Good morning.
Lilywhite shirts blazing under the lights, a lady for an ‘otdog, God is in his heaven and all is right with the world. Well, you know, if you turn a blind eye to refereeing that would be more at home at the centre of a match fixing scandal and a deaf ear to the monkey noises from the Lazio fans.
I’m not spearheading some crackpot conspiracy theory here, but it was curious that the game was officiated pretty impeccably everywhere other than our attempts to get the flippin’ ball over the line.
Caulker’s header was never up for debate. The ‘man’ in front of him crumbled and should’ve been booked once the goal awarded.
The game was enthralling. Having enjoyed watching Real Madrid the other night it was pleasing to see so many similarities in our play. Ball on the floor, players brains working over-time to find a way, make the break.
What I was watching was an AVB masterclass. Tactically we were thoughtful and committed. The only absent element were the goals to win the game and I wonder if one of our lot had launched one into the Lazio net from 35 yards the referee would have found some infraction to deny it.
One thing that drives me out of mind is watching footballers repeat the same mistakes. 5 games in I might be delusional, but I think I’m seeing fine tuning taking place with a number of players.
The monkey noises need to be investigated and this is as complex as asking ITV for a copy of the tape and hitting the play button. This is a club with a checkered past and without passing comments such as ‘Paulo Di Canio always looks very smart in a black shirt’ Lazio need to be heavily fined to ensure that they genuinely tackle the matter internally.
Now he didn’t have to do much but what did he did do and the body language were all positive.
A few excellent balls forward, notably to Azza. Sadly matched by a few sloppy losses of possession that he’s fortunate we weren’t punished for.
Mustard.
Much improved from the Reading game. Fine tuning or coincidence? Either way, more please.
I really want to see more of this guy. On last night’s showing he’s a perfect fit for the boss’ template.
Now that’s what I call solidification. He bossed and bustled. A proper menace.
Did nothing extraordinary but everything he did was integral to what we achieved as a unit. A quality footballer.
Captain my captain. He obviously felt more responsible about things, but his performance in the opposition’s 18 yard box was Arsenalesque. Shoot!
Hmmm. I don’t think we’re getting value for money from him in this central role at all at the moment. Not at all.
The offside decision was farcical. On an upbeat note he looks sharp and every inch a professional I’m convinced he’ll notch ’em up this season.
He played as well as he did against Reading, just didn’t get the breaks. Thought he was more involved again, more of a team player. Keep it up.
QPR await and if he can summon up immense human dimensions from our lot on a par with those he summoned up last night we will be in business.
That was an interesting night of football. Newcastle and Liverpool played ‘Redknapp’ sides. The Newcastle game was appalling. Unwatchable.The Liverpool game was surreal. A cross between the old Monty Python ‘100 meters for people for no sense of direction’ and err… a football match.
Rodgers and Villas-Boas both want to play football a little differently to way their new clubs are used to. The difference appears – at this stage- that one of them took into consideration the existing personnel before agreeing to take over… and one of them didn’t. If you’ve any loose change floating around the house, stick it on a Manchester United win this weekend.
Funny breed are our home fans. Turned out in decent number to watch some truly mediocre fayre in this competition last time round yet there were about 10,000 spare seats last night for what will be remembered as a truly memorable game. Oh well.
I thought Lazio fought hard but were lucky to end the match with 11 players still on the park.
Apart from us giving them the ball through the odd sloppy pass, I don’t think I counted more than a half dozen times when they gained possession by means of anything that could be considered a legal tackle. Presumably this clutch and grab approach was part of their overall game plan.
Ugly. And uglier fans.
I have to say those were the nastiest looking fans since I went to an Alice Cooper concert
Yes but I think we physically stronger than last season. Caulker and Vertonghen, Sandro and Dembele are very strong guy.
After Baler was cynically fouled on the touchline for about the 100th time late in the game, one fan on the shelf side got so frustrated he reached out, grabbed the Lazio player by the arm and had a go at him… Proper telling-off style, like a Dad having a go at a naughty 6-year-old. It was bloody hilarious.
The Lazio player wandered off toward the ref looking startled and almost crying while the stewards let the guy stay in the ground as it was so funny.
Love it … I am giggling way over here in Australia..
My opinion is that we bossed a very good italian team who had won 5 games on the trot. Can’t remember Lloris having a shot to save, bar the volley that hit the woodwork.
Team seem to be settling into AVB’s way of playing and with better officials we would have had the 3 points.
I too think Bale is under performing and needs to play as a winger more! Maybe it’s AVB’s pattern that the front players interchange with each other. If so Lennon MUST learn to shoot!!! Twice in a minute he had clear chances but tried to lay them off to Bale. Lack of confidence?????
All in all a very good outing for all players.
Have to say I was disappointed in Lazio. Either we made them look average or they were. I think the latter.
In the 2nd half we def needed a strong guy up with Defoe.
ps did anybody hear the chants? I missed it, either my infirm hearing or just concentrating on the game
Judging by your comments I’d say you just missed it because you’re a dope. Why so negative? I think you’d boo Santa Claus
That makes AVB a dope too by your rationale. Matt the twat tee hee.
So, you think Lazio were genuine top of the table material? Think Portsmouth were top of the Prem for a few weeks once. We really should have hammered them last night.
Or a strong guy up front instead of Defoe?
He’s far to easy to dominate if you man mark him
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Totally digressing, have you guys noticed that Kyle Naughton and Assou Ekotto look like twins (more so without the AE’s hairdo)
I’d imagine the crowds were down due to the ticket pricing, last year the europa group stage games were 25 Squids (probably due to HR publicly denoucing the group stages as a waste of his time), this time round, cheapest was £32, rising into the forties. Good solid game, naughton is developing well, caulker looks solid, Lloris looks…..the same as n static pictures as he had nothing to do except watch their one shot bounce off the bar, Dempsey needs abit more time, I think a fit Ade would have helped the scoreline reflect the chances/possesion.
That sort of chanting should never be acceptable, UEFA should chuck them out, but they won’t.
Good piece HH. Very pleased with the Spurs performance.
Lazio players and supporters were obviously in 1970’s mode. The former were cynical in the tackle (mainly unpunished until well into the hour) and the latter behaving like Neanderthals. Uefa should be ashamed to have a team like that in the competition (but it’s easier to turn a blind eye) so I suspect nothing will happen. On the 2nd leg, Uefa should say, any sign of racist chanting and you will be docked points and be excluded from all Uefa competitions for next season. Fines do nothing unless they are substantial and I’m talking seriously substantial running into millions of Euros. Since the Uefa constitution doesn’t allow for that level of fine it has to be removal from all competitions.
At the last Euro’s UEFA fined the Ukranians (I think) about €30,000 for a range of offences including looking ugly… the last of which, buried at the back of the press release was ‘inappropriate & offensive’ chanting… they wouldn’t even call it racism.
The idiot Bendtner on the other hand was fined over €100,000 and banned for 1 game for having an unauthorised sponsor on his underpants.
Just goes to show how seriously Platini and his devil dwarves take racism in the game. They couldn’t give a tinkers, as long as the sponsors still bite. The fans should petition the sponsors, not the authorities, it’s the only way to get action.