Although such attributes play their part, am I the only one who's sick of Sherwood apparently focusing on them as a priority? He's like one of Harry Enfield's 1950's caricatures. Except unfunny. COYS
Those things should be a given, IMO - a basic minimum requirement. Don't get me started on Sherwood, or the idiot who appointed him, or we'll be here all day!...
It does get tedious after-while, there comes a point when you can only say so much and it doesn't matter how often Sherwood talks about atiitude as it won't install such attitude in the players or turn them into never say die fighters who refuse to get beaten! Its naive of him and hes taken his AMITA (Attitude is More Important Then Ability) from coaching the kids to the 1st team. However that type of belief does work with coaching the kids as the younger players won't get anywhere if their attitude isn't right, it will get the better of them and effect their career, just first team players will have heard all this before and having their desire questioned won't work. It will work with young lads who are wet behind the ears, but not with the first team, even if what Sherwood has said has been honest and correct at times.
I want a win, as unlikely as it may seem. I thought we had lots of energy against Benfica, thanks to the high pressing, high risk tactics. But they played into Benfica's hands, who wanted to hit us on the counter, and will play into Arsenal's hands as well, as they did earlier this year. In a nutshell, it's a good strategy against Newcastle when their best attacking players are out. When the other team more than matches your attacking quality, it's a great way of losing badly. I'd much rather sit back a bit and try to hit Arsenal on the counter, especially considering all our starters will be tired after all the running Thursday. The two motivational tools available are the carrot and the stick. The stick seems like the better tool to the naïve for getting a surer and sharper response. But the more you use it, the less effective it becomes, until finally you end up beating a dead horse. I would suggest that this year's Spurs, while not having yet breathed their last, could at the very least use a little nutritional fortification before they endure further beatings.
The blood and guts mentality is so typical of the English approach. It a such dated approach that seems to be stuck with the English game. As if running around at 90mph kicking everyone will win you games. I think to be successful you might want to think about tactics, Benfica were not blood and guts just very efficient and tactically superior. I am always reminded of Corporal Jones and his xenophoblc 'they don't like it up em' catch phrase. We seem to have overlooked the obvious that 'they' are not only as physical as us but are technically better and laugh at our agricultural attempts at playing. Perhaps it should be Private Frazier's catch phrase that best sums up our season 'we're doomed, we're doomed'
Those are traits of successful teams. They stem from confidence and self belief and the will to win. So players do the basics right under pressure, do the hard graft - close down quickly, chase lost causes etc - right to the end of the game. When you doubt yourself, you make errors and it's harder to find the motivation to do the hard work. Spurs have looked defeated against the better teams this season and when heads have dropped, there have been plenty of costly errors made. But the same has been true of Utd, despite having the same group of players who were renowned for their character only last season. It shows how transitory these traits can be - but also how essential they are to being successful.
Kevin Keegan spoke of filling his players with passion - which worked out so much better than filling their heads with pesky things such as tactics, didn't it?
