Rival watch

[PleaseNotPoll]

I wouldn't call either of them world class either, but I retain that for a very small number of players.
The Premier League doesn't have many at the moment, with maybe Toure, Cech, Bale, van Persie and Ashley Cole in that bracket and a few others pushing for it.

Paulinho and Soldado are clearly very, very good players, though. Not sure many people would argue with that. Most Goons would have them in their side.

 

[Spursguru]

Apparently Podolski is out for 10weeks now.

I think it very likely they will buy a striker, and they seem confident they can get Di Maria.

Despite their injuries (and my biggest wishes), I suspect they will still be able to cobble a more than decent side on sunday.

 

[Spurm]

I wouldn't call either of them world class either, but I retain that for a very small number of players.
The Premier League doesn't have many at the moment, with maybe Toure, Cech, Bale, van Persie and Ashley Cole in that bracket and a few others pushing for it.

Paulinho and Soldado are clearly very, very good players, though. Not sure many people would argue with that. Most Goons would have them in their side.

Suarez and Mata too i think.
Not so sure about Cech any more. Before his head injury, definitely.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

Our side has got to gel, and we're not going to see the best of it until it does. That said, AVB has probably had the best transfer window of any Spurs manager in history (if we sign the other three players with whom we've been linked), and he has clearly had some say on who has come in and who has left. This is going to be his team, molded to fit his vision. We're going to find out not only how good individual players are, but how good AVB is at putting a team together.

Frankly, I am very confident he will succeed, and I am extremely excited.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

Anyone else tempted to dig out that 'AVB is a clown' thread?

 

[Hoddle is a god]

Anyone else tempted to dig out that 'AVB is a clown' thread?

But he was a clown, back then. It's also on record that I, like most of us, was extremely skeptical that AVB was the right man for this club. He's proved us wrong, and we've eaten our words.

FFS! Isn't anyone allowed to change his opinion on this site?

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

But he was a clown, back then. It's also on record that I, like most of us, was extremely skeptical that AVB was the right man for this club. He's proved us wrong, and we've eaten our words.

FFS! Isn't anyone allowed to change his opinion on this site?

Calm down, dear. It's only a comment!

It's nice to see someone change their opinion, actually. Some people stick with their initial impression forever, regardless of what happens.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

Apparently Podolski is out for 10weeks now.

We expected that AFC's paper-thin squad would be found-out during this season, but I certainly never expected it would be so early into the season. Arsenal is really going to struggle. I can see them being forced to play a couple of the ball-boys, in the run up to Xmas, simply to make up the numbers.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

It's nice to see someone change their opinion, actually. Some people stick with their initial impression forever, regardless of what happens.

Indeed. We see that on the Gooner and Chav boards, where posters adopt a position and will hold on to it, despite that position being proven unsound. Also, there is a certain type of poster who seems to believe that opinions are written on stone,and that once debated on this site become laws that define the holder, never seeming to appreciate that a prime purpose of a debate is to enable posters to test their opinions and, if those posters are man enough, to give them the ability to amend or even completely change those opinions.

 

[Daveunited]

HIAG I suppose you want Arsenal to get the toughest group possible today then

 

[redwhiteandermblue]

Indeed. We see that on the Gooner and Chav boards, where posters adopt a position and will hold on to it, despite that position being proven unsound. Also, there is a certain type of poster who seems to believe that opinions are written on stone,and that once debated on this site become laws that define the holder, never seeming to appreciate that a prime purpose of a debate is to enable posters to test their opinions and, if those posters are man enough, to give them the ability to amend or even completely change those opinions.

A beautiful realization belabored me about the head and shoulders with a baseball bat once, which is that nobody gives you any money for being right; well, nobody not involved with investment/gambling, anyway. So why not try to learn something, and be glad to see the error in your ways?

 

[NSIS]

But he was a clown, back then. It's also on record that I, like most of us, was extremely skeptical that AVB was the right man for this club. He's proved us wrong, and we've eaten our words.

FFS! Isn't anyone allowed to change his opinion on this site?

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Many of us thought Levy had lost his marbles when he hired AVB. As much as I was sceptical, I said, well we've got the guy whether we like it or not, let's at least give him a chance.

I'm still not convinced that he's The Messiah or something. He's made too many glaring errors for that. But, the guy seems willing to accept and learn from is mistakes, which can only be a good thing. This season will be the real test. Minus Bale, obviously, and assuming we get Lamela et al, he now has pretty much he squad he wants. So, no hiding places now.

But, all in all, well done Mr. Levy.

