It still confuses me why Defoe is so poor. Sometimes he controls the ball well, and can beat players and he has good pace. He also looks composed in front of goal at least some of the time. I keep hoping that someone will coach something into him that will get rid of the dross parts of his game (such as the lack of vision and continual offsides). He'd be a very good player then. How he stays on the fringes of the England squad amazes me.
Power,there was one poster on the old BBC 606 called Dawn who predicted that Defoe was finished and this was about 2 or 3 years ago. I wish I'd have listened to him and levy should have sold him then.
Thats harsh on Defoe as he is playing a system which doesn't suit his game, what do you expect from him? the managers job is to pick the tactics to suit the players and then its down to the players to perform. Thus if the manager uses negative tactics and uses Defoe up top, alone, what is he meant to do! we all know what Defoe is about, he scores goals, is direct and needs support. Often today he would get the ball up top, be faced with four norwich defenders so had no choice but to stop, run away from goal while his team mates caught up, what sort of tactics is that?
Thai - I haven't seen any disrespect to Norwich. In fact most have said we were lucky not to get spanked. That is surely a compliment? Someone said "****ing Norwich" but that is clearly down to anger in the way we played at home, it's nothing against your team. I don't _expect_ to beat Norwich however I do expect the team, especially at home, to come out, attack and make chances. We finished 4th last year and spent most of it in 3rd in contention for 1st. Therefore it's not unreasonable that we should expect not to be 2nd best at home against Norwich or practically any other team. You did win the game last year but that was while Harry was having his dementia months, a kids team would've beaten us. Well done on your point though, least that was deserved. We'll get ya next time
nothing to criticise AVB for....if you cant tell that we looked so much better with all but 2 of our new signings then i think there is a hidden agenda in opinons. i cant blame Levy yet...it would be totally brattish and spoilt of me after the transfer window we just had. we tried to get moutinhio but couldnt..there is a limit to where negotiations must end..and i suspect that is where they did. we got a good team and a new manager who is finding his feet...stop fukin comparing him to Redknapp...appauling.
Mark Lawrenson, BBC Sport, on today's deadline-day deals: "Joao Moutinho to Tottenham will be done - that won't fall through. As for Rafael van der Vaart, I don't think he ever really finished a game for Spurs, did he? When he first came he was brilliant, but then he kept suffering from hamstring problems. I think Tottenham have got good money for him." Spot on Lawro From http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19428932 Between 19:15 and 19:21
I've always been confused about what system does suit a player who is always offside, never passes to a team-mate when in sight of goal and has appalling lack of concentration (the only possible reason why his first touch varies from perfect (rarely) to worse than Pav's (most of the time). As I said, he should have had all of this improved by coaching, but in my opinion any player 'who can't play as a lone striker' has too many weaknesses to play as a striker, period.
Dona agree with you here mate, but we should have tried harder. All the brilliant business in and out was ruined by this moutinho deal. We've Spent what...6m in total? Great business as I've said, but we missed a key key signing having let some really quality leave.
Defoe has proved he can score goals, his record is there to see and he has proved he can strike up a partnership, like he did with Crouch, he isn't an someone who has no place on a football pitch, fans just expect too much from him in a system which doesn't suit him. Yes he is rather thick, greedy etc, we know all this but its easy to target Defoe when the team isn't performing, but easy to praise him when he scores, and that is because his limitations as a player stand out when he is picked in a system which doesn't suit his game.
If it all goes tits up, which it looks like it could. Then, I think you're probably right. I suspect that Joe Lewis & ENIC Will be less than amused. In which case I think Levy's head could roll.
If it does go arse up , Levy deserves to go . His egotistical control of the club is the root of the bitterness. AVB is the lamb , let down by Levy in not having his first choice players , Mourt, Willian, Damiao, Oscar, Llorente, etc (amazing it was all the one's that would cost a lot) To be honest even if had got them he would most probably cock up.
Ok. Just seen the "highlights" on MOTD. Only those who saw the whole game will know if it was representative of our performance overall. But, if it was, that was a ****ing shambles. No defensive organisation, players running around like headless chickens. Unbelievably bad. I can't believe this rubbish bears any resemblance to the Spurs I've seen on the last couple of seasons. Thank god for a 41 year old goalkeeper!!..
