Add to that - we haven't exactly failed if you look at our points tally. We didn't perform in some crucial games but that is no different than previous seasons.
There's no getting away from the fact that Sherwood has done well for us results wise in the league but the performances and style of play haven't often been there. One of the biggest problems we've had is starting games slowly and for me that points to the players not being prepared for how the opposition will set up. The closest Sherwood has come to setting us up with the opposition in mind is against Liverpool, the form team in the league when he told our players to sit back and defend, despite starting an attacking line up with no defensive midfielder to protect the back 4. In other games we've become reliant on the opposition not finishing the chances they create against our unprepared side, or hoping our strong attack bails us out. Against Benfica there was no sign that Lucio was even seen as a threat from set pieces as the duty of marking him got passed onto the invisible man time and time again. None of this "it's good to win ugly" nonsense, Arsenal were doing that in January and Ferbuary and then the wheels really came off because Wenger wasn't trying to change anything in the meantime. A good manager doesn't just react when the results go bad, a good manager reacts before the results go bad. I've said time and time again this season that there's a lot of quality in this squad but we need an experienced manager to really get the best out of them. We tried the learning on the job approach with AVB and decided we weren't prepared to wait for him to get it right. I think we'd be fools to commit to Sherwood given that he seems to prefer to insult our squad "no guts", "they don't try", "much of a muchness", etc when he makes mistake after mistake. Keeping Sherwood isn't a risk we can afford to take as half the squad will be gone in the summer and the other half will go in January rather than have to put up with the public jibes of a poor manager every week.
"I've said time and time again this season that there's a lot of quality in this squad but we need an experienced manager to really get the best out of them. We tried the learning on the job approach with AVB and decided we weren't prepared to wait for him to get it right. I think we'd be fools to commit to Sherwood given that he seems to prefer to insult our squad "no guts", "they don't try", "much of a muchness", etc when he makes mistake after mistake. Keeping Sherwood isn't a risk we can afford to take as half the squad will be gone in the summer and the other half will go in January rather than have to put up with the public jibes of a poor manager every week." More or less. None of this precludes Sherwood becoming a good manager in the future. And it would be nice if he could develop from within the club. But at the moment all I see is part chancer / part egomaniac. And that can only be tolerated (within reason) when you have the CV to back it up.
If only Sherwood's talent were half as big as his self-deluded ego, he'd still be one hell of a manager...
I'm not wumming. I don't believe Sherwood is the man to take us forward but the stick he gets on here is unbelievable. Its as though the only reason we haven't got top 4 is because of him. As for the best squads we've had, have you watch any game this season. Decent cover in every position I don't think so Goalkeeper - Freidel, decent keeper but he's 40 ffs Right back - Naughton! Left Back - Fryers! Centre backs - ok if all fit (although Dawson cant deal with pace,Vertoghen couldn't give a ****, Kaboul brill if fit, Chriches always has a mistake in him) Centre Mid - Good no problems there Left mid -Good as above Right Mid - only Lennon can play there Strikers - Soldado/Kane not good enough for top 4 We've a very good first 11 but the squad isn't up to it
anyone who think that oxygen thief is a great bloke is either....... A . Blind B . Stupid C . Taking the pi$$ D . All of the above.
Sorry but there is no way this is one of the best squads we've had. I think we would have to go back to pre-Jol days to see a weaker team. Who are our match-winners right now? I count two - Ade and Eriksen. And neither of them is as good or as consistent as what we've had in the relatively recent past (when we had Keane/Berbatov, say, or VDV, Bale etc). Put it this way - any players we have now who Real Madrid, City or Chelsea are gonna be bidding 30m+ for this summer? I just don't think any of our players are all that special. Eriksen's improving but he's not there yet. The rest are, as Sherwood unfortunately felt the need to publicise, "much of a muchness".
Ok, you keep telling everyone how Sherwood gets too much stick, so please can you explain the positives he's brought to the team since he took over? As for cover, you're right. We need 2 or 3 players. But so does every team. We'll always find flaws with what we have, it's the nature of being a fan. But overall this squad has a lot of potential. For example, writing off soldado after 1 season of (you guessed it) poor management, is unfair. He scored over 25 goals per season in Spain for 4 consecutive seasons. You don't turn **** overnight. - but playing in a team where you are isolated on the pitch, and not being able to play to your strengths, is bound to shatter your confidence. Well we've sold our £30m players too often recently, so it's no wonder we're struggling to think of who's next. - we haven't got any left. But Lloris could well be up there, and so will Eriksen soon. I'm surprised you're writing off this squad Lenny. We've barely seen the likes of lamela and capoue. Holtby's gone out on loan, which is also ludicrous. For me, most of the negatives we've seen this season come from the management. AVB and Sherwood have their own ideas and preferences which is fair enough, but it was levy who chose to employ them both. £100m on players and then the manager only gets 6 months? Then we hire in a novice whose isolated more players with his big mouth and own agenda. The mess comes from the top, IMO and it's bound to affect performances on the pitch. - hence vertonghens **** attitude.
Clive Allen has said "if I was a betting man, I'd have my money on Carlo Ancelotti" (to be the new spurs manager) Thanks for that Clive. - absolute belter! He also said "There won't be just the one option, because if Van Gaal was on their list, that's gone now, his move to Man United is done."
THis squad is so good that despite having a very poor season with a management change in the middle we are still not far off 4th and our points total is still up there with the so called better squads. Once again people are premature in their judgement of players. Modric was too lightweight, Bale was a Jonah, Berbatov is lazy, Paulinho is crap, Lamela is a waste of money, and so on. Next season will tell, I'm looking forward to it with our crap squad.
gossip is saying the Saint's manager is our no 1 target as the new manager,apparently Levy doesn't rate Moyes,i have been told
Our squad is average to good, we have players like Naughton, Rose that look championship level . We have no game changers but maybe Eriksen can step up before he is sold . A quarter century of false dawns has broken our optimism of any success without massive change which we all realise will never happen. The teams above us will truly strengthen and unfortunately are out of touch ( not a buy to sell policy). Pessimism has become our once cavalier club,s middle name. We fight with a pop gun against tanks .
"THis squad is so good that despite having a very poor season with a management change in the middle we are still not far off 4th and our points total is still up there with the so called better squads." The reality of the "and yet" . Of course, all our so-called rivals will "strengthen" this summer (as they have done for the past 5 seasons) . And yet ...
I still think the squad is very good. We don't have the standout individual like we did when we had a Berba/ Modric/ Bale - though Eriksen is fast becoming one - but we do have a squad filled with exciting talent that has either been poorly managed or they themselves have failed to meet their potential/ past form. It's an old cliché with Spurs but next season could be interesting depending on who we still have and who's in charge.
"It's an old cliché with Spurs but next season could be interesting depending on who we still have and who's in charge." Ironically, tis Arry himself in a moment of sarkiness who has succinctly stated the increasing progression in squad strength since BMJ got us to Lasagna-gate : Any decent manager should be able to get 4th with that squad.
There you go again. No game changes apart from Eriksen! well one is good enough in most teams but we have the potential for 2 or 3 more in the current squad.
"Oh ye of little faith." More like the perceived Levy attitude on managers is increasingly vindicated.
