Hbic - Do you not understand "he was given" how many he actually played I never said...I also care not one bit about anything else you've verbally vomited either. This thread will not be derailed.
Yeah, that comment, or your lengthy rant about Dos Santos, doesn't in any way derail the topic... The issue with teams that park the bus is that our squad is lacking in options for changing the system in order to unlock the opposition. Look at the options for the right wing: Lennon - Speedy winger Kranjcar - Wide midfielder that likes to cut inside Dos Santos - Speedy winger Bentley - Winger who can (allegedly) cross the ball Townsend - Speedy winger Three of the options are like-for-like replacements, so if Lennon is finding himself coming up against a defender-shaped brick wall, how will we change that issue with Dos Santos or Townsend? They'd just run into the same problem because they're similar in style of play - and the same can be said on the left with Bale and Rose being remarkably similar in their style of play if that change was made. The only changes in personnel that clearly changes our style of play (for the better) is when Kranjcar comes in on the right, Sandro replacing Parker - and Huddlestone replacing Palacios for the run-in a couple of seasons back. The only other way we change our system with substitutions is when Defoe inevitably replaces VdV, and that's not so much changing our system as accommodating one of Harry's favourites. There are other options to consider, of course - Bale moving to left back as Pienaar comes on for Benny is similar to the Baines/Pienaar axis that's worked for Everton for the past few seasons, yet this is never considered even though there are signs it could work, not least because the two could combine to make mincemeat of the opposition right back who can't mark both of them. Most other teams have options on the bench to shake up the game when they're brought on, but that's the main failing of our squad - a lot of our subs are more of the same, which is useful if you're cruising with ten minutes to go and want to give somebody a rest, not so useful when you're 1-0 down with ten minutes to go against dogged opposition.
We were awsome for 2 thirds of the season....had we been awsome for all 3 thirds...we would be champions! that is not such bad going....i dont think we are that far off getting there.
If we were awesome for four thirds of the season, Alex Ferguson would complain about it, then exploding before anyone could point out his blatant double standard.
Hbic - I don't care how someone plays in soft, slow, tired after a season, International tournament football. Pienaar, see previous post, he wasn't happy in the dressing room, or in London. Why do you choose to ignore these factors, in this case your axis is bent and one of your wheels in wobbly. However, praise be to the Lord! I agree on one GDS comment...being bullied. Exactly what I saw in his EL apps....and that was on the wing!. Don't matter where you are on the pitch mate, if you're weak, you're weak, and being a latin, when touched, he does prefer to fall over looking for a free kick rather than stand and stay strong. Again he won't be considered for any of this if he's on the piss at the weekend, thus bleary eyed and consequently crap in training on Mondays. You really shouldn't blame every single thing on manager incompetence, its not always how it seems, shuffling players about robotically discounting such things isn't realistic. They are human beings you know!
HBIC makes an interesting point - I prefer that we mainly stick to the same system irrespective of personnel at the start of games so that we can have a settled system where everyone knows their role. However it is perfectly reasonable to take the risk of changing the formation during the match if things are not going to plan. So our squad ideally ought to have cover for most positions plus a few wild cards. Looked at like that then Defoe, Kranjcar and Dos Santos, who really don't fit into plan A as well as they need to, would be good to have on the bench.
Paying out large sums of money on employees who don't fit into your team is about the best example of management incompetence I could hope to come up with.
Systems? Players don't play systems, managers do. A player will play his game whatever 'system' is being used. He just plays in a different position, zone, or with instructions to track back or not. His ability to play a pass, control the ball remains his ability. It's up to the manager to sort this out not the player. You cannot stick to the same system irrespective of who plays because in Redknaps 'system' who plays IS the system. Lennon plays the Lennon 'system' Defoe plays the Defoe 'system' and so on. Defoe cannot play the Lennon system and vice versa and so on. As smart said earlier we are dealing with Humans here.
Which is exactly why Arsenal do better than us with worse players - they have a system which works and which their players stick to. We just have players.
