Comments on: Why it’s time to cheer up at Tottenham

By: Jarrell

Jarrell — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:56:25 +0000

A*VB didnt “make [Dawson] captain” in the way that you and The Sun suggest. He was asked whom would captain us this season, and his response was that as Dawson was vice-captain under the previous regime he would be our “reference point” – at the time I interpreted this to mean “i’ve just got here so shall go with what we have for now, but i might look to change that”.

By: Jarrell

Jarrell — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:49:36 +0000

I dont want to nitpick, but people have complained about the draws at the beginning of the season, conveniently ignoring that we’ve been dropping silly points for 2-3 years now. You say the we played those games without a strengthened squad…what if I said we’d played all our games this season with a WEAKENED squad? More to the point, why was a team that was as great as you suggest capable of going on such a poor run of form that we threw away third place? We dominated all of those games? Wigan dominate games all the time, and look how their seasons pan out…RESULTS are what matters, especially when playing with “a weakened squad”.
We’ve had problems seeing games out in previous years as well, not to mention the fact that this is a developing team…granted, it has been a serious problem this season, the stats cant be denied, but surely you should judge something like this over a season? AVB and the players have clearly explained that they are aware of the problem and are trying to put it right…i’d say that theyre doing more about it than I would have assumed, which is impressive on the coaching teams part.
AVB didnt “make [Dawson] captain” in the way that you and The Sun suggest. He was asked whom would captain Dawson this season, and his response was that as Dawson was vice-captain under the previous regime he would be our “reference point” – at the time I interpreted this to mean “i’ve just got here so shall go with what we have for now, but im open to the idea of doing so”. He didnt try to get rid of Hud, it was thought best to send him on loan to Stoke to try to regain his fitness…Villas-Boas has spoken very admirably about him, and about the possible Stoke deal that didnt materialise.
You cannot seriously judge a manager on 6 months at Chelsea. For christ’s sake, Scolari had one a world cup and was sacked after a similar period of time, would you lambast him like this?
My view of the team a the moment is this: The performances are the reflection of a good tactical plan being let down by players who are unused to being given detailed tactical instruction, and fulfilling “roles” within the team. This doesnt mean to say that they cant, and that this plan should be abandoned; it simply means that its going to take a bit of time. Being able to win games, and stay in the Champions League places while not playing well, and having a sizeable injury list to key players should be applauded and looked at with optimism, not your unconsidered rants. I understand your frustrations with the subs, I honestly do, but its a very delicate balance. If we’re 1-0 up and he puts on Falque/Townsend who then go and fail to have a devestating impact [which can happen with young players], yet dont have the experience to deal with pressure and give away cheap fouls/possesion, what would we say then? Putting on huddlestone isnt necessarily defensive…Huddlestone isnt a destroyer, he’s an immobile playmaker, and [previously] one of our most trusted players, particularly in ball retention [one of primary sources of capitulation]. I believe that now we’re far more capable of getting results against a variety of teams, instead of relying on form, individual brilliance and momentum. Harry’s team could be catasrophically poor when they werent on a supercharged run…Im much more confident now that we wont toss it all away as we did last year.

By: outlet

outlet — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:36:33 +0000

It didnt seem like his usual style until it hit the end of the trailer, and I liked the recurring sound clip of her mother saying shes a sweet internet marketer. Its so creepy!

By: Enforcer

Enforcer — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:40 +0000

well conceding 10 goals within 5 minutes of making those substitutions says otherwise

By: Enforcer

Enforcer — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:54:10 +0000

Kiwi I see your argument is less intelligent than Jays. If you actually read what I said I take into account loosing at Man U, Man City and Arse. The only person going on about being undefeated was YOU! If you honestly believe supporting someone blindly is the way forward then you are a tw~t. I support the team honestly, I have been to 100′s of games over the past 40 years and have earned the right to say when I don’t believe in a decision the club has made. I am also qualified enough to understand tactics (all of which can be verified by the main writer). your piece de resistance is the quote “they seem to think that with the team AVB has had to field so far we should be top of the table and undefeated” well guess what Johnny AFTER 80 minutes WE SHOULD BE TOP, FACT!!! If your “intelligent” argument had any more holes in it, it wouldn’t be called an argument, it would be called a sieve.

