Posted on Sunday, 4th November 2012 by Harry Hotspur
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.
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Posted in Blogs, Premiership, Tottenham Hotspur | Comments (388)
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:31 am
Please can we play with 2 strikers. Please, please. Lone striker? Even The Lone Ranger had Tonto.
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Shelf Side Yid Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 10:14 am
Ade is not fit we have no one else till Jan possibly the summer,as H said this was always going to be a consolidation season after losing two of the games best players Rafa and Luka not to mention our first choice pairing at the back.
If you want to boo fuck off some where else and do it!
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:34 am
Morning H,, some good and salient points above. We certainly know what we’re missing and we have to play the hand we’re dealt tothe best of our ability. I’m not certain we’re doing that at home and would like to see us play 4 4 2 against teams we ought to be confident of beating. I feel both Sigg and Dempsey would be comfortable in that formation too. What are your thoughts on AVB’s home tactics?
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Victor Meldrew Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 9:47 am
Crap!
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:12 am
442 requires 2 strikers and we currently have 2 nearly men. Sig and Dempsey are (I believe) being played in roles to distract from the big gaps in the middle created by Modric, Parker, Moussa and Van Der Vaart.
Defoe is supposedly our ‘primary threat’ and yet he had something like 5 touches and no shots prior to being subbed yesterday.
I genuinely believe that nobody in the world could solve a puzzle that has so many pieces missing.
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Qoizu Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
agree completely. nothing to add.
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BrizzleSpur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:50 pm
I genuinely believe that nobody in the world could solve a puzzle that has so many pieces missing.
Summed up perfectly.
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Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Exactly.
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LLL Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:29 am
It’s hopeless, we’re all doomed, we have the best man for the job dealing with it but there’s just nothing we or he can do to stop us being shit, given the circumstances.
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Bobbles Reply:
November 7th, 2012 at 10:54 am
I wish the morons who think we should be smashing teams 3 and 4 nil every week would understand this.
Where have all these unrealistic expectations come from? We’ve been decidedly average for years, and a few good seasons under ‘arry and now we EXPECT to be in the top 3 all year? And with a new manager and a depleted squad!
Get real dickwipes.
Disclaimer: The one thing I do agree with is that we should be going for it more at home. Popping it about around the half way line isn’t doing AVB any favours – he needs to understand the ‘spurs way’ a bit more, even if that means losing 3-4 a few times hahaha!
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Agree. Watched the game on tv in Denmark and the booing and not supporting the team was both painfull and embarrassing.
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
The way we have played against QPR, Norwich (twice), Wigan, Maribor, Panathinaikos, West Brom has been both painful and embarrassing.
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BrizzleSpur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Do you not see that our squad has been significantly weakened by injury? This isn’t our first team playing rubbish football, it’s a make-shift squad struggling and getting booed by it’s own fans.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
I’ve watched every minute of every game in every competition this season. I don’t know how many minutes that adds up to, but I do know only a very small proportion of them were particularly entertaining.
The reaction to the booing is out of proportion. And it’s a smokescreen. Those who booed AVB – AVB, not the team btw – for subbing off Defoe were expressing the opinion of the vast majority of fans. I wouldn’t do it, and I think it’s also cruel to a man whose only crime is his ineptitude. But you can’t really argue with the reasoning behind it.
Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Ineptitude you say? Among Defoe, Adebayor and Dempsey, who have the better aerial threat, physical presence and able to hold the ball up better? Adebayor and Dempsey. When Wigan’s up, what do you think they are going to do? Put men behind the ball, pack the box and deny you space. Therefore, aerial threats the main way of attack. If you put all Dempsey, Adebayor and Defoe in, it’s going to make things worse because now you’re going to lose the midfield that Spurs are evidently already struggling versus Wigan, now you have all the strikers in their goal but no enough players in midfield to supply balls to the front men. Reasoning my arse.
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LLL Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:27 am
Dempsey has offered almost no ‘threat’ of any kind this season. So you take him off and go with 2 strikers – the formation that suits our top scorer best after all.
blanchard Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 9:40 pm
Levy is to blame 4 choosing avb ,levy brought the new players, which arnt as good as the ones we sold. Avb does not want to change the formation to a 442 . I was there against wigan and that is the worst i have ever seen at the lane in 40 years.
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:58 am
Well written. DL and AVB should also then communicate that this is perhaps a 3 year plan to get Spurs regularly in top 4. False expectations are being built up a little too quickly by all and sundry. We don’t want a team to get the top 4 spot once in a blue moon but rather consistently and hence that needs time and money too
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:09 pm
Oh yes, because Bale etc are all willing to hang around for 3 years while the chairman fills the squad with mid-table bargain crud and the manager learns how to manage.
I’ll tell you now that there is no 3 year plan – AVB told us his briefing was to achieve top 4 football, to continue and improve on the progress of the past few years and add trophies in the process. That’s the plan for this year. In other words, failure to achieve these goals will be a failure to meet the demands of the chairman. You may be willing to wait 3 years but just like our best players, this isn’t the schedule our illustrious bald-headed wizard of Spurs is working on.
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:59 am
Have to agree with you HH – missing half the team is clearly a major contributor to our indifferent form. The loss of VDV and Modric has hurt us badly, then coupled with the injuries of Dembele, Parker and Sandro mean that our CM is very poor – Hudd/Livermore, Siggs, and Deuce are nowhere near the standard of last seasons squad and the gulf in quality is obvious to all. Add Ade’s lack of fitness (more than likely precipitated by a 6 year long contract negotiation), the fact we have only 2 recognised strikers (meaning 2 up front is not really an option) and the loss of Benny meaning Jan the Man is having to play at LB, AVB has really got a crappy hand of cards to play with.
That said our performance yesterday was abject – we were outcompeted by an inferior club, and showed a real lack of intelligence and heart. It needs sorting out, but with the current manpower I am concerned heading into the next few weeks.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:03 am
Well written article Harry. Are you saying that no blame can be laid at AVB’s door whatsoever? Seems like in your eyes AVB is like Teflon!! Some blame needs to lie at the ginger ninjas door surely? You can’t say you back taking off our main goal threat when we are 1 nil down at home replacing him with (in your words) an unfit replacement
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:08 am
I take your point but until the playing staff issue is addressed we may as well have a pop at Under Armour for making the socks ‘too white’.
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Jbo Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Some blame has to lie at AVB’s door. He makes decisions with the group of players he has and some of these decisions are baffling. We may not have the best squad in the league but it’s one that is well capable of beating Wigan
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Garth Crooks is a bad man ruffneck ting Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
No mention of Avbs tactics of being a pussy when winning and then going defensive when on top, costing us lots of points.
Avb is stupid and has somehow conned his way into top management jobs, get him out now and get Martinez in.
klinsmannfan Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Jbo, without Dembele, Sandro/Parker our midfield is possibly amongst the weakest in the league so unfortunately I’m not sure we do have a squad at present that is capable of beating Wigan. We desperately need these key players back and the squad strengthening in January (and a return to form Ade).
Hot_Spur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:12 pm
Apparently we aren’t capable of beating Wigan, not with the players that were available for that game. Regarding subbing Defoe for Ade, that was the correct decision. Firstly Defoe wasn’t at all a “goal threat”, he only touched the ball half dozen times and whaen he did he did nothing with it, not even a single shot at goal. The alternative was subbing Dempsey but he has been a lot more involved in the game than Defoe had, that’s why Defoe was subbed.
November 4th, 2012 at 10:07 am
BTW I’m sure AVB gave the green light to Levy re:selling of VDV. I don’t think it was solely a Levy decision. It all happened under AVB’s watch which would indicate that he was happy to lose him.
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Jay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
Am sure you’re right but 2 things:- He likely gave the green light as he believed Moutinho and or Willian were in-coming the same day – little did he know Levy would leave it too late. Also, Rafa wanted to go hence wifey’s “Time to go home now” tweet. You can’t blame AVB for that.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:11 am
Father Ted, one of the few joys left in my life. Careful now, Down with this sort of ting.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:17 am
HH, Pull your tongue out of this ginger prats arse once and for all.
He hasn’t got a clue, would you really say he has them all on board?
Stop making these pathetic excuses and see him for what he is, a ginger prat who struck lucky with Porto, ffs me and you could of managed that Porto side with Hulk, Falcao etc
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:10 pm
I’m beginning to warm to your rational, fact packed approach.
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Sprucebandit Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:13 am
Who’d heard of Hulk & Falcao before AVB?
Be careful what you wish for, there’s no quick fix here so get behind your club. Thick and thin, that’s a true supporter.
COYS
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Toy Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:27 am
I second that
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:17 am
Tend to agree with most of that H though a side containing Lennon and bale not being able to create any kind of chance against Wigan at home surely must ask some questions of the manager. Even in our dismal run towards the end of last season under old sloppy chops I don’t believe we ever played anywhere near as bad as that, but then last season we had possibly the best midfield in the league and that is where the main problem lies, or should I say sleeps. Too still and no confidence or imagination at all. It got worse once sandro was off with no platform for the others to really express themselves. Sure Tommy can pass like scholes and alonso and would probably give them a good race too. But they have a brain while Tom probably has a packet of wine gums up there. Everything is laboured and nothing is done on instinct. We were always going to miss modric but now with no Parker sandro or dembele the tools were left with a just too blunt and theres not a darn thing Avb can do about it.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Are you really HH ? Completely agree with every word and that’s a first.
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Frontwheel 2 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:40 am
Are you really Razspur?
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:18 am
H, I think you need to take off those rose tinted glasses! I’m waiting to see if AVB has what it takes to improve the team, and will wait for the rest of the season before passing judgement, but the alarm bells are ringing already. Irrespective of who is manager, we’ve gone from a team playing flowing football which was a pleasure to watch, to the dross of yesterday. So stop blaming the supporters descent and start looking at the real problems i.e the manager’s decisions – Siggy into MF when Sandro went off. Instead of Vertonghen there and Naughton at LB.
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Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Putting Vertonghen in midfield was indeed an option. But that’d mean losing the most effective attacking performer down the left flank for Spurs for that day. It’s not a clear black and white which decision is better.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:28 am
I was there yesterday and I agree the support was poor and doesn’t help in any way. However, on this blog that point seems to be overshadowing the bigger issue. Yes AVB does not have the same playing resources as HR. however, I personally don’t believe he Is playing the hand he has got as well as he might. I am fairly moderate in my views and am prepared to give the guy time, but alarm bells as beginning to ring. Don’t let the poor support overshadow the bigger issue.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Harry, how exactly do you think the fans should react to a performance like that, booing is the only outlet of non-violent frustration we have. A thumbs up and a “oh hard luck today guys” is not what that kind of performance deserved, the players and AVB deserve to get booed when they are that bad. Wigan should have won that game 3-4 nil, you cant brush that kind of performance off like its noting.
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Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Fans have right to boo. But the question is does it help the guys on field? Does it help that the fans put further troubles in their heads? We seen how Arsenal supporters singing for their team at Old Trafford as they were badly outplayed, that’s what Spurs need. Yes, it was terribly disappointing performance, and it makes one feel better for the moment booing and expressing disgust in that manner, but it’s just making things worse by sapping the players’ confidence. This has been far from the first time fans do this at the Lane, maybe because the anxiety the players are feeling at the Lane are taking its toll.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:42 am
Knee-jerk reactions are never a good thing but let’s not forget, AVB has form. He had fantastic resources at Chelsea and blew it. For whatever reason, and we can all form an opinion by using the back page of The Sun for reference, he messed up. I have seen all our games this year and we are dull, especially the last 3 games. Remember the spark, the fizz, the style from the last two seasons? They’ve gone. There has to be a reason for that – is the manager’s tactics and/or motivation or is it the players?
HH, going through your ‘half of Harry’s team has gone’ theory – the King was a bit-part player. Kabul is excellent but so is Caulker. Benny is good but Vertonghen is probably even better. Parker is missed but, lets be honest, it’s hard to get excited once he passes the half-way line. Modders was triff when we was in the mood. HR thought the sun shone out of his every orifice but take him to Stoke on a cold and wet Tuesday evening and you might as well have left him on the coach humming away to Una Paloma Blanca. So yes some of the players are no longer available and I am sure things will improve when Moussa and Parker get back but there is still sufficient quality in the squad to play fun exciting football…and score goals. And we don’t.
