Good morning.
And so to part two of what I can now reveal is a two step search and rescue mission for sanity and someting that might just pass muster for the truth.
We’ve established that the environment isn’t fit to play in and heard from some caricatures that are part of the problem. The stain on the Y fronts of what ought to be our support.The argument of this subspecies appears to be that if you go every week then you’re entitled to behave as you wish. Devoid of accountability or reason. Thank god the customers of the Coach and Horses aren’t calling the shots in our board room.
So let us now risk further enlightenment by looking at resources. As a football manager your players are a vital element in a fairly simple equation. I have to labour this because I know some of you are as thick as paint and actually believe it when you say ‘X’ manager is a better manager than ‘Y’ manager. The truth of course is that there is an element of truth in such assertions but only a smidgen. No coincidence that the world’s most successful managers have also had great resources.
Villas-Boas took over after Arry, but he did not inherit Arry’s squad. To suggest so is wildly inaccurate. Beyond laughable.
Here are the players you need to minus from the new chap’s armory. King, Modric and Van Der Vaart. And just as missing due to prolonged injury Kaboul, Parker, Ade, Moussa and Benny to which you can now probably add Sandro. Scratch Moussa and that’s over half of a typical Arry first team squad right there.
Now this is a cracking opportunity to wheel out the old tripe about the chairman of course. The astute among you will recall a couple of facts. Modric went on strike. Sylvie Van Der Vaart tweeted, ‘Thank you Spurs, and all the fans ? you always#coys Time to go home now ?’. These two weren’t sinister cash ins. Some fans need to embrace the ebb and flow of life. Maybe your grandparents haven’t died yet and you still think everything stays the same forever. Oh dear… did I say something bad? Let’s move on.
We were linked with a host of strikers in the window but 99% of it was a combo of paper talk and agents looking for leverage. The Moutinho thing was undoubtedly a fiasco but it is painful to hear the guesswork of people who were 100% not privy to the negotiations deliver their punts with such searing authority. Beyond painful.
Could we have landed any number of ‘superstars’ that were untested in the Premier League? Arguably yes. But as we aren’t Champions League side we would have had to pay more for them both in fees and wages. Last time I looked we only have 36,000 odd seats to sell. You see that’s why they call it breaking the bank. That’s why they call it bankruptcy. Not ‘tickling’ the bank or ‘bankfuncy.’
The fresh meat has been a mixed bunch. Vertonghen is a class act, Siggardson might be alright and Moussa was rapidly becoming a blessing until his hip went and that is a total disaster. Dempsey may be more limited than an Alan Sugar limited company but Deuce was a back up buy. That is what you get for that money.
So where or rather with whom that leave us with? A still clearly unfit Adebayor. The lunatic Walker. Ten Tonne Tommy. A Migdet gem who spends most of his time wincing as he pings the damn thing wide before saying, ‘Wha?’ with fake confusion to teammates who were in space. Sandro, a man with a hernia from carrying Tommy and Jake. Gallas a man who has asked our physios for written reassurances that he cannot catch ‘stupid’ from Walker.
Is AVB making a mistake with Brad and Lloris? Who knows? I want to see Hugo play but to be blunt this is almost a cosmetic decision at this stage. If we were losing every game to Gomes theatrics or by 3 or 4 goals then I’d have more of a beef. My guess is that AVB doesn’t need any more naffing ‘maybes’ to factor in. Brad ain’t perfect but neither is he broke.
Our midfield has no wit or discernible craft. And this is where great teams create and thus achieve. You can boo and grumble all you want sweethearts but this isn’t a tactical issue. We don’t have the staff. Leave out Livermore, bring in Carroll, play Tommy deep it’s all shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic. Parker was immense and now he’s gone. Maybe he’s back by Christmas. Maybe. You don’t lose a player like that and ‘laugh it off.’ He is to us what Scholes is United.
It is the absence of players like Parker, Kaboul, Moussa and a fit Adebayor that is killing us. Nothing else. So stop booing. Stop acting like outraged consumers. If you really care about this club more than anyone else …give up your seat to someone who wants to cheer the lads on.
You’re not that special and worse you’re none too bright. Stop booing. There is a considerable waiting list that believe, like me that it is your time that is up. Tottenham need your seat.
To put a supporter in it.
HH, Well said. Perhaps we would be better with 4-4-2, but you still need someone to move the ball forward. Without Sandro, Dembele or PNB, that’s not going to happen. Ade is better at distributing than the Midget, but he got the ball from VdV or Modders. Nuff said.
Levy will not sack AVB before year end because he knows he left him with a crappy hand at the end of the window and the injuries have made it much worse.
With Thudd and ?…. Starting against City, I fear the worst.
