Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[billyiddo]

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

how often do you watch those teams you mention for 90 minutes? would you say that number is a big enough sample size to back up your opinion that they don't play that way? will Arsenal and Liverpool last the season playing at the same intensity (if they do indeed play at maximum for 90 minutes every single game)

or is it that you are looking score lines and maybe some highlights and basing the rest on assumption?

i don't think there's any denial from anyone that the teams you mention are creating more chances and scoring more goals than us so far, neither do i think that anyone believes AVB thinks we have this tactic down to a t yet and that we are playing as well in an attacking sense as he wants us to. there's still quite a way to go on both counts IMV and i would presume in the views others

 

[Jurgen the German]

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

Really? Why do we need a system so complicated that we end up in many games having no /or limited attacking intensity? Who else plays this system successfully? Why is it that we can only score from long range efforts? Watching Arsenal, Emirates Marketing Project and to a certain extent Liverpool they attack teams throughout games hence they hammer them.

That is something that seriously needs addressing you are right.

 

[Yiddo]

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

Papered over the cracks again tonight. Getting sick to death of these **** performances.

 

[Gutter Boy]

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.

Well one thing everyone knows about Jol teams is that they aren't very fit. So letting them blow themselves out in the first half and hitting them in the second was probably an obvious one tonight.

 

[glorygloryeze]

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

I have to say I see a lot of similarities between where we are right now and Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool two years ago:

- a fanbase that is dividing between those backing the manager mainly on stats ('look how many shots we've had'; 'if only those shots would go in, we'd be much further up the table') and those who don't see any future with the football being played generally

- spent shedloads in the summer, and open to being told several of the summer buys have been paid over the odds for (Carrol/Downing/Henderson vs Soldado/Lamela/Paulinho?)

- large portion of the fanbase who fully expect a top 4 challenge given the team performance the previous season and the subsequent summer buys

- a generally misfiring striker who pundits commonly say 'the team are not playing to his strengths' (Carrol vs Soldado)

- up until January/February always being able to point out that 'we're only 3/4/5/6 points away from the top 4'

- solid defensively, semi-turgid/predictable going forward

- generally better against top 4/5 sides who will attack rather than bottom half sides who will be more cagey and/or sit deep

I'd like those posting in this thread, especially those very very pro-AVB, to tell me addressing the points above how we are NOT like Liverpool in Dalglish's last season.

Statto, any additional evidence either way that you can provide would be most welcome

 

[billyiddo]

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

Do you want me to tell you why the sky is not purple while im at it?




As for very very pro AVB - i think it's more a case that these people are pro 'giving him time'

 

[glorygloryeze]

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

Do you want me to tell you why the sky is not purple while im at it?




As for very very pro AVB - i think it's more a case that these people are pro 'giving him time'

Ok tat would have been a fairer label. I'm overall pro-AVB but not a 'very very pro AVB' like say BOL, whose posts are always interesting (even if you might not agree with them).

So are you going to have a go then? What makes us different to the Liverpool side two years ago which was ridiculed by most of us justifiably (me included)?

 

[billyiddo]

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

Well tbh i think you've just kinda chucked up a load of generalizations there really tbh mate - i bet someone could come up with a similar number of similarities between ourselves and someone positive to be linked with if they really wanted to. In short it's not really worth it - don't mean to be rude or anything mate, just don't really see it as a base for any kind of real debate.

Plus it's 01:30 here and im up for work in 4 hours

 

[glorygloryeze]

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

Well tbh i think you've just kinda chucked up a load of generalizations there really tbh mate - i bet someone could come up with a similar number of similarities between ourselves and someone positive to be linked with if they really wanted to. In short it's not really worth it - don't mean to be rude or anything mate, just don't really see it as a base for any kind of real debate.

Plus it's 01:30 here and im up for work in 4 hours

Lazy barstard

(So am I, so off I go too...)

 

[Stenno]

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



player revolt! team harmony is ****ed!

 

[Raziel]

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

Last two games we looked more attacking imo because Lennon is back and playing well.

Re the comparison to Pool/Scum, they have what we had last season, 1 truly world class player that changes a game (Saurez/Ozil), it makes a difference.

 

[Raziel]

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

I have to say I see a lot of similarities between where we are right now and Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool two years ago:

- a fanbase that is dividing between those backing the manager mainly on stats ('look how many shots we've had'; 'if only those shots would go in, we'd be much further up the table') and those who don't see any future with the football being played generally

- spent shedloads in the summer, and open to being told several of the summer buys have been paid over the odds for (Carrol/Downing/Henderson vs Soldado/Lamela/Paulinho?)