And you hark on about not buying Moutinho. I don’t believe we need to buy headline acts. How many of us knew much about Ba before he went to Geordieland? I would welcome his goal scoring ability now. Blimey, even non-league Holt looks more menacing that our two.
We will all have our own opinions about our team members and their contribution. For my part, I do not believe Jake adds anything to the cause, boy Carroll might be one for the future but no-where close yet and for all my praise of Dempsey last year, he really does look rather lost now. He ain’t a striker and our manager should stop referring to him/playing him as one.
I am happy to give AVB and his exercise book more time, after all we are still joint 4th on points, but I just hope Levy has the balls that, should the time come when boredom and/or results head south, he takes the appropriate action. I don’t believe he will be a big enough man to admit it was wrong to sack Harry but privately, he may think it.
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Hot_Spur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Of course there is a reason why the spark and fizz are gone – Modric – simple. He supplied the spark and fizz and he’s gone or hadn’t you noticed?
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
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.
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:19 pm
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
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4 Ever Hopeful Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Disagree. Levy is the most guilty party in my book.
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
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
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
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.
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:57 pm
*We are still yet to score a first half goal this season.
(At home, which is the salient point)
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
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.
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
?? 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)?
Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 5:04 pm
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.
LLL Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:37 am
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.
koko61 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
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.
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howard Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
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.
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Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
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?
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Harry I hope the virus problem I had with this site yesterday evening have been sorted out.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
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
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:43 pm
The only reason there wasn’t more booing was that a lot of fans had left way before the final whistle.
After that shite, who could blame them? Regardless of injuries and Levy’s pathetic transfer policy, VB needs to start helping himself; first he needs to knock playing Defoe as the lone striker on the head, and second he needs to make Lloris number one. Just making these oh so obvious changes alone would go some way in indicating that he isn’t the absolute clown we warned about.
It’s very concerning.
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TMWNN Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 3:56 pm
* we were warned about
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onedavemackay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Levy’s pathetic transfer policy? So Lloris Vertonghen Dembele Modric Van der Vaart Adebayor Berbatov and others were bad moves?
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Failure to adequately replace key players and recruit an adequate strike force is, by HH’s admission, ‘killing us’. So if not Levy, where does the buck stop?
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onedavemackay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Yes he has his failures but you are implying his whole transfer policy is inadequate. It is also unclear how many deals were down to him.
I agree we are short of key players and whether that is Levy’s fault or AVBs it does not make Levy’s entire transfer policy pathetic.
TMWNN Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
The policy of waiting till the last day of the window to get deals done and buy whoever’s available on the cheap, thus ensuring the manager has no real pre-season with players he wants or not is amateurish at best.
essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
It is if you really want it to be though?
Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Now that is something I can agree with you. Although I wouldn’t be too harsh towards a chairman who evidently had brought many good players throughout the years and are responsible more than anyone in bringing Spurs to the level that the club enjoys today.
November 4th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Am I allowed to boo if we get relegated under AVB?
Or do I have to check if one of our players is injured at the time?
I’m also wondering if I can cheer if we win now.
Let me know in under 500 words if you don’t mind.
Thanks.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
You can boo through the bars on your window all day mate. On Christmas day you can light a copy of The Sun and throw that out there too. Go wild
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howard Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:11 pm
You didn’t actually have to answer those quetstions. They were rhetorical…
But I knew you would and I also knew the reply would be hilarious.
Smiley Face!!
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
the problem is that AVB has not found (for this lot anyway)that fine balancing line between tact, talent, and team work.until he does we will struggle, vacillating between one or the others. Harry might not have found the tact but he did make use of the talent and the team work.
i believe these things become possible by what we call a leader (captain) on the pitch. we have not had a decent captain Mabbutt.
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November 4th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
correction….since Mabbutt.
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essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Are you saying King wasn’t a good captain? seriously are you?
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
A brilliant summary of how it is – the doom and gloom merchants are off their trolley HH – things will turn out ok, especially after the Jan window cheers COYS…
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Harry Hotspur, one thing we can be sure of is if one of these loyal season tickets do decide to vacate a seat and thus give an opportunity to someone else, is that it won’t be you. Have you ever been to a match? Or do you just like moaning about Spurs fans who do spend their hard and not so hard money attending the Lane. Very easy for you throw stones behind your computer screen.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Who is ‘we’ you and your mum?
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:42 pm
When will ‘The Cure in Orange’ be available on DVD?……i’ve worn out my VHS copy!
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:17 pm
As much as we were awful yesterday and AVB certainly got it wrong it is still early days to judge him.
How good is he ?
Was Porto a one off fluke by a lucky manager ?
I can’t answer either of those and maybe he’s rubbish but if we are going to stop running through managers quicker than a tart goes through thongs we need to give him time.
Then decide he’s rubbish ………..
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:20 pm
What do you think Ginge got wrong yesterday, ODM?
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onedavemackay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
Ade should have started but when he brought him on it should have been to replace Dempsey – if we had gone to 4-4-2 (I wasn’t sure that we had) you may as well play the better striker which surely is Defoe.
Dempsey should not have started. I would have started with Ade up front on his own and Siggy in the hole. Siggy is far more creative than Dempsey and can also score goals. We then would have had the option of bringing JD on and he often is a game changer when he comes on as sub.
But by far AVBs biggest failure was tactical. When he brought Carroll on (and at least it was refreshing to see faith in such a young player) and went to three at the back we started to dominate so surely he should have done that earlier.
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A_Felching Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
We could put a traffic cone up front and it would have more effect than Dempsey, Deuce my arse
koko61 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
Agree with your starting line up ODM. But the minute Sandro was off he should off replaced him with Jan and brought on Kyle Naughton as LB.
Jan has played that role before and would of kept us strong and motivated in the middle of the park, and IMO that is where we lost the battle.
LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Was Porto a one off fluke by a lucky manager ?
This is not relevant. Porto achieve more or less the same every single season, regardless of whichever chump (as some of their managers have undoubtedly proven to be elsewhere) is in charge.
Forget about Porto, it’s literally trivial. If you don’t believe me, research their honours and the managers who achieved them and their subsequent careers. Lots of people have won there and lost everywhere else.
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onedavemackay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
From what you say it is relevant if Porto are successful regardless of the manager then AVBs one successful season should be viewed in a different light
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Run that one by me again will you mate??
onedavemackay Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:08 pm
Well the whole shtick with AVB being a young successful manager should be taken with a lump of salt given that albeit Porto won every trophy they played for in 2011-12 and were undefeated they have as you rightly said more or less dominated Portuguese football for many years.
Good point
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Ah I see.
Boon Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
The year before AVB managed them, Porto was 3rd in the league having a poor poor season.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:20 pm
Ha, yes, indeed. Ferreira, who had in his previous three seasons won the league each time – at first ask by a 20 point margin, was sacked in 2010 for finishing 3rd and winning 2 domestic cups. That pretty much highlights the line between success and failure at Porto.
November 4th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Levy has put his money where any manager’s mouth has been
we are going through a transition, so there is no point belittling every game we lose, this is a long term thing …
Ergo, get behind the team or go and eat a codpiece (ODM excluded of course)
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
The Eyeballer cannot argue with your comments, Andy (see above).
The Eyeballer really wants AVB to succeed, but the worrying thing is he keeps on making glaringly obvious mistakes…
‘That substitution’ and keeping Lloris on the bench are ‘no-brainers’. Also, the fact that Dempsey and Siggursson are playing well below par also suggests they need benching. 3 judgement calls and 3 significant blunders irrespective of the personnel availible to him…There was talent on our bench yesterday, and Falque should have been given his chance…
‘Careful now……’
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
it was truly dreadful yesterday,did we fashion a chance and i am worried about no dembele means no team,i mean f*ck
right at the end when we kenw it was going to be a bad day and the camera went to AVB,he did remind me of frank spencer
sitting in his mac
some levys do ave em
any manager deserves some time and he tried to sell players he plays like thud,who did look bad yesterday,it looks liek it could go bad for us if injurys don’t come back and all the arry clapping from the media but the worst thing is having no chances at home to wigan,it’s just not good enough
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Defoe and Ade ? I still say try Falque and Carroll if its all about missing players then there is no harm in giving them a go.i thought AVB should have tried this instead of persisting with what wasnt working.
It might just work and wake up a few of Soppy sods on show yesterday (no disrespect to the pitch)
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:32 pm
No-one will buy Thudd until he has his haircut … alas, he has as much chance as scoring as me. Until he looks more presentable, we couldn’t sell him on E-Bay.
Dembele is a yoghurt, strawberry and lovely
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Fuck me, he has been in charge foe ten games. The physio room is FULL of first choice player’s and all we hear is AVB cannot do it in our league. The Redknapp love on here is becoming too much to stomach
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
I t5hink its a joke many people are pinning everything on Dembele.Its true Sandro is tired and prob injured but dismal is not something that has to emanate while one player is injured.
AVB has not managed the team well so far IMHO but the season is far from over.
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A_Felching Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Dembele, Bale, Sandro and Vertonghen are our only top notch players, the rest are shite or shite with potential. Huddlestone is the nearest thing I have seem to a Sloth in a modern day midfielder
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:39 pm
we need some players back, sharpish, just need to keep pace with the goons and the toffees?
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
AVB’s man management cant be that good from what we can see.He has pissed off a few players already (it looks like)
We have had injuries but the quality of play has not been good generally.
Its disappointing but I dont agree with booing or dumping AVB
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essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Pissed off who exactly or have you been reading the Mail again Ronnie?
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
I agree on about the booing disgraceful, however at home I would play two upfront and loris in goal I don’t care for grandad’s love of the line.
Just put everyone under unnecessary pressure and stress
That’s why we lost
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essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
So Ben, Brad should’ve ploughed through the four or five defenders in front of him, (you know, those that were meant to mark, head and clear the ball) to puch the ball away-Strange how Lloris didn’t do the same thing on Weds?, oh, wait a mo-he did, and flapped at one as well!
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Benspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
No he should of tipped it over for a corner….don’t you think? And on wed as long he gets a touch out of box ( should of been a fist granted)to the sidelines it’s cleared. The tactic against grandad is obvious now every corner is going under the sticks over his head. Moot point as it should have been a foul
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I thought it was clearly a Gallas error of positioning and a lack of awareness-Poor judgement from such an experienced player,who has served us well may I add.
November 4th, 2012 at 4:43 pm
levy has bought well in a cut price kind of way.
How can we compete unless the system itself kicks in.
We dont have any idea what Levy and AVB discussed as far as buying players/what the system could do.
But AVB deserves more time and Levy has to buy a striker or two and a creative midfielder.
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
Cannot get my head around “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”is his how you label fans, who, do not riot,they do not BEHAVE AS THEY WISH,they just BOO.Talking about been over the top!
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
Lets swap Livermore for Suarez
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Boy Charioteer Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
Or Desh…he’s accurate.
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Desh? doesnt he play cricket?
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Boy Charioteer Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
He also takes out B****e contacts at Waterloo (Fenchurch Street?) Station.
November 4th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
HH
Poor article if you look at the players that AVB has at his disposal, there should have been comfortable wins against the likes of Norwich,WBA,Newcastle and Wigan, our 3 points against Man Utd were just based on the law of averages, for once we got the rub of the green against Man Utd, and didn’t throw it all away no matter how much we tried to.
With the inclusion of our injured players we should be capable of giving the top teams a run for their money, by playing the spurs way, not sitting back at home and letting the away team pressure us.
A second creative midfeilder is required as Dembele being out has shown, we lost both Modric and RVD and only got Dembele, another top striker is needed.
Keepers Frebal and Loris
Look at who is there at the back Walker,Kabul,Naughton, Vertonghan,Gallas,Caulker,Dawson and BAE not a shabby bunch to choose from then the middle Lennon,Bale, Dembele,Dempsey,Sandro, Parker,Carrol,Huddlestone,Falque and Sigurdsson.
Up front Ade and Defoe.
Left Livermore out as not good enough.
Apart from the front line and as said another creative midfeilder even i could get a true spurs style of football out of the players, with more points on the table than AVB.
