YV As I have not seen AVB operate abroad I can't comment. I can howver comment on his football with us and it's not about goal numbers or any other stat. It IS about the sideways crablike slow move forward or the pass pass pass style. I am so glad for example that Bayern are getting thrashed by Real because I just hate the tip tappy stuff played by Guardioala he has IMO as I said the other day spoilt Bayern as a team. I try not to confuse clever tactics with exciting football. Football is one of the worlds most exciting sports, it's certainly the most exciting sport I have ever played, and reducing it to clever tactical ploys does not do it for me. Pace, commitment, skill, improvisation and sheer oportunism is the life blood of the game for me. AVB and his flow charts or whatever they are, NO!
I dunno. The idea that Bale didn't look excellent straight away is a myth. The Jonah thing was just people turning a statistical anomaly into superstition. Berbatov looked pretty damn good straight away too didn't he? Think he might not have scored for first couple of games but he was clearly class. Modric too looked very capable on the ball and the sort of player who rarely loses possession cheaply (often a sign of a very good player even when they're not pulling up trees). Yes there were concerns that his being lightweight might detract from his obvious ability but that's the point : his obvious ability. It is simply not true to say that those players showed as little in their first 20-30 games as some of our summer signings have. I dunno about anyone else but for me I misjudge players much more often by thinking they're really good only for them to eventually prove disappointing. It very rarely happens that a player displaying the touch, control, passing and shooting of Nacer Chadli turns out to be an excellent player. If anyone's got recent examples of players who go from looking like donkeys to eventually becoming thoroughbreds then please jog my memory. Just don't give examples of Bale etc cos I just won't believe you!
I am refering to the fact that people have called these players crap, maybe you didn't but others certainly did, including in the case of Bale Redknapp who was at one point considering off loading him. Often it is about opinion but recent players who have been described as donkeys might include Ramsey, Walcott, Sterling, Sturridge, Adebayor, Wellbeck, Gareth Barry, Boetang, those are ones that come to mind.
OK - I can think of BAE and Kaboul that looked a bit dodgy at first but became very good. But with both it was more to do with decision-making than anything else. Kaboul did not look useless - just way too raw in his first stint.
Welbeck?! Drogba was a donkey when he first joined Chelsea, De Gea got slaughtered and Kaboul was supposedly **** in his first stint for us.
AVB was just an example. If you haven't seen AVB's sides outside of the Premier League and don't think goals scored are an indication of attacking intent then of course we're not going to agree about that. My entire reason for using him as an example was the difference in results a young foreign manager can get in other countries compared to results in the Premier League. To be honest, I can't understand why you think goals scored are just a meaningless stat and not a good indicator of an attacking side but there you go. As you're just talking about AVB's time in the Premier League I'll repeat, I'm not saying AVB's tactics were exciting or that the football we played was good enough quality. Anyway, we're veering off one small point I was making regarding the prospect of us bringing in another foreign manager, and particularly a young one. Someone might look at Ajax and say "that's the kind of football I want us to play like" but it's likely not to get the same level of results in the Premier League and the manager needs to be aware of that.
You can add Fletcher, Vidic, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Henderson, Drogba, De Gea, Distin, Howard, Forlan and Kanoute to the list. And Cantona became a pretty decent player too as I recall after Leeds decided to sell for the same price United bought Dion Dublin for that summer. There are tonnes of factors that none of us consider in how players settle. Having a good manager is probably up there with them though and can our current players say they've had that. There's also a lot to be said for joining a stable squad.
Adebayor performs when it suits him, not because Sherwood has had anything to do with it. Ok, he put him on the pitch, but adebayor a performances are down to "point proving". - this time as an "up yours" to AVB. Youngsters, yes. As we've discussed on here plenty of times. I didn't say the squad would have got top 4. I said it was one of the best overall squads we've had in terms of quality and depth.
Brace yourself for a few weeks of Lamela and Soldado being branded two of the biggest donkeys of the season.
I find YV's point interesting, and something to consider when trying to guess how successful de Boer might be if he comes here. For one thing, he's given me one possible explanation for whey AVB had an attacking style in Porto and Zenit but not here (though I think, as I mentioned, that getting his key player yanked away shortly before opening day was unlikely to help). De Boer would certainly face a very different problem with a team consistenly just off CL pace in a rough and tumble but very talented league, as opposed to guiding the favorites in a considerably weaker and more technique friendly competition. I find myself wanting to know what would happen if we start next year with the same coach and key players who are starting now, only offloading those who are clearly good and not getting into the lineup (maybe one, two or three of Dembele, Sandro and Capoue, at least). There has been a two steps forward and one step back pattern to Sherwood's time in charge, and the current team has done well: four wins and a draw against teams they should beat, a bad loss and a narrow win in venues most teams lose in. I'm still iffy about the Paulinho-Chadli pairing, but Paulinho has improved quite a bit in a few games, at least, and Chadli at least gets the ball forward reasonably quickly. It seems likelier that team will improve than get worse. Most of the players are young. If either Soldado or Lamela can start living up to expectations it could be a very good team. I worry that we may miss the moment we should stick.
The guardian says we've made an official approach for De Boer, AND OVERMARS for the DOF role. - imagine if the appointment of Overmars is a disaster? We'd never hear the end of it. - I can see the "Agent Overmars" comments already! Apparently De Boer has also spoken to Vertonghen and Eriksen.
Yes, I agree. I've never quite understood the donkey tag attatched to him. O.k. He's not exactly world class, but he will always score you goals. A bit like Defoe, not the absolute best, but a regular and reliable provider of additions to your scoreline.
I think that you've misread that Roo, though I can understand why. It's not written very clearly. We've approached Overmars to ask him for permission to speak to de Boer, as he's the Ajax DoF. I bet he was ecstatic about that!
Official club statement denies us approaching any other club regarding a coaching appointment. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/club-statement-300414/ "Reports that we have made approaches to other clubs regarding coaching staff are wholly inaccurate. We have NOT contacted any club regarding coaching appointments. We regret that a statement such as this is necessary, however we feel it is important to clarify matters."
