Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[Gutter Boy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Who do we have on our televisions giving their opinions? People like Paul Merson and Ian Dowie. I can't stand watching any analysis of football anymore because of the phrase 'top, top player'. The only reason they repeat the word top is because they are too ignorant to know any synonyms. Sky Sports, and to a degree MOTD, have been dumbing down for the past few years, by having thick people on the show.

Seriously record MOTD tonight and watch back counting how many tired cliches are used. Really irritates me. Should have journalists on these shows, much like the Guardian podcast or Revista De La Liga, that way you will see real analysis, not some overweight, philandering alcoholic talking about how the game was different in his day

I dream of a MOTD with Jonathan Wilson and Sid Lowe on the couch instead of crap old 80s and 90s players who can't string two sentences together.

 

[clownfoot]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Dowie managed to get himself a degree in engineering so he's certainly not thick.

In fairness, I find Dowie quite entertaining and only put his name as his was the 2nd that sprang to mind. I didn't know about his degree, so fair play to him, but it doesn't hide the fact he can't speak. Maybe he should do a column instead?

I know why these people are on as pundits, it is to give the every man approach to football, but their opinions and old fashioned views are, in my opinion, part of what holds back British football as an entity. Whilst I am fully aware that effort and application are important in football, the British approach is that it holds weight over talent and technique.

Also grudges are held by these presenters. I can not recall Charlie Nicholls ever saying anything complimentary about Spurs. He praised Redknapp for doing a good job, but never the club. His judgement is clouded in a way a journalists isn't. It all comes down to professionalism, which I feel many at Sky Sports lack

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

In fairness, I find Dowie quite entertaining and only put his name as his was the 2nd that sprang to mind. I didn't know about his degree, so fair play to him, but it doesn't hide the fact he can't speak. Maybe he should do a column instead?

I know why these people are on as pundits, it is to give the every man approach to football, but their opinions and old fashioned views are, in my opinion, part of what holds back British football as an entity. Whilst I am fully aware that effort and application are important in football, the British approach is that it holds weight over talent and technique.

Also grudges are held by these presenters. I can not recall Charlie Nicholls ever saying anything complimentary about Spurs. He praised Redknapp for doing a good job, but never the club. His judgement is clouded in a way a journalists isn't. It all comes down to professionalism, which I feel many at Sky Sports lack

I do agree that the attitude is holding the game back. I also find it quite disturbing that people within the game seem to be getting jobs / lauded because they sounded quite good on TV. I think that's exactly what's happening with this Hoddle link at the moment. Some dinosaurs are getting swayed.

 

[chancer]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Do those player reactions on the CC pitch with AVB at the end suggest a manager who's lost the dressing room? Absolutely not for me.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Arranging loaning players to Swindon and trying to keep his Arsenal tattoo covered up?

I'm surprised he's still here now that Baldini's come in over his head. As well as first team transfers, you'd think Baldini would be keen on taking a firmer grip of the youth, scouting and medical structures.

If that were true, wouldn't it reflect more badly on Levy than on Sherwood?

 

[Mumorn]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Liked his use of positive subs.

Capoue coming off at half time was sensible, he was on a yellow and with the festive period and the amount of games coming up it'd be silly to risk playing him for longer as the way he plays it was likely he could get a second yellow, he brought on a more attack minded player in Holtby who ended up scoring the winner.

 

[Modric THFC]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Liked his use of positive subs.

Capoue coming off at half time was sensible, he was on a yellow and with the festive period and the amount of games coming up it'd be silly to risk playing him for longer as the way he plays it was likely he could get a second yellow, he brought on a more attack minded player in Holtby who ended up scoring the winner.

They were still a bit odd.
Paulinho was awful in central midfield tbh. Holtby was much better when he wasnt drifting around being lost as a number 10. He really should subbed Holtby on directly in Capoue's place.
Then the second sub Chadli was awful as number 10 and Lamela was stuck out the left. It was an obvious thing to play Lamela in the centre and Chadli wide left instead.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Liked his use of positive subs.

Capoue coming off at half time was sensible, he was on a yellow and with the festive period and the amount of games coming up it'd be silly to risk playing him for longer as the way he plays it was likely he could get a second yellow, he brought on a more attack minded player in Holtby who ended up scoring the winner.

The substitutes were not good imo. We played well the last 15 minutes of the half so changing Capoue for Holtby wasn't a good subtitution and we proceeded to lose the midfield battle.Then again, he won us the game so it worked out.

If not for two pot shots we'd have been dead and buried...we got lucky tonight.

 

[Papercut]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Well he didn't start with the inverted wingers and that seemed to work - particularly positive for Azza.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I agree that Holtby is far better playing in a deeper role.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

The substitutes were not good imo. We played well the last 15 minutes of the half so changing Capoue for Holtby wasn't a good subtitution and we proceeded to lose the midfield battle.Then again, he won us the game so it worked out.

If not for two pot shots we'd have been dead and buried...we got lucky tonight.

If not for Stekelenberg making two outstanding saves and Defoe and Paulinho not hitting the target on numerous occasions we would have been out of sight. Pot shots? Or just two ridiculously good goals? Capoue was poor in the first half (We should have started with Holtby alongside Sandro anyway, not two holders), Holtby came on and despite not being in the game too much still looked forward with a pass or for the first time pass releasing the ball quicker.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

This sounds like OMT talk chaps

 

[the dza]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

We were horrible again, created very little of note and got the points thanks to a couple of long-range efforts. We weren't much better against Man Utd either, despite the bewildered responses to my saying that in the match thread for that game. Look at the opposing keepers the past couple of games and it's the same story; barely a save to make, just a matter of picking it out of the net after being beaten by good, long-range strikes.