There may be injuries but then what the f**k is the manager payed to do, is it not work out how to use the players at his dispsal, and get the best system for their abilities, we as spurs do not defend well by sitting back, even you must see that Harry.
AVB must change his arrogant my way is the only way or go, play the game as to use the players abilities simples, as its a no brainer to any spurs fan.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:17 pm
I want what you want.
Read all that mate and it did not give me any answers, I’m afraid
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
I agree with those who say don’t boo. Booing solves nothing. Yesterday Spurs players were out played and AVB was tactically beaten by Martinez.
At the moment there is absolutely nothing in midfield. Like most things it is about communication (ask my wife!!!) There is no communication with the frontmen at all. Defoe has his strengths, but acting as the solitary thrust is not his game. He is good at pouncing on half chances and through balls but someone has to provide them—and there is no one there. And I have still to be overwhelmed by Dembele–let alone Dempsey and Sig. The one bright point yesterday was giving young Carol a chance.
We certainly need the return of Kaboul and I am puzzled by the rumours of us pursuing another central defender when there are certainly other needs. But above all we need a top striker.
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
As far as the game against Man U goes,we didnt play especially well.Vert made a couple of moves up front and Man U was flat in the first half.
Tottenham have not played well this season.Its simple.
But it shouldnt be a death warrant for AVB.
There is something very wrong.More than the injuries.
Vert made that United game happen and Bale has done well in a few games.Sandro has been a stalwart overall.
The fans may lack faith but the players look like that.
AVB looks desperate.
It can change.Maybe.
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November 4th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
Agree with your comments Harry but given the limitations with resources facing AVB until the next window he has to make the correct marginal decisions with the resources he has. Away to Man City next week I’d like to see the following team (assuming Sandro is missing)
Lloris
Walker
Gallas
Caulker
Naughton
Huddlestone
Vertoghen
Bale
Siggy
Lennon
Ade
It would be too expansive to play two up front against the Champions away and I believe Vertoghen could fill in defensively in midfield.
I am still a believer in AVB. I’ve supported this club since 1967 and I’m still proud to be a Lillywhite. We are at our best when we are together COYS
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
There is no need to agree on what the situation is but there is a need to be solid behind the club.
Being behind the manager is a matter of timing.
For me its too early,much too early for call forAVB’s head.
We have to give Levy and AVB a chance to rethink this.
the quality is not especially good.We are not potent for the most part.
I dont accept it,I am just living with it and giving them some time.
Ill never leave Tottenham but Im not especially happy with events.But Im not for Harry Redknapp either.
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4 Ever Hopeful Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Sandro misses way too many games through injury.
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Yes but he is one of the best players we have,has the most desire of any of them and goes in 1000 per cent
I would take sandros injuries,Suarez’s diving,Bales diving and injuries that some of the other putzes
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Hmmm No players and no supporters – I’m just going to go into suspended animation for a while. Press the button and wake me up in a couple of years.
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
interesting reading today and some great insults
couple of points:
Why are we playing so badly at home?
What is a realistic expectation for AVB & the current squad for this season?
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
I would say Expectation is what its about both the positive and negative.
I would accept a season that has us 8th or better
A success would be 5th or higher and hopefully above the arse
Fire AVB this season?
If we went down only
Winning at home?Its not the fans.Its the team.
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jfdit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
considering we sacked a manager for not coming 3rd, I think settling for 5th is a bit of a regression, hardly ambitious
DL is allegedly expecting to be challenging for top honours – I can’t see that with our current squad, only three teams in the frame for big prizes for the foreseeable future in my eyes
anyone heard whether we are getting any closer to building the new ground?
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
Id settle for 5th even 8th this season and hang in there with AVB UNLESS WE WENT DOWN
Its his first season.
jfdit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
sorry RW I think that’s a recipe for disaster, if we come 6/7/8th the likes of bale, vertongen and dembele will probably seek pastures new
maybe the boos ringing round the lane reflect some sort of resentment of the champions league club pricing on the tickets as well as the general haphazard style of play
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
If they left it bwould mean that they hadnt trusted or respected AVB enough to be sold the future.
We dont know how they feel and what goes on behind closed doors.
I think any reasonable player would give AVB one more yesr if we didnt go down.
essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
‘We sacked a manager for not coming third? Say’s who? I thought we sacked a maanger who refused a contract-I thought we sacked a manager who constatly spouted crap in direct defiance of the clubs policy-I thought we sacked a manager who’d have told us to fuck off anyway, if the England gig was his-None of these were not finishing in 3rd or 4th slot-but don’t let the facts cloud your judgement eh?
jfdit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
levy hasn’t revealed why he sacked the most successful manager we’ve had since burkinshaw
I believe it was in part after he expressed an interest in being england manager and because they simply did not get on. If ‘arry had secured CL football would he still have got the bullet?
I’ve been told that ‘arry’s agent was touting him for the chelsea & liverpool jobs, may have been a tactic to get a better new deal but our transfer business proved levy clearly didn’t have faith in him even though the decision to fire him allegedly was made by lewis alone
I think we should have a bit more respect for our former manager, he wasn’t perfect but he did well for us and gave us our self respect back. We watched some great football under him and it’s a shame the last 3 months went so pear shaped.
essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Redknapp himself said he’d have still got the sack even if we’d have finished 3rd..So, it goes an awful lot deeper doesn’t it? Perhaps Levy (his Boss), was pissed because he (HR) was consistently opening his gob on TV and undermining his previous statements..or Levy had to have a plan, as he, like everyone else (except the FA) thought he’d piss off anyway..or perhaps Levy thought by losing Modric and VDV, it was better to make a clean break and start anew-regardless of the facts-He’s gone and we’ll move on-I agree and have stood my ground on countless posts-that the football played over the past four years has been first rate and given me enormous pleasure-but the man was poison, if truth be told-and would’ve gone if things had gone his way. As posted yesterday-I wouldn’t have gone anywhere near AVB and I’ve got bad vibes from day 1. Additionally I was pretty stunned when Moyes said he hadn’t been contacted-which suggests to me only AVB was ever in the frame-I hope I’m wrong and DL’s right on this one, but I’ve seen diddly squat to suggest anything to the contrary-but it’s the team that matters most and I was prepared to take a backward step if it meant three forward later on and I’m sticking by that philosophy for this season.
November 4th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Excellent blog, HH
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
How very dare you!
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
The Pooh have a player called Wisdom in their team. I bet he’s good at diving.
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Mr Grimsdale!……
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
all right Pitkin!
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:09 pm
AVB has to EARN the fans respect not the other way around
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calebray Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
respect? yes
support? fuck no
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Anyone want to offer an argument against that point? Thought not!
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calebray Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
not a case of wanting to argue, more a case of whats the point.
its a personal thing.
i cant see him trying to sell our best players in the press against our chairmans wishes, i cannot see him contradicting club statements for his own gain. I cannot see him belittling a player to save his own face and i certainly cant see him selling the club down the river if something better comes along.
thats is my respect.
whats yours?
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Calebray I agree.
Respect has to be earned though.
Its not just comparing AVB to Redknapps mouth.
here is just one point:
We bought Lloris and AVB wants him to prove himself even though he is the French national keeper.
Ok Ill go for that but what about AVB proving himself even though he won at Porto?
LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
I cannot see him making basic, sensible decisions nor setting his teams up in line with the traditions of the club. I cannot see him producing 90 minutes of entertaining and effective football. Until I see him doing these things, I reserve respect for his managerial qualities.
I respect him as a human being who seems an honest and decent enough chap and empathize with him as he really appears to be out of his depth. Yesterday when the boos rang out over his substitution he looked confused and scared, just like he did at Chelsea. Felt really sorry for now as I did then. But the point the booing fans were ‘verbalizing’ was valid.
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Being a critic to the extent of booing has an adverse affect on the team.Its not good.Dont go to the games.Write in. whatever but dont boo.
howard Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Martin Jol said ” A winning manager is always right”, and I agree.
He said that afetr substituting somebody one night at home to Middlesbrough, and the boos rang out.
The team turned it around and won the game from that decision and that’s what matters.
Vice Versa works the same, unfortunately for AVB and his fans this universe has the law of cause and affect, and you only get one chance at a game of football so it’s probably worth playing with a purpose to score goals and win.
I get the feeling he thinks football is rocket science, and in the not too distant future we will simply be back needing a proper football manager to come in and get things back to basics at least – Before we are in a relegation battle.
I also believe you can only judge someone over time, but it’s worrying as the points we have seem a bit lucky somehow.
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
If you love Tottenham you will support the club
AVb is entitled to some time
Id say a season unless we go down
The fans have a right to be unhappy.AVB is not performing up to many of the fans standards,me included.
Id like to see a better flow and some more desire by the players.
There dont seem to be many leaders on the field to push the buttons.
Suarez is fucking great.He just scored.
Give me that diver.
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calebray Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
absolutely cock on cocker (apart from the suarez bit)
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Hartley Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
I agree Ron, but AVB also has to be given a sporting chance”….the boos ain’t helping
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
Lets riot that might help
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:34 pm
I’m in!
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Che,sorry cant let you in.Its more of a slow evolution that a quick revolution.
If we do go the revolution route it would need to be finianced.We would have to think in terms of a Tottenham Spring and maybe a walk to raise funds for it.Besides nobody has a phone.
Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:46 pm
I’m out!
November 4th, 2012 at 5:16 pm
at the end of the day we are a club that challenges for the top four after a good result, top six after a bad one.
this is because we are still a selling club. Not due to any ineptitude on levy’s part but because of the monetry gulf between us and the other big performing clubs, players wanting to leave, wages on offer etc.
this wont change until we get the new stadium and revenue. Then not for a minimum of one season.
Get used to it.
AVB is under scrutiny due to things beyond his control. You can only judge to clubs direction, transfer policy, chairman, manager and philosophy this time next season.
to be giving it the biggun with “AVB OUT” truly sickens me. how will that help?
Coys and support your local ginger.
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:24 pm
I’m not having all this ‘injuries cost us’ crap. For crying out loud we were playing Wigan! At home! A quick glance at transferleague.com shows us that the side Wigan put out cost £20m to assemble. Even our diminished shower cost £54. God knows the disparity in earnings.
Crap tactics and man management cost us. Possibly crap recruitment policy too. Not injuries.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
So the injuries/sold players list is …made up?
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
So whoe’s to blame then?
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
e
Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Baby you just hit critical mass.
essexian76 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:32 pm
2. Naughton
3. BAE
4. Kaboul
5. Parker
6. Dembele
7. Adebayor (debateable whether fully fit)
8. Livermore
9. Huddlestone (playing but clearly not match fit)
That reads more like a team line up than an injury list but of course it has no bearing on selection of the team..if your Adrian fucking Mole aged 6 3/4 that is!
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Thepin Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
..you forgot Gomes – his toungue sticks out the side of his mouth, and they can’t get it back in.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:18 am
You’reI forgot Gomes, how on earth could I have done that? Mind you-it looks like AVB has as well-Lordy Lordy
November 4th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I actually feel the anti-Redknapp is clouding people’s judgement. This nonsense that we have too many injuries, I would still take our starting line-up over about 16 of the other prem teams. I voiced concerns before the start of the season regarding the personal in the system AVB has chosen. Wouldn’t it be a trivial idea to play to our strengths rather than stick to a system which the players look no more comfortable with after 14 games. This is not an AVB out more AVB sort it out.
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LLL Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
The frustrating thing here is that none of this has anything to do with Redknapp, yet people on both sides of want to draw comparisons to suit their argument that this is better / worse.
It’s bollocks and not relevant. Redknapp is history. I’m personally happy about that, but that’s a separate issue to me not being happy with the way AVB has us playing and the decisions he has been making. I was happy to see Redknapp leave and worried that AVB would be a potential disaster. I’m getting increasingly worried that I might have been right. There will be no ‘told you so’ celebrations if this does come to pass, it’s all rather gloomy at the moment.
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jfdit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
2012 has not been a vintage year for spurs or our fans, we looked on the cusp of something really good last christmas but it slowly proceeded to turn to shite from February onwards
We seem to playing without joy at home at the moment, the players do not seem to be gelling as a team, maybe a good old piss up with a few strippers is required
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koko61 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
I am in
Spurstacus Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:52 am
maybe a good old piss up with a few strippers is required
Paint and asset?
