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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

The Moonlit Knight said:
It's all pure speculation. My point is that anyone right now trying to say that player public comments and a few pictures is proof that people were wrong with regards to how the Spurs players may have been influenced by Chelsea is seriously misguided.

Unless you know some of the players personally, then no one knows what is going on. That includes the media, although a lot of the journos will be matey with some of the players (and agents, coaches etc) and have a better insight than the average fan. But does it really matter if the Manager isn't liked by the players? Not really. It's no secret that a fair few Utd players over the years don't like Fergie for example. It's how the Manager handles those players that's the key.
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I don't disagree, it doesn't actually matter if the players like the manager as long as they are handled well and still perform on the pitch.

All I'm saying is that there were a number of people on here who were saying 'Not AVB, that wouldn't be good, our players wouldn't give him any respect because they will hear from Chelsea players what he is like', and there were also a number of people that said 'Don't think that matters, our players wouldn't care what happened at Chelsea as long as AVB does well for them'. I think it's fair to say that the people that nailed their colours to the AVB mast and had confidence that there wouldn't be some sort of uproar/lack of respect were probably right in their prediction. I think you can see that from the generally positive attitude coming from the players, the tweets from players both young and senior, and how they all seem to be enjoying themselves. Credit should go where credit is due to the people that were confident AVB's time at Chelsea wouldn't really mean he wouldn't work here.

I also don't disagree that the real test of management will be when we have a loss, or some bad form. But that's changing the goalposts, and that's something that would be the case under any manager, whether or not he didn't get on with Chelsea players. But the original argument, way back when people were saying they would want AVB in for Harry, was that some people thought he would be a bad appointment because 'players talk', and that the Chelsea players will let ours know 'what he is really like'. That clearly hasn't happened. They've had all summer to talk, but they are giving AVB a chance.

The argument when he was first linked was not that 'they would always give him a chance because they had no choice', it was that he would be a bad choice as manager because of Chelsea. If he then turns into an arrogant tosser and loses the respect of the players during a bad run of form, then that's because he's turned into a tosser during a bad run of form, not because the Chelsea players told our players to give him no respect. It will be because of poor management that he has performed on our players, and that would be the case for any manager that we hire. Ergo - the fact the Chelsea players may have told bad things to our players actually makes no difference to his success or failure at all, just like the people who were backing AVB in the first place said it wouldn't.

Not that AVB will turn into an arrogant tosser IMO, I'm also going to predict that if we go through a bad run of form he will handle it well and largely have the respect of the players still.
 
BrainOfLevy said:
I don't disagree, it doesn't actually matter if the players like the manager as long as they are handled well and still perform on the pitch.

All I'm saying is that there were a number of people on here who were saying 'Not AVB, that wouldn't be good, our players wouldn't give him any respect because they will hear from Chelsea players what he is like', and there were also a number of people that said 'Don't think that matters, our players wouldn't care what happened at Chelsea as long as AVB does well for them'. I think it's fair to say that the people that nailed their colours to the AVB mast and had confidence that there wouldn't be some sort of uproar/lack of respect were probably right in their prediction. I think you can see that from the generally positive attitude coming from the players, the tweets from players both young and senior, and how they all seem to be enjoying themselves. Credit should go where credit is due to the people that were confident AVB's time at Chelsea wouldn't really mean he wouldn't work here.

I also don't disagree that the real test of management will be when we have a loss, or some bad form. But that's changing the goalposts, and that's something that would be the case under any manager, whether or not he didn't get on with Chelsea players. But the original argument, way back when people were saying they would want AVB in for Harry, was that some people thought he would be a bad appointment because 'players talk', and that the Chelsea players will let ours know 'what he is really like'. That clearly hasn't happened. They've had all summer to talk, but they are giving AVB a chance.

The argument when he was first linked was not that 'they would always give him a chance because they had no choice', it was that he would be a bad choice as manager because of Chelsea. If he then turns into an arrogant tosser and loses the respect of the players during a bad run of form, then that's because he's turned into a tosser during a bad run of form, not because the Chelsea players told our players to give him no respect. It will be because of poor management that he has performed on our players, and that would be the case for any manager that we hire. Ergo - the fact the Chelsea players may have told bad things to our players actually makes no difference to his success or failure at all, just like the people who were backing AVB in the first place said it wouldn't.

