Few things will kill you like bad finishing. But it's not creating any chances, as we didn't under AVB, that indicates systematic failure to me. We must have created six or even eight good chances today. If we start Kane, and continue to play Chadli and Lamela, the finishing should improve. Fair enough to say the defending was absolute **** in the first half. But it was partly caused by a change of system. In any case, Pochettino addressed my biggest worry by being willing to use two strikers. I felt that playing a high energy pressing and attacking game without much in the way of finishing was the root of our problems. Adding first an extra striker, then our best finisher to the team, should have helped considerably and did. A coach willing to change a losing game relatively quickly reassures me.
So what's stopping Poch starting Kane? Nine goals in all competitions and Ade playing what I've said since the start.....rubbish. Let's not get carried away with our "Comeback" yesterday because the goalkeeper had Kane's free kick covered. I posted yesterday that even if we did come back to win it it would still be crap and only Poch is talking up the "Character" shown by the team. NewsNow is talking about losing Vert and Lloris and dropping Ade so where are the positives? All the expert reports I've read say the same thing that the win papered over huge cracks and all those closely involved with football said that Poch is the right man for us. I'm at a loss as to why anybody thinks that. A cup is our best hope.
We don't need experts telling us what we as supporters already know. We got rid of our players who played for the shirt and kept skillful players but that doesn't help you win matches unless the other team are lower opposition. I do blame Poch as he is working with the players and picking the team and we have a decent enough squad. All these pundits who say it's not his team-well he had enough time to get players in-did he want Stambouli and Fazio? or were they Baldini's choices? He let Sandro and Daws go after these players came in so surely he thought they were an improvement.
Add Defoe to that. And these were not the best Spurs players when they were with us - far from it. But I'd make a case that they'd all potentially walk into the team right now. I mean - I just found myself thinking how I'd feel more confident that Krancjar, even now, could have more of an impact as a sub than most of our midfielders or strikers. Cos he's a classy footballer and can make things happen. For all our apparent strength in depth there are an awful lot of ex-second-string players who are better than our first team nowadays. It's not just the superstars like Bale, Modric, King etc that we're missing. Nacer Chadli would probably be one of the first names on my team sheet right now - that tells you something. (Have to admit - his finish today, on his weaker foot, was pretty handy). I have virtually no idea what our least bad defence would be now. Walker at right back? I mean is Kyle Walker our best player in our back 4 now? Absolutely God knows who our least **** CB is right now. That's one for a particularly tricky pub quiz. Goalkeeper aside I can't think of a single position where we don't look a lot weaker now than we have at any point in the last five years. And I mean really, clearly a lot weaker. It's like comparing a top-four team to a mid-table group of players. And that's no coincidence. I still live in hope that it'll start working and certain players will come good but that's all it is - hope. At least we're crap enough now that I'll be really happy if we qualify for the Europa via the league. It'll seem like a real achievement again.
Any "2" we play in a 4-2-3-1 would not be as good as THudd and Sandro (if fully fit). Holtby is exactly the terrier like player we need to galvanise a poor start and Dawson gave everything for the club, the type we desprately need.
Smack on Blue and lenny. I read the experts just to see if I'd missed something and I hadn't. I too live in hope lenny but I'm losing it for Soldado, massive disappointment.
I had huge hope for Soldado and still really want him to succeed but every game that goes by and he not only doesn't score but he misses the chances he gets, I too lose hope. Remember the days we said he doesn't get the service- how many chances does he need? Two positives from yesterday: We won WE SCORED FROM A CORNER
The headed chance came onto Sol very quickly but he should have done better. But with the celebrations after the second goal it proves that the passion is there.
Does Passion show twice in TMT's original post to everyone? It's weird, because it isn't repeated in the comment (in my reply with quote I can see it only once). Happens a lot.
