Llorishhhh!

SL, I do get very passionate about Spurs, but am over 60 now and haven't had a heart attack yet, so am not doing too bad on managing the situation.

 

This is again the press twisting things I reckon, so please bear in mind this is all speculation and hearsay, but I read somewhere that AVB didn't want Spurs to buy Lloris because he wanted to use the money to try and push through a deal for Moutinho and to find a youngster to understudy to Brad.

Now I would read that as him thinking that a creative midfielder had a higher priority than a new keeper over the last window not that he didn't want Lloris, because I bet if offered both he would have taken them, but it COULD be taken out of context as "AVB prefers kids to Lloris".

But other than that it's just Deschamps mouthing off.

 

*****philes #AVBsFault

 

I'm sure (unless my memory is playing up) that weeks before we signed Lloris, AVB said (along the lines of) that we didn't need a keeper, and if this is the case then we have a manager that:

A) is working with an assistant he didn't want to work with
B) managing players he didn't want to sign
C) missing out on his top targets

Hardly a well managed situation, if true.

 

How do we know A, Boss?

 

How else should he have answered that question re Lloris and Friedel? He was in a no win situation there. If he said that Lloris was his number 1, then he would have got stick for dumping Friedel after that performance. Also, someone like Freidel is highly respected in this country and the media back him a lot.

 

He should have said something like 'Lloris and Friedel are both great keepers and he was looking forward to working with both of them'. To indicate a preference for Friedel was a major mistake and IF it's true he wasn't that keen to sign Lloris that explains a lot about his less than enthusiastic response to our major coup in signing the captain of France.

 

Its true, unusually a coach was not given last say on his no.2, very odd, but thats how it is.

 

Well am going by what Spurcat said in another thread, ill try and find the quote but also I don't know if you have noticed but during games he ignores Freund whenever he trys to get his ideas across.

 

this is the reply Spurcat made

 

Was Di Matteo as assistant at Chelsea his choice?

Who can see Freund being our manager by the end of the year?

 

My clear understanding is that AVB did not want to start his time with us with an assistant. His wish was to come in, assess the situation and then decide who he could bring in as his assistant, someone who would be suitable for the job ans omeone who he could work with to bring the success we all want.

It's fair to say he wouldn't have appointed Freund becuse he had never met the guy. Freund was appointed by Tim Sherwood. AVB and Freund have had an uneasy start and a few first teamers are yet to be convinced with Freund.

Sometimes these things become public knowledge, sometimes they don't. On this occasion, I think this will soon become public knowledge.

 

This weekend at reading and next week v QPR will be very telling....and I am going to the QPR match...I don't get to that many matches due to costs (10 in a less poor season 5or6 in a poor season) I was at Martin Jols last match, Ramos' last home match, and Harry's last match....if we lose to reading and fail to beat QPR I could be at AVB's last match too...not that I am a jinx!!!!

 

Maybe Spurcat can put me right on this but I thought Lloris was a favourite of our scouts and AVB. Saying we didn't need a new keeper helped our negotiating position and also prevented any negativity to our keepers should we have been unable bring in a keeper(there were no negotiations for keepers when he said it, I believe). It was similar with our striker situation, when we only had 2 strikers, it was far better to say we only need 1 more than undermine the current strikers by saying we needed a total overhaul.

As for C) United, City and Chelsea all missed out on top targets too. It's normal for a team that wants to go for highly rated players.

 

You could well be right as wasn't 100% on that.

 

So if what HamburgSpur is passing on: that AVB never wanted a new keeper and instead thought the money would be better spent on a creative midfielder, then might I propose another potential villain in this piece - Daniel Levy. To add to AVB, the press, Lloris and Brad.

IF AVB would rather have spent the money on a creative midfielder than on a goalkeeper to replace someone who is very reliable and never misses a game then I'm with AVB. Of course Brad will need replacing soon. But his consistency and the fact he never misses a game makes it very likely that we could easily have got another year out of him.

What are his faults? He's 41. Well if he's still performing then that is just a number. He stays on his line too much? Well firstly careful what you wish for - Gomes loved to come out for that ball and have a good flap. Plus from what I've heard Lloris is not much of one for coming for crosses either.

I'm not saying that signing Lloris was a mistake - I very much think he may well be an excellent addition to the squad in the long term. But to sell Modric and VDV and miss out on AVB's preferred midfielder cos of trying to save a million or so - it just makes me wonder why Joe Lewis is apparently happy for his chairman to be appointed director of football all of a sudden.

 

Presumably Levy/Sherwood felt that having Freund as an assistant would help Villas-Boas to adjust to Spurs, by giving him an insider's view of the club.
If he doesn't trust his judgement though, then there's little point in him being there.

If their relationship hasn't started well and continues to deteriorate, then it wouldn't surprise me to see the German being given a different job at the club and replaced.
Continuing his work with youth players might be a more productive outlet for him, but such a move would probably draw more scorn for our manager.

 

PNP don't you think this 'insiders view' perception is overated to the extent that it is meaningless?

I mean there are no special ways at Spurs that AVB needed to be shadowed by Freund is there? The guy is a professional manager and he would be thriving to be let loose to do a job..he has had top jobs all his life.. does not need an initiation of the place.

And I would understand if his 'guide' was someone like Mabbut or King who bleed Spurs.

All this implies if what we are speculating Is true of course.

 

I watched most of the France game tonight to have a good lookat Lloris, he didn't have a lot to do what but what he did, he did excellently, including a brilliant and crucial save at 0-0. The only goal he conceded was a penalty, which he saved well initially, but the rebound was put in betwen his legs.

IF AVB didn't want Lloris, then I despair. I'd rather we got Lloris than Moutinho, though would have preferred both of course.

Also if AVB really believed that we only needed Adebayor, Defoe and Kane, then I have to wonder what planet he's on. We got Dempsey which was great, but we needed another line leader striker too.

I still have this awful feeling that AVB actually thought JD could lead the line for us in the Prem.

I remain distinctly unhappy with AVB, as well as ENIC.

 

I agree. I think an "insider's view" is not much use really. I mean there are lots of footballers who have been at clubs for a long time but that doesn't necessarily mean that they've really picked up any useful insights as to how/who to get things done. Plus any insights he would have about staff etc (if he had gained them) would be about ten years and three or four managers out of date!

Dalglish bleeds Liverpool. For every club you could name three or four ex-players who have a long relationship with their club but if I was appointing the next manager of Arsenal I wouldn't immediately think "Oh, Tony Adams was here for a long time - he'll definitely be a good assistant coach.

Well, actually, if it was me that was making the decision then the dream team of Adams and Wright would definitely get the job.

And, sorry but I would not want King to be assistant boss simply based on what a great servant he's been for the club. I love Ledley and want it to stay that way! Same with Mabbutt.