 

[No Kane No Gain]

Yeah, I'd agree with that. Many of us thought Levy had lost his marbles when he hired AVB. As much as I was sceptical, I said, well we've got the guy whether we like it or not, let's at least give him a chance.

I'm still not convinced that he's The Messiah or something. He's made too many glaring errors for that. But, the guy seems willing to accept and learn from is mistakes, which can only be a good thing. This season will be the real test. Minus Bale, obviously, and assuming we get Lamela et al, he now has pretty much he squad he wants. So, no hiding places now.

But, all in all, well done Mr. Levy.

Well put

 

[Spurm]

I don't think AVB has proved anyone wrong or right quite yet. Perhaps changed a few perceptions (eg, impersonal, stubborn etc were a few of the things being thrown around)
I liked the appointment from the beginning though, just saying

 

[Hoddle is a god]

HIAG I suppose you want Arsenal to get the toughest group possible today then

I've been praying all night for it, Dave.

 

[PleaseNotPoll]

PSG, Dortmund and Sociedad, please. If not, then one of Milan/Atletico, Zenit/Leverkusen and Napoli, ta.

 

[Boss]

I still don't completely like AVB, but I've started to gain abit more respect for him and accepted his more dour/professional approach, even if its not that entertaining has its merits, not just in team set-up but also the way he conducts himself.

I always prefer the Redknapp type way, the manager who speaks before he thinks (even if hes right), someone that allows players to express themselves and is attack minded, and the feel around the club in whole when we had VDV, Modric, Bale, King and co is still one of the best actual periods in recent years.

But thats now all the past and AVB is building his team, with his players and this season will tell us just how good AVB is, in terms of creating a team unit which isn't focused on one player for success.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

I'm still not convinced that he's The Messiah or something. He's made too many glaring errors for that.

Hence my (now) infamous "clown" thread. He was persisting with a tactic that had failed him the ten times he used it previously. From recollection, he was going with one striker up front and it was costing us dearly, as our team had been set up, for years, to play 4-4-2, and we didn't have the players to fit that system. It's clear that AVB prefers to play 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1, and the many variants of those systems, all of which utilise a lone striker; and it is clear enough to me that that is the thinking behind many of the player choices that have come into the squad, and the reason for those who have departed it. But at the time, AVB was shoe-horning players into a system that they could not play, and it was costing us. Many of us questioned his tactical acuity, because there was a point at which he really didn't seem to know what he was doing. It would now appear that he was using last season to test the boundaries of the squad that he had at his disposal and how many of the players he would turn to play his preferred system. In retrospect, I think he did fantastically well to finish with so many points, bearing in mind the constraints that he was obviously playing under.

This season, having the players at his disposal to play the system he wants to play, I expect to see some great things from this team.

 

[Spurm]

Hence my (now) infamous "clown" thread. He was persisting with a tactic that had failed him the ten times he used it previously. From recollection, he was going with one striker up front and it was costing us dearly, as our team had been set up, for years, to play 4-4-2, and we didn't have the players to fit that system. It's clear that AVB prefers to play 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1, and the many variants of those systems, all of which utilise a lone striker; and it is clear enough to me that that is the thinking behind many of the player choices that have come into the squad, and the reason for those who have departed it. But at the time, AVB was shoe-horning players into a system that they could not play, and it was costing us. Many of us questioned his tactical acuity, because there was a point at which he really didn't seem to know what he was doing. It would now appear that he was using last season to test the boundaries of the squad that he had at his disposal and how many of the players he would turn to play his preferred system. In retrospect, I think he did fantastically well to finish with so many points, bearing in mind the constraints that he was obviously playing under.

This season, having the players at his disposal to play the system he wants to play, I expect to see some great things from this team.

Spot on.

This is also why i can see Lennon getting shipped out. I think Townsend has more goals in him than Lennon, and so does Lamela and Chadli. With 1 proper striker you need the other 2 of the front 3 to chip in with goals, like 10-15 of them each if possible.
Dempsey wasn't, erm, dynamic(?) enough to fit the formation.
Hudd was too slow
Livermore was too much of a workhorse and not enough of an all-rounder.
Caulker (and Dawson to a certain degree, who AVB was prepared to let go) perhaps weren't cultured and "ball playing" enough
Benny isn't quick enough
Brad isn't sweepery enough
Defoe and Ade weren't prolific enough

The problems relating to personel fitting into the system are getting addressed very, very swiftly

 

[remembercolinlee]

I thought avb would be like ramos but without the trophy so i am very glad to have been proven wrong....maybe he'll go on this season to prove chelsea were to quick to ditch him...but i ain't holding my breath...