:dizzy: :dizzy: :ermm:
Here’s a thought if something isn’t working, just trying harder at it won’t make a blind bit of difference, example the Defoe sub yesterday. The starting 11 only had two players who were not with the club last year, so if this is a transitional period it’s only with tactics not personnel. The tactics may work away (only just see Soton) but are wrong when you need to dominate a team like Wigan at home. Only one person can carry the can for this
Disagree. Levy is the most guilty party in my book.
Bloody sick but would never boo but not happy either
For me AVB has time
As lonv as we dont go down I am with the system this season
It is the absence of players like Parker, Kaboul, Moussa and a fit Adebayor that is killing us. Nothing else.
This is half-arsed and borderline half-witted. Parker may not even get into our first 11 since playing him and Sandro would only limit our creativity further so to say we are missing him is missing the mark by some way.
Similar, we are well covered in central defence and if you had eyes and were prepared to use them you would be able to identify the fact that our problems lie not in conceding too many goals so much as not scoring enough. So the loss of Kaboul, whilst regrettable, is not a crucial miss either.
Adebayor has been variably available through the season but the coach has not opted to give him a start yet. I agree we are missing him, but apparent / alleged injuries aside, it has been through the coach’s selection that we haven’t seen more of him.
Dembele, yes, big, gaping fat hole. But we really should have a squad at least partially capable of coping with one or two key losses. Certainly we should have enough to see off the likes of Wigan and Norwich, no?
So are these injuries really the only reason we are playing like shit and not seeing off weak competition as you argue? Do you honestly expect anyone with any sense to believe that?
After yesterday’s diversionary tripe about the fans and the promise to then discuss the tactics etc, I was expecting you to at least spend a moments time considering these other issues. Instead you offer weak excuses and derision for any who see something more problematic than a miniature injury crisis.
You are an apologist for mediocrity, ineptitude and mis-management. The squad is light, lighter than Redknapp’s, we need a striker and we didn’t suitably replace Modric or VDV – but inscrutably you lay no blame for any of this at the door of Levy or the manager. So how did this happen? Instead, you rage rather pointlessly against fans who continue to offer unconditional financial backing for an operation which never delivers what it promises and continues to use their money to do foolish things such as buy Dempsey and hire AVB.
As many more thoughtful posters commented yesterday offered, getting the crowd onside is paramount in the premier league. WHL has always been one of the more demanding grounds, and long may that continue. It doesn’t take much to lift the crowd, but there is a demand to be entertained in the Spurs tradition, nothing more. We are still yet to score a first half goal this season. There is a stark sign post for the poor atmosphere at the Lane this time out right there.
I’ve never booed and think it’s silly. However, I could fully understand the fans booing the frankly un-Spurs sub yesterday, as much as I feel somewhat sorry for AVB who once again, just as he did at Chelsea, looks totally out of his depth of understanding in the Premier league.
*We are still yet to score a first half goal this season.
(At home, which is the salient point)
Wow, you really determined to swerve the whole ‘resource’ issue aren’t you?
Sandro & Parker are very different players. I don’t believe that to be a particularly sophisticated assertion.
The rest of your comment, without trying to be rude needs trimming mate. There is a lot of vitriol but not a lot of substance.
I hear you, you’re not happy. But give me specifics of how AVB has got it so very wrong?
Dembele, yes, big, gaping fat hole. But we really should have a squad at least partially capable of coping with one or two key losses. Certainly we should have enough to see off the likes of Wigan and Norwich, no?
What is your answer to this?
And this is another weird one from you…
Instead, you rage rather pointlessly against fans who continue to offer unconditional financial backing for an operation which never delivers what it promises and continues to use their money to do foolish things such as buy Dempsey and hire AVB.
I haven’t raged at all. I was quite precise as to why the boo boys are a waste of a seat.
Dempsey and AVB are virtually side issues. There is a bigger picture here.
King
Modric
Rafa
Moussa
Parker
Benny
Kaboul
490 words and you mentioned only mentioned 2 of them. I think that says much. Perhaps more.
?? The major swerving here is yourself not willing to give a moment’s thought to the tactics and approach of the manager and instead dig around for weak excuses. Quite an extraordinarily near-sighted accusation if you ask me.
Sandro & Parker are very different players. I don’t believe that to be a particularly sophisticated assertion.
In that they play in the exact same position I believe my assertion that Parker may not actually fit into our first 11 at the expense of one our few stand-out players is as sophisticated as it needs to be.
The rest of your comment, without trying to be rude needs trimming mate. There is a lot of vitriol but not a lot of substance.
More near-sighted guff. I could say the very same about your piece above, which waffles on at length but basically says ‘we have some players missing’.
I hear you, you’re not happy. But give me specifics of how AVB has got it so very wrong?