We were undone by Snoddgrass, who up until now, I thought, was a character from one of 'William Shakepeares' plays.... and on that note, our play today resembled something from one of 'Andrew LLoyd Webbers' lot. We looked like a bunch of 'Fantoms, from the bloody Opera'.... the comical version....Flattering to deceive once again and on our own stage too. AVB, please stop making poor teams look good. I know you can win us a few games. Stop pussy footing around mate.
Yeh, maybe it would., other forms of encouragement don't seem to be working.. Send me his text number.
I've calmed down now enough to post. As I said before the window shut I wish we'd have got Carroll or someone like him and shifted out Defoe. I don't blame JD for his poor performance today, I blame AVB for picking him AGAIN in a role unsuited to him. ENIC also have to be blamed for delaying the Ade deal so long, that he's aparently still not fit enough to start a game. I'm so pleased that we got Dempsey in, otherwise things would now look depressing, but the question of what do you do with player like Jermain D (to continue the Webber theme ) remains. I think even when Ade isn't available JD should stay on the bench and just play Dempsey Bale and someone else up there, maybe Townsend. I'm really disappointed with Siggy so far, I backed his signing big-time, but I fear I may have been wrong on this one- Still early days etc. also what the hell is wrong with Bale - he's not performing at anywhere near the level he's capable of. Re Friedel, all plaudits to the big man for his great saves, but still he can't deal with crosses. I wanted Dawson to play today, at least he can head the ball. I'm not a fan of the JV Gallas combo, but again early days, maybe they can sort out something with Lloris, who I expect will help them aerially. Maybe it's time for Caulker, I really don't know, but far more worringly it looks like AVB doesn't kknow either. I'm afraid he's already reminding me of Hodd the manager, stubborn and thinking he knows best when too often he doesn't.
Just seen the lowlights of the game again this morning. It doesn't get any better with a second viewing. Total ****ing shambles. Thankfully, at least Dembele looks to be the class act I always thought he was.
It looked far better on MoTD than watching it live, the pain didn't last as long. However, booing will not help, everyone is aware of the problems. Ade tweeted this earlier this morning: Emmanuel Adebayor‏@Sheyiadebayor It hasn't been the best of starts but we are working hard every day to improve as a team... (Ctd) Emmanuel Adebayor‏@Sheyiadebayor ...Thanks for all your support, it means everything to us! COYS! That's exactly what we need to do, support our bloody team. Many Spurs fans lowered themselves to the level of the goons yesterday by booing their own players. There cannot be a bigger insult than that! On that basis the players had every right to boo the Tottenham fans yesterday for being out sung by Norwich, it sounded like the bloody Library there yesterday.
Deedub, what's new I've heard Spurs fans booing our own plenty of times. I don't go to Arsenal games but I'd be surprised if they boo their players as much as we boo ours, so I don't think it's anything to do with sinking to their levels. I think it's a case of some/many maintaining a long and despicable tradition at the Lane.
agreed Deebub. gotta get behind the team now. it'll click eventually. We've got some good players. hopefully those that we missed out on, we'll be able to sign in January. It's likely that niggling injuries will start to play a part after this period, so it's vital we sign who we need to carry us through. As I've said previously, I think the biggest problem at the moment is the type of players for the formation. not the formation itself. Livermore and sandro cannot start together again. IMO, Livermore should be dropped, not sandro. Sandro has other aspects to his game which are different to livermore, and Personally, i think he's a far better player. we need to start Dembele and sandro together, but have dembele in more of a "free role" which has defensive "duties" due to his height and strength, but allows him the ability to get forward and support Sig, Bale and lennon. i just think that we might not come across so "negative" as some suggest and this will help us become more free flowing. I don't want to sound like one of these people that are making assumptions too early, but I've seen enough of livermore (like we all have over the last year or so) to know that his qualities and game play are not going to work. he can sit on the edge of the box all game and do a good defensive job, but we're never going to create anything dangerous going forwards with him and sandro playing together, IMO.
