PaddockLad

Sort of agree. But he’s been sending the team out in the same formation that achieves that when all players are fit and available to carry it off. That’s not been working iyam.

Howe’s not properly tried to change anything to compensate for the injuries. If he’d tried something like starting with 3 centre backs which he has switched to on the odd occasion we may have been a more solid at the back. It can also give you an extra man to pick up the “no. 10” player operating between the lines, that’s the space that’s been exploited by opposition attackers since Pope’s injury. He's not really tried anything though. With the massive benefit of hindsight he’s been tactically one dimensional and pig headedly single minded about it. If there’s no alternative to his tactics with who’s been available week to week for the past 3 months then ok, but someone will have to explain that. Obviously players coming back from injury aren’t going to hit the ground running and need to be eased back in. Because of this we’re not always sure which Eddie Howe team is going turn up, and his tactical inflexibility seems to manifest itself in different ways. To concede four at home to Luton and the energy free performance v Arsenal weren’t just down to injuries. The first one was piss poor tactics in the first instance to concede 4 in less than an hour without changing anything and the other one was a distinct lack of confidence to even compete for the ball in the face of a team brimming with confidence. But that same lack of confidence shown by the players was visible at Blackburn too. It’s almost as if they’ve lost confidence in what they’re being asked to do as well. Howe has proven he can see problems early and make the right decisions like he did at Villa Park when he brought Livramento on and went to a back three. We just don’t see that anywhere near as often as we should. There is lots of mitigation. There is also an adherence to trusting a system that plainly doesn’t work when key players aren’t available. I think he’s failed to find the balance between the two and the players are showing signs that they’re not sure how to sort it themselves. Would anyone else have done better?….. at Howe’s “pay grade” and experience level probably not. Hes still got loads of clout with the owners which means he’s almost certainly going to be around for the summer recruitment drive. How much shout he’s going to get on that is going to be the most interesting thing going forward at the club and it very largely depends on if/when Ashworth is replaced and by who. If (as rumoured in some quarters 😆) he gets to build a power base of his old mates it will in reality make him more powerful than the owners. That’s tail wagging dog territory and in view of his travails this season am not sure if he’s properly earned that amount of trust. I do think he’s won a power game with Ashworth which shows he’s a formidable and skilled operator. All that’s bullshit speculation obviously . But we’re definitely going to be living in interesting times and judging by comments around us in the away end on Tuesday night support for him regardless of the unprecedented injuries we’ve had this season is wavering among rank and file punters to say the least. Howe and the recruitment team need to get this summer very largely right if we’re not going to be in a whole world of toxic pain next season.

“How did he lose all his money then get it back again??” https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/12/21/how-russian-money-helped-save-trumps-business/ https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-inc-podcast-deutsche-bank-donald-trump

The two big games slated for the peak slots so yeah, fuck off Chelsea

I knew you’d say that

Of course he fucking is. My in laws MP. They’re under my command at the ballot box this time though. I’ve stopped them from taking the Daily Mail and scared the MiL witless about Trump by making her read Sarah Kendzior’s book Hiding In Plain Sight. My tanks are on that hideous fuckin cunt’s lawn 😤

The BBC and Sky concentrate on the shitty six because that gets them the most clicks I imagine. Haaland’s goal fest at Luton would’ve led the BBC sport website on Tuesday night/yesterday morning 🤷🏻‍♂️

This wasn’t me but it appeared in a WhatsApp group. Some people are just cruel 😑

Before the cup draw anyone know when the last time we were in the last 8 of both cups in the same season?… 👀

He looks fuckin knackered iyam. Joe W and Anderson can’t get match fit quick enough

Sat on a train going back to Preston with two cunts (tbf my closest football mates) ones seen us get beat at Wembley 5 times. The other 7. Is there any fuckin point in this? Fuckin hell…am having a fuckin football breakdown 😆

Think this is our old mate isn’t it ^? He’s right. I can’t do this shit much longer. It’s like they’ve forgotten how to actually play the game compared with last season 🤷🏻‍♂️ Pleased that Dubs got his moment in the spotlight. But fuck me …

A great man 👍

Am sure I bought a Sansui portable tv from Rumbelows back in the day

Aye some great quotes from Kinnock. Southern England were never having him though, they were being told what to think by Kelvin McKenzie at the time. My 75 year old MIL hates the Welsh with a vengeance 😏

Really interesting article… https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/25/miners-strike-40-years-anniversary-brassed-off-sherwood

Southampton & NI great Chris Nichol, 77

You’ve watched at least half. Am not angry, just disappointed

This afternoon I’ve had a shower and sorted some clothing storage things out whilst listening to an audio book. Done the recycling. The now semi-permanent Mrs PL has watched a profoundly depressing episode of silent witness where a local fascist murders a couple of holocaust survivors. What I’m getting at is it’s easy to avoid watching a meeting of the two of the most cuntish fan bases in Europe. Just looked at the score. I feel you should all be considering life options at this point