Eddie Howe ta

27 minutes ago, bolty58 said:

I think I'll abandon these particular pages very soon. Like Trump. Fucking pointless.

I do think it's a fair question to ask if we've not just reverted to getting knocked out by the first big team we face, which is an improvement on the couple of years just before Southgtlate took charge

We beat Germany in the Round of 16 in Euro 2020 so credit goes to Southgate and the players for that, but the rest of the tournaments have followed the same pattern (except in 2018 when we didn't even play a big team)

We've got to semi-finals and finals but we've also benefitted from some relatively easy draws

As much as Tuchel got it wrong on Wednesday, I still don't know what our many defenders were doing for their winning goal

No way should a 5'9 striker be getting on the end of that cross

Also, as past it as De Paul might be, his deliveries into our penalty area were miles better than ours

Tuchel isn't to blame for us not winning the world cup. But christ he could have made the job a lot easier than he did.

He sacrificed us like a set of weak lambs.

He picked a sqaud loaded with counter attacking direct wingers, left any ball retainers at home.

That was suicide from the offset.

Dunno why we have to have to this root and branch dissection and analysis just because we lost a semi final.

English football isn't broken. We have amazing talent and players.

Our manager picked the wrong squad and surrendered a semi final with his decisions. Get those decisions right and who knows what could've happened.

We will never know though because he didn't.

He fucked it. Then blamed everyone else.

2 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Tuchel isn't to blame for us not winning the world cup.

Agree

2 minutes ago, gonzo said:

But christ he could have made the job a lot easier than he did.

Also agree - that last 30 mins was mental.

3 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Our manager picked the wrong squad

I think that’s debatable. I’m not of the opinion that TAA, Foden, Macguire, Palmer and any other key noticeables are making the difference.

5 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Then blamed everyone else.

Depends how you pick out and interpret his comments. I’ve clearly heard him say he’s happy to take the blame and responsibility as head coach

6 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Dunno why we have to have to this root and branch dissection and analysis just because we lost a semi final.

English football isn't broken. We have amazing talent and players.

Completely agree with this bit. As I said before we are very close and not far off. This next step will be the hardest though.

At least we’re not in Italy’s, Germany’s and Brazil’s shoes - their efforts and performances fall well below ours this tournament 😊

1 hour ago, bolty58 said:

I think I'll abandon these particular pages very soon. Like the Trump thread. Fucking pointless.

There's only one reason you have abandoned the Trump thread 🤣

3 hours ago, desperado said:

Agree

Also agree - that last 30 mins was mental.

I think that’s debatable. I’m not of the opinion that TAA, Foden, Macguire, Palmer and any other key noticeables are making the difference.

Depends how you pick out and interpret his comments. I’ve clearly heard him say he’s happy to take the blame and responsibility as head coach

Completely agree with this bit. As I said before we are very close and not far off. This next step will be the hardest though.

At least we’re not in Italy’s, Germany’s and Brazil’s shoes - their efforts and performances fall well below ours this tournament 😊

With multiple world cups to their names? 13 between them, each having won one of the last 6. They are obviously all in a worse place than us at this point in time, but when they were in their good points - they won it. Not bad shoes to be fair to them.

I agree with @gonzo, that team is as good as we think it is. Is the defence a bit weak - yes, but I’m also watching Porro, MacAlister and fucking Romero in a World Cup final. No team is perfect 1-11. Our team from midfield onwards is as good as it gets and even the defence still includes 3 City players (and a Chelsea player when he can stay fit).

Our problem now is that we have no striker coming through when Kane winds down. Bellingham et al should get better for the next one, but the difference having a world class striker makes is huge, and this is likely the last one we’ll have it for. Tuchel blew our best shot by turning us into a L1 team playing city in a cup game once we went ahead, it really is as simple as that.

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

With multiple world cups to their names? 13 between them, each having won one of the last 6. They are obviously all in a worse place than us at this point in time, but when they were in their good points - they won it. Not bad shoes to be fair to them.

I agree with @gonzo, that team is as good as we think it is. Is the defence a bit weak - yes, but I’m also watching Porro, MacAlister and fucking Romero in a World Cup final. No team is perfect 1-11. Our team from midfield onwards is as good as it gets and even the defence still includes 3 City players (and a Chelsea player when he can stay fit).

Our problem now is that we have no striker coming through when Kane winds down. Bellingham et al should get better for the next one, but the difference having a world class striker makes is huge, and this is likely the last one we’ll have it for. Tuchel blew our best shot by turning us into a L1 team playing city in a cup game once we went ahead, it really is as simple as that.

I clearly meant in the current situation!

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

With multiple world cups to their names? 13 between them, each having won one of the last 6. They are obviously all in a worse place than us at this point in time, but when they were in their good points - they won it. Not bad shoes to be fair to them.

