Match Day Thread Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough

A number of those chances came against a young keeper in incredible form.

Night

 

I don't think winning margins mean much. If they did, we would have won the league last year.

Pochettino has a plan which is clear enough, I think. Last year he ran his midfielders and attackers into the ground, but had excellent results rotating his fullbacks. This year he'll rotate his attacking and midfield players.

 

Regarding their goal, for some reason those incidents in the box are not seen as fouls. I'm not claiming we were discriminated against there because I would hope that the ref would have given a goal to us if one of our players had flattened a defender in scoring. But isn't it the case that if the same incident happened outside the box, it would have been given as a foul? Same thing for overhead kicks - in the box a brilliant goal - outside the box it's dangerous play. Yet I don't think the rules are different for those incidents inside and outside of the box (perhaps someone more familiar will tell me). It's one of those things that tend not to be given BUT because it's actually a foul, it gives the ref the subconscious opportunity to favour a team if he wants. So would it have been a foul if a Middlesbrough player when scoring had flattened a United defender at Old Trafford when Fergie was in charge?

 

Leicester won loads of games 1-0 last season and look what it got them. Only the bloody title!

Large winning margins are nice and all and make the fans life easier. But 3 points is far more important.

 

Ok Moorpheus.

 

Not just me that thought it was a foul then. Obviously it wasn't 'big team bias' just another case of incompetence just as it was with the penalty claim and missing the foul on Walker before booking him for deliberate handball.

 

Was thinking precisely the same myself with all 3 incidents. I was surprised the ref couldn't think up a reason to disallow our goals too.

 

If you care to don your tin hat , I might argue that the big team bias (if it exists) ought to work against us, as we're the team likeliest to push one of the five richest teams down the table. I'm sure not being awarded a pen this year despite dominating play, while our opponents have gotten one, has nothing to do with that. Similarly, Chelsea edging us by two points the year they were given the equivalent of 15 more pens was entirely on the up and up. And anyone who says the new rule is no wrestling the richest teams' players in the box is being paranoid.

 

I'll take that as a 'Pochettino wore a tracksuit during the game yesterday' .

 

Son's second goal yesterday is one of those goals which get better each time you see it again.

It had skill, it had determination, confidence, he always seemed to know what he wanted to do and then the finish was superb.

And as an added bonus, he was clean shaven on a match day, always a good sign.

 

But the hair dye is hardly regulation <Spurcat> , is it.

 

Probably for the best. Going unshaven in that monstrosity of a kit probably leaves you looking like an escaped convict.

 

It's one of the worst kits we have ever had imo.

 

Agreed but the home and away kits more than make up for it; I am a massive fan of both.

 

Surely the one with Admiral logo all over the place was the worst?

 

I love the home one.

 

I'd forgotten about that one. I didn't care for the brown one of about 5/6 years ago either.

 

Brown is always a fashion faux pas

 

And the itchiest (based on all the kids round my way who had the shirt) .