November 4th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Can we swap Dempsey for Suarez!
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
can we swap Livermore for some jellied eels?
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
the trout never rated him ,whatever his name was.
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:29 pm
Harry Hotspur refuses to even broach the idea that his Ginger Ninja is out of his depth and going through the same crap he did at Chelsea again. Wont even question it.
Tried to bide time last night after the game did you HH?
His suspiciously aggressive, pro-Levy and anti Redknapp stance has left him like AVB: NO WHERE TO HIDE.
It is quite simply awful, unwatchable, negative flat football. The terrace feed off the energy of the team and something is terribly wrong.
Will his virus laden, advert flashing site be here when AVB gets the chop? I sincerely doubt he could take it.
We want our expansive, attacking, fluid and confident football back. GET IT?
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:31 pm
If you got a virus, were you charged for it?
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MIKE T Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:37 pm
no my computer rubbers up
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
So you got ‘some spam’ and lived. Hurrah.
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
We have 2 safe goalkeepers
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:42 pm
One of them has french Lletters
November 4th, 2012 at 5:32 pm
Notts forest want Livermore
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John Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
Maybe we can swap him for JJ.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
This I like.
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:52 pm
They don’t like being called ‘Notts’. Just saying. (Like i give a flying toss)
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UnkleKev Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
She loves me, she loves me Notts.
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Toss Forest
This has a Hotspur (the comic not the game) feel to it like Tottenley Hotspur or Melchester Cid
My fcuking notts hurt…
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:20 pm
aasLegit so eloquently put it…. just sayin’
Thepin Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Doctor Lecter wants Moreliver.
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nobby nobbs Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Livermore ? The one with the afro wicked.
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
When teams are playing well it looks like they have an 12 men, when we play we play badly we look like we have an extra man and we are still poor. Blame wont sort it out but who ever bought Dempsey and Siggers is a chump.
12 mil on a goalie we dont use. I have seen him 4 times and.. Mouthino money thats what.
Only at Spurs.
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Astro Spur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:10 pm
To think that with the money we spent on Sig and Dempsey, we could have bought Willian. Nice one Levy!
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November 4th, 2012 at 5:46 pm
Good game between Pool and Newcastle.Quality.
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November 4th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I don’t normally feel like this until after January but somethings come early this year and it ain’t Christmas!
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Seasonal Affective Disorder.
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Better known as Supporting Spurs Disorder.
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 7:33 am
True
November 4th, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Excellent article & bang on Harry! We couldn’t keep the ball in midfield yesterday, so I think a longer ball tactic was employed.. Dempsey & Adebayor are bigger targets, hence why Defoe was taken off. I sat next to 2 people yesterday who were praying that William was seriously injured becuase he’s ‘ex gooners & chelsea scum’! Last time I checked he was our captain! Jesus wept!
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Welcome home Tom
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
dempsey was shite though wasn’t he yesterday and walker wtf?,thud blimey we need help,stick vertonghen in the middle if this is how we are playing and sandro is crocked too
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
There is no doubt that the quality of our injured players that are out of the team would effect any of the top teams badly. I think the dissapointing thing for me is the lack of quality in our backup players and on the bench, there is no doubt that our squad under Harry was much better than the one available for AVB, and for me he can not be properly judged until he gets to manage our best players together.
That being said AVB’s choice of substitutes and the body language of some of the players is worrying!
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jfdit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:45 pm
we’re seriously missing the tempo and link up play modric brought to our game
I doubt if our failed signing moutinho would have addressed that as he’s a ball winning midfielder not a playmaker
cheatski signed three of the best playmakers in the summer, I think marin was signed just to prevent us replacing modric easily, hazard & oscar showed us how good they were the other week
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 7:37 am
fdit,Astro,bang on
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Just watching some fools and horses to ease the misery.
Has anyone ever seen trigger and AVB in the same room?
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 7:37 pm
Trigger supports Spurs, AVB on the other hand
…………..
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Steveo1987 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Never mind, this time next year we’ll be…..(add cooment here)
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Summerspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Aston villa
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koko61 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Noooooooo
Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Leyton Orient reserves
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mystic arnold Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Cromer Town
Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Defending our Premier League crown
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Pigeon fanciers… Coo
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 7:40 am
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT.
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
i don’t think you get the lloris thing at all. AVB is supposed to be building for the future and lloris represents the future. friedel represents the past, which we are supposed to be leaving behind. it is all very symbolic and psychological but nonetheless playing lloris as a regular sends a very important signal about what is and may be to come. and because he won’t it raises all sorts of dark questions about his managerial abilities. simple really.
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:55 pm
just a reminder that Ramos was fired for 2 from 8 .While as after yesterday was a loss as bad as it was ,the first after 5 straight wins in the Prem,Not too shabby as we all know the struggles we have at the moment with the settling in for everyone. I bet the ginger one still takes a few wrong turns on his way to and from work. coys
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:37 pm
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November 4th, 2012 at 7:56 pm
incidentally has anyone else noticed that AVB has taken to wearing that ridiculous half coat again? and i swear i saw him crouching during the wigan game, the first sighting to my knowledge. i thought he had abandoned such things as both behavioral traits marked his disasterous reign at chelski.
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Steveo1987 Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Yeah I noticed the rain coat thing yesterday. What do you think he should wear to inspire the players?
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elfranklins Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:16 pm
Stockings and suspenders!
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Lust Minute United
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notsohotspurs Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
chirpy outfit to match the headless chickens on the pitch
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:54 pm
Lilywhite Stilettos
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
A
mask!
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SpursGator Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
A pair of Balls – even fake ones would do.
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Combat boots and a theatrical scar.
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:45 pm
A Staffordshire bull terrier surgically attached to his ankle.
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:46 pm
A mankini.
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
A fox fur stole and pearls.
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:34 am
A G String with a High Line Defence
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November 4th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Brut
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Hai Karate!
Ginger Ninja, geddit?
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November 4th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
Well the stockings could come in useful in case he needs to rob a goal on the 89th minute!
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November 4th, 2012 at 8:38 pm
Come again?
What I was saying was that our starting 11 players cost more than twice as much as Wigan’s in terms of transfer fees alone. Actually three times as much after Sigurdsson and Adebayor came on. I think that renders void the excuse that some of our (even more expensive) players were not available due to injury. It just doesn’t wash as an excuse.
We put out 11 extraordinarily expensive, astronomically paid, hyper fit, physically and psychologically pampered and highly coveted players and they played like shit. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I blame the manager.
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Swampspur Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Apologies.
That should have been a reply to your earlier comment, H.
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November 4th, 2012 at 8:45 pm
Dembele out for 6 weeks, Parker for 8, Sandro for 3, our CM is going to be a joke for the next few games in what promises to be a really tough series of matches.
Things could turn very ugly very soon.
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
god what a king sized noodle you are , just because some dont subscribe to your way of thinking you slag them off and tell them to bugger of elsewhere cus proper fans are queing up to cheer and shout the way you want so we now live in a dicktatorship with yu at the head , well yu can kiss my a## , while some of your points are relative i agree that booing has a distinct effect on things during a game booing after the game though is alright with me as this is the only way an individual can voice his anger at what he has paid a lot of money to watch , the players need to know that performances so far this season have been well short of whats exspected the manager needs to understand that what might work in portugal wont work here and the chairmen needs to realise if he wants to change things within the club then he needs to back him with the players he wants and asked for otherwise he will dead meat by the end of the season and our best players will want out . for many years i have supported this team and always will but when you start to see the team you love start performing to the levels of the last few years yu start to beleive that big things are on the horizon this is natural the one season in the champions league was immense the top teams in europe were sitting up and taking notice of us cus we were a threat , and because of the chairman falling out with redsnapps his personal feelings have undermined our team no end he didnt even back his new manager but he still exspect us to follow his choices blindly no matter what they are well like i said yu and him can kiss my a## i only boo at the end not cus they have lost but cus they no longer show the passion and effort needed to compete at this level , the best managers are the ones who have been at a club for sum time been backed by the chairmen and been allowed to build a team based on his ideas . not swapping every two minutes.
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Qoizu Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 10:39 pm
what might work in portugal worked in the PL, spain and italy (Mourinho).
what might work in portugal wont work for the racists but will work for spurs (AVB).
what works in portugal have a tremendous impact on the uefa/fifa competititons.
what works in portugal have tactical knowledge and creative players (see the games of benfica or porto).
Like HH said, AVB lost King, modric and vdv. How many players AVB chose to sign? none.
We have the tactical knowledge but we have no creative players.
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oxfordyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
blah blah blah stop giving excuses for the deluded on here to shout about the tactical nous of avb hes a one hit wonder with the personality of a brick hes making redsnapps look like an genious avb is looking the most overated prospect since justin fashanu
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
if we can get 20p profit on the cut price we paid for adybyor then do it and splash cash on a superstar, because without 1 up front we really wont be competing with those that do for long! tbh, i think we have looked weak in the games we have won this season. were getting found out now, games up i think! :O(
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November 4th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
We’re Fukin tied for 4th, Ass are shite this year, Eve are prob at this stage our biggest compo for 4th and their squad is paper thin, they’ll fall away. As long as we’re ball park at Christmas when all our players come back we’re in a good position
Stop booing you cunts
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:26 pm
Great article. And those fans who want to play old fashioned 4 4 2…….which of bale and Lennon do you want to drop? it would be suicide to play two players who hug the touchlines and two out and out strikers, leaving just two players in central midfield to compete against 3 or 4 players from the opposition. Madness and a guaranteed recipe for failure. AVB is playing without 6-7 key players and the replacements are not good enough or haven’t settle in yet. Its the players not the tactics.
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John Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:29 am
Disagree, we have played 4411 for the last few season’s and that did not do us any harm.
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November 4th, 2012 at 10:41 pm
Well yes we’ve lost players through various reasons but surely we should be beating the likes of Norwich,West brom n Wigan at home no I’m no AVB hater but he ain’t helpin keep da pro Harry media mafia quiet with results like these!!!
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November 4th, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Testing
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:07 pm
have you been yet or are you in the process
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:17 pm
Mid heave.
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November 4th, 2012 at 11:05 pm
One comment that struck me as a good sign by AVB was that he said made his substitution for the good of Tottenham.It may not have been the right one with hindsite.Defoe sulked off so we know that was more about him being taken off than for the team.
We were in a scrap up front for goals and Defoe doesnt scrap,only shoots.
I reckon AVB tried with Ade to open them up for perhaps Dempsey to scrap one in. He is definitely a fighter ,hes not afraid to stick his head in where it hurts as was proven yesterday when he was felled. Unfortunately it didnt pay off .Nothing was happening with Defoe too much congestion in and around their box.
Most spurs fans know Defoe is not a team player so to boo when he was taken off was bit hypocritical.
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Hartley Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
I’ll go with that……you see a lot from a long, long way away!
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
too far away to be a real supporter though
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Hartley Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:10 am
Goes without saying…..
CincinnatIYid Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:52 am
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November 4th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Most spurs fans know Defoe is not a team player so to boo when he was taken off was bit hypocritical.
Redknapp would never have taken Defoe off.
Thats the difference between AVB and Redknapp.
Redknapp would have thrown on another attacker and if we lost would say we tried to attack but was to open in the middle blah blah blah. Most fans would accept this as the Spurs way. Tactically wrong or right.
AVB just thinks about tactics. He needs to learn quick that without the crowd support he is doomed. Ask Roy Hodgeson.
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melcyid Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:46 pm
So AVB takes his job more seriously than the trout did then. Not going the easy route and going for the popular vote like good ol arry boy.
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notsohotspurs Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:57 pm
Yes. Which could be his undoing. He needs to get a bit ‘spurs smart’.
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melcyid Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:00 am
I hope he succeeds for ours and his benefit, and to show up the media and the blue rascists
CincinnatIYid Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:33 am
Of course Defoe wouldn’t have been on to begin with.
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 7:01 am
Exactly. Remember Villa away last season?
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November 4th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
I agree with you H but I think you’re banging your head against a brick wall.
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Hartley Reply:
November 4th, 2012 at 11:47 pm
I’m guessing he’s been doing that for a very long time, Iv’e looked at his twitter pic….
