The morning after the night before.
The players stand accused of, ‘believing the hype’. But it’s a little more intricate than that. There is an element of rogue ego, but the problem lies largely with the the mismanagement.
For those who cannot cope with the subtleties of argument, click away now. Here on planet Earth, there is light and shade. Arry’s record at Tottenham is extraordinarily good. 2 points, 8 games, not guilty, triffic. He has got it right on the bulk of occasions.
But now and again tactically, he goes missing. Either he appears not to have given the lads any direction whatsoever, or he sets the team up incorrectly and appears incapable of correcting it. The latter happened yesterday.
You build a team from the back to the front. That’s how it works. King wasn’t limping, he was just looking old. We’ve had a good run of it, getting away with this but the derby was a particularly grim time to get caught out.
The substitutions were baffling. Arry brings in vdV who clearly was a million miles away from being fit and Sandro who didn’t appear to know what his role was. Are we to presume that Azza Blud was even less fit that the Dutchman?
We had no width. Yet Arry decided to bulk out the middle. Yet he failed to do that. His inability to appreciate Kranjcar blinkered him yet again and despite the obvious fact that Bale and Modric don’t like to get involved in too much tackling these days he took off the only man who was baring the brunt of it alongside Parker.
Once they took the lead, we ought to have taken King off for Dawson, retired Walker, put Bale on the wing and introduced Lennon and gone at them. Instead we did nothing and made them look like Spain.
And so to Bale. It’s like watching a great racehorse that’s been got at by the handicapper. Someone needs to sit down with the lad and break it to him gently. His ambition is a wonderful thing but he got this free roaming thing all wrong. Also, we all know that he was becoming fed up with people kicking him, but diving is for suckers. Stop it.
If you look at the game from Arsenal’s perspective they showed us how the grown ups do it. They suffered a deflected goal. They suffered a penalty that was won by cheating. But they played as a team with defined roles. Man for man, Spurs probably had the better team on paper. The more exciting team on paper. But as a team on grass they were superior in every department.
Spurs need to take a long hard and honest look at themselves.
5.008 Probably went home and played, ‘One Man Band’ by Leo Sayer.
6.173 Not awful.
5.472 Not great.
3.653 Since the diagnosis we’ve been lucky. He doesn’t train, ho ho ho. He uses the chairman’s pool he he he. Well the jig is well and truly up.
3. 542 Played like he was on a beach somewhere. Ran like he was in deep sand, may have nipped out for choc ices at point. Uncomposed, leaky performance.
Should have replaced Walker sooner.
6. 444 Does the job of three men because he’s the man who has to mop up when the opposition breeze past the rest of the squad. Wings clipped after the yellow.
5.932 I hope Abramovitch was watching.
5.781 It gives me no pleasure to say that I covered Bale’s new found lunacy a few weeks back. His agent has convinced him he’s the new Ronaldo. What we actually have his Ronaldo MacDonaldo.
6.824 Defended admirably. A man who has the wit to realise it isn’t all about scoring a hat-trick and being home in time for tea and medals.
Insufficiently fit to play.
Dawson came on for Walker and screamed at him which made me wonder if he’s a gormless or had he simply not been given any instruction by anyone.
6. 732 It’s a cheap shot to deride the quality of his goal. Especially when it was just about all he contributed.
6.732 Yet again he opened brightly and when slowly but surely went off the boil. Took his penalty well.
When I came away from the City game, I was hurt because we at least deserved a draw, but held my head high ! but loosing in the manner we did against Le Arses was a disgrace, no passion, no fight and tactically Harry got it wrong big time. Why did we not keep it simple with either a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 with Bale and Lennon on the flanks,,,,,Only Harry knows why this was. Niko for me should if needed play on the left or in the middle, not on the right as he leaves Walker to exposed… and the same with Bale, when he plays this free role he leaves Benny exposed, so this is why Walcott looked good yesderday.
SO PLEASE HARRY.. PLAY THE PLAYERS TO THEIR STRENGHS, AND KEEP IT F”””ING SIMPLE.
It’s amazing how much this result still hurts. Even today. I’m not sure I can remember feeling like this after a football match for a long time.
Losing to Arsenal like that makes the soul ache. It’s a tribal thing, but my god I’m tired of setting ourselves up for a fall with the players the mouthing off in the press, only so the fans can walk around the next week, feeling like they’ve been butt raped by a pack of rabid gorillas.
That said, I agree with some here that it’s not the end of the world. Nor is losing your first love, but it still hurts! We’ll all calm down an regain some perspective in time.
One thing is niggling me still though. I see VdV is injured again. Am I the only one who’s running out of patience with him? It’s clear to see why Real Madrid let him go now – these fitness problems don’t make for a great professional footballer – and in any case, it’s been a long time since he’s taken a game by the scruff of the neck. I’m struggling to remember when.
Oh hum. Alcohol’s helping take the sting off it. The next game can’t come soon enough, those boys owe us one.
Agree about VdV,I was expecting him to walk off the pitch yesterday and leave us with 10 men like he did against Man City.He seems to recover quickly which makes me wonder,is he really injured enough not to play or does he need a good rest to get him right?
Not even going to comment on individuals, all were crap and the defending….what defending ?
Good season so far but HR what a tactical Genieous, i believe i can hear Eng-a-land calling, go on you know you want to. Give a refund to every Spurs supporter who shelled out for Sundays fiasco and show that video every day this week. Am i mad…effing mental !
We have recalled Adam Smith from his loan with Leeds to provide cover for Kyle Walker who was injured on Sunday. Makes the decision to loan Corluka out look even more ridiculous.
Yes it does. And I still can’t understand why we can’t recall Naughton, who with 20 or so games played in the PL for Norwich would surely be the better / more experienced option.
Probably a contract that stops he’s return.