I agree with @gonzo, that team is as good as we think it is. Is the defence a bit weak - yes, but I’m also watching Porro, MacAlister and fucking Romero in a World Cup final. No team is perfect 1-11. Our team from midfield onwards is as good as it gets and even the defence still includes 3 City players (and a Chelsea player when he can stay fit).

Our problem now is that we have no striker coming through when Kane winds down. Bellingham et al should get better for the next one, but the difference having a world class striker makes is huge, and this is likely the last one we’ll have it for. Tuchel blew our best shot by turning us into a L1 team playing city in a cup game once we went ahead, it really is as simple as that.

Spot on assessment this.

If we had a few titles under our belt, we probably wouldn't get as pissed off at our recent habit of blowing finals and semis.

Actually, we still would, wouldn't we 😄

3 minutes ago, desperado said:

I clearly meant in the current situation!

I know, I was being a bit facetious. Although like @Greg_BWFC says, I do think it probably increases the anger towards Tuchel because this does feel like we’re peaking when plenty others are at the bottom of their cycle and so it really feels like a wasted opportunity.

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I know, I was being a bit facetious. Although like @Greg_BWFC says, I do think it probably increases the anger towards Tuchel because this does feel like we’re peaking when plenty others are at the bottom of their cycle and so it really feels like a wasted opportunity.

Yeh, completely agree. The wasted opportunity angle is the most frustrating aspect of it, hence the anger and disappointment is magnified.

I’m watching this now thinking we could be causing Spain more problems than Argentina are doing.

4 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

As much as Tuchel got it wrong on Wednesday, I still don't know what our many defenders were doing for their winning goal

No way should a 5'9 striker be getting on the end of that cross

Also, as past it as De Paul might be, his deliveries into our penalty area were miles better than ours

And leaving Fernandez with time for a touch and hit from 20 yards centre of goal when we have all 11 men back.

Andy Burnham

17 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

As much as Tuchel got it wrong on Wednesday, I still don't know what our many defenders were doing for their winning goal

No way should a 5'9 striker be getting on the end of that cross

Also, as past it as De Paul might be, his deliveries into our penalty area were miles better than ours

Two theories on that, one is that if you put a dozen crosses in, the law of averages is one will find an opposition player unmarked, especially if the player crossing happens to be the world's best player ever.

But also, without checking the line up at the time, there were so many changes to our defence in the 2nd half, I bet half of them didn't know where they were supposed to be or who they were marking. People talk about having a settled defence, keeping your shape, communicating and being organised - from where I was sat it looked like a load of bodies were just put in the box to get in the way of as many balls as they could, if it was meant to be organised defending it didn't come across that way. Tuchel to blame for that as well as for removing our "out ball".

13 hours ago, jayjayoghani said:

And leaving Fernandez with time for a touch and hit from 20 yards centre of goal when we have all 11 men back.

As much as I would criticise Tuchel for that, they all do it, for some unknown reason.

Even the expert analysers on MOTD or Sky, never pick up on it, and commentators routinely praise the shot and never mention the lack of marking. Its as if a top Premiership or equivalent footballer isn't expected to be able to shoot on target, unchallenged, from 20 odd yards, its mystifying because we see them result in goals (often from deflections) every single week, at all levels.

8 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

I do think it's a fair question to ask if we've not just reverted to getting knocked out by the first big team we face, which is an improvement on the couple of years just before Southgtlate took charge

We beat Germany in the Round of 16 in Euro 2020 so credit goes to Southgate and the players for that, but the rest of the tournaments have followed the same pattern (except in 2018 when we didn't even play a big team)

We've got to semi-finals and finals but we've also benefitted from some relatively easy draws

I get what you mean, but it's quite a high bar if only Spain, Argentina and France count as big/good teams. Holland two years ago & Norway this year are better wins than beating Germany at home in 2020.

There aren't that many consistently good sides at international level. Beating everyone we arguably should as part of these 'easier' draws shouldn't be sniffed at and will get you there or thereabouts every tournament.

Spain went out to Morocco (who also beat Portugal) and Russia at the previous two World Cups, Germany didn't get out the groups in Qatar and went out to Paraguay this year. The fact we've avoided these types of results for a decade is good going.

On 19/07/2026 at 23:30, gonzo said:

Surely you can't defend his decisions the other night?

Or the DNA comments?

Do Not Agree.

On 16/07/2026 at 12:13, meanderson93 said:

Eddie Howe would be my go to once inevitably sacked early this season.

Well that happened even sooner than I was expecting.

Get him in.

Perfect.

Get that bollockless cunt sacked now and we can move on.

Not a fucking chance. TT around for a good while yet, thank fuck.