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 8:39 am
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November 5th, 2012 at 12:18 am
AVB is to blame. A fundamental part of any managers job is to get the best out of his players, galvanize them into trying harder, changing things to get a result. AVB is completely failin in this regard and players look dejected, bored and listless. That is the managers fault. Look at Liverpool who completely changed the way they play. Supporters did not mind them losing as it was clear they were looking good, passing the ball comfortably and would only get better. Same with Swansea and same with Arsenal as with these three teams one touch football and faster movement off the ball to create passing triangles is instilled at youth level through to first team. New players come in and other go but the team always plays well. This isn’t happening at Spurs. Passing is crap backwards and sideways, players are not playing to their ability. Under AVB Walker is terrible. Look at what AVB is saying to media – it is the same when he was under pressure at Chelsea. He couldn’t man manage at Chelsea. As soon as AVB left they got better and better. AVB map be tactically superior to Redknapp but it is a complete waste of time if you can’t man manage and get confidence up and get the best out of players. Come back Redknapp, all is forgiven or sack AVB and get Pep Guadiola in and teach them good one touch passing and how to move off the ball. As much as I hate Arsenal being a lifelong Spurs fan, I enjoy the way they play football.
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November 5th, 2012 at 12:45 am
The arse were lucky not to have been spanked by 7 on saturday, even bacon face said it was no contest as a game and he was surprised.
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November 5th, 2012 at 1:46 am
This mass hysteria is not becoming.
Manu– Sir Alex. 30 years
Arse– Arsene. 25 years
Everton. Moyes. 10 years
Chelsea and City–So much money it makes little difference.
How many Spurs managers in the last 20 years?
AVB less than a year–10 games! WTF!! What the hell are you expecting in a few months against successes built over many years or with mountains of cash, neither of which Spurs’ managers have had.
Madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. That’s what Spurs fans are advocating now. Let’s give this guy the chance to see if he can learn from adversity. If not, thenwe will know he is crazier than we are.
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John Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:26 am
The last part sounded a bit like AVB’s tatics doh!
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CincinnatIYid Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:33 am
Dude–my point, butbI hope not. . .
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CincinnatIYid Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:41 am
I will try again–either the fans are nuts or AVB is. Sacking him now would be the SOSO of the last 20 years. We need to give him time to learn what works with the players he has and what doesn’t. If he fails it can’t be much worse than the story of Spurs during my lifetime. Certainly wont be any different. If he learns and uses his limited resources wisely, maybe we will win a few trophies. But without more money we won’t ever break into the top three. Look at what’s happened to Liverpool.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:37 am
Here’s a thing. We as fans won’t have much say over sacking the manager. The decision will be Levy’s, as have all those other hirings and firings over the past 10 years.
He isn’t going to be sacked. Not yet, at any rate. But perhaps he shouldn’t have been hired in the first place?
November 5th, 2012 at 6:49 am
I am getting quite cross at a lot of the critique from fans and press alike, the rank stupidity of the vast majority of our sports fans are stupid, myopic and grim, is it not staggering??? Overall, I have awoken this morning and football is not bothering me one bit, we will be fine when we have our players back, I think AVB is made of special stuff and anyone who is not able to see that and admit it, well, their opinion to me is worthless tripe because it obvious. It is November the 5th and we are doing very well overall, are playing well in the league and our last five league games had seen us play the best football of any team in England. How United keep winning is beyond me, City are on the verge of Implosion, Chelsea are the ones to chase we must keep up. Experimenting with formations and styles, it is not easy to maintain momentum yet the Portuguese is doing it, the big-man’s tactics and working practices are odd to say the least, he is very open with the players who work for him, I think a few might actually leave this winter & I am certain we will strengthen somewhere at least. What I don’t get is why Spurs fans expect anything else than manic depressive performances? We support Spurs, surely it is better that we find a way to play great for 70 mins every game and average/shit in the other twenty than being good/bad in alternate weeks which is pretty much what we have done for about fifty years! You can’t change the character of a club, not completely, City will implode, United will always win things, so will Liverpool, Chelsea will always be revolting and Arsenal irritatingly arrogant… We have a chance to get in on the good stuff and we will I think, patience is a worthy virtue, it’s all about the glory, the style, we always will want more than we get but that is the sweet pain that keeps us coming back for more… we should celebrate these eccentricities and also be glad about the fact that we have a boss who is candid & honest and refreshingly free of the bitterness, bile and spite of so many people involved in this GAME. If you’re not feeling me, get back to The Sun.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:51 am
I think AVB is made of special stuff and anyone who is not able to see that and admit it, well, their opinion to me is worthless tripe because it obvious.
Nice argument!
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:52 am
Hang on…
our last five league games had seen us play the best football of any team in England.
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November 5th, 2012 at 6:52 am
HH is spot on this time. Our squad has been decimated so his options are very limited, certainly his squad is a shadow of ‘Arry’s. In the circumstances 5th place isn’t too bad. Get BAE, Parker, Moussa, Kaboul and Co back and see how much better we go; guys like JJ v2.0/Jake wouldn’t even make the bench when that happens. Clearly fans that turned up to WHL are full of s#*t, booing AVB for yanking Defoe, and are willing the man to fail. Let’s look on the bright side, and hope for better to come when AVB can finally put out our best team
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 7:04 am
I hope your right but I’m worried.
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November 5th, 2012 at 6:58 am
I felt like I’d been turdburgled after watching that game on the weekend. Zero creativity and mass confusion running rife. Sandro was my man of the match even though he only played 20 mins or so.
Lets hope they can pick themselves up and get back to winning and more importantly some creative winning ways.
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November 5th, 2012 at 7:36 am
Explain to me how a so call top prem club can start a new season with 4 keepers and only 3 1 not fit strikers???
Levy take a bow .
Its not as if this is an isolated one off hes done it before to us and he’ll do it again.
Its Levy whose time is up not the supporter who feels pissed off with whats happened again….and again. Why should we sit or stand and let the club take the piss, they take our monies we have the right to let them know if things arn’t what they should be.
If they played in my front garden i’d shut the curtains and call the police.
Enoughs enough.
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Mark Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 8:34 am
Because one of the goalkeepers, the one they wish to sell Gomes, was injured and therefore unable to be sold.
AVB said we didn’t need 4 strikers. AVB take a bow.
Levy doesn’t tell AVB what the make up of his team should be, AVB decides that and tells Levy who then tries to accommodate it by buying the players he wants.
Levy is not the guy picking 2 defensive midfielders at home. Levy is not the guy leaving last seasons leading scorer on the bench. Levy is not the guy who wants to take Bale away from the wing and tuck him inside. Levy is not the one who decides to play at a slow pace and forego the fast counter attacking football our pace dictates we should play.
January can’t come fast enough.
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November 5th, 2012 at 7:51 am
Could see us getting done against Wigan we’ve been scraping through for weeks now we have city and arxenal next up the players and AVB need to up there game as there all to blame
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 8:17 am
I sadly see us losing our next 5 games.
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November 5th, 2012 at 8:28 am
We sit 5th on goal diff to Everton, we are a team in transition learning a new system while incorporating new players, we are depleted through injury to 5 first teamers and a few squad members.
How many realists among us thought this was even possible ?
The prophets of doom are rubbing their hands after a bad week that’s thrown up defeats to Norwich and Wigan, they may not remember the Manchester game.
Every SUPPORTER should get behind the team, cheer them from the rafters through thick and thin and let the final league table decide if AVB is the man to take us forward or not, anything less is not the Tottenham way and you should switch alliegence to one of our moneybags opponents.
I believe prior to becoming Head Coach AVB was given an assurance that His main target Moutinho was nailed on and funds would be available to secure others inc a striker (subject to outgoings) along with Ade.
Has AVB been sold a pup ? Is the Tottenham job a poison chalice ?
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:07 am
With over 50 yes 50 years of supporting Spurs and because i dare to have a differing opinion to you,I need to support another team,!It’s my love for the club that has me rightly worried at the shambles on Saturday.You have no insider info on whats happened at Spurs and no right to call your thinking THE TOTTENHAM WAY.YOUR OPINION IS YOUR OPINION AND NOT A DIRECTIVE FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.We had well enough fit players to at least draw against Wigan.NOW COP ON.
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Razspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:24 am
Do you go to each match with optimism, ready to cheer our attacks and well timed defensive tackles or do you set out prepared to berate individual mistakes, to shout and swear at those in Lilywhite trying to turn a game in our favour.
Have you judged AVB on 10 games ? Or had you made your mind up before the season started.
How many times have you added your voice to the boo boys ?
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:56 am
Quite right, fed up of all these fucktards who bandy around ‘real fan’ and the like to stand up for yet more dross and mediocrity and to defend ineptitude.
Perhaps if they get such a kick out of failure, ‘transition’ and ‘patience’ they are the fans that we could do well to lose?
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Please LLL,don’t go down that route Mate, fans by and large are blindly partisan and regardless of the team, the manager or chairman will attend games en-mass-it has nothing to do with ‘ambition’, wtf does ambition have to do with anything?-We have no control over anything in reality-the only influence we truly have is during the game-and getting players to respond accordingly-and that influence requires fans to attend games-shouting at a screen bears little effect I’m afraid-but getting behind the side and raising their spirits or booing certainly does, both of which require a presence I’d have thought?
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:25 pm
I was just being flippant, tossing back the same ‘we don’t need fans like these’ to those who say ‘we don’t need fans like these’ we need ‘real fans’ etc to anyone who doesn’t agree with them. Wasn’t making any more or a point than that, or not trying to anyway.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
November 5th, 2012 at 9:01 am
Think about this, boo boys. I am an exiled yid, and for the first time in his life got to take my son to the Lane on Saturday.
Never seen my boy so happy, excited and buzzing before that game. Saw him sat in the Park Lane twitching with excitement even after we started poorly.
By half time he was quiet, subdued, questioning.
Yes the performance was poor but what upset him was the fans around us. Why were they screaming abuse at Gallas, why were they screaming every time a pass went wrong dad? Do’t they want Spurs to win? Why were there kids behind us booing his team?
That’s your next generation of “supporters” there, in a season were we look strong to compete for a champion’s league place one bad performance by an injury hit squad and our home support turn on them. Why does a young lad support Spurs when then is the shit he sees at the Lane.
Where has the support gone, hardly a chant all match, booing and abuse of the players throughout?
He’ll be a Spur for life because he is from Spurs blood, and he has little choice, but there are many kids out there that have their own choices with less demanding background. If any of them were at the Lane Saturday what would make them come back.
The performance of our team was very poor on Saturday, but did none of you witness the 90′s?
The performance of our fans was Disgraceful1!!!
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:12 am
TALL TALE
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Mark Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Because it didn’t happen when you were a kid and it stopped you being a supporter! Sorry you argument falls flat on it’s face.
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Load of old bollocks. It was the same, if not worse, when I started going in the ’70s. At least your boy can actually see the game without getting squashed. I rekon a lot of your ilk are more suited to the opera.
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November 5th, 2012 at 9:05 am
What aload off shit end of day team sent out on sat far better players than wigan jesus bradford beat them ! Harry blame injurys is an excuse for a bad manger we have his subs were rubish dempsey is shit and so is siggy ! Or the better than rafa and modric ! AVB out and out now we pay good money to watch a coach who aint got a clue he messed up at chelscum and now same thimg happening again !
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PeterTheStoreyTeller Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:16 am
AVB will not last me thinks.
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Razspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:46 am
Your mind is made up despite the league position, despite the Man U result, despite supporting your team through thick and thin.
Is the one bad result the straw that broke the camels back ?
Barcelona had a bad result a few weeks back, should they sack their manager ?
Real Madrid are 8 points adrift in La Liga, should Mourinho be sacked ?
Peter it seems the only pleasure you have derived from Saturdays result is to say to all the other storytellers “I told you AVB was useless.”
And you call that 50 years of support !
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November 5th, 2012 at 9:10 am
You are entitled to your opinion Harry, but that is all it is, an opinion.
It doesn’t mean you are right, only right to your mind and it certainly doesn’t mean that people should do it because you tell them to, that’s dictatorship.
People are entitled to have a mind of their own, to have their own thoughts, to form their own opinions and react as they see fit.
Personally I disagree with booing during a game but have no problem with it when the half-time and full-time whistle goes.