First I don't think Arsenal did that much better than us did they? 1 point over 38 games (that could have gone either way) Take the cup games into account and we probably won more games than they did. The difference between these two sides is too close to call in pure footballing terms only the vagaries of ref decisions and luck separate them. Maybe Arsenal have more 'suitable' players than us, take into account the fact that one man (Wenger) has been picking the players for years, it's 'his' team. Redknapp still has to use many players that he has inherited to play his way. We all just have players, that was my point, placing them in a 'team' to the teams advantage is the managers task. To that extent Wenger has a much easier job than Redknapp given the time he's had. So it would be quite easy to argue that Spurs have done better than Arsenal this season overall.
All good points but even if Harry stayed for 15 years - he wouldn't have a system! His buys are haphazard at best. Harry is a good man manager and motivator and not too bad at tactics. But he is rubbish at strategy and media relations. Oddly he'd probably work best as a coach under a Director of Football.
Especially when it goes in direct opposition to your argument, eh? Players tend to be happy when they're playing games, preferably in the position that best suits their abilities and style of play. Neither of these can be said of Pienaar during his time at Spurs. I'm not suggesting we shuffle players around, I am stating that what we are missing is a backup plan for games where we aren't breaking down the opposition who have set up to stop us playing, and this has been the case for a couple of seasons. Harry's take on this is replacing VdV with Defoe, which doesn't help in any way - if the midfield is being pressed or Lennon/Bale are being kicked off the pitch, how does bringing on an extra striker help when the supply from midfield is being nullified? If you stick a square peg into a round hole within that system, you waste a player and that will affect your team - for example, our mishandling of Rebrov, or Liverpool's mishandling of Carrol. Which is why I suggested Kranjcar coming on for Lennon, or Bale moving to left back so Pienaar can play on the left wing - that will change the way we play which, in a game where the opposition have our regular gameplan scouted and nullified, is what we should be doing in order to win the game.
Especially when it goes in direct opposition to your argument, eh? Bit childish, no, not at all, if you think heralding a player who's been judged while playing the worst French side I've ever seen and a poor Sth Africa, as suitable for playing a fierce PL game, you are perfectly entitled to it. Its not one I will ever share...no argument necessary! Pienaar was unhappy in London and with cliquey teammates, who probably aren't god botherers like he is. Weird ****, but sometimes it happens, though you've ignored this twice now.
You still have to perform against whoever is put in front of you - be it a France side rebelling against their idiotic manager, a South Africa side who had hometown advantage, or semi finalists Uruguay. Yet if he played more often, he'd be happier and that would stop him being irked by whatever is irking him that day. Yeah, you're also derailing the thread by going off on tangients about Dos Santos and Pienaar...
Pienaar could only be properly judged after being given a proper chance. At Spurs, due to various factors, he has so far, not had that chance. If he returns, i hope he will be given time to prove himself. Personally, I see him as a welcome addition to our bench. But, probably not a regular starter when everybody is fit. If he wants regular football, he's better off where he is.
The thing is that Everton also play a 4-4-1-1 system (with Cahill playing off Jelavic), and Pienaar has shown he can operate in that system for several seasons - which goes back to the idea of moving Bale to left back and Pienaar onto the wing against teams set up to neutralise Bale (with extreme prejudice) as they would either have to move further up the pitch to clog Bale, or try to prevent Pienaar playing him in that means Bale has more opportunities to get forward into space...provided he doesn't cut inside time and a gain, of course.
You still have to perform against whoever is put in front of you - be it a France side rebelling against their idiotic manager, a South Africa side who had hometown advantage, or semi finalists Uruguay. ...and crushed by Argentina...a team with some decent players....glad you agree with me! Yet if he played more often, he'd be happier and that would stop him being irked by whatever is irking him that day. You're in his head are you?, playing more is not a miracle cure if you're generally unhappy, again, why can't you accept this, it happens a lot. For the record, I am disappointed it didn't work out with him. Yeah, you're also derailing the thread by going off on tangients about Dos Santos and Pienaar. My thread, I'll do what I ****in like!
