Good morning.
Here we go then. Our valiant boys return from a game I wish I hadn’t watched. A game I hope they were forced to watch the tape of.
Speaking of games you wouldn’t want to watch has anyone noticed that Paul Lambert, Bob Matthews and Brendan Rodgers are all sat in a row on 5 points on the League? Each of them spending most of their spare time talking down relegation battle talk.
All three were shortlisted by varying degree to take over by Spurs fans. All three I campaigned strongly against as none of them has a CV worth a damn. Yes, yes, it’s early doors to quote Big Ron and in fact I wouldn’t be shocked to see him brought in to manage any of them by Christmas.
In fact he’d be a great fit a Liverpool, go down well in Norwich and would get on like a house on fire with Dave Whelan. So don’t dismiss this prediction.
I’d like Hugo Lloris to get a break but expect Brad to start.
The back line sort of picks itself with Jan being first name on the team sheet. I want to see him use the channels either side of Defoe and Dempsey and let the the quietly impressive Caulker act as cover here.
Caulker is great for set pieces in the final third and should alternate with Jan for those if both go – then Sandro drops in . Villa are likely to give us some space and it’s vital that Moussa finds it and uses it to pull the strings in the midfield.
Kyle needs to get a grip. It would be great to see him seriously owning that whole part of the pitch I swathed in yellow arrows there. 1. Defend 2. Defend. 3. Supply. He is a liability making these Forrest Gump runs and I can’t cope with him getting so far out of position to then lose possession much more.
That said Villa may not be equipped to punish us if that happens, but who wants to prompt them and find out? The lad needs good habits drummed into him sooner rather than later.
We can beat this lot handsomely or it can all end in boos as our players look gormlessly at each other. Villa aren’t much cop but they’re better than the mob that very nearly beat us on Thursday.
Oh yes and Bale needs to justify his central role. Y’know. A goal.
BIOYAVC!
Tottenham (from): Lloris, Friedel, Gomes, Cudicini, Smith, Gallas, Dawson, Walker, Vertonghen, Caulker, Falque, Huddlestone, Mason, Bale, Lennon, Sandro, Dembele, Dempsey, Sigurdsson, Carroll, Townsend, Defoe, Adebayor, Obika.
Aston Villa (from): Guzan, Given, Lowton, Bennett, Lichaj, Clark, Vlaar, Baker, Herd, El Ahmadi, Westwood, Bannan, Delph, Holman, N’Zogbia, Bent, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Bowery, Weimann, Burke, Johnson, Williams.
Referee: N Swarbrick Assistants: A Garratt, G Beswick Fourth Official: M Halsey
I know it’s repeating a beef of our esteemed host, but I did find myself wishing today that Midget Gem would offer something more than the turn, step inside, shoot, routine.
I guess he mixed it up a little this week. He stepped inside to the left as well.
The general consensus among the idiot pundits who are incapable of thinking for themselves say the boy is ‘on fire’.
He stopped fooling me years ago. Selfish and wasteful.
I thought Ade really changed the game today.
We looked a look more dominant when he replaced Defoe.
I know we were already two goals up at that stage, one off a flukey defoe effort and that the game was over as a contest.
But Ade showed that he could add more goals to this team than Defoe ever will. Although we didn’t add to our two goals, I’m pretty sure that was Defoes fault as he was still to close to the pitch.
:whistle:
We were already 2 up and they were a man down. But agree broadly, his hold up play and work around the box is exactly what we’ve been missing.
If AVB wants Defoe to carry on playing then he should play a 4-4-2 – at least at home against the bottom halfers. Bench Dempsey and play Ade and Defoe together.
Someone needs to take Bale to one side and have a word.
Not buying this ‘he might have been fouled/injured had he not dived’.
As with Suarez, ‘the boy who cried wolf’ might struggle to get a decision when it really matters, and when he is actually fouled.
Needs to stop it now.
Remember Zokora winning a penalty by diving against Portsmouth?
Jol came out and said something like ‘We don’t do that here, I’ll speak to him’. Never happened again.
Your right, it has to stop. Hurdelling a tackle is fine, going to ground because your (legitimatly) fouled is expected, but falling to the ground because you anticipate contact is unacceptable.
It’s embarrassing and I can’t see why he thinks it should be part of his game. Difficult to criticize other teams cheats when we have one of our own.
Steady El, I wouldn’t call Baler a cheat. I was at the Lazio game, right at the front of the Park Lane and he got absolutely battered. Proper studs-up nonsense, studs down the backs of the legs, elbows etc. He got no protection at all from the ref that night.
The same happened at at least half a dozen games last season, one of which, Liverpool, could have ended his career (And again this season in a friendly). The guy is a target now. He’s got so used to being fouled that maybe he expects it.
Agreed that it’s something AVB needs to now say ‘OK, time to rethink’ but I’d still be 100% behind him getting out of the way first than breaking his leg so that he looks like a spiffingly honest pro.
But I’m not saying he’s cheating when he’s getting kicked and fouled, am I?
But he is cheating when he’s diving, no other word for it. Like I say, lets not have Scouser style double standards here. Does he dive? Yes, clearly. Is diving cheating? Of course it is!
Does he go out every game to try and con the ref?.. No, I don’t think he does. To me thats the difference between him and Suarez.
Agreed, have a word. It’s not clever when he does it but I do think you can count the number of times he’s gone down deliberately on one hand.
With Suarez, you’re on fingers and toes in a single game.
Would like to see all players hauled up on a Monday morning with 3 game bans if they go down clutching their face, go down too easily in the box etc. And don’t think ‘because they do it’ is a valid excuse, but I’m not about to add this onto the growing list of things that people seem determined to hound Bale over.
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