The crowd have little or no affect on the outcome of a game, of course the club would want you to believe you do, they want your money after all.
The opposition determine the outcome, teams play differently away than they do at home. They attack more at home to please their fans which creates openings for us.
When they come to us they lay the onus of attack on us, and we simply don’t have the ability to do that at the moment.
If a player is so affected by the crowd the management need to know. If he is then he is mentally weak, not of the right character and will never be a winner. If he is not a winner we don’t want him at Spurs.
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November 5th, 2012 at 9:38 am
So glad the season is over means I can sleep again at night, wake me when the blogs start about our next manager and Levy, oh dear starting to yawn already.
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November 5th, 2012 at 9:40 am
“We don’t have the staff” So the 11 players Wigan put out are better than the 11 we put out – is that what you are saying? Really? Why don’t we buy them all in January then? Wake up and burn your soap box. The reason people boo is because the 11 we put out v Wigan underperformed ie. did not play anywhere near to the best of their ability. We support the club, NOT the players or manager, they come and go, the club is the only constant. You and your self-anointed ‘true supporters’ can carry on applauding us all the way to the sea bed, I’d much rather let the club know there’s an iceberg ahead!
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November 5th, 2012 at 9:40 am
HH on the warpath. Loving it. “Bankfuncy” may prove to be the quote of the season.
Am I frustrated? Yes. But mostly at the now ever so predictable boo at half time and full time, whenever we aren’t in the lead. So dumb I can’t even describe it without using some language that has no place even in the lawless badlands of an online blog.
Some people pointing out that several of the absences are in positions where we aren’t seemingly struggling the most (except CM, where we’re down to bare bones) avoids the obvious fact that football is a team sport. Each phase of play affects the others. Having better defenders aids the offensive play by allowing more license to play for those players (and giving them the ball earlier and in better positions, more often with the opposition in disarray).
And not letting in soft goals against Wigan, Norwich and Maribor surely would have given the attack more opportunities over the course of the game, by not giving them the luxury of being able to defend manfully for various periods of those games.
So yes, having players like Kaboul, Benny-Sue, Parker and Sandro available for the whole 90 minutes in our recent woeful games would have given us more bite in attack, even if they aren’t explicitly attacking players themselves.
That is without even mentioning a half-fit Adebayor, a missing midfield dynamo in Dembele, and an absent new father Bale, which obviously have hurt our attack badly as well.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:00 am
So who out of the back 4 is performing so badly that he’s personally responsible for us not scoring goals? Walker doesn’t count btw, as there is cover for him which AVB isn’t using. So, who out of Gallas, Caulker and Vertonghen is responsible for our lack of bite upfront.
Sorry, but your argument is completely preposterous.
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LosLorenzo Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 7:35 am
*ignore
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LLL Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:40 am
*Great argument.
November 5th, 2012 at 9:59 am
I think players can get away with lazy performances nowadays and blame it on the manager, injuries to important squad members etc. Even though a few of the players were probably a little overworked because of our quickly thinning squad, it’s annoying that when we went a goal down on saturday that the players finally yet again decided to bother their arses to play.
This has become a regular occurrence so far this season and AVB seemed pretty disgusted with the performance so i cant see him telling the lads to go out and play lazily and generally shit all round on Sat.
My point being that i think that the players performances bar a few(vert, bale), have been worryingly bad not just on saturday but for a while now. Maybe it is AVB but maybe its not. Either way we know that they can play so much better than we have witnessed so far, and that blame lays at the feet of the players. Lets be honest, if the players showed the passion that AVB shows during a game on the pitch, we would have wiped the floor with wigan!
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Razspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:03 am
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November 5th, 2012 at 10:12 am
Funny how after the first fortnight of the season some people were complaining about how we were so low on the table. Now, aftersome indifferent performances but a notable win at OT, people complain that we’re only fifth. FFS if you want an easy ride piss off and support ManU or the racists. We are on a lesser budget than most of the other top clubs, we lost two of our best players in the offseason, have a new coach with a new system, and the first team is missing 4 front line first team players including our new creative playmaker. ‘Arry also fell to Roberto’s mob, we went through long stretches where we played dire football,yet so many on this board are ready to sink the knife in already?
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November 5th, 2012 at 10:28 am
We may be struggling but at least our best players will come back. The Gooners look terrible up front with no RvP to carry them. If we can come right we will be a great chance for the top 4
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:42 am
We are a better team than the arse but I wish we had Cazorla
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November 5th, 2012 at 10:51 am
Its not AVB’s fault its Harry’s… or the fans… or Santa’s fault but definitely not AVB’s fault that we have failed to beat Norwich,West Brom or Wigan at home. We have major injuries and against Wigan we could only field a forward line with Bale,Defoe and Lennon. Wigan fielded a much stronger side AND it was our fans fault
I backed AVB its not his fault. He made the players train twice a day until they asked him not too.
I’m right AVB is the right man Harry wasn’t .
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:03 am
I cant stay around to discuss but it is AVB’s responsibility.
It doesnt mean fans have to boo or want to think that this should be the end.
I havent been impressed in our quality or our potency around the goal.
Last year VDV did his stuff.he didnt run and couldnt keep up but he made something happen when we needed it.
In the Guardian it mentions AVB saying that the team is nervous.Why are we nervous? Did it come out of thin air? Sometimes a team needs technical knowledge and sometimes a leader and sometimes both.
In basketball some players fail to hit from the free throw line about 10 feet back.In football they sometimes cant score from a penalty.Its about pressure and positivity.A great manager can offer confidence and understand tactics and strategy.
Techinicals alone are not enough.
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November 5th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Aren’t we usually used to hearing Arsenal fans come out every year with excuses about their injury list? Yes, that’s right. Every year they scrap away inconsistently but always finish above us anyway, and use an injury list as an excuse as to why they aren’t winning the league anymore.
The injury excuse is pathetic. Even AVB hasn’t resorted to it. Only his band of apologists.
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:26 am
It’s the missing mids that are the problem-when the engine room is only working on half speed-you get poor performance as it affects the forward and defenders alike-one’s not getting the service, the other’s constantly having to defend because of the lack of retention.
Fairly obvious I’d have thought-now let me see? Oh,we’re missing Dembele,Parker, now Sandro and Livermore-Verts having to cover at LB, instead of influencing the def-mid line, and you’re saying we shouldn’t be affected by this?
Also-playing Thursdays game and our continued involvement in the EL is helping the CL cause how exactly? As predicted before a ball was kicked in it-it’s a drain, a waste of resources and shouldn’t be considered anything other than a Jolly-Boy’s outing.
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Ronnie Wolman Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:38 am
Naughton I thought was on the bench. so Vert could have played in the middle
Thursday in view of the injuries needed not to have as many stars out there
Dembele was missed for sure
But we have a lot of supply down the wings and we have 2 healthy strikers plus Dempsey and its Wigan and its at home….
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:26 pm
Is Naughton really match fit after his lay off is the question you should be asking? Huddlestone’s only playing because of the injuries ,and is patently way off the pace in comparison to his form two seasons back. The point is we’ve got injuries to key players in key areas-and we’re not a supermarket where we can order up a few replacements from the store down the road-Also what were our expectations-No, Really, what do most honestly expect? We’re 5th, whether because of or in spite of AVB we’re not behind nor in front of where we were last season-despite losing some really classy players and an established manager and his back-room team. And that should’ve read NOW Sandro, but the point is no less valid
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:42 am
Fairly obvious I’d have thought-now let me see? Oh,we’re missing Dembele,Parker, now Sandro and Livermore
Sorry, but you can’t have Sandro as he has been available. Not having Livermore available is probably a bonus given how he’s played in the PL games he’s featured in. Parker has been a long term injury and perhaps the management should have prepared better for this in the Summer? It could have been quite a bit worse, btw, as AVB would have packed Thudd off, leaving us with ? Perhaps another problem is that the manager / chairman failed to recruit good enough players to cover the midfield area – i.e. Sigurdsson and Dempsey.
Verts having to cover at LB, instead of influencing the def-mid line,
There is an option there which is to play Naughton at LB where he has been pretty competent, allowing Vert to go back to CB. I would have liked to see this but AVB prefers to play Vert at LB – so again, not a strong argument to be made there. We have a different option that he’s ignored.
and you’re saying we shouldn’t be affected by this?
I’m saying all teams have injury issues at different times and we have far better resources than most and should be able to cope. And if we get hit in a bad way in a particular area then the coach should adapt accordingly. Perhaps playing Vertonghen in midfield instead of defence where our options are comparatively healthy for instance? You sometimes see Alex Ferguson, for instance, playing all kinds of people in CM to cover, it’s not unheard of.
Also-playing Thursdays game and our continued involvement in the EL is helping the CL cause how exactly? As predicted before a ball was kicked in it-it’s a drain, a waste of resources and shouldn’t be considered anything other than a Jolly-Boy’s outing.
Again, it’s AVB who is deciding to field strong line-ups in the Ropa. I agree so far this has appeared pointless especially as the performances and results have been turgid anyway.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 11:59 am
LLL, how can you sweep missing players under the carpet?
Modric, Rafa and King gone. Are you suggesting AVB wanted them all out?
Moussa, Parker, Kaboul, Benny all out. You do acknowledge that these are 4 first team players?
You treat these names with distain, like I included Bentley and *****!
How is it apologetic to point out that as of today Villas-Boas has 6 fewer first team players to pick from than Arry had. 7 if you want to include Sandro?
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Modric, Rafa and King gone. Are you suggesting AVB wanted them all out?
Modric was goinggone before AVB got here. King too. He must have sanctioned the sale of VDV, yes. What’s your point exactly?
Moussa, Parker, Kaboul, Benny all out. You do acknowledge that these are 4 first team players?
Been through this already. Above. Also gave you some suggestions about where I felt AVB was ballsing up. Want to engage or talk about that? No, as predicted you just repeat the same point about injuries.
You treat these names with distain, like I included Bentley and *****!
? ? ?
How is it apologetic to point out that as of today Villas-Boas has 6 fewer first team players to pick from than Arry had. 7 if you want to include Sandro?
What’s this got to do with Arry?
And at what stage? Are you saying Redknapp never had injuries to deal with? Are you saying we are in this moment in time some kind of special hard luck case? Is that really your entire argument here?
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I was responding to this:
The injury excuse is pathetic. Even AVB hasn’t resorted to it. Only his band of apologists.
Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
What’s this got to do with Arry?
And at what stage? Are you saying Redknapp never had injuries to deal with? Are you saying we are in this moment in time some kind of special hard luck case? Is that really your entire argument here?
It’s worth mentioning Arry only as he was the last man and one tends to reference the last man in these situatons.
Yes Arry had injuries but this is bloody disaster and you can’t just sit there screaming ‘I want better management!’ when you’ve no resources.
Hitler in his bunker sat screaming about soldiers who were dead, surrendered and who had generally naffed off to the pictures.
No matter how much his generals wished to appease him, they knew that which probably also knew but would never admit to which was the jig was up.
No resources.
We are seriously in trouble resource wise and screaming you want a general shot isn’t the answer.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:56 pm
I don’t want him shot. I want him taken away and put in a nice warm and secure room where he can’t do himself or any of us any more harm. No, I want him to succeed. But I don’t think he will.
We can go back and forth on injuries as much as you obviously want to. Earlier in this thread you asked me for specifics about the areas I felt AVB had come up short. I duly offered you a list of 9 such areas and then said you would ignore them and return to the injury excuse. I was right, wasn’t I?
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
This place needs a tumbleweed emoticon.
November 5th, 2012 at 11:50 am
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I was looking over an old blog from the 10th of September (after our bad start to the season) when we were discussing how long we were prepared to give AVB before we judged/sacked him.
It makes for interesting reading, I suggest you take a look and remind yourselves what you said back then.
http://harry-hotspur.com/2012/09/3-15-saturday-9-february-2013/
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Guess who.
AVB needs to finish 5th or higher. Our squad is easily the 5th best, any lower finish would be a failure for which there could be little excuse. It would hardly indicate great things to come, more than likely it would indicate a mass exodus of our best talent and a set back of a couple of years.
Blimey.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Isn’t that all true?
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Well yes. But it says you wanted a 5th place finish or higher before judging him.
