Sorry Brian its not going to happen - no replays in the quarter finals any more extra time and penalties if we get that far.
Today was just yet another reminder of how desperate we are for a new CM. Winks can't cut it, hate being aggy with "one of our own" but at some point sentiment needs to go out the window and the reality is that right now, Winks is far off the level we need him to be. Retaining possession is all well and good when you're in the lead and looking to see out the game but when chasing a goal he's pointless - and ironically enough it was he who actually lost possession today resulting in Dale's first goal. Without an in-form Mousa we are shocking in the middle of the park. The DMs naturally have no creativity (as to be expected), Winks is too reserved and not good enough to dominate a game - even against bottom of League One opposition - and the only other option is Sissoko which doesn't need any words. We also need to address the striker problem... Again. I won't lie, I was buzzing at Nando's signing in the summer as his pedigree spoke for itself but he's just been plain woeful, I don't think Poch has helped him as he doesn't adjust tactics to suit him but nonetheless it's not working out and chances are Nando will look to be sold in the summer. Poch/ Levy are going to need to have a sit down with the scouting team and really drill into them how pivotal it is to find a good enough striker this time around, we can't keep getting by with just Harry doing bits up top. I don't expect to find a back up striker who'll manage 20 goals in Kane's absence but I want a player who can positively contribute to a game and not look like a rabbit in the head lights. It's going to be tough though, I can't imagine we're going to have a load of suitors lined up for Nando (and Janssen) and I worry that the club may look at trying to offload before bringing in, which could prove costly if it's too late in the window and Player X hasn't had a pre-season with us. Our squad is finally getting there but these two positions are a massive problem for us at the moment.
I was wondering about Rose.Couldn't lift the ball into the box and he was way out of position for the first Rochdale goal and the wrong side of Davies for the second. Has that injury done him in or can't he be bothered?
By now he should be showing signs of his old self. Despite a few nice tackles yesterday and some half decent runs and attempted crosses, he doesn’t look anything like the same player. He looks overweight, sluggish, and lazy. Part of it does seem that he’s just cruising through the season now before attempting to get a move away. Strangely, as some one else pointed out, it’s a World Cup year. He’s risking not going as things stand. You’d think that’d be a decent enough incentive, regardless of whether he genuinely gives a **** about the club any more. Really surprised that he’s still at the level he is. God help us if we get an injury to Ben Davies.
I thought he woke up a bit once the substitutions were made. Totally pointless before that. Why? Is he pissed off playing for 'the reserves' or what?
The collective meltdown on social media and particularly HYS on BBC around the Dele 'dive' incident yesterday is in some ways amusing. It was a foul and a penalty! Get over yourselves! Unfortunately, his previous antics have brought this upon him and the club and it is another distraction at a time when we should be focused on other things. Pity he didn't learn from any of the previous chances he's had!
Still unhappy about the performance but now happy about the replay. Rochdale will get more gate money now, so a bit of Nemesis IMHO regarding the cost of getting a new pitch laid (Pochettino did complain about this after all) . Hopefully that new pitch will allow them to play the quality of football they need to escape the drop from their league.
TalkShite are back on the Alli agenda. I hate diving, I really do, but I also hate the narrative that Spurs and Alli in particular are indulging in it. Why have they continuously ignored far far more dreadful exponents of the "art"? We had this with Bale of course when there were worse culprits at the time, and of course he left. No doubt the persecution for diving was not the deciding factor, but can we be sure that thoughts of being able to do the same thing in Spain without any backlash entered into the equation somewhere? So whilst not decisive, I wonder if Alli might also think that if he went abroad he wouldn't get any criticism. Of course as far as TalkShite et al are concerned, they'll sooner or later do a story about whether we build up players too much in order to bring them down, missing the irony that they are one of the major, if not the worse, at doing this.
I was listening to that and it was nice when graham Roberts phoned in and had a go at Jim white and backing dele.good old robbo
These are my observations. Firstly, I predicted a banana skin for us (to my son) it was a small pitch and the Rochdale lads would want it more than our-paid prima donnas. They pressed the Hell out of our second-string, and left them blinking in the headlights of a head-on collision, in that first half. That said, I don't blame Poch. He has to play our second-string in real games, otherwise they are never going to build up the experience to make the grade. His gamble paid off, and we escaped with a draw, which I doubt Rochdale will bemoan too much, as they have a massive pay-day coming, and a dream ticket return at Wembley. With the extra space, our pace and superior fitness will most definitely pay off, and we will crush them. I hope Poch plays the same starting XI, and tells them that he wants to see an improvement. Each of those players will know that if they cannot demonstrate an improvement, their chances of starting a Prem game are practically zero. And, yes, I would include Llorente in that, but with the caveat that it must be his last chance to save his Spurs career. Wanyama, too, needs to buck his ideas up, as I thought he was very poor for most of that game. On a plus side, it was great to see Moura get a goal on his full debut. I thought it was a mistake for Poch to put such a slight player into a match such as this, but he was one of our stand-out players. And if he can mix it against the likes of Rochdale, he'll have no problem with the physical side of things in the Prem.
1. He and the club have brought it on themselves. There is the danger now of "boy who cried wolf" happening, when he should get a penalty and does not, and it costs a result. 2. I don't give an eff about what other clubs do. As a Spurs supporter I want the players to apply higher standards to themselves.
He's been out of football for a year, with a few stuttering appearances earlier this season. Erik Lamela was out for a similar amount of time. Seemingly, he's come back fit and firing. He looks really fit, can play nearly 90 minutes and is recognisably the same player as before. Is that because he refused to come back until he was really ready and Rose is 'playing himself back to fitness' because we need him to and there's a diminishing number of games before the possibility of being picked for what's likely to be his only WC, in the summer? Don't get me wrong, he was **** for 60 odd minutes and poor thereafter, is significantly overweight and I want him gone this summer. However, if we'd picked better and fitter players around him, we probably wouldn't have noticed how bad he was. MP has to take a large slice of the blame for not providing a more balanced team. Juan Foyth's just not ready for first team football. He's got lots of talent but lacks strength and experience of English football. Toby was also palpably not fit. Victor and Harry Winks are not yet match fit and in terrible form. So, our best defender was Kieran Trippier, our best midfielder is Moussa Sissoko and we're playing Fernando Llorente up top? It was the perfect **** up. That said, the same players should be given the chance to repair the damage on a decent pitch at Wembley, next week. Particularly the ones, like Rose, who were ****. They need the game time badly because, as you say, if Mousa Dembele, Eric Dier and Ben Davies get injured, we're royally ****ed without them.
Just for the record - for what it's worth - I thought that the foul on Alli warranted a penalty, which was correctly awarded; but that, having been fouled, he dived theatrically, warranting a yellow card, which was not awarded. Makes me wonder if such a yellow card has ever been awarded..... does anyone know?
Sissoko seems to have become a bit scapegoaty it seems. He was the only driving force yesterday because that's what he does, runs. I knew his attributes would be important yesterday. Rose has become annoyingly ****. his whole demeanour..I wouldn't want to play with someone who comes across like that. Sisokko gives everything he has. Their Equalizer was Toby's fault...who I thought was pretty **** too against a team he should be miles better than with his know how....coming back from injury so that's fair enough...kind of. Yesterday's team should have been good enough to dismantle Rochdale, I don't blame Poch...but then again, maybe I should...pick a strong team..id say this is officially the business end of the season...so matches count...instead there's another replay. At least Rochdale get a well deserved pay day out of it.
And it's another game for Wanyama, Alderweireld, Moura and Lamela to increase fitness. Another game isn't a disaster imo.
