Aye, that game reminded me of how SAF used to play Arsenal away. Sit back, let them pass and pass and huff and puff and hit them on the counter to exploit their perennial defensive issues. Admittedly this Arsenal side is a shadow of the ones we used to face back then, but the principle was the same. Never play them at their own game, play them at ours and we'll always win.
Worng example I think. At 2-0 it would have been silly to go on the attack and keep the play open. We (and most fans) were happy to surrender possession as they tried to get back into the game. We are not the RS after all, drawing or losing after a 2-3 nil lead. Not the match of the season but enjoyable as we defended that 2-0 lead. Fans sometimes need to be able to appreciate a defensive/counterattacking display.
In the case of the Poool, that is more due to the fact that their empire has been eclipsed by the Man Utd one. In the case of Spurs, all to do with the legacy of the St Nicholson teams of the early 60s (no silverware is ok IF the teams are playing in an entertaining way) . It has been quite a burden in the decades since (though as a Spurs supporter I do adhere to it) .
No silverware? Isn't Nicholson responsible for winning 50% for Spurs' major trophies? I appreciate he didn't have the success rate of SAF or Paisley, but eight major trophies in 12 years is hardly no silverware. Are you really telling me Spurs fans would be unhappy with playing less entertaining football if it brought you a similar number of trophies over the next decade? Or that 90% of current Spurs fans even remember how you played back then as opposed to what trophies you won? You are right about Liverpool tho. I doubt they would be happy if they kept on playing mad attacking gegengengegenpressing whatever for the next decade if we ended up winning another load of trophies and they had to put up with the odd cup. After all, would any Utd fan want to go back to the 70s and 80s where we were playing exciting end to end football with goals all over the place but only winning the odd cup whilst Liverpool grabbed the lead then spent the rest of the match passing back to the keeper and had titles and trophies coming out of their ears?
By "no silverware" you mean in a season where nothing was won, that was tolerable as long as the team was playing entertaining football. "Are you really telling me Spurs fans would be unhappy with playing less entertaining football if it brought you a similar number of trophies over the next decade?" For some of us, yes (me included) , if the football was the dirge of say AVB 2013-14 etc. As I said, that is the burden of the St Nicholson era.
United have the burden of the SAF era. I have always recognised that burden and the huge effort that was needed to get United back on track. I said at the start of Moyes's tenure £300m and many years of struggle. I was nearly accurate as the money spent has actually been more. To those who say that it is just putting top players together I say: LVG. He had many top expensive players but his football was the worst I've seen under any manager and I've seen many United managers. After him, JM would have an easy ride, as had he followed SAF his football would have been unacceptable.
I have. Although close I would say his football was not as bad as LVG's. Especially taking the respective talent into account.
Yeah sorry, I'm never going to enjoy watching a game where Arsenal have the ball for 70 minutes and United have it for 20 minutes - I guess I don't appreciate the defensive side of the game enough. Sorry again, but Fergie played attack and counter attack, not Jose's defend and counter attack. Look at the stat difference between the Arsenal game this season and the away leg of the CL semi final vs Arsenal: - 2009 Arsenal - Man Utd Goals 1 - 3 Shots 9 - 12 On target 5 - 9 Pass success 80% - 75% Possession 58% - 42% 2017 Arsenal - Man Utd Goals 1 - 3 Shots 33 - 8 On target 16 - 4 Pass success 86% - 66% Possession 76% - 24% Same score but we had more shots, passing and ball retention under Fergie, whilst not sitting back under wave after wave of attack from Arsenal. The game under Ferguson was far more balanced. That was one of his most defensive games except a couple against Barcelona. And still Jose's defensive stats are seen to be on another level.