The question of the day was ‘how long would you give AVB?’ – so you’re not being quoted out of context.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
The context was somebody saying a mid-table finish would be acceptable, the line preceding the quote you took was:
Seriously, how can a mid-table finish indicate that there are better things ahead? Just think about it for a minute…
Either way, the point I was making was not a personal demand, but an objective observation. Given the resources we have financially and the squad AVB has inherited, and the fact he replaced a manager who finished 4th, 5th, 4th, and the fact that he has publicly identified a target of top 4, how can finishing below 5th be considered anything but failure? And if we did finish mid-table as you seem to suggest would be acceptable, do you seriously expect Bale to hang around for more of the same?
Spurstacus Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2228020/Lacey-Wildd-L-cup-breasts-Mother-6-wants-biggest-breasts-world.html
Jamie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
Isn’t all of this where should we finish stuff for every club all moot if a manager is not able to field his best players?
Chelsea, Arsenal, United, Everton – all have had “in crisis” levels of form in the last 2 years when severely depleted by injuries to 1st choice players, then resurgent as they came back.
There is only so much these big name managers can or should be expected to do.
I just don’t see the point in all this comparing Harry to AVB stuff until he’s had he best team back for half a dozen games.
Harry’s team took 12 months until it was playing really well, and 18-24 months until it was playing great football for half the season.
Lest we forget – Harry’s team were also boo-ed off on several occasions, both last season and the year before – ironically at home to Wigan.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
It’s a funny article Spurstacus, but going from 4th to 5th is actually a decrease (in cup size)
philmccrackin Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
They d’o
nt like it up em LLL
November 5th, 2012 at 12:09 pm
I am playing all the right notes but not in the right order.
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November 5th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Some good points on here:
http://www.topspurs.com/thfccol-rbs.htm
Only thing I would say in Levy’s defence is that I imagine we were in for numerous players (we all know about the extension we tried to get to conclude the Moutinho deal) during the summer which just didn’t happen for one reason or another.
I know there is an argument that Levy should have made them happen but we can’t be spending £20m+ without making sure we’re getting the best value for money. We can’t afford to do what Chelsea and City do and buy 5 players for that amount and write-off the 3 who don’t make it.
Lets see where we are after Christmas (always a tough time) and see who we get in on 31 Jan.
COYS
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November 5th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
I’m interested in what’s really going on behind the booing.
Some fans boo because they are morons with a false sense of entitlement. To deal with that is just to remind them that their travel and ticket costs allow you entry to the stadium nothing more. Else there would be a surcharge upon leaving for victorious fans to compensate the opposition. This angry consumer stuff is spot on. It’s grown men behaving like spoiled petulant children, it’s embarrassing.
But there’s this other lot, who I don’t agree with, but have more time to try and understand. The fans who boo because they cannot control or channel their emotions, their fear, their anger..
Events of recent years have given rise to this perpetual fear that we are forever being pushed back from the CL top table. Lasagne gate, the tapping up of Carrick, Berba, Keane – the storm over Harry for England and the collapse. We’ve been through a lot of rubbish, and I think sub consciously we’ve all been withered by it.
So I have this theory.
It is that our worry for loosing our best players this summer, thus being further pushed away from the CL party, has turned many of us into impatient lunatics. I’ve suffered spells of this myself post Drogba penalty in Munich, but whilst the manifestation of this desperate neurocy has given rise to a counter productive and toxic atmosphere – it’s time we asked ourselves who we are angry at and what is reasonable to expect?
I’m not talking about expecting us to play better against Wigan, I’m talking about this “NOW NOW NOW” mentality.
“We have to beat West Brom and dominate, else we won’t finish top 4, and we’ll loose Bale, and then go backwards, and it will be back to Jenas and Zokora, and getting further away….ahhh! 20 minutes in and we’re not on top…ahhhh…a stray pass….ahhhh…grooooannn….Defoe you’re taking off Defoe..ahhhhh”
I relate to all of these extreme emotions, it’s in the DNA of a Spurs fan. But let’s deal with this rationally. Our concern about loosing players and being shut out of the party…again.
We are right to be worried about losing Bale, as we did Modric, because it absolutely will happen.
We have to let it slide. He has said he wants to play abroad – and also it’s a short career and can earn much more money and challenge for a CL medal. He wasn’t born a Spurs fan, so work hard for us, don’t do a scummy interview about joining Chelsea and good luck to you. The only variables are when and how much.
I could be wrong, and I have know way of knowing what Bale is or will be thinking. But my fear is if we continue to vomiting our irrational neuroses onto the pitch as we have, Bale might feel the pendulum taking him to Spain swung away a little sooner than if we all just shut up, and got behind the team.
A team that is virtually a new stating XI to last year, decimated by injuries, and going by Vertonghen’s comments pre Southampton, doesn’t enjoy playing in front of it’s home fans very much.
How embarrassing is that? And how, on any level, is that going to help us attract and keep good players?
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Razspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
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November 5th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
I got the feeling on Saturday-Many fans were waiting for a poor performance-while a few pockets of supporters tried to lift the crowd-but they just weren’t having it-it sort of reminds of Gross’ time at the Lane-the majority were not sold on him-and he was a condemned man before long-I still can’t shake that feeling about AVB and it’ll take a remarkable about turn around of performances for those (who are many, I might add) Harry supporters to cross the Rubicon.
There needs to be either a change in supporters mentality about what he’s trying to accomplish and the style of play he’s adopting, which would always take time-or we should get Ian Holloway in and go Gung-Ho with gay abandon
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
It’s worrying that the fans are as you describe – and I heard it first hand on Saturday.
It really isn’t going to do us any good at all. We could win the next two and lose the next. There’d still be the ‘Arry lovers waiting for the chance to boo and more importantly create an atmosphere in the ground that condemns before a ball is kicked.
I’ve said it before…
“All they want is a new pot to piss in”.
They won’t get ‘Arry back – so it’s ridiculous to wilfully destroy what was once (and will be again) one of the best atmospheres in the PL.
That goes for some of the posters on here, too.
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November 5th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
People should stop jabbering on about what the fans are doing. Irrelevant. Spurs have barely strung two performances together since March – there is your issue.
More concerning to me is the abysmal indecisive football we play these days and the fucking turgid 451 system we employ now. Even when we are winning I’m bored. The players look bored as they pass it around at walking pace, the fans are bored. Even the opposition looked bored.
Its just not Spurs is it?
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
No it’s not the Spurs way.
But when you are left with your second string players as injury replacements what more can you expect?
A 442 is preferable but AVB desribed Dempsey as a striker in the last day or so. That is a mile from the truth at the moment.
Signings. Replacements for the deadwood. A lead from Levy in the next window. No more bargain basement signings, please.
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jolsgonemental Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
We have played 451 all season. It is the system we are very clearly now playing. Slow slow 4-5-1.
I find this disconcerting. And its the reason the atmosphere is drab.
First rule of quietening the away crowd, slow the game down with dull tepid possession football. We utilise this tactic on ourselves.
Im bored already just thinking about the upcoming Maribor game on thursday. 70% of possession, the majority of which will be in our half. again.
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Jamie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I have no issue with the fans being bored of the football we’re playing, I’m bored. I have an issue with boo-ing and undermining the team, both for our own reputation and how I believe it isn’t helping performances.
How much it is, we can’t measure. But even it’s 0%.5 we should stop, if it’s 0% we should stop just to be on safe side, and also because it makes us as a club look like idiots. Our reputation as a club is always relevent.
As for 451, we’re playing precisely the same system as last year just without two world class creative midfielders to make it tick and offer a threat. This year, you shut down the wingers and we run out of ideas.
We’ve collapsed since we lost Dembele as the opposition know how to shut us down at home and get the crowd on our backs, then it’s all down hill from there.
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jolsgonemental Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
I dont boo.
But i think people are giving the booing issue more weight than it warrants. My concern is the football we now play.
90mins of effort and attacking verve will sort the crowd out. But we have yet to see it this season, and it seems like a deliberate ploy to play this style of football .
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
I’m glad you don’t boo.
Neither do I.
We are not going to be at our best with a baying crowd after only twenty minutes.
If we are not careful we’ll sound like Arsenal in a couple of weeks and we’ll play our best football away.
And by the way, we cannot play the football you suggest without some of our leading lights coming back.
Some of those fielded on Saturday are just not up to it.
Not my fault, not yours. Just theirs for not being good enough.
Wigan would not want some of those on display last Saturday.
Jamie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
We’ll agree to disagree, I believe in the context of all the other factors the boo-ing hasn’t helped the brittle confidence of a new and depleted team playing a new system under a new manager.
We don’t set out to dominate teams with high tempo quick passing as we did last season, but that was all about that midfield trio or Parker, VDV, and Modric and Bale and Lennon hugging the touch lines to give them space.
It’s harder to shut down as the threat came from everywhere.
We don’t have those players, ergo we’re not playing the same quality or tempo of football.
When Dembele, Sandro, and Sigg have all played we’ve looked a decent version of what we were. Give them 5-10 games together to gel and our football will improve further.
Defoe at home in a 4-5-1 doesn’t work, it’s never worked, but AVB has seldom had a choice with Ade unavailable for 8 out of 10 games apparently.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:58 pm
@ JGM-Your’e right it’s been pretty dire, especially at home-but my thoughts are when you’ve employed a coach whose supposedly technically adept, players then have to adjust to his philosophy. We’ve employed a Mourinho clone (don’t go there), then what else can you expect other than a Mourinho style of play-which was flippin’ boring-ask Roman.
If we’re aiming for this type of football, hopefully winning and winning a cup here and there, many will be in raptures-I won’t be, it’s the football played under KB-Jol and HR that’s kept me going-not the style currently on offer that’s for sure.
November 5th, 2012 at 2:01 pm
We’re in the shit. Numerous injuries to a squad that’s already thin on talent and an inexperienced new coach to figure it all out.
I have to take my mind off the Wigan defeat. Sprinkling sugar onto a turd wont make it easier to digest so I think we can all just agree it’s not the type of performance we accept as Spurs fans. We’ve all watched Tottenham throw it away season after season in some way. But it usually follows some promising and entertaining football to get excited about.
The blame game is completely unnecessary as there plenty of blame to go around. From the Chairman all the way down to the players.
The first thing a stupid person will do is look for a scapegoat.
The second thing they’ll do is boo.
And the third thing they’ll do is come on here, so I think we’re all adequately stupid enough to support Spurs. But that doesn’t mean you should go FULL RETARD and do all 3!
If you boo my team, then to me, you are no better than a gooner.
Increased activity in the transfer market is a must. I imagine nearly all of us are hoping that we can sort out this clusterf**k of a squad by January. We have some really good players but we’re missing those central attackers and a brain for Walker.
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
A shipping-out order might be an incentive to a few of our deadwood.
Too many players are content to play at less than full tilt because they know they will not be dropped.
A stong manager would drop those who performed badly last Saturday. Bench them!
That’s not a criticism of AVB – but a sad indictment of the fact that he’s only been in charge for a short while and is probably frightened of a player revolt – again.
Just bench the slackers. Dempsey. Siggi. Walker. Huddlestone. And if Gallas doesn’t shape up as skipper, then give it to someone else.
Lloris, Dawson, Naughton, Ade, Townsend & Carroll.
It’s all well and good criticising the play…doing something about it by dropping a few players is a different matter.
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
I wonder what was said this morning.
Personally, I would have had ‘em in yesterday to watch the sad event on DVD.
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
I would hardly have said anyone was particularly slack-inept maybe-but they were after all playing to instruction-it was only after Wigan scored that we looked like we meant business-but the substitution was the final straw for many around me-and immediately the apathy turned to hostility-not a good move and certainly not very clever.
I was hoping Ade would bang in a couple-but he really never got a chance anymore than JD did-no service you see-no mids performing anywhere near good enough, and why, because they were in the stands-injured.Leadership is however another matter-and as you say-Gallas is no leader of men-the goal I thought was down to him getting drawn out of position and no picking up the scorer-but his immediate action was to blame everyone else- I’d give it to Jan myself-or until Parker’s fit for action anyway
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C.O.T.I Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:28 pm
Increased activity in the transfer market is a must
I agree that 2 or 3 additions (striker please Mr Levy)would really help improve the squad but I wouldn’t say it’s a must.
we have good players, they just aren’t all fit.
