Good morning.
There was always going to be a period of bedding in, gelling, call it what you will. A new manager, new systems indeed, new players. What we were subjected to yesterday was nothing to do with any of that. It was a straightforward act of sabotage.
Huddlestone, Dawson and Lennon are by default ‘senior players’ – believe it or don’t – and their contributions stank the place out.
Huddlestone looked like he’d been smoking ketamine. Possibly for weeks on end. Dawson looked like he was on day release from a borstal. Lennon could quit football tomorrow and get a job in panto playing any one of the seven dwarves you might care to name. And Walker, Walker the living brain donor.
What makes me so angry is that these guys are all better than this.
The Europa is worth pursing. But not if you’re going to waste everyone’s time and serve up garbage like this.
The opposition were poor. But even they couldn’t believe how generous we were and it took them a while for it to sink in that we were throwing the game.
Maybe I’m wrong. If so then the real positive is that if you did have a punt on this due to a tip off, then at this stage there has been no official announcement of unusual betting patterns and you seem to have got away with it.
There was no tactical breakdown, no superior opponent, rather it was an open and shut case of collective mickey taking. The stupidity of footballers is revealed every week. But this takes some beating. Did they think nobody was watching?
The system is not all there is.There is also getting the players ready mentally.
We were not ready for this one.
Either you are in or not in.They were not in.
Or not :-(
not or not,not sure
Couldn’t agree with you more Harry. That was probably the most irritating match I’ve seen and I almost felt ashamed to be a Spurs fan. I like the idea that we are playing our better players in Europa League but what’s the point if no-ones trying. I definitely feel that Dembele and Vertonghen should have stayed on the bench for this clash. I’m afraid AVB is burning them out. Same goes for Bale. He didn’t even try to attack, except a couple of first half tries. We dont need Bale for defending and therefor we should rest him always when possible. Why wasn’t Townsend playing instead of Lennon? I really feel he can give it a go thios season and really challenge Aaron for the right wing spot. I love the Thudd but he really needs to get fit. In the first half you could see glimpses of his creative passes, that i feel is missing from the team after Luka departed. I dont know what to say about Dawson. He had a chance to show AVB his defensive skills but I think he actually had one of his worst defensive displays in a spurs shirt. I’m really afraid that we won’t get the result we want on sunday, remembering our previous history with Uefa and playing a premier league game the same week. Half of the team didn’t care to play in Greece and the rest were too tired. hopefully sunday wil prove me wrong. Come on you spurs!
I fear that all this match has done has further convinced AVB that Thudd and Daws are not what he is looking for, even as bench warmers.
For the team in general, if we turn up at Villa on Sunday in a similar state of mind it will be game over very quickly.
As for burn-out, I assume posters are talking mental burn-out as on last nights performance we could play 4 games a week and still not break into a sweat. Worst performance in a while.
Were Hudd and Daws worse than Vertonghen yesterday?
Not especially but as I said in an earlier post, they were all pretty awful. I pick out Thudd and Daws as they were both nearly pushed out the club at the start of the season for a reason and Daws especially has a point to prove. Last night he simply proved he is not fast enough to handle the pacier strikers. Great that he scored but 7 goals in 7 years does not hide the fact he was left standing for the equaliser.
You can only prove so much of a point when all around you are proving only that they aren’t interested.
In as much as nobody played well yesterday, I feel it is particularly unfair to single out players for who this has been their only chance to prove something.
As for the goal, yes, Dawson should have done better. But that ball should never have come through so easily, so Vertonghen and Caulker were also culpable. You could also argue that Lloris could have done better.
Besides which, he scored one the other end, and a goal from a CB should really be considered a bonus. The rest of the ‘attack’ fashioned precisely nothing against a terrible team.
Imo our worse players yesterday were, in order, Walker, Defoe, Vertonghen, Bale, Dempsey, Lloris, Lennon…
Why single out ‘hate figure’ Thud and ‘scapegoat’ Daws and ‘don’t like his eyebrows’ Lennon? Spreads bad vibes, unjustly targeting players who are out of the team and probably feeling a bit low is vindictive and worse than booing.
Jesus Christ, is it just me that thought we played ok in the first half? Then the problem was the classic ‘sit back 1-0 will do’ attitude that us experienced fans know only too well never works.
AVB will twig it soon!
I’m miffed with the players. First chance in ages to watch spurs live on tv with my nipper and they do that.
He looked at me full time with the look a child gives you when they ask if animals are killed to make meat.
Huddlestone Lennon Walker may your ear holes turn to arseholes and shit on your shoulders this morning. Harumph.
AVB ? Not to blame for the performance but at least tell it as it is – we were rubbish and the players need to know it no excuses. I’ve supported AVB since he arrived but that
Post match bull annoyed me. Even Mancini can do it so get a bloody grip.
BIOYAVC
I’m sure AVB did tell them they were rubbish privately but he’s no going to trash them publicly, that wouldn’t be right or helpful.
I disagree it sends a message to the fans and the opposition as well as the players as long as its done in the right way.
I also respect your right to your own opinion.
COYS
The fact that he hasn’t trashed them publicly supports my opinion doesn’t it?
On this occasion I agree – even SAF tells his lot off in public if they’ve been really poor. Perhaps he is still ‘damaged’ by his time at Chelsea and wants to show solidarity, I don’t know…
Not blaming AVB either, that was not a bad team to put out but clearly, there is a responsibility on the players shoulders to perform to the best of their ability which they clearly didn’t do last night.