First time poster, long time fan. Love reading the articles and comments on The Mag. so thought I’d do my own. This was written after the Brentford game (and before Spurs) btw.
Back when Eddie Howe was first appointed, when optimism was high and everything felt possible, I remember being underwhelmed at first, but then quickly thinking it was the perfect hire for phase one of our project – if it all went as expected we’d have moved onto bigger and better within three or four years.
Eddie Howe could bring everyone together, actually coach the players and get us playing decent football, for a proven winner to then take up the reins for the assured charge to glory.
That was how I saw it. Naïve perhaps but it was a time for dreaming. PSR existed then to stop clubs going to the wall, it wasn’t the barrier to ambition it would soon become.
Saudi Arabia PIF had their plan. I personally think that four years in, it did not feature Eddie Howe, but either way there was a trajectory and a sense of forward momentum to the thing.
Through the departure of Dan Ashworth, the exit of Amanda Staveley, or for some other reason, that was lost, together with the sense that everything was under control. Paul Mitchell was a strange appointment and the effects of that punt would haunt us long after he went.
There was an interview with the Brentford (I think it was them) DoF a few years back and he said they start succession planning the moment they sign or hire someone. They expect and are prepared for their talent to be in demand. They shortlist and monitor so they can move quickly when the time comes, to have continuity in that regard. In that world there’s no Mitchell. Hopefully we’ve got it right now, with David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson, both of whom are making the right noises.
If our sporting ducks were in a row (CEO, DOF) I believe Eddie Howe should and would have left the club in summer 2025, his replacement having been identified long before then. It would have been the perfect time, after the cup win, the end of a wonderful chapter, onto the next one.
I’ll quote a few examples where a manager was replaced without being hounded out:
Nigel Adkins to Pochettino at Southampton, Gary O’Neil to Iraola at Bournemouth, Nigel Pearson to Ranieri at Leicester. Maybe even Roy Hodgson to Glasner at Palace.
All of these were calculated risks that took the club to another level (though the level of those clubs is not lost on me). Of course you don’t need to scout a Carlo Ancelotti or a Guus Hiddink (plan A) but it’s the idea of having a plan (and a plan B). Acting decisively in a measured way inspires confidence.
In that scenario I guess I was in the Eddie out brigade, but I’m not now, unless we can attract a serial winner that would undeniably be an upgrade. It feels increasingly unlikely. Eddie Howe has dealt admirably with a situation largely not of his making (though arguably better off the pitch than on it) for which he deserves immense credit. What an ambassador, what a person. There are a couple of big questions he must still answer for me and this is where the doubt comes in.
(1) Can Eddie Howe, with this group of players, play his preferred high intensity style of play? I would say only style, but at Bournemouth he had league two footballers playing out from the back in the Premier League and everyone was comfortable on the ball, that’s a puzzle.
(2) Even if he can, is that the best way to use this group of players? They say a good manager makes the system fit around the players, not the other way around. Obvious point but four years ago they were all four years younger. That style suits young players more. Longstaff is a big miss in the press too. The idea that the style is evolving is absolute rubbish. Dwelling on the ball is not a possession based approach.
(3) This is the big one for me. Can Eddie Howe move himself and the players beyond the underdog mentality that seems to define him? That shouldn’t be controversial. It’s the reason our better performances are against better sides. This is why he’d happily take a point from any away game and why he treats some other clubs with reverence. Remember his comments before Man City away last season? I’m not sure where he can, or thinks he can, take these players now and I’m not sure if some of them are privately questioning the Eddie Howe way.
For me it is a no to all three of these, which means we need players.
Once again the coming summer is going to be huge. I genuinely think the right signings can make something of the players from last summer and BNW has to be central to that. In the 2nd half against Brentford, when we went 4-4-1-1, he found more space than he has in a long while. We’ve set a ridiculous bar for Ramsey, he is and will be a quality signing but needs a run in a winning team. Villa were gutted to lose him. Elanga will be a big player too and it looks to finally have clicked with him. Wissa has been a huge shock and I’m less sure about him. The keeping powder dry for the summer line is fine, encouraging even, but they have to follow through and go big. It will set the tone for the next four years. I’m just not sure if Eddie Howe is the best man for that time.
If Eddie Howe walks or gets pushed and we can’t attract the world beater we wanted, I suggest Sebastian Hoeness at Stuttgart. He’s done wonders with that club and oversaw BNW’s rise. They also have some excellent players he could bring with him.
The next three weeks are huge. If results don’t go our way and we find ourselves in the bottom half with only the hope of Europa League to play for, there has to be a real statement of intent from the club.
Keep and back Eddie Howe, to plan and act early and strategically in the summer window, or plan and act for life without him. They should already know which of these paths they plan to follow.