I’m not entirely sure that should be a 17 year old on a regular basis. For a cup game here and there? Sure. He’s played just 60 odd minutes of first team club football against a League 2 side so far. To expect him to be required if need be to come off the bench when we’re in need of a goal against Prem/ European opposition is a massive ask for someone of his age. In theory and hindsight, we should’ve either done more to keep Llorente or looked for another Llorente type to come in for a year or so and give Parrott time to develop at a natural pace both physically and mentally.
Parrott wasn't I first team training today, so he's likely starting in the U19 game tomorrow Hardly a surprise, obviously...although we can't keep him at that level for too long with the Bundesliga clubs starting to hover
I believe Spurs should be doing their best to ensure parrot doesn't leave. And if that means he should be on the bench, then so be it. If he can play at international level, he can manage the PL and CL with some experience under his belt. After all, didn't Rooney and Owen establish themselves at similar ages?
Jose telling Eriksen he’s basically finished without saying ‘You’re finished’ Good on Jose, Poch should have been doing this. If we are not in his plans then he is not in ours **** OFF Nice one Jose
"To arrive in the final is an incredible achievement but it's not history. History is winning." Still pinching myself that this elite winner wanted to manage us Not digging Poch but I have to make the point because it was something that disappointed me about him..he really didn’t talk like a winner..it was all ifs n buts and lots of luck and yes we try and maybe maybe not ...etc etc Mourinho is in it to win...nothing more, nothing less
That should probably apply to Toby and Rose too though. Yet one started and the other came on on Saturday (Eriksen came on too). To be honest Jose’s done nothing different there to Poch other than be more vocal about Eriksen’s situation.
I guess Eriksens stinking demeanour is levels beyond the others And Poch was chatting bubbles only 2 weeks ago about Eriksen being the Eriksen he has always been..come on...who was he kidding and there was nothing to suggest Poch was going to make a stance at all. I think it’s very different to Jose’s intentions judging from his comments that he commits or he will find his chances limited Yeah he did come on...he’s off the free kicks and corners and basically is just making up numbers as and when it suits the management.
Jose literally said: “I’m not going to tell you what we said. Just me and him - and Amazon! He’s committed, loves the club and is one of us”. That’s not far off of Poch saying Eriksen’s been fine. Eriksen’s chances have been limited all season, so again, Jose’s done nothing different to Poch in that regard. One I thing I can at least respect of Eriksen is that he’s been honest and open. We know he wants out and hasn’t really made a secret. He hasn’t pretended he’s fully dedicated to Spurs by throwing a bunch of “#COYS” on social media like some whilst simultaneously refusing multiple contract offers. The sheer fact that rumours started surfacing of Toby possibly having a u-turn due to Jose’s arrival (and likely because no one showed significant interest) just stinks of a massive snake. His form has also been dogshit but gets massively overlooked for some reason. I’m not trying to defend Eriksen’s form but I think he’s copping a lot of slack from fans whilst others are getting off scot-free in comparison.
Dele's much improved performance on Saturday (with Lo Celso on the bench) and another lack of a performance from Eriksen, puts Mourinho in a position of strength to say that he's not going to pick a player who doesn't want to be here next season. It's a bit more difficult with Toby and Rose (now that Ben Davies has picked up a knock) as we're not overloaded with alternatives. I'd not want to see a defence of... Sessegnon Sanchez Foyth Aurier ...too often. So, we'll just have to reinvigorate the Belgian boys, who don't seem to have dropped to Eriksen levels.
The fact Jose had the option of bringing on Gio yet still chose to bring on Eriksen just shows that so far he’s done nothing different to Poch with regards to telling him where the door is. It’s all good talking a big game but ultimately Eriksen still came on when a player who wants to be here and impress was left on the bench. Toby’s been at fault for about 3 or 4 goals this season via poor marking. Pretty much gets swept under the carpet though. I’d have no problem if Jose opted for Dave and Foyth at CB, I can live with them making mistakes knowing they’re fully committed. Don’t think Foyth could be any worse than Toby on this current form too.
Nothing wrong with Toby wanting to commit under Jose...I can’t recall Toby stepping out of tackles or walking around like he’s a manic depressive stinking the whole place out. Eriksens negative aura has had a bigger impact than Toby’s therefore he’s getting more of the flack...human nature.
