I agree with the moral dilemma but for me, we should embrace them. Fine margins and only winners are remembered. I do believe we could have killed the tempo legitimatly though by keeping the ball better, knocking it about the back etc. We can do that, I've seen us do it many times when we are show boating our passing abilities..we need to do it when it matters. Games need to have in game management, it frustrates me that Poch doesn't do that at pivotal points. He managed it when he brought Llorente on to kill the game against Madrid. It was his shout last night to do something different at that moment and he didn't.
How much do we need an outfield captain and leader? Someone in midfield with big brass balls and some real fire would transform our team.
I thought we were getting there with a few of them having plenty fire in their bellies but it seems like it's haphazard passion and not controlled passion at important times.
yes i know about the standing on Son but PnP my point was in general persistent fouling is allowed in Europe. The fact the officials missed that incident doesn't invalidate the theory. On the Son incident not surprised no official noticed / was bothered by original "stand" on Son as may well have been accidental but surprised no one spotted the clearly deliberate 2nd go.
It didn't materially affect the game, and we won't spend weeks after the event watching every subsequent Juventus game hoping for repeat incidents so we can call them / the ref cheats etc.
As I repeatedly tell you all, the more the hacks do this, the better Spurs must be doing in all aspects of being a football club. The empirical evidence just gets bigger by the week.
The refs have been told not to disrupt the spectacle by sending players off, if they can avoid it. You have to do something pretty dangerous or outrageous now in games like these, if you're playing for one of the bigger names. I don't even think that the first bit of standing was accidental, honestly. He kicked him a second before and knows exactly where he is. Going back for more just makes it more obvious, to me. Not sure if there's any way that he can be done for it either, as I'd expect him to in a Premier League game.
Obviously, I'll disagree. Having a Danny Banchflower, Dave McKay, Alan Mullery, Stevie P or a Graham Roberts who is a real leader is a massive boost to even the best of teams.
Until the Laws are changed to make cheating pointless (ie by making the outcome of a foul worse than not committing one) then I agree. It's crazy that people have to wait on the sidelines after treatment while the thug who caused the injury is free to play on. Some rule like 5 opposition players needing to be in the opponents half at any free kick would stamp out most fouls
I leave delusion to clubs whose staff and supporters have a sense of entitlement completely detached from the on-pitch realities of their club.
The incident that pissed me off the most was half their team chasing the referree in the penalty incident. Why didn't they all get yellow cards for dissent? It probably was a penalty but it was nowhere near as clear cut as the pundits suggested.
The reality is that given the Rochdale performances I suspect Higuain and Dybala would have had a hat-trick each for similar play from him.
Those five players were also worth their place in the team on playing ability. The reason we've got eg Dier is because he is not as good as Mackay because he is not such a good leader. I think your comment is simply a truism that we'd be better with better players. I don't think someone like Mackay but without the skill would improve us at all.
The initial foul, coming through the back wasn’t flagged, neither was the final kick out noticed, let alone the 2 stamps in the middle, Gotta laugh or you’d cry......
Again, I disagree. A leader on the pitch [or in business or any other realm of team working] can galvanize and inspire and bring more out of players than they are capable of delivering without that leadership. History, sporting or otherwise, is littered with examples. Addendum: Mike Brearley was picked as captain despite his cricketing skills. I'm not advocating that but we could dearly do with someone who can bring that extra out of those around him, when it's really needed.
This Maybe the exception, because reserved wisdom is to select the best leader amongst the best players, but there are some classic examples. In cricket for example, Mike Brearley wouldn’t have made the 81 team on batting prowess, but his nous and leadership skills earned him a place - and probably won the Ashes as a result.
Snap. I had just amended my original post to include Brearley. He was 'the governor' for leadership and getting players to do what was necessary.