I wouldn't say that Harry is completely tactically inept. Although there has been evidence recently of some rather "muddled" thinking. I still believe, however, that he is not the man to take us any further than he has. Plus, I have to admit that I'm pissed off about his blatant courting of the England job, which I do not buy was coincidental with our rapid decline in form.
Compared to who? The likes of Corluka, Pienaar, Pavlyuchenko, Sandro, Defoe, Gallas and Kranjcar would walk into many sides in this division. The idea that they're not good enough to play any part in our squad for large parts of the season is preposterous, in my opinion. We've missed Dawson and Huddlestone quite badly, but I don't believe that our squad is anything like the write off that it's being described as. Our resources have been mismanaged, for one reason or another and it's something that I'd like to see addressed. Why don't we have suitable back-up for a number of our players and why don't we have the players to switch to a Plan B when Plan A isn't working? Our strikeforce only ever functions when Adebayor's involved, as our other strikers are all clearly incompatible with each other and don't complement each other at all. Who's supposed to play when Lennon or Assou-Ekotto are unavailable? Why did we allow several competent players to leave without sufficient replacements, yet keep hold of the likes of Dos Santos and Gomes, who are never going to feature? I think that many of us can see some very basic errors with the team and squad, yet they're clearly not being dealt with. Is this all Redknapp's fault? Probably not, but some of it definitely is. Our set-pieces are bloody awful and everyone knows it. Why is this allowed to continue?
I have no issues with Redknapps tactical ability. The reason I want him gone is that he constantly acts like he is doing us a favour by being paid millions to manage our great club, constantly moans about how we can't compete with the City's and Chelsea's etc and acts like it's a miracle we are near the top 6. I just want a manager who wants to play good football, has experience of the Premier League and will be proud to manage Spurs and for me Roberto Martinez ticks all the boxes.
Be honest with yourself and tell me how many of those players would get into the two Manchesters Chelsea or Arsenal's teams. Not many if any. Then WTF makes them good enough for us? As for not having suitable cover, it is out there, all we have to do is come up with the money. I am aware of the shortcomings of our squad fella, but Levy's refusal to clear dead wood cheaply and loosen the club's purse strings, means that we have to play with the hand we are dealt. And woe is us, we are fourth. Excuse me everybody, I am just going to throw myself under a bus. Carry on without me....
Amaar makes a good point that the levels some are expecting us to stay at, are the levels aleady reached by HR with focus. No doubt the England thing got to him. Unfortunately HR is one of those blokes attached to the 66 era, his relationship with Bobby Moore etc, so from a personal viewpoint I can see Harrys affinity with going to a WC. However, it transpires that this appt is more full time than previous England managers, with this new requirement of attending the Burton academy, coaching younger players and other coaches!. This is where Harry is nowhere near as suitable as Hodgson, Harry is not too hands on these days in that department I believe, apart from being 300 miles away (this is a problem on a daily basis, and its probably where his missus had something to say), where Roy already lives in the Midlands. It coincides with the slump and thats all we can say, and as for rotation curing anything, I don't think so. Lets get some players to rotate with first, there is not enough 'suitable' quality, a few could have been handled better for sure, but its not the problem. If the premise on this forum is to do it anyway with **** players who couldn't light up a EL game, I'm glad such people will never get to manage THFC. The problem is, if you're not 100% on your game, you get punished by ANY team in this league, the results United Chelsea and Arsenal have suffered have been previously unthinkable, this does not just mean the top is weaker, it also means the rest is stronger. People should deal with it, enjoy the close run thing we've wanted for years, and stop looking for ****y excuses that 'we should have done better'.
I would be interested to hear why you think Martinez is the right manager for our club, as in my opinion, Redknapp has raised the bar as far as future Spurs managers is concerned. Surely, if we replace Redknapp, then we should be looking at a man with decent European experience rather than one who has spent his entire managerial career fighting relegation ??
I think it happens all the time in football Spurcat, because the people doing the appointments often haven't a scoobie themselves. People in football are appointed by reputation if that happens to be in management or just as a player it gets them a job in the first place. Keegan for example didn't do too bad at Newcastle and then became England manager. He admitted himself he didn't know much about tactics. Bruce will no doubt go on to manage other teams, Roy Keane has been given chance after chance. The really successful managers like SAF know their own limitations (And he is not too bright when it comes to tactics sometimes) so what does he do, he employs people that are good at it. We can all agree (I think) that Venables was a brilliant tactician and when you see it it's obvious. There are many who have one method (Mick Macarthy) which they employ where ever they go, but very few like Venables who can change a plan at half time and get a result. Just like us fans the game is full of people who think they know more than they actually demonstrate.
Our back-up players aren't going to be a match for the first XI of the teams that you mention. That would make a lot of them better than our starting players, which would make no sense. That doesn't mean that they're no good or that they can't be used. Are their back-up choices better than those that we started with, though? In many cases, I'd say that they're not. City's squad is ridiculous, but are the likes of Gomes, Sandro, Pavlyuchenko, Defoe, Pienaar and Corluka better than Fabianski, Diaby, Chamakh, Park Chu-Young, Rosicky and Jenkinson? I'd suggest that they are.
Why not Martinez? Probably because Wigan beat United recently Spurcat, thats why....not realising Steve Kean ****s up that theory! and Wigan always play well this time of year, its the only reason they're still here.
Nonsense, really? I think not. I think that most of the plaudits came when we were playing teams in the first half of the season who were lookingt to play a game of football. In January two home games against West Brom and Wolves were both excrutiatingly nervous affairs as both teams came to stifle. We camped in their third for most of the game. I say 'inept' because i have seen no evidence of tactics that might overcome these teams looking to 'not lose' There is 'playing great football' and 'playing the right game', I wouldn't confuse the two.
I rate him because he has Wigan playing some really nice football with average players. Even with the pressure of relegation he stuck to his guns and yet again they have been rewarded with that with survival. Obviously I would prefer a Guardiola or Mourinho but unless we get taken over by billionaires then that just isn't going to happen. Martinez would be a risk and it short term keeping Redknapp might be better but long term a young manager with the principles of Martinez could be exactly what we need.
Going off topic here for a minute, but what an incredible show of emotion by the Blackburn fans tonight with their chants of "we want Venkny's out". It's awful for fans when you see this happen to your club but can't do anything about it.
My sentiments exactly SC, my feeling is the players are seeing the same faces,hearing the same stuff day after day- i think its time for a freshen up. But as you said probably won't happen.
Thanks for the reply and fair comment. But I am sure you will understand that at this moment in time, I feel Harry remains the preferred option over Martinez. I think any moves onwards and upwards, that Martinez may make, are likely to be more gradual rather than a big jump from Wigan to Spurs. And I don't think I am doing the guy an injustice in saying that.
I think you are. Harry had never managed a "big" club before he came to Spurs, and according to you, he's done a flawless job. I agree with what Amaar said earlier, with a good squad of players, Martinez could do some serious challenging.
How anyone can actively want Harry to leave perplexes me. He is now our longest serving manager in the Premier League era, and this is reflected in the steady and progressive improvement that we have seen in the quality of the team in the last 3 1/2 years, when the standard of the league has become higher and more competitive than it has ever been. Yes he has his faults, very few managers do not have them, but I believe that the key to our recent improvement as a club has been and will continue to be managerial longevity.
