Redknapp let the club and the fanbase down today. Spurs play well when they are allowed to play to their strengths with players playing in familiar positions and combinations. Messing around with formations and players playing in unfamiliar positions is a recipe for disaster and today could well have ended up like that. I always used to be a fan of Dawson but wasn't impressed with him today, Bale is a winger not a left back - running at defences is what he's about - Saha and Defoe don't look like a good combination and Parker looked jaded. Stevenage played to their strengths and Spurs allowed them too. I am sure that things will be different at WHL but this afternoon could and should have been our opportunity to stamp our mark on this year's FA Cup - as things have transpired it's Liverpool that have impressed - whilst they overachieved we underachieved.
Not sure that your argument is made out G10 - the better players today were arguably the 'add-ins', Rose, Nelson, and Livermore (other than Lennon). I certainly never thought today would be easy - these games seldom are - but I did want to protect some of our more valuable assets for greater challenges. Fortunately, it looks as if only Rose came out crocked.
This basically. Someone with no knowledge of football couldn't have determined which was the team in 3rd in the PL from today's game. Apparently Modric was gonna play but he was ill - why not start Niko instead (who can do a decent job in MF) We've only tried the wingback system once (forget which match) but on today's narrow pitch, we should've been looking to pass the ball far quicker than we were doing - that way we can exploit whatever space we can get. Instead it was very slow and Stevenage could pack the defence whenever we began to advance. Credit to Stevenage though - they played really well
He's just trying to troll me, but doesn't have the balls to respond to my reasoned responses that pick his argument to pieces. Frankly, at half time we should've brought on Niko for Dawson (his hoofing was causing a lot of the self-inflicted problems) and reverted to 4-4-2. We waited far too long before changing it, when it was clearly not working. As I said in the Bill Nick Arms, I think we loaned out a couple more youngsters than we should have: Townsend would certainly have added some pace to test their full backs if introduced, whilst Carroll can hold onto and dictate play through the middle better than Livermore can - and both are certainly better options going forward than Luongo, who's another defensive midfielder. Chelsea have been demonstrating all season what happens when every central midfielder on your books is either box-to-box or a defensive midfielder, and none of them are capable of dictating play through the centre. As for Stevenage, I wouldn't be surprised if Bolton saw Chris Beardsley as a long-term replacement for Kevin Davies based on that display (I mean that as a compliment) - especially when he nearly got his head forcibly removed by Dawson.
Make no mistake, Stevenage will come to WHL determined to make life difficult for us. If we can get at them, and score early, it could be all over by half time. If not, it could be a long night!
It was the formation that undone us. Rose, Benny's replacement was probably our best player. Adebayor's last away game against Liverpool was very poor and at the first sign of frustration he could well have had another stinker. Cudicini might not have been great but he didn't concede and I don't think you can have him as a reason for not scoring. Modric and VDV would've improved things but there wasn't a choice with them.
We should at least get a great deal more space at the Lane. You could tell that our players felt constricted out there today - up to them to adjust properly. It's not like the pitch shrank overnight! Harry set up the team wrong - it was inevitable that Stevenage would come out all guns blazing because they had to. I did think that if it were still 0-0 after 10/15 mins then we'd get control and win comfortably - predictor was a bit off today!
Agree with the loanee situation and don't think the early hoofing did us any favours whatsoever. What is slightly worrying is that from the post match interview Harry indicated that this was a pre-determined tactic so Daws maybe is not the issue today. Yes, it was a bad pitch but not THAT bad. When we did get the ball down and get behind their defence we looked a lot more comfortable. Oh well - we live to fight another day and WHL should surely be a different kettle of fish.
I think some people are being a bit hard on Dawson. He made a fantastic last-ditch tackle, and a couple of important defensive headers, against set-pieces. Yes, I was annoyed that he resorted to hoofing the ball up-field, particularly in the first half, but to be fair to him, our midfield wasn't exactly on fire during the entire match. In fact, we didn't really look at all lively until Lennon came on and reminded the crowd which team was supposed to be the one with class. Also, I know it sounds like a Whingerism to blame the playing surface, but I have little doubt that Harry would have briefed the players about that, and the fact that he played with two defensive midfielders for the first half clearly demonstrates that he intended to play the long-ball game for a fair amount of the match, no doubt hoping to negate the bobbles. Bale, in particular, suffered as a result of the playing surface, so much so that he should have be subbed for one of the younger lads, and saved for more important duties in the EPL. Overall, I am content that we avoided a potential banana-skin, and can look forward to breezing this match, at the Lane.
Have to agree. The formation was a disaster and seemed to play to their strengths rather than negating them. That one goes back in the cupboard to gather dust. The pitch was no excuse, but when you consider that the pitches at Chigwell are better than Stevenage, these players haven't got clue one about playing on anything but a perfect surface. Maybe they should have practised on a similar track this week to give them an idea of the pace the game would be played at. As a spectacle it was painful for the neutral, excruciating for us, but you have to be in it to win it and by the skin of our teeth we are. The replay will be far more convincing, I'm sure.
Why, simple, because we are still in the Cup (as favourites), playing a weakened team could have meant a humiliating defeat.
I think my argument is completely validated I had no problem with us playing Rose Livermore or Nelsen, I advocated all three of them at various stages (thugh had BAE been available, it's likely he would played, maybe as well as the injured Ade and ill Luka) It was the suggestions of playing academy players and players like GDS and Khumalo that I was railing against. There was a certain team suggested on another thread that particularly got me ranting, and as I predicted was nowhere near the team that played.
I think if BAE, Ade or Luka had been available, we'd have seen a slightly more familiar and stronger team. Given that Niko was also a doubt, this was about the strongest side we could have put out.
I question playing Nelsen - for a newcomer to be involved with a game of this importance having only just joined the club and never played with any of the team before was foolish, bring him on towards the end; yes - but to start with him; folly. The biggest mistake though, IMO, was playing Bale in a role other than that which has contributed to the winning of games. Mr Redknapp, you got it wrong today. Please don't get it so wrong again. Cheers. Edit - If this was the strongest team we could put out thank funk it wasn't a league game.
This would be the other thread where you were asked, several times, to name a team - and didn't? Easy to bitch and moan and whine and mouth off incessantly, but not so easy to contribute? What a Gooner you are...
