initially bring in would be to start the journey and be interim. That group of players undoubtedly outperformed expectation and the impact of that is our expectations have been naturally elevated as a result.