Was my first time at Villa Park and what a first time it was. I initially had raised eyebrows at the formation, not because I was against a 4-4-2 but mainly due to the selected players. I thought at least one of Dembele or Stambouli would've earned a start, not starting Kane as one of the two strikers was crazy and sticking Eriksen on the right where he isn't overly effective was an odd choice, especially as it's only been he and Chadli who've been legitimate goal threats in the League. Anyway with that said, we started quickly and Soldado got a shot off after about 30 seconds so I thought maybe this is a sign that we're hungry to put last week's defeat behind us... Nope, it wasn't. With Mason and Chadli aside, I thought the team was very poor in the first half, the defence was absolutely horrible to watch, Rose looked like he was back to last season's form and essentially contributed to Villa's goal with his tackle from the wrong side, making it a pass for Nzogbia, and the other players couldn't win a single header nor contribute anything positive. Then we get a chance to level it with Ade's one-on-one but he decided to pretty much play a strong pass into Guzan, Soldado was becoming anonymous, Eriksen wasn't really getting into the game and Capoue wasn't getting stuck in to nullify the Villa attacks. On about 35-40 minutes we started chanting for Kane and I think it really influenced Poch to make the change 15 mins after HT as we were really singing his name in loud voice. I felt all three subs helped changed the game, obviously Benteke's sending off definitely done us a huge favour but Erik, Andros and Harry all helped put Villa on the back foot with their movement and runs at the defence, credit to Poch there as bringing Andros on for Etienne was a bold move, leaving essentially just one CM on the pitch and that CM being our least experienced Prem player (who looks a seasoned pro however, chuffed for him). Scoring from a corner was great and Nacer again showed why he was a potent finisher in the Eredivisie, popping up at the back completely unmarked and slotting it nicely beyond Guzan with his weaker foot. When we got that freekick in the dying moments, myself, my two cousins and our mate plus other fellas on our row all huddled together as if it were the final penalty in the world cup, when it went in, we went absolutely mental, my cousin obliviously punched me in the nose when throwing his arms up celebrating, my mate jumped on my back and then we got dragged down by the guys in front of us from what I think was a THFC Scottish Fan group, was an awesome moment and something I think we the fans deserved after recent weeks of disappointment, harsh on Villa as I thought it was a pretty even game in the end but naturally delighted to leave there with the three points. I think that's surely cemented Harry a start for Stoke... Hasn't it?!?!
In your previous post, the word passion shows twice, at the end of the line and is repeated at the start of the next line. I know it is not you simply repeating the word, cause if I quote it, can see the word is there only once. Happens on a lot of posts for me - yours is just an example. No big deal, but curious if it is only me that this happens to or if it is a site wide thing.
It only appears once. I'm happy to leave with the three points but not the manner of the win. I wanted 0-2 before the match so would have settled for 1-3, 1-2 with a deflected winner...........well it speaks for itself.
When I'm writing long posts, I go to the "go advanced" page where I can preview it to ensure I haven't made too many mistakes and in the writing section, a lot of my words appear doubled (usually at the start of each line) yet on the preview above it correctly shows them as a single, which is weird as I start to question myself if I've written it in double or not or if the site just wants to **** with me
Well this match is history and onward to Thursday. Nailed on three points when Villa come to the lane. Cheers for this thread all, good stuff posted on it.
I doubt it to which is why I don't agree with the high turnover of players that happens these days. Buy one or two each season to replace those who retire and coach the others to play better. But apparently coaches need to be 'backed' and allowed to sign anyone they like....just a recipe for wasting money.
Very good post RWAEB. I thought we were much better than them and made much better chances - the one-on-one that Ade missed (made by a fantastic pass by Soldado btw) and the header from a corner that Kane headed straight at the keeper, should have been goals as might Soldado's attempt from the cross that fell to him and Kaboul and Ade's goalmouth efforts. Against that they had only Benteke's misses from a shot inside the box and a header and one shot on target. Yet all the experts (and most Spurs fans apparently) agree that Benteke played much better than our strikers when he neither created a clear chance nor managed an effort on goal.
I don't think Kane's header should have been a goal..he had a lot to do...soldado just needed to get it on target..and Ade..well the less said about Bambi the better.
Kane did more within minutes of coming on than Ade did all game, surely there can only one choice to start in the league now. Kane - Soldado in a partnership should be the lineup for Stoke. Kaboul had another off day which was worrying. I don't like to play 'what if football' but if Ade takes his one-on-one then its a different game, but he was so bad yesterday. I still get the feeling that I could take or leave so many of the squad. Sure the likes of Vertonghen were sprinting over to celebrate when Kane scored the winner but I couldn't always see the spirit from those players when we were one down, or when we've been under the cosh recently. Sometimes it feels like Lloris, Kane, Mason and perhaps Townsend and Rose are the only ones who really care all the time, and it could worryingly even be the case.
This links in nicely with the point i made in the quick fixes thread about how we should be putting the youth graduates in. If we are saying "who should be in, youth grad or seasoned pro?" then the answer should be youth grad Where is Bentaleb?
