I'm not programmed to defend AVB but I would say that he is the first manager since Bill Nicholson who I actually think gives us an edge over most of the rest of the league by attention to detail. He is also our most successful manager ever based on early results. His detractors seem to assume that if we did some things differently then that would improve us and everything else would stay the same. My view is that he has us set up to play solidly and goals will come later. If he changes anything now we could easily go back to our normal defensive record, drop points that way and slip down the table.
This whole thread is a classic example of of some fans misunderstanding what AVB is trying to do. You can't play AVB's tactics with traditional wingers for the reasons I posted above. If you tried to you would lose the ball more often, and the opponents could counter-attack more easily because there would be more space. The whole system depends on the wingers being narrow and the width coming from over-lapping fullbacks. What is going a bit wrong currently is that the winger on the side without the ball is staying too wide and not getting close enough to Soldado but that should be a tweak.
But I've only got just over a 50% chance of being right about any of this.....
Successful based on what, points or actual achievements? Avb has done nothing to even warrant being mentioned alongside truly great managers.
If you want to talk about success, Redknapp has more of a claim as he took us past the current goal Avb has been set, but of course a records point total is more of a succes inspired mainly by Bales attacking talent.
When we look at AVB's setup and the full backs aren't offering width, if Avb is still playing a narrow game then that shows he is making an obvious error, a point you can't deny as you effectively admitted Avb is one dimensional in his tactics.
Personally I'm not a fan of Lennon on the left and would rather it's him or Townsend but who is playing two wingers in the current system? Avb. So why is he playing Lennon on the left if it doesn't work? Is that an obvious error? Yes.
The goals aren't all of a sudden going to flow each week when the team gels, all that will happen is like last year with Bale the team will need someone to carry them in an attacking sense and be the stand out performer.
Avb is a good defensive coach but so far he has shown a lack of attacking ideas to bring the best out of the team in the final 3rd. You believe that will change? Good on you but as said it's not a universal view and AVB has been providing us with crap uninspiring football since he arrived.