First you want me to be brief and then you want extra details. Well, OK, as brief as I can make it:
1. Failure to orchestrate an adequate recruitment drive in the Summer, leaving us with the lack of depth you bemoan but then bizarrely absolve the management and board of any responsibility.
2. Failure to recognize that Defoe as a lone striker does not work and specifically doesn’t work with the tactics he appears to be trying to implement.
3. Failure to recognize the required extra emphasis on attacking football at home and instead setting out both away and home matches in the exact same way.
4. Repeatedly making defensive substitutions in matches when we take the lead, which has failed to work every single time.
5. Plan A is definably dull to watch, even if it has yielded some ‘skin of our teeth’ wins and a handful of terribly uninspiring draws. But worse still, if Plan A fails, Plan B doesn’t seem to exist at all.
6. Failure to produce 90 consecutive minutes of convincing football in any game this season. (perhaps Reading the possible exception).
7. Increasing concern over the uninspired look of the squad. Yesterday’s game had very worrying similarities with the last days of Ramos in how the team played. Team spirit appears to be faltering. This is at present unprovable but their are worrying signs.
8. Mis-management of Lloris and Friedel, inconsistent selection policy.
9. Mis-management of Walker through over-selection whilst he is out of form, while we have an option for cover on the bench.
Just a few specifics which came to mind, I could probably think of more, but that’s probably enough to chew on for now. Nothing that hasn’t been said many times already, but feel free to ignore them and tell me we have an injury crisis.
I haven’t raged at all. I was quite precise as to why the boo boys are a waste of a seat.
Dempsey and AVB are virtually side issues. There is a bigger picture here.
More bizarre irony. The boo boys are literally a side issue. They have very little influence or impact on anything.
And how can AVB be a side issue? Are you now arguing that the manager doesn’t make any difference? In that case, why so happy to ditch Redknapp?
King
Modric
Rafa
Moussa
Parker
Benny
Kaboul
490 words and you mentioned only mentioned 2 of them. I think that says much. Perhaps more.
At least try and pay attention! I mentioned and critiqued your excuse of Dembele, Parker and Kaboul specfically. So that’s 3 already. I also mentioned Modric and VDV and asked you whose fault it was that we didn’t adequately replace them.
As for the others? King barely played last season, and we have signed a great replacement in Vertonghen. More clutching at straws? Damn straight! Benny is a miss, but everyone is chuffed to bits with Vertonghen and some say he should remain at left back when Benny returns (not me personally, btw).
So, once again, aside from the injury issues, which as shown should not really impact on our squad in a terminal way, you are happy with everything that’s happening (aside from the rotten, nasty fans of course)?
1. Failure to orchestrate an adequate recruitment drive in the Summer, leaving us with the lack of depth you bemoan but then bizarrely absolve the management and board of any responsibility.
He gives the input and recommendation, the rest is Daniel Levy’s job. I don’t see how he was to blame here. Levy missing out on Moutinho by virtue of his brinkmanship – yes, that perhaps can be of blame.
2. Failure to recognize that Defoe as a lone striker does not work and specifically doesn’t work with the tactics he appears to be trying to implement.
And how about the games that Spurs won? Last I remember he was playing as a lone striker, and scored 5 goals too. So if the manager’s tactic has been very wrong throughout, tell me how are they 5th in the league right now.
3. Failure to recognize the required extra emphasis on attacking football at home and instead setting out both away and home matches in the exact same way.
Versus Norwich and West Brom, Livermore and Sandro together in midfield are useless at creativity, and driving forward. Against Chelsea, well Spurs attacked well but lost to a better side. Against Wigan, the players worked their ass off, to get something, maybe that has partly to do with Wigan being organized offensively and defensively. Maybe that’s partly to do with a very weak midfield with no solidity that is unable to dictate play. I think you underestimate Wigan, they play a 4-5-1/4-4-1-1 without the ball that switches to a 3-4-3 with the ball. They may not win a lot, but they’ve certainly capable of surprising big teams as they did quite a few times versus top clubs.
4. Repeatedly making defensive substitutions in matches when we take the lead, which has failed to work every single time.
Spurs play a high pressing game. It cannot be maintained for 90 minutes, particularly when the squad is thin that disallows enough rotation. It’s better to conserve energy than to suffer it later in the next game.
5. Plan A is definably dull to watch, even if it has yielded some ‘skin of our teeth’ wins and a handful of terribly uninspiring draws. But worse still, if Plan A fails, Plan B doesn’t seem to exist at all.
Well then, what’s your proposed plan B then? Plan A is really when both Dembele and Sandro plays which has yielded 4 wins when Dembele starts. When he didn’t play, Spurs had 1 win, 2 draws, and 3 losses. It goes to show how important Dembele is. And how lacking Spurs’ midfield tools are without him. Most of what you think are plan A, are really plan B actually.