I don’t believe you can recall a loanee to another PL club. I could be wrong, but I’ve heard that stated by the TV talking heads before.
David Bentley?
Hartley, wasn’t DB returned at season’s end?
No I don’t think so, he went out on loan at the start, came back injured and now is in our 25 man squad…
not a premiershp club
saw Smith playing for England under something’s in some summer tournament.
Seemed steady. Seemed to like defending. Unusual for a full back.
Didn’t even know where he went to be honest, just happy that he did along with 3MP and ***** at the time…
After Sundays game I miss not having someone to hate in the squad though. Feels kinda dirty slagging off the likes of Bale,Parker and King. Can’t bring myself to do it.
***** scored some good goals against arscum,we missed him badly on sunday :freu :winke:
Nurse, the restraints.
in fact we could have done with broadway danny and beckham mark2 as well,to dare is to do.
Jenas was recalled from a PL club, but that was due to injury, same as Bentley.
I doubt there is a rule as such stopping the recall of a player from another PL club, more likely a clause in the contract.
Personally I might prefer to see Livermore at RB against the Mancs. He’s shown good positional discipline this season and a first team debut of this level might be a bit much for Smith.
I agree with not slagging the likes of Bale and King, players that have been with us for sometime.
PNB, though……indisciplined, over rated, ex spammers, bar codes, cheatski and a big fish in a small pond at Charlton…..is spoiling a very good side in the same fashion that 3MP did last season…..my opinion at the moment, but if he carries on the way he’s been going I’m sure many will agree with me soon enough. When Sandro is fit, PNB can count himself lucky to be his understudy, he’ll learn a lot and his upcoming years in the lower leagues will be thought of fondly by the fans of Rotherham and the like….
You sir, are a fool.
Disagree with me by all means, but insult me without discussion?
If you can’t tell the difference between the ball and the man, you get sent off.
See my posts further up. PNB was dreadful on Sunday and very glad I’m not the only on who saw it.
People saying that Bale should cover when BAE goes forward are smoking some goooood sh*t. When the team is pushing up, the winger needs to be forward and the holding midfielder covers the space on the ball side. People who don’t know this have no right to criticise ‘Arry’s tactics, because they apparently know less about football than a 10-year-old who’s been to soccer camp for a week.
Yes, the wingers need to help the fullbacks defend once two banks have been established. Anyone who watched the game should have noticed that they hit us on the break via their wings for all three goals in the second half.
As for the goals in the first half, Parker didn’t close down Arteta’s cross to Sagna for the first. Parker & Krankie didn’t close down RVP, allowing him to turn and shoot at the edge of our box for the second.
PNB put steel in our side at the beginning of the season, and for that he deserves credit. On Sunday he was out of position more than pretty much any other player, and that deserves to be pointed out.
Hartley – you seem to have a real bee in your bonnet about Parker! He seems to get slated by you after every performance.
What’s the real score with you and him? Are you jealous of his haircut or is there something more sinister at work here?? :ninja:
And btw I agree he wasn’t great on Sunday, but neither was anyone else in the team to be honest.
Yes Phil, that’s it , it’s his haircut, it has got absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he thinks he’s Roy of the Rovers when in truth as an attacking threat he is less effective than Argentina…. ^^
And obviously I meant their army and not their football team….
Their football team would kick ten bells of sh*t out of the Royal Navy :ninja: …………….
Harts – even when he has a great game you are on his back it seems when in truth he is a candidate for our player of the season in many people’s eyes!!
Next time he plays, watch him closely, he spends more time in front of Modric and VdV than behind them, this not only affects our defence leaving us vulnerable to good attacking play (ar5eana1 on Sunday) but more so our attack as the creative players, the ones who get results when attacking are left behind covering either for PNB or the players he should be covering….
Yes, he gets some great tackles in and plays like he’s just got off the set of platoon, but he has his faults and when they affect the whole team something must be done….
Harry H.you sum our day up well Ekotto was still having his groin operated on when Wallmart run like the wind and flick over the old mans advancing head. Ledley and Kaboul got sucked into Robo cop trickery and forgot too tackle him Friedel made life easy by rushing at Wallmart and leaving a gaping hole behind him. The one thing you don’t do with him is make is mind up another yard and he could have fell over. Saggy said we have to win so he had a free header with the help of England’s next Captain cock-up Parker. This would be my post mortem if i hadn’t found out four seasons ago a team playing like the Arsoles after 15 mins with a player from the team i no got reported for using go faster for longer drugs Benaskelaton. The tale of the match Arsenal enhancers Next up16 dirty tackles 57 percent of the ball seven shots on target five goals our lot 12 tackles one sending off four shots on target two goals no Lennon no Defoe and Taking Saha of and bringing the karate kid on said we surrender Wenger.Next Up Utd Old boys with the fountain of youth a lad built like Frank Bruno a Mexican jumping bean from a country of contaminated food with steroid Glenbutarol in it. This was according too the five under 20 players who failed drug test and got a pardon blaming food. Nani whose Portugal boss Queros got sacked for stopping is team from getting drug tested Ronaldo Nani amongst them he was Fergies right hand man for six years when Ferdinand legged it. Poor Nani hurt his shoulder and came home from the World Cup without kicking a ball. I ask the question did he fall out the window running away we will never no. The strange thing was his shoulder never got treated and he turned up in America on there tour and scored. The reason for telling this tales about Utd is they also play with a high lasting tempo and if we are winning before half time get ready for fireworks again i told you what Arsoles would do and after we scored i went out because i knew the script and shite would kick around 15 mins. If we don’t wise up we wont win many of the twelve desperate games left because there is a lot more tempo tampering out there. This score should send alarm bells ringing West Brom 4 Sunderland 0 and Campbell is England’s next striker.