I think it’s very wrong. Wanted out for nigh on two seasons, form has dropped which contributed to poor results and thus Poch getting the sack, didn’t get the big money contract offer he was probably hoping for from other clubs and so now possibly wants to stay? If that ain’t a snake I don’t know what is. I’ll cheer him at games as I do every player but he’s possibly the biggest snake at this club. Eriksen has always bottled tackles. Even when he was brilliant he pulled out of them often, pretty much every creative player on the planet does. It’s only scrutinised now because of his poor form.
For me, Eriksen's form has fallen further, for longer than Toby. Last season, Eriksen's form had already fallen through the floor. Toby's form has gone alongside everyone else's this season. Maybe Mourinho saw enough on Saturday to realise that the Dane's just not going to respond to the change of management and he's 'showing him the whip'. If he can't encourage him to raise himself to some sort of form, maybe the threat of no club football before Euro 2020 might make a difference? Personally, I think he'll end up sitting in the stands for the rest of the season. He really isn't offering enough to keep others off the bench.
Our defence has been letting us down for longer than just this season. Pretty much since the bad run started at Burnley it hasn’t been the same cohesive unit and Toby’s been one of the regulars in it, so I’d definitely say his form has been as bad. At least up until this season Eriksen was statistically still delivering with a healthy amount of goals and assists. Even on Saturday, look how easily Antonio spun away from Toby. That’s the equivalent to Eriksen mistiming a perfect through ball. I agree about Eriksen’s form being dreadful and should probably be in the stands, I just don’t think he’s the only one.
I honestly think Toby has been on a natural decline coupled with bad form. To me it feels like Eriksen has just sacked it off.
I agree but he's probably the one we have the best replacements for. Mourinho's not going to be concerned with who has done what before last Wednesday. He's got to rebuild from what he was left and start winning games. Currently, Eriksen is behind Dele and Lo Celso for me. Toby's still ahead of Foyth, who I still don't see as a PL ready centre half. Rose is behind Davies but ahead of KWP and probably Sessegnon (it's hard to tell given his lack of fitness and form). Eriksen may look like he's getting it in the neck worse from Mourinho than the other 'rebels' but a good manager gets something from whoever he can, irrespective of circumstances. Eriksen's name is just further down the list than them.
He probably is and I think that’s partly why he now wants to stay. That dream move and £180k a week contract at Real/ Barca/ Utd/ Juve etc is long gone. If he signs a new deal it’s not because he really wants/ wanted to be here, it’s because we’re the best he can get. As I said I’ll cheer his name and support him at matches (even if he don’t sign) but I just think he’s possibly the biggest snake at the club. As for Eriksen it’s gutting to see how bad he’s been. I don’t think he’s deliberately being poor but his head is all over the place and he can’t seem to refocus. Problem for him is that this form and a potential dropping to the stands could affect his chances of a big club move. Which in a way would be a shame because he’s one of the best on the planet on his day but if he’s showing that the pressure of a failed move has got to him, that won’t appeal to many/ any elite clubs.
A starting XI akin to the last CL round should be fine. As always, I expect pragma over dogma from the manager, and the style of play from CL group stage opponents is very different to yer typical PL mid-table clash. Squad rotation again is very important as we get close to the Christmas/Jan fixture melee. I suspect Olympiakos will set themselves initially for a smash and grab potential win, and then adjust depending on how the game proceeds. Similarly I would like Spurs to set up the attack for a 1st half blitzkrieg (and thus make the above moot) .
I've decided to go tonight's match. Unfortunately, there were a lot of tickets to choose from. I haven't been for a few games now; partly financial (lots of gigs) and partly because I couldn't garner any enthusiasm to watch the lights slowly but inexorably going out on Mauricio Pochettino's reign. Tonight's the start of a new era and it's time to embrace it. I'm with my daughter in the North Stand (Paxton). I've been racking my brain and it could be that the last time I watched a game from there was the 9-0 against Bristol Rovers.....I'll say no more. We're in Block 512, Row 13, if you're in the vicinity...
It was definitely a struggle to go to some of the games, watching the Sheff Utd and Watford games with a non-existent atmosphere and equally non-existent football was rough. Thankfully was on holiday for the Bayern defeat (mate took my ticket, that game scarred him!). Excited about tonight though, first time in a while if honest. Fresh start and all that, hopefully Jose gets a great reception and he gets that much needed win to take us through. I’ll give you a wave from Park Lane block 252!
