It's just going to be hughton in, hughton out every week. I'm dizzy and bored of it already. Who wants to start the carrabuh return time sweepstake?
As good as Spurs were, we were not very good at all today. Right from the first whistle Spurs took the game to us and were simply too good on the day. Our midfield were totally undone and perhaps we were fortunate that Townsend likes to shoot on sight all the time, if he passed more often the margin may have been bigger.
Spurs were very good, unfortunately, didn't give us any time at all. We couldn't keep it or pass it. Ref got overcharged for a Broads cruiser once, you can argue the goalscoring opportunity thing but its deliberate handball outside the area and Ruddy is definitely off if he does that. Total ****. Need to keep working on our formula away from home.
Just got to find our formula away from home, need to keep the ball better when we get it! Not as big a disaster as some will make it out to be, one incredible block stopped us levelling at 1-1 and Rvw's chance just didn't fall for us. Just not our day. Massive game next week hope we get right in their faces Hooper and RVW up front Howson and fer in the middle. Controversial but redmond and pilks on the wings, think redmonds pace could hurt their new left back!
I missed most of the second half, but very surprised it only ended 2-0, I really thought they were going to be pushing 4 or 5 by the way things are going. Very few teams we're competing with will get a result at WHL, so it's not really case of "points dropped", but (based on what I saw), the performance is worrying! Not sure the initial set-up was correct too. With RvW getting so little service he's really a 'luxury' player, I don't think playing both him and Elmander away from home was the way to go, I'd have rather seen Howson in an advanced midfield role. Two strikers (however deep) against a side like Spurs is not a realistic line-up, and keeping faith with a winning side was the wrong way to go. Olsson's pace could have helped us out at times too. Not massively impressed, but I guess we move on, and a performance, if not a result, is far more important next week.
Err, no, I have actually been pretty critical of Hughton and have said that our performances and style has to improve, however I am not so one-eyed as to assume we can rock up to WHL and expect to come away with a draw or better. If Tottenham are playing at their best we do not have a hope in hell of winning because, put simply, they are much better man for man than us. To get a result against them we have to play exceptionally, which we did not do. I'm just being realistic. I'm also going to look beyond the scoreline and the fact that we're playing a better team and consider how we're playing and, guess what? our football is actually a much nicer style now. Of course, the Hughton bashers are set in their ways, but the fact is there is a noticeable improvement. Anyone expecting anything better than a loss by a single goal needs their head examined. Tottenham are a very, very good team and we have played them at just the wrong time. Bad luck. We move on. This was nowhere near as bad as the performance against Hull (which was wholly reprehensible) or the matches against Fulham, Newcastle and QPR last year. You've obviously also rapidly forgotten the matches against West Brom and Man City.
The problem is our formula when away from home seems to be sit behind the ball until they lose it then hoof it forwards. I know spurs are a good side and I didn't expect a win today but it was just a bad performance, second away game in a row. How a team can differ so much between home and away games is beyond me! Snoddy doesn't look anything like the player he was last season, Redmond didn't get much of a look in today (Personally I would have started with Pilks as I feel he balances the team out a bit better) and Fer and Johnson looked lackluster against a much better midfield that often out numbered them. Garrido didn't know whether he was coming or going most of the match, I really hope Olsson gets given his chance soon. Overall a bad performance against a much better team, 2-0 flattered us.