Not that AVB will turn into an arrogant tosser IMO, I'm also going to predict that if we go through a bad run of form he will handle it well and largely have the respect of the players still.
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i think i see where you're coming from , you're coming from the direction that if a player says something in public he's more than likely telling the truth is what your saying, because technically we have little else to go on. or at least most people have little else to go on.

in that case i think i know what i'm going to go with. Obviously this is a results driven game ..and results is all that matters.
 
Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel is in no doubt new manager Andre Villas-Boas can prove himself at White Hart Lane.

The Portuguese coach, 34, replaced Harry Redknapp earlier this summer less than six months after being dismissed by Chelsea.

Villas-Boas has been taking pre-season training this week, and is due to hold his first media conference later this afternoon.

Friedel, 41, feels signs are positive the former Porto boss can be a success second time around in the Premier League.

"You can only take people on what you see, and from what I have seen he is a very ambitious manager, he is very organised and training has been very sharp," Friedel said on TalkSPORT.

"He has let us know he wants to come here to win things, so in the first couple of days, everything looks very good."

The American continued: "The club did a very good job of going out to get someone very ambitious.

"There are also a lot of great staff members behind the scenes here who stayed on, so there is still that Tottenham base.

"This is all positive and our fans should be excited for the upcoming season."

Friedel joined Spurs after his contract at Aston Villa expired last summer and quickly established himself as first choice under Redknapp.

Spurs are reported to be close to bringing in France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, but the former United States stopper has no issues with the club looking to the future.

"We will welcome any good addition to the squad," he said.

"When I first signed here, there was no secret Tottenham would one day need a new long-term goalkeeper.

"I am 41, this could be my final season.

"I will do whatever asked of me, whether that is number one, two or three and will do it to the best of my ability.

"When you get older, it is easier to realise this is a team sport and the egos have to take a back seat if you want to be successful."

Spurs have signed Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen and Iceland midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, while a permanent deal for striker Emmanuel Adebayor also appears on the cards following his successful loan spell from Emirates Marketing Project.

Friedel said: "If we can do a deal for him and he can score another 20 goals, it would be a huge bonus for us.

"We are a little light in the strikers department at the moment, and that is an area they will be looking to bring people in - hopefully they can get that deal done for Manu."

However, the future of playmaker Luka Modric's remains in some doubt for a second successive summer.

Friedel added: "I can't see this club, with the ambition they have, allowing someone to go without having a replacement. We are definitely not a selling club."
 
africanspurs said:
i think i see where you're coming from , you're coming from the direction that if a player says something in public he's more than likely telling the truth is what your saying, because technically we have little else to go on. or at least most people have little else to go on.

in that case i think i know what i'm going to go with. Obviously this is a results driven game ..and results is all that matters.
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I'm going from that direction because the other direction is that players are tweeting with excitement, or contentment, or giving interviews on Talksport or whatever, all saying things that indicate they are giving AVB a chance.

For the opposite to be true, and for them to be thinking 'Well, I really don't respect AVB after what the Chelsea players said about him' means that all these tweets, interviews etc are lies. And yes, footballers can lie, or they can toe the party line, but I think most people can say by looking at the tone of what our guys are saying, that they are genuinely impressed, or at the very least content with their new manager. There is certainly no indication of not respecting him because of what Chelsea players may have said. In any case, if they really didn't like AVB, why tweet positive things about it? Why not just leave it? It's not as if they were asked the question.

There are examples of youth players, players in their prime and veterans all demonstrating that they are happy with AVB. And people can say 'well of course they will give him a chance, it's only his first week' etc, but that just further proves the point. If they were always going to give him a chance regardless, then it never was going to matter what Chelsea players told them, because they are adults and will form their own opinion.
 
Nutter-Naylor said:
"You can only take people on what you see, and from what I have seen he is a very ambitious manager, he is very organised and training has been very sharp," Friedel said on TalkSPORT.

"He has let us know he wants to come here to win things, so in the first couple of days, everything looks very good."
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Very promising to hear all this - well done, Levy
 
“He [Villas-Boas] is great, he’s very positive about coming here and he feels privileged to coach these players,” Sigurdsson continued.