If (hypothetically speaking) everybody was fit and playing well, we could finish top 4 easy.
The only must in the transfer market is to not lose any more important players.
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philmccrackin Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:29 pm
The blame game is completely unnecessary as there plenty of blame to go around. From the Chairman all the way down to the players..
The first thing a stupid person will do is look for a scapegoat.
LLL are you there? 
The second thing they’ll do is boo
THOUGHT YOU SAID,”The blame game is completely unnecessary” THAN YOU BLAME THE BOO BOYS
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 2:37 pm
I like the way even Livermore got some stick on here, and the poor sod wasn’t even playing!..Jeeze, still there’s always Turdsday night to look backwards to..Yeah, righto!
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Of course there’s plenty of blame to go around.
The real trick in dealing with what we perceive to be the problem is to choose the correct target.
Friedel had it right on Sunday. Blame the players.
Now, if I was listening to anyone about our performance on Saturday, I’d listen to someone who was closer to the problem than the posters who come on here and criticise anyone to whom they have felt animosity in the last six months.
I cannot even determine the differences in the fanbase anymore. Some want ‘Arry back and want to say “I told you so…” and others blame the Chairman for his transfer business. Some passionately blame the players.
Who in their right mind wouldn’t wonder where we’ll be in a few months time?
I’ll tell you what. With an atmosphere like we had in the last 35 minutes at WHL on Saturday it will not be onward and upward.
The lack of togetherness is so damaging we’ll be lucky to finish as friends by the end of the season. Fans and club.
Look at Blackburn and take note you booing people.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:12 pm
Right, we blame the players for Sunday. What about every other game where we’ve played boring, slow, unproductive, neurotic, toothless football this season? We continue to blame the players eh? We will need to replace a lot of players at this rate.
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Saturday.
You catch on quickly, L. May I call you L?
If you and Friedel stood side by side on the podium of the Oxford Debating Society on the Motion “That Tottenham players are to blame for the current standard of play…”
I know who I’d go with.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Said exactly the same thing before Saturdays game-It’s players who win games, managers can only operate/influence before and at half time. For example if JD had scored, say-after 15 mins, do you honestly think a half fit Ade would’ve taken his place?, of course not-he was thrown on out of desperation more than desire. Where I disagreed with AVB was not replacing Ade with Dempsey, and perhaps taking off Lennon for Falque would shaken things up although generally was a malaise sets in it’s so hard to change-so I was offski with 15 to go-couldn’t stomach either the performance or crowds reaction to it- a really bad day all around
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Pedantry will get you nowhere B.
Why don’t you instead answer the question? Friedel blames the players for Saturday. Ok, I’ll give him that one. What about all the other moments of dross we’ve sat through?
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Pedantry?
Wrong word, matey. The game was on Saturday.
You were excited and inaccurate.
What more could I say on being told it was on Sunday?
Sky have got a football programme called Monday Night Football where Gary will give his verdict, no doubt.
It’s on tomorrow.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:44 pm
Pedantry, yes, right word. I realized the mistake as soon as it was published but this board doesn’t have an edit function.
Pedantry the right word exactly as whether the game was played on Saturday, Sunday or Wednesday it would not have any bearing on the point.
But it’s easier to cling on to a pedantic point than answer the question isn’t it?
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
You keep asking stupid questions.
That’s why I gave up trying to answer them a long time ago.
I’m not a coach. I don’t have coaching badges. Nor, I suspect, do you.
If you want a definitive answer to your question…one that you might respect…then listen to Gary Neville.
If Sky give any airtime to our plight as a failing Premiership Club like you seem to think we are, then I’d be surprised.
If he says anything nasty about Huddlestone, promise me you won’t get annoyed!
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
Pedantry and now evasion, is that all you have?
I wasn’t asking for a professional appraisal, certainly not a ‘definitive answer’, I was asking for your opinion. You do have an opinion, don’t you?
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Of course I have an opinion.
We are crap at the moment.
We have injuries that are impeding our progression.
I have said it all this afternoon…read above.
You keep asking stupid questions.
Asking if I have an opinion was another one.
I’ll start doing five-bar gates shortly.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
You keep giving stupid answers. Or non-answers I should say.
I’m glad you’ve finally admitted that we are crap at the moment though, I don’t recall that admission previously.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:05 pm
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3205376/Harry-Redknapp-Spurs-are-down-to-the-bare-bones.html
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/injuries-cut-spurs-down-to-bare-bones-1916990.html
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/9219834/Harry-Redknapp-blames-small-squad-and-injuries-for-Spurs-sinking-feeling-at-QPR.html
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2012/02/19/2916571/redknapp-lists-injury-concerns-ahead-of-tottenham-clash-with
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essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
This was the game we lost 5-2 right?
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Looks like it.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
If so, it wasn’t injuries that cost us that day so much as inept set-up and tactics from Redknapp. We just tonked the Toons 5-0 at home so he went with the same line-up. A ‘wide open’ 4-4-2 at the Emirates. Sandro came on 2nd half to try and single handedly drag back a ship that had already left the harbor.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:59 pm
But doesn’t the score and the emphasis on injuries highlight the fact that without having well rested and fit players, especially in mid-you’re bound to lose against teams that are strong in the centre? And also reflecting that even Harry didn’t get it right on more than one occasion. Like you, I thought Moyes was the best of the rest and was pretty dumbstruck to hear he wasn’t even spoken to by Levy-but we’ve got AVB now and I don’t the club can sustain yet another huge compo payout or Levy remaining in his post if it all goes Bartlett
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Yes, the midfield is important – of course it is, which is why it was suicidal for Harry, with all of his experience, to set up like that.
There were plenty of times when Harry got it wrong, imo. He did do the basics most of the time, nothing more, sometimes less. Atm we aren’t even seeing the basics from a man who was sold to us as a tactical genius. That’s my worry. It was always going to be a potentially catastrophic appointment for Levy, and there’s nothing any of us can do about that now or in the future. Regardless, I don’t think avoiding discussing glaring errors of judgement and making excuses for AVB because you personally nailed yourself to his mast is going to help anyone.
essexian76 Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Woah Hang on there, I’ve nailed myself to THFC’s mast-I’ve never supported any manager-as they like players are just ships in the night. I’m suggesting that turning up with a ‘peel me a grape’ attitude isn’t the real point of going to ‘support’ your team.
I’ve never heard anyone other than Blackburn fans say’ I’m really looking forward to a shit game-so I can have a good boo-and hopefully DL will agree AVB’s out of his depth etc, etc, and I can post a huge “I told you so” I’d rather walk away peacefully than boo my team=personally I think it’s a detrimental thing to do and is in direct contrast of what we as fans a supposed to do-which is to support the team-last season I locked horns with a mustard crazed idiot, who, after a unbeaten run lasting from Sept-Nov was still slagging the side to no end-now that’s the level of support we’ve had to contend with-you, by comparison do make sense however-well mostly
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
I didn’t mean you specifically, or at all actually, I meant ‘one’, and specifically the likes of HH who will seemingly throw up any obstacle and diversion to avoid actually engaging with the issues of AVB’s tactics, playing style and decision making.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:11 pm
Ad infinitum
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Carroll came on on Saturday.
In the midst of booing (not for him) and must have wondered if he was wearing an Arse shirt.
A youngster who has now seen it all.
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
I tell you what, we should probably do away with management and coaching and just get a motivational choir to sing to the players while they train all week. Then replace the crowd with an all singing all dancing troupe and I’m certain the good football will start to flow. After all, this occasional booing and shouty stuff is the real cause of all our problems on the pitch.
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:40 pm
It won’t improve it, that’s for sure.
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
It’s laughable, isn’ it?
Reminds me of the England apologists blaming the nasty fans at Wembley for the shite that regularly gets served up there.
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:00 pm
And Rooney commenting on how nice it is to hear home fans booing.
Motivating. Envigorating. Uplifting.
Sponsor a player to Boo.
Who is yours?
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Billy Legit Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
John Terry.
November 5th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Injuries injuries injuries! I can’t wait for us to have stronger squad so the likes of wigan will get what’s coming to em like norwich, west brom and qpr did .
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
QPR cetainly got it.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
I was there and the only thing they got was stitched up. We were very lucky not to lose.
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Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
We won. Despite you.
LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Haha. Now it’s actually MY fault. Amazing.
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
If the cap fits…
Bruxie Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
You are being silly, now.
If you think we are awful at the moment, then so do I.
I have no definitive answer to the malaise.
A strong manager would drop the dross.
But you don’t agree with my idea of dross.
What more do you want?
You can always boo me.
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Booooooooo!
November 5th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
If your 6 year old child was playing the lead, Mary or Joseph in the School Nativity would you be there to encourage and applaud their efforts or would you boo and hiss every mistake, every need of a prompt, every hesitation and forever condemn the child to fear rejection, to feel inferior, resulting in the child growing up to become insular, virtually living in their bedroom, playing video games and only communicating by computer, constantly in fear of rejection…………..
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Summerspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
My 6 and 5 year olds are injured so I shall yell the fear of god into my 2 year old
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:02 pm
Were you that Mary or Joseph? Sounds like it. I’m sorry if it was you, but what a silly comparison!
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Summerspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Talk to someone who gives a shit
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Who was talking to you?
Razspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:18 pm
NN you’re the silly one for taking it seriously !
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TMWNN Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
November 5th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
I was that child and I expect more effort from our players some only on £200,000 a month ..shame
I expect more decisiveness from our coach.
Most importantly I expect better dealing by the Chmn in the tranfer window.
What do ENIC Lewis and Levy put into the club really ? Thats is a qtn by the way and I mean now not then.
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Spurstacus Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Im sure LLL will be able to provide you with an answer. Once he has broken your question down into more manageable chunks and made them bold.
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Harry Hotspur Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hhahahahhahahaha.
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LLL Reply:
November 5th, 2012 at 9:22 pm
Im sure LLL will be able to provide you with an answer.
This one has me stumped if I’m honest Spurstacus.
Once he has broken your question down into more manageable chunks and made them bold.
It’s funny because it’s true. Would you prefer something less showy such as italics? Or more confrontational such as
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November 5th, 2012 at 4:30 pm
Sorry twwwmmmmnnnw thought you were addressing me
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November 5th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
The umbrage being taken over the pantomime of pampered millionaires being booed by grown men is ridiculous, as was Rooney’s pathetic strop after he and the rest of his wanker team mates stunk the place out.
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November 6th, 2012 at 9:12 am
“Dempsey and AVB are virtually side issues…”
Well you would say that wouldn’t you HH seeing as you’re the one who proclaimed Redknapp to be a dead duck and AVB to be a tactical genius, and began your spiteful campaign for change. The quicker you deflect attention from AVB and towards the fans/injuries etc the more comfortable you can sit.
Whether we are depleted or not, the manager had a healthy chunk of quality to choose from, at the very least he should be motivating us to achieve when in the face of adversity (injuries etc), instilling a steely determination and belief that we can achieve and we will overcome hurdles such as injuries and form to get us over the line…even if it’s not pretty.
So far I see none of the above. Many anti-Harry made the claim that any old fool could have managed our squad to top 4…..and now the same bunch are making excuses for losing at home to Wigan in one of the most gutless performances I have seen in about 5 years (probably since we won the CC under Ramos and then cruised for 3 months)
AVB will get my 100% support. I have never and will never boo, although this weekend’s insipid performance was as close as I’ve been. However, I am beginning to wonder what type of “tactical genius” is unable to figure out a formation which includes 2 strikers.
I expect better to come from Spurs, especially as injured players return and hopefully we plug the obvious gaps in January. However there are worrying signs, IMO, that the manager is stubborn in sticking players in a formation that does not make the most of their abilities and has little desire or ability to successfully deviate away from his preferred formation/tactics. Martinez schooled him this weekend. They played really well, played 2 up front and took the game to us in a way that we aspire to.
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LLL Reply:
November 6th, 2012 at 11:42 am
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November 6th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
I don’t necessarily agree with all AVB’s tactics but I’m not a manager but I do think the players on the field really need to take some responsibility for the very droll Wigan game. There was moments were they all stood still, Bale was the only player making runs. When I woke up after half time there was a bit more action from the players … yawn.
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