I really want this to work for AVB, but I just don't see it happening. Last season was the same, it was a lot of efforts from range and, in the end, individual efforts from Bale gaining us many points. But, as an attacking unit, we were poor. We still are.

AVB doesn't know his best team, but he also doesn't seem to be able to get the players to attack well as a unit and create decent chances on a consistent, game-by-game basis.

I think Levy will bin him very soon to be honest, whilst we still have something to play for this season. It's a risk, but it's also a risk to leave this season to AVB when we don't have a Bale-type talisman to drag the team along.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

If not for Stekelenberg making two outstanding saves and Defoe and Paulinho not hitting the target on numerous occasions we would have been out of sight. Pot shots? Or just two ridiculously good goals? Capoue was poor in the first half (We should have started with Holtby alongside Sandro anyway, not two holders), Holtby came on and despite not being in the game too much still looked forward with a pass or for the first time pass releasing the ball quicker.

out of sight? did you forget the countless chances Berbatov had by himself...let alone the Fulham team. Ok omt thread.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

out of sight? did you forget the countless chances Berbatov had by himself...let alone the Fulham team. Ok omt thread.

Lloris made 3 saves, no?

Stekelenburg made 6 or 7.

Out of sight might have been stretching it a bit but I do feel we deserved the win.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Let's keep the match discussion to the OMT. Thanks

 

[AdamB]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Like others, still appalled by the dross that we're serving up under AVB. No attacking direction, no sense of a 'team' or a system developing, majority of our efforts being 20 yards pot shots. I just don't see anything developing at Spurs - we're all hoping things come together but that's really it - hope. There are no signs of it ACTUALLY happening.

I really cant see us being anywhere above 8th/9th come Feb and therefore I would like to see Levy act now rather than things carry on drifting for a couple months

Its bizarre watching Spurs at the moment - I want us to succeed but cant see it ever happening so am apathetic if we lose as it brings AVB's exit closer. AVB was always the guy I wanted to replace Harry and would still love him to succeed, but have accepted that its not going to happen. Its just a matter of time before he goes

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Like others, still appalled by the dross that we're serving up under AVB. No attacking direction, no sense of a 'team' or a system developing, majority of our efforts being 20 yards pot shots. I just don't see anything developing at Spurs - we're all hoping things come together but that's really it - hope. There are no signs of it ACTUALLY happening.

I really cant see us being anywhere above 8th/9th come Feb and therefore I would like to see Levy act now rather than things carry on drifting for a couple months

Its bizarre watching Spurs at the moment - I want us to succeed but cant see it ever happening so am apathetic if we lose as it brings AVB's exit closer. AVB was always the guy I wanted to replace Harry and would still love him to succeed, but have accepted that its not going to happen. Its just a matter of time before he goes

Haven't seen tonight's game, but I'm still a bit on the fence. Not happy with the style of play, but tonight's result certainly makes the table look healthier. The thing is, despite countless people telling me otherwise, I'm not sure the style of play is going to change all that much. I'd be happy with top 4 even with the dull football being served up tbh.

And as for the whole theory of picking our moments when to attack? Why not just try and take the lead early, the other team is forced to come out and attack, we then pick them off with a goal or two more and THEN take the sting out of the game? As others have mentioned, AVB's gameplan goes tits up if the other team scores first.

 

[the dza]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Like others, still appalled by the dross that we're serving up under AVB. No attacking direction, no sense of a 'team' or a system developing, majority of our efforts being 20 yards pot shots. I just don't see anything developing at Spurs - we're all hoping things come together but that's really it - hope. There are no signs of it ACTUALLY happening.

I really cant see us being anywhere above 8th/9th come Feb and therefore I would like to see Levy act now rather than things carry on drifting for a couple months

Its bizarre watching Spurs at the moment - I want us to succeed but cant see it ever happening so am apathetic if we lose as it brings AVB's exit closer. AVB was always the guy I wanted to replace Harry and would still love him to succeed, but have accepted that its not going to happen. Its just a matter of time before he goes

This is basically how I feel about it.

We've had 52 league games now under AVB, and I can't recall many of them where we really tore it up. We have shown some grit and a pretty good spirit. But we have largely struggled to attack with purpose and create good chances consistently. There is no real progression in that respect and I am no longer sure that it's a case of simply giving him time. He's had a lot of games now and it doesn't really change, from one to the next. A potent attacking performance seems like an aberration whenever it occurs, as we revert back to the standard shortly after.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Haven't seen tonight's game, but I'm still a bit on the fence. Not happy with the style of play, but tonight's result certainly makes the table look healthier. The thing is, despite countless people telling me otherwise, I'm not sure the style of play is going to change all that much. I'd be happy with top 4 even with the dull football being served up tbh.

And as for the whole theory of picking our moments when to attack? Why not just try and take the lead early, the other team is forced to come out and attack, we then pick them off with a goal or two more and THEN take the sting out of the game? As others have mentioned, AVB's gameplan goes tits up if the other team scores first.

How did that work out tonight?