6. Failure to produce 90 consecutive minutes of convincing football in any game this season.
Tiredness due to pressing game. Lack of quality depth in squad.
7. Increasing concern over the uninspired look of the squad. Yesterday’s game had very worrying similarities with the last days of Ramos in how the team played. Team spirit appears to be faltering. This is at present unprovable but their are worrying signs.
Unprovable as you said. Who in his right mind will have good spirit when they lose?
8. Mis-management of Lloris and Friedel, inconsistent selection policy.
The manager is never going to come out of this issue without losing. There are many people on both Lloris’ and Friedel’s camp on this. Inconsistent you say? Ha. Friedel for EPL games, Lloris for others. Aside for the game versus Villa, to give Lloris 4 games in a trot (together with international duty). Logical reasoning there.
More bizarre irony. The boo boys are literally a side issue. They have very little influence or impact on anything.
Imagine you are a player who plays for a club that are extremely demanding and boos at you for not playing well. Once in a while it’s alright, maybe players deserve some kick in the butt. Do this every time it happens, then it might start to get in your head, sapping away your confidence, and in turn performances on the pitch.
So, once again, aside from the injury issues, which as shown should not really impact on our squad in a terminal way
I don’t see how you have in any way shown it does not impact the squad seriously.
1. AVB is part of the recruitment team, surely? So he shares the responsibility for what everyone is all of a sudden saying is an unbalanced, under-stocked squad.
2. Let’s celebrate. We’ve managed to scrape past some of the worst teams in the league and salvage some unconvincing draws against others, while other bottom feeders have whupped our arses. Did you watch any of these games btw? Did you enjoy them much? Did we look convincing?
3. I don’t think they did work their arses off against Wigan, moreover I couldn’t see any method to their boring, slow and ponderous / passionless play.
4. So AVB needs to find a balance where the team is not expected to press for 90 minutes, as we’ve all seen , this doesn’t seem possible.
5. So our plan A can be simply put as ‘Dembele’ then. Or something?
6. Again, learn how to balance the tactics so the team is not physically incapable of competing for 90 minutes.
7. Jaded look to their play prior to conceding worries me.
8. Lloris should probably be our first choice now. We paid 11m for him just to wind up Deschamps?
9. The booing is a side-issue, regardless. It will subside immediately when the team puts on a half-decent show at home. Something which should be within their capabilities.
10. Every team gets hit by injuries, it’s how you deal with them and not sit there saying ‘it’s hopeless, we’re doomed’, that counts.
LLL well said. you are a man who see’s it for what it is. AVB was totally to blame for this.
The minute Sandro was off, he should of switched Jan in that position and brought on Kyle Naughton as LB. Taken Dempsey off, not Defoe and paired him up with Ade. Not a booer but AVB needed telling on this one.
I agree LLL.
We ALWAYS have injuries. We used to have cover. We used to have a squad, and most looked at the squad after the last window and knew we wouldn’t cope with a couple of injuries.
It could have been worse as AVB would have sold Huddlestone.
He started the season in La-la land regarding the playing squad required. This HAS been exposed very quickly, and was obviously going to happen to anyone paying attention to Tottenham in the PL in the last 20 years. You can’t not have enough cover by choice, and then wonder why you struggle with a couple of injuries.
If the situation is that having a few injuries mean we can’t even play a game of football worth watching and pose any attacking threat, then we are in the right to question whoever is responsible.
It’s not like he even had to play the kids, he just didn’t know what to do with what he had.
Surely even a squad with only 70% Of it’s playing staff available can muster up a football team?
Benny, Kaboul, Parker and Dembele injured should not make us impotent at home against Wigan. Anyone saying it’s excusable because of that, is blatantly doing so based on something THEY need to defend. We all know what that is if you come to this site.
But what also bugs me is the deflection from the real issue to booing fans every time to justify a web presence. I don’t like the booing, but it is free speech and regardless of what I may think about the booers (or whatever a person was saying,) I could never feel they SHOULD NOT express themselves let alone actually say that in public.
But when you realise that it’s borne out of an inherent elitism (See below for Sun Reader in Prison comment to me), you see it’s basically all just an excuse to cast aspersions on others character/social status and level of education.
This blog has always been awful, but today I’m embarrassed for it’s owner in more than just the usual ‘As a Spurs fan’ way.
I suppose you have better understanding than AVB who had won more trophies than Harry Redknapp. If you’re as good as you imply, then I suppose David Gill, Shaikh Mansour, Peter Hill-Wood, Roman Abramovich and Daniel Levy has approached you for a managerial position? Congratulations, the most coveted manager in the Europe, right?
Harry I hope the virus problem I had with this site yesterday evening have been sorted out.
It was some class of spam attack on the entire network. I have been told it was benign.
I’m outta here in few weeks :freu