I agree that, with hindsight, this may have been a good move. Howe is of course onto a loser if the outcome was the same (I believe it would have been with how Bournemouth played) as we all would have been asking why one of the leagues best defenders was dropped leading to a defeat...
If we'd beat Bournemouth and they moaned like whores about fatigue we wouldn't like it. Jesus they were riddled with injuries and fatigue themselves. On the day the bettered Newcastle. That's it.
Indeed. Better team won on the day. Simple as that. Just like we've been the better team on other days, like when Ange and Arteta have cried cheat. No, we just beat you. Fatigue is just a throwaway comment because everyone plays lots of games. Like Charlie said though, Howe did also praise Bournemouth, unlike most other managers.
Good news for you is I can play Devil's advocate on that statement as well! Are fresh squad players likely to be of greater use that fatigued 1st XI players? Longstaff is fresh so should we play him instead of Bruno? Osula instead of Isak? I think Eddie is right that our 1st XI looked fatigued in the Bournemouth game (although in my opinion, some of that was Bournemouth playing an incredibly quick press, making us look slow). I'm just not sure I trust our bench to replace our 1st XI against a team in 7th.
And in an ideal world they would indeed be good enough. However I don't think they are in the position we are in unfortunately.
I understand that, however, Targett isn't far behind Hall, if at all and Schar is better than Burn. They are the two I would have had in that game. Yes we would probably still have lost as Bournemouth were on fire.
It's been so long since I've seen Targett play, that I honestly have no idea how good he is any more. Was good for us when on loan and then appears to have been perma-crocked.
Reading back on all this stuff I am pleasantly surprised by consistency tbh. Was expecting to go back and read some clangers.