By: Enforcer

Enforcer — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:41:22 +0000

I don’t want to nit pick but out of the 7 losses you mention only 3 were actually defeats,and lets not forget in both the stoke and wolves games we actually scored legitimate goals in both games that were wrongly ruled out and would have seen us win. Again your matches are throughout a season where I can pretty much match you in less than a 3rd of the season. More importantly nearly all the games you mention should have seen us play them with a squad strengthened in January instead of Levy screwing the lot of us and making the squad weaker then appeasing us with Neilson and Saha, but that is a discussion for another day. Also let us not forget we dominated all but one of those games even Villa with 10 men.
What suggests AVB is a bad fit for spurs is the football he now has us playing, his inability to get things tactically right to see a game out, The bizarre teams he has puts out, the treatment of Dawson (make him captain one day then try and get rid of him the following day), his thinking behind Hud (try and get of him, then when you cant play him) and the fact we get a manager on the basis of ONE good season coaching in the Portuguese league before failing royally in the Prem. Are you telling me when he was screwing Chelsk up you were sat there wishing he was our manager? Was you bo##ocks. You were like the rest of us laughing our nuts off.
If my argument is “ridiculous, baseless, and unintelligent” then explain the performances this season, explain the tactics, explain the substitutions? explain why after 80 mins we would be top? All of those points are FACT. The only two things you have got right in your piece is saying points will be dropped and your name. Well done my friend, well done…

By: Kiwi Spursman

Kiwi Spursman — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 02:55:09 +0000

Nicely put. Some people will NEVER be happy. All these whingers and moaners (probably still believe in the tooth fairy and Father Xmas – as they seem to think that with the team AVB has had to field so far we should be top of the table and undefeated) should go support um? ah? wait a minute there is NO undefeated team! No team who have played attractive winning unbeatable football. Support the team – which means from the manager down or pi$$ off back to never never land.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:39:03 +0000

And after doing some simple math, we would have been 4 points off from the title had we won all of these games.
FIRE HARRY FIRE HARRY…ohh wait we did that

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 18:33:27 +0000

Then explain these losses to opposition last year, when we had HR, VDV, Modric, and King.

December 11, 2011
Stoke v THFC
Result: 2-1 (Loss, goal through Adebayor penalty)

December 31, 2011
Swansea v THFC
Result: 1-1 (Loss)

January 14, 2012
THFC v Wolverhampton
Result: 1-1

April 7, 2012
Sunderland v THFC
Result: 0-0

April 9, 2012
THFC v Norwich
Result: 1-2 (Loss)

April 21, 2012
QPR v THFC
Result: 1-0 (Loss)

May 6, 2012
Aston Villa v THFC
Result: 1-1 (goal through Adebayor penalty)

Were these not all teams we were supposed to easily defeat? Were these not considered dropped points. Had we won these games, would we not be in the Champions League right now? You can always look at every result in a pessimistic way. Points will always be dropped, for one reason or another. Every team does, it’s part of the 38-game schedule of the Premier League. It in no way justifies AVB as a bad fit for Tottenham, so your argument is ridiculous, baseless, and unintelligent.

By: Enforcer

Enforcer — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 21:13:13 +0000

but you don’t concede goals from the LB position in the quantity as you do in CB. You only name 2 games where Naughton may be to blame and one of them we only had 10 men. Willie G has been out of his depth all season and as CB is an integral part of the teams defensive spine he is largely responsible for anything coming down the middle and after it has been crossed in. Vert next to Dawson or Caulker keeps our spine looking strong.
I have never understood why some people invite pressure to see a game out. It is all well and good doing that if you are defensively sound but we have been outplayed in the majority of games this season, even QPR should have been 3 up before we had a sniff at goal so to invite more pressure and give the opposition more space to do it shows how naïve the tactics have been. There have been plenty of other substitutions this season AVB could have made rather than bring Hud on but it seems he does not trust Townsend, Falque and Carroll enough to blood them.
I agree we will only be able to judge fairly come May when he has signed the players he wants but I do fear like his predecessors AVB will get the players Levy wants to sign.