please log in to view this image Sunday 9th February 5.35pm FA Cup 4th Round Villa Park Richarlison rejoins the endless injury list. Neither side has any suspensions. Lineups for each side's last league game: Spurs: Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Moore, Kulusevski, Son; Richarlison. Subs: Austin, Cassanova, Hardy, Reguilon, Bergvall, Sarr, Olusesi, Ajayi, Scarlett. League form: DLLLLW. Villa: Martinez; Garcia, Konza, Kamara, Digne; Bogarde, Tielemans; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Watkins. Subs: Olsen, Zych, Nedljkovic, Swinkels, Maatsen, Onana, Jimoh-Aloba, Bailey, Malen. League form: DWWDDL. Ref: Anthony ****ing Taylor. VAR: Not in use in this round. TV: BBC1 and iPlayer. How would you like to line up for this one and how do you think we actually will line up?
Guessing this is will be Anges swansong...out of both cups in less than 96 hrs will be a pretty **** goodbye present
Ange’s comments make it seem as if we’re not getting any of the players who were unavailable last night back for Villa, so I’m hoping it’ll be something like Kinsky Porro Danso Davies Spence Kulu Gray Bergvall Moore Tel Son
Hope so, he’s not done anything wrong when he’s played where as Kinsky has made several mistakes. Probably best to take the young lad out of the limelight for a bit.
Nah I think he’s safe at least until Spurs get knocked out of Europe and even maybe until the end of the season.
We all know the big story of this game Marcus Rashfords triumphant return get your money on him scoring the winner.
He has to go, but when is a problem. Who the **** wants the job...and out of those that do, are any of them going to come mid-season into the current crisis? I'd very much doubt it. If Ange can limp on a bit longer, it would mean limiting the usual interim appointment of Ryan Mason, plus Ange might want out and go on the cheap. It also breaks the '18 month golden handshake' loop and will reduce the compo that the club will have to shell out. Daniel will enjoy that, unless we get relegated...when he will sack everyone but himself, write some ****ing nonsense in the programme and plough on building the hotel. Then, we have the summer to dither and get rejected a few times before selecting this year's chump.
Kulusevski needs a week on the beach. I've never seen a player look more exhausted, and understandably. Harsh to say it but Son offers literally nothing, simply a passenger most of the time. Scarlett up front, El Tel on the left and Sarr in for Kulu.
Least Porro got a slight rest against Liverpool. Kulu has been player of the season (Gray close second) but he’s needing a break
Another flaccid performance tomorrow and he has to go. We have a clear week before the United game and with players returning from injury, it's an opportunity for a fresh start to end this horrendous experiment. There's a prevailing wisdom that argues he deserves a chance with a stronger team, but we've seen ample evidence of how we play when we're at full strength. 0-3 v Fulham 0-4 v Newcastle 2-3 v Arsenal 0-2 v Chelsea 1-1 v Leicester 1-2 v Newcastle 2-3 v Brighton 0-1 v Palace 1-2 v Ipswich All results achieved when we were at or nearly at full strength. If we lose tomorrow, there isn't a chance Ange should be trusted with the one remaining trophy.
There’s no obvious replacement and Mason until the end of the season again isn’t the answer. As much as I think he’s not the answer, we are probably stuck with Ange until the end of the season. A post season and 2 year review should definitely see him and Spurs part ways though.
I'm fascinated by how many people believe that a new manager would make a difference with this squad of players any time soon. Our midfield is soft and/or inconsistent at best, and we will have inconsistent results until that changes, regardless of who the manager is. We replaced Skipp and Holberg, probably our most rugged, steely, midfielders, with Bergvall and Sarr, kids. As skilled as they are there is a reason both Conte and Mourino liked the former pair of players. They provided a firmness necessary in the spine of any successful prem team. Not saying they were great, but Spurs didn't improve on that type of player, and until we do we are relying on the defenders to provide that steel. It's clearly too big a job, unless you're playing your best pair at the back. We get away with it to a point when nobody is injured, and the goals are going in in numbers before we have to worry about the opposition, but when you need rugged brute force along with the flair, we are lacking. Pochettino without the Wanyama and Dembele pivot was the beginning of the end. If he also didn't have his Kane(Solanke), Toby (Romero), Jan (VDV), Eriksen (Maddison) and Rose (Udogie), all at the same time, we would have been absolute fodder. Can you imagine? The midfield core of the spine has been devolving since. From Wanyama to Dier, though even Dier in midfield provided a toughness in that spine that few have since. Sissoko and Winks was our midfield pair that often played on the way to the CL final. Yikes. Ange is not the perfect manager, he's trying to do the best he can with what he has. I think we become slightly more rugged when Archie Gray's consistency finds its way into the actual midfield, infront of actual centre backs. Bissouma needs to be strapped to a chair with his eyes forced open, and made to watch Wanyama's goal against Liverpool on repeat until he understands the level of bite and guile necessary to play at this level and be a success in this team. Sometime he does it, other times he's woeful. Conte saw it and trusted Skipp and Hojbjerg more. (From Wanyama and Dembele to Skipp and Holjbjerg, sheesh!) If any manger is going to succeed long term in the PL, they will have to make changes there for sure. Even one more body with a bit more solidity and consistency, plus dear I say leadership quality. Or just play Gray in midfield. To sack Ange before even that happens would be plain stupid. Ange out, Levy out, next manager out, it's boring, how about solid midfield in.
Spot on, my son and I have been saying this for ages. Blofeld will still sack him in the summer though....
Ange has had 4 transfer windows to sign a proper experienced DM. Spurs have the option on Johnny Cardozo yet didn’t take it up in January. He sold Skipp and Hojbjerg as they weren’t good enough offensively. I don’t think the manager wants a DM, he wants midfielders good on the ball that can go box to box.
The option for Cardoso can only be activated in the summer, though That being said, with various Ligue 1 clubs having FFP issues last month, there was certainly value to be found if we looked, with Maxence Caqueret available for €17 being an obvious example
