The build up to this game was not ideal which is why I always felt we would struggle to get the 3 points. Players need a settled build up to a game and with the uncertain will they stay or will they go questions affecting at least 3 players, then it was never going to be as easy as some were predicting. As for the game itself, I actually felt reasonably comfortable at half-time. I thought we had played some decent flowing football, Bale was prominent and looking lively (and also sticking to the left), and I felt if we got Adebayor on, then the goals would come. In the second half, we started brightly enough, but Bale was subdued, and when Defoe's goal was disallowed, it seemed to kick start West Brom, and with the introduction of the Chelsea boy, they started causing us all sorts of problems. On the second half perfromance alone, I would have to say the back line did not perform well enough to deserve a clean sheet. Lukaka turned both Gallas and Vertonghen with embarrassing ease on a couple of occasions and all of a sudden, last seasons failings were there again. We didn't look much like scoring at Newcastle last Saturday, and we weren't that much better today. We desperately miss that killer pass in the final third that Modric can give, because we don't get that from either Livermore or Sandro. We also need to be getting more out of Lennon and Bale, although when VDV goes off, no-one else seems to give them the ball as much. It would be nice to think all the uncertain issues could be resolved during the coming week, so we could all go into next weeks game in a more positive frame of mind.
To be fair I thought Livermore put some smart balls behind the fullbacks in the first half and I felt we had some quality chances too. Our finishing let us down in the first half, especially and I don't know why Vertonghen took that volley on his right instead of leaving it for VDV I don't know. It's early days but Vertonghen looked like he'd be far better suited to a role in midfield, his defending was hit and miss,at times he made some cracking interceptions and blocks at others he looked dozy. Was it me or was he wrestled to the ground for WBA's goal? It looked a stonewall foul to me and the West Brom player kept him on the floor after too, not that I'm complaining about the result, we weren't great and West Brom had some other good chances.
This is something we had as well. It's quite clear your side hasn't got the fitness aspect of the game right either. You are tiring late in games just as we did under AVB
Yeah, he was a bit hit and miss today. Don't know about him on the goal, but from where I was sat, we had enough opportunities to welly the bloody thing clear, instead of fannying around like we often do in those situations.
I guess thats the main negative of playing a high line, if you don't score early then players look jaded and tired, especially when the opposition smell blood and up their game. There is something missing with avb and his system, it just doesn't work in this league, it never worked at chelsea and the signs are we're going down the same route. Lets not forget with porto, the league is fairly sub standard so I expect his porto team created a bag full of chances. What evidence is there to suggest avb can take his system to the premier league and make it work? none as far as I can see.
I'm with Boss on this one. Different teams have different strengths. There is no way under that set up you should be playing 4-2-3-1 at home to a side like WBA (with all due respect) It should have been 4-4-2 from the outset. You can't legislate for poor tactics and managerial ineptitude. This was an easily winnable game for Spurs and that's what exasperates Spurs fans most. With the games you have coming up. It's important to be beating these kind of teams. If you go into October/November in poor fork it makes the season very difficult
Well, according to ESPN commentator after the Chelsea-Newcastle game, Spurs fans are 'up in arms' about the state of our team already this season... Looks like the backlash on the forums (all of them, not just this one) and from the media has started with a vengence Anyone else think that the 3 or 4 new players we probably have on the to-do pile about now might be reading the papers come Sunday morning and thinking nah, I think not?
I can understand being pissed off and deflated (as thats me, grumpy ha) but up in arms, I hope not as its not that drastic, yet....BUT we have to remember were this club was in january, sitting 3rd, playing great football, everyone praising arry, voted the best team in the league for football and now we're again in "transition" its not exactly what anyone wanted.
They didn't say that they said up in arms about the late equaliser which they were, that was visible on GSS and understandable
May have misheard, thats entirely possible... but the forums are telling a different story, as will the papers tomorrow
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...s-the-Premier-Leagues-great-entertainers.html A survey of Premier League managers overwhelmingly declared Tottenham Hotspur the most attacking team to watch, as they claimed an emphatic 75 per cent of the vote.
Yeah, shambolic defending. Just seen it again on here: http://www.caughtoffside.com/2012/08/25/video-tottenham-1-1-west-brom-premier-league-highlights/ It was when the ball was first cleared, he was on his feet, although holding his nuts when it went in. The West Brom player appeared to be shirt tugging so Vertonghen(Not 100% it was him now) threw him on the floor, which we're lucky the ref didn't see and then the West Brom player comes back and rugby tackles ours back to the floor. All rather bizarre.
Chelsea started well enough with it. I don't agree that we tired today though, we just seemed to put too much emphasis on getting a second, whilst Livermore and Jenas did nothing to help out the defence. We looked like we had 9 men in the last few minutes but Bale, Sig, Lennon and Ade didn't seem to notice how much we were struggling at the back.
Not Jan but March. I don't understand why they take these ****e surveys before the season ends. Like the player of the year award. They vote for that in foookin Jan.
CPofL, you don't always need to be a pedantic annoying little runt, do you? It doesn't matter if the vote was jan, feb or mar, our best football was played from aug to jan so thats what the managers remember when they voted.
I don't think there is, I think it's just a cultural difference. The intensity and speed our league is played at makes a high line difficult. AVB has adapted a little by changing from his favoured 4-3-3 so perhaps he might shake things up a little bit more.
Agreed,never said otherwise. The reason I highlighted Jan in your original post was because I found it odd that a vote was held in jan. I was right,it wasn't held in Jan. You're the one wrong not me fella.
What we need most of all is someone to sit alongside Sandro and dictate play, Livermore just isn't creative enough to do this. Hudd for me would be ideal but if AVB wants a mobile team to press hard then I can see why he's not being considered. I honestly wouldn't be adverse to seeing Carroll in the team to do this, I'm a big fan of his and as far as I'm concerned we might as well give him a go. I'd even countenance seeing VdV deployed there if need be, we just really need that presence alongside the destroyer. We obviously also need backup for Ade. Yes Defoe is a good player but I think many of us get a bit hung up on this fact, myself included. He has the potential to be a 20 goals a season man if given the right supply, but he will not do that here because we don't play the system to accommodate him effectively. I have long been an advocate of keeping him on the books as an excellent backup plan if we want to change the system but if we're going to attempt to play him in a role not suited to him then get on with it Levy and sell him, I shouldn't think we'll be short of suitors for him at a good price. Then use the funds to go after someone serious (like Damiao for arguments sake) and move on. Then we just need to stop being Spurs! In all seriousness we have had a tendency to make stupid errors like we did today and tus throw away points over the years, as someone put it in the BBC live text service today - 'Spursing' it up! TBH if we had created rewards for our good play in the first half then I don't think we would even be having this conversation now, but as ever, that is typical Spurs. And I'm not sure we'll ever be able to change it. To be fair we're 2 games into a new season and a new era under a very different manager from the last few years. We've got a new formation and some new faces in the camp. Disruption is to be expected, there was always going to be a transition period and I think this is what we're seeing now. Yes perhaps AVB is making selection errors in some cases, and yes there are some gaps that need to be filled in the squad, as well as faces that need to be moved on (Bentley, Jenas, we're looking at you........). But I have faith that AVB and his philosophy of football will come good, given time. It might be half a season, it might be one or two years. Lets not forget as well that we have 1 more point at this point this season than we did at this point last season! It might be different fixtures but its got to be worth something! Call me overly optimistic, put quotes in your signatures to mock me in a year's time, whatever. We have to potential in this squad to do very well, it's just a matter of realising it. Rant over. EDIT: having just read it back a few times it reads as hugely optimistic!! But I think some of the points stand nonetheless.