“He’s really lively in the training sessions as well and I think all the boys are enjoying everything we’ve been doing with the football – but it’s also very hard. It looks good with him, and all of the other staff.

“I think you can see in the first couple of days here, we’ve done a few sessions and everyone’s quite fit, and that’s something that’s only going to improve in the next few days.

“I’m very happy to be here, it’s a massive club with fantastic players. This training ground [in Chigwell] is fantastic but we’re moving to a new one after the pre-season trip to America, and that one is unbelievable.

“It won’t be too bad going to work there! It’s probably one of the best in Europe, if not in the world at the moment.”
 
"Much more emotional warmth in this club" - AVB

This completely ties in with something I've been saying for ages that it was the macho, alpha-male atmosphere at Chelsea that did AVB no favours, and that a place that's more relaxed, less hung up on dingdong-measuring is perfect for him.

Very encouraging interview.
 
'This club is very solid in how it supports the first team and there is much more emotional warmth in this club'

Interesting that is.

Good interview though, seems very humble. I'm sure he'll be like that later today.
 
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chancer said:
^^ Interesting that we both picked up on exactly the same line BoL.
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Yep, to me it was interesting because it was the closest he came to giving any insight into what happened at Chelsea and beyond the usual 'The players are working hard' that we always expected to hear. Is he also basically saying that Chelsea didn't buy the players he needed for his team, with his 'support the team' line? Seems like he's really impressed that Levy will back him, and back his judgement in terms of the type of players that need to come in and out.

I agree, always thought our environment was much more suited to him. It's the perfect environment for a young coach really. I get the feeling at Chelsea you either need to be a European-super-coach with a proven track record at club level, or you need to be a wallflower that will basically do what the players want - otherwise the players won't give you that respect.

We seem to have a good team spirit and with our young squad, it's perfect for a young coach to give them some guidance. Everything just fits, I just can't see it going wrong! We will at least be competitive IMO. It will be a tough league, but I really don't forsee a Ramos style failure here.
 
It's also interesting that he talks about winning titles. If he says we are close, I think we must be close. Otherwise he wouldn't put that pressure on himself.
 
BrainOfLevy said:
I'm going from that direction because the other direction is that players are tweeting with excitement, or contentment, or giving interviews on Talksport or whatever, all saying things that indicate they are giving AVB a chance.

For the opposite to be true, and for them to be thinking 'Well, I really don't respect AVB after what the Chelsea players said about him' means that all these tweets, interviews etc are lies. And yes, footballers can lie, or they can toe the party line, but I think most people can say by looking at the tone of what our guys are saying, that they are genuinely impressed, or at the very least content with their new manager. There is certainly no indication of not respecting him because of what Chelsea players may have said. In any case, if they really didn't like AVB, why tweet positive things about it? Why not just leave it? It's not as if they were asked the question.

There are examples of youth players, players in their prime and veterans all demonstrating that they are happy with AVB. And people can say 'well of course they will give him a chance, it's only his first week' etc, but that just further proves the point. If they were always going to give him a chance regardless, then it never was going to matter what Chelsea players told them, because they are adults and will form their own opinion.
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yeah , this tone would be the words that they are typing on twitter and giving sound bites for? yeah, i dont know...... like i said , i think i'll take everything into account but i'm definitely taking stuff i've seen and heard myself into account. especially seeing things like that happen alot

each to his own, its good that you can trust on face value, i'm much more pessimistic.....experience has shown me some really off key things. trust issues and seeing people that think they can get away with murder cause they're in sports blah blah

but our players could be telling the truth, i have no reason to think that everyone is of the same opinion as say some chelsea players...just that i'm not saying soundbites will put me at ease. but it is true that alot of people are saying goods things when they don't need to say anything. by alot i mean more than one person lol.
you do have to wonder why alot of people are even speaking, is it cause the events at chelsea need to be washed away quickly?

if i were REALLY honest, i know that i'm letting gossip bother me unnecessarily. and i think the proof is in the pudding. what he does as manager is what 'should' count and thats what we should all judge him by.
 
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