- large portion of the fanbase who fully expect a top 4 challenge given the team performance the previous season and the subsequent summer buys

- a generally misfiring striker who pundits commonly say 'the team are not playing to his strengths' (Carrol vs Soldado)

- up until January/February always being able to point out that 'we're only 3/4/5/6 points away from the top 4'

- solid defensively, semi-turgid/predictable going forward

- generally better against top 4/5 sides who will attack rather than bottom half sides who will be more cagey and/or sit deep

I'd like those posting in this thread, especially those very very pro-AVB, to tell me addressing the points above how we are NOT like Liverpool in Dalglish's last season.

Statto, any additional evidence either way that you can provide would be most welcome

Honestly

- No one's fanbase compares to Pool = deluded, victim mentality that is the only thing Pool is truly unrivaled at.

- We may have bought expensive players, but did you really compare Henderson with Paulinho? (and expect a legitimate answer?)

- Again, Carroll is a donkey, however no argument we are not playing to Soldado's strengths from me or most people.

- Spurs has been much more consistent re in the running for top 4 than Pool for some time, we have been in with a top 4 shot usually in last 2-3 games of season.

- Not sure I remember Daglish's team being solid defensively .. but didn't watch that **** too often

- We have been better against sides that try to play us since Redknapp.

Honestly, I think we have a decent team, we have system and we have a promising manager, it just hasn't clicked yet in the PL. There moments when I feel some similarities to Ramos tenure, this feels like an odd season, could see us winning a cup and struggling to get 6th in the PL.

AVB needs to sort it out, however he did make a good point, how come Moyes/United get so much more slack compared to him?

 

[braineclipse]

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

I don't disagree with any of that tbh. I think we still need to work on creating more chances, sounded like we did that tonight.

I agree, and yes we did.

That wasn't a game where we scored two screamers out of almost exclusively long range efforts. A complaint that has been valid in some games this season and last season and probably will be valid in at least some games in the future.

Paulinho's rather unbelievable miss and his header that was brilliantly saved by Stekelenburg, Lamela's effort just wide, Defoe's backheel leading to Sandro's big chance. These were all inside the box, these were all proper chances.

Some good signs and still a lot of work left to be done.

 

[Baleforce]

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

yeah, this was certainly in the Saudi Sportswashing Machine envelope rather than the city one

the chances are there but we have been profligate

 

[Spurs_Bear]

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

AVB needs to sort it out, however he did make a good point, how come Moyes/United get so much more slack compared to him?

I think the main reason is that Ferguson somewhat left United in the lurch by retiring, forcing them to make a decision into finding a replacement. This is, for them, a true season of transition. In our case, we made our own decision to sack the manager and upgrade to a new model and employed AVB, that's why for me the pressure is going to be on him a lot more than someone like Moyes.

 

[Spurs852]

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

Paulinho's rather unbelievable miss and his header that was brilliantly saved by Stekelenburg, Lamela's effort just wide,

These , together with Defoe's shot went high (second half , a great great chance!) , were came from counter attack.

We did have more chances (it was legitimate since we played against Fulham and their CBs are slow as hell) but when we played with ball we have no idea at all. Same old problem.

 

[AdamB]

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

Last year I found some games really crushingly boring, to the extent where Bale would score his standard 93rd minute screamer and I wouldn't react, I'd just think pffft, lucky... we were crap today and that 2 seconds of class doesn't change anything.

I really hoped we would improve a lot this year but I'm still struggling to stay awake during games. Today was a lot more end-to-end with chances for both teams, but it didn't look like a well drilled cunning attack, it just looked like a generally fractured setup with moments of good play

How I feel as well. There's no system being developed and no plans of how to break the opposition down. And now that we dont have a world class player to bail/Bale us out every week, the flaws are showing

 

[AdamB]

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

AVB needs to sort it out, however he did make a good point, how come Moyes/United get so much more slack compared to him?

AVB has had 12 months longer; irrespecitve of player changes, you should be able to see a system and way of play developing once a manager has had almost a season and a half in the job!

 

[scaramanga]

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

How I feel as well. There's no system being developed and no plans of how to break the opposition down. And now that we dont have a world class player to bail/Bale us out every week, the flaws are showing

What makes you so sure of that?

Applying Occam's razor, what is the result of the following?

1) There is no system and no plans to break the opposition down, ergo AVB has decided neither of these are necessary and has just sent the team out without instruction for either
2) There is a system and a plan to break the opposition down, it just isn't working yet.

 

[AdamB]

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

yeah, this was certainly in the Saudi Sportswashing Machine envelope rather than the city one

the chances are there but we have been profligate

Havent seen what you replied to but the notion that we've been profligate this season is just rubbish. People make that claim on teh basis that we've had the most shots in teh league but taken the lowest percentage of those - however what those stats dont show is that % of the shots which come from outside the box - we're the highest in this. Its not really a surprise that if most of your shots are coming from 20+ yards out, then you're going to have a lower conversion ratio than a team which has more shots from 12 yards say