Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
Jesus Mary and Joseph. This is exactly why Arsenal are laughing at us.
They were saying the same thing about Wenger at the start of the season though.
Jesus Mary and Joseph. This is exactly why Arsenal are laughing at us.
He's managed to numb and suck my enjoyment out of watching Spurs.
Hoddle, Santini, Jol, Ramos, Redknapp... They all had their faults, but none of them produced such soul-destroying football teams, such painful displays, such joyless, souless football, with no goals, in either end of the pitch.
FFS even Graham's teams had more life about them with Ginola and Anderton on song! We won something too!
I can't believe that no other manager received the backing he did, yet produced the pile of turd he has.
£30m creative talents left on the bench. Danish play-maker wizards get the odd game. One of Spain's top marksmen disappears. One of Brazil's starters looks lost! No width, no defence splitting passes, no crosses, no dribbling, no pace...
Just mundane huff n puff, we squeeze past the poorest with soft penalties and last-minute winners. We play for clean sheets at home.
We've got the best squad I can ever remember but I hate watching Spurs the most I ever have.
Each game is torture, cringe worthy torture. The stadium's full of tension, WHL is quiet, frought, nail biting, watching us pass sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, not going anywhere.
I hate it. I just want to see some freedom and joy in our play. I want to enjoy watching us, win, lose or draw. I want the atmosphere at the stadium to be like it was and feel everyone was united behind the club, players and manager.
We're tense, at each other's throats, divided, subdued, angry, the managers having a go at us, but he needs to look at himself.
The fans don't help, but the footballs so poor there is nothing to cheer about.
I want him out! Now!
You don't buy Eriksen, Lamela, Soldado for £70m if you want to play dull and negative football. (And if player purchases are not your decision, then you don't hang about to play the game of having to field players you don't want while PSG come knocking).
I think it's pretty clear that AVB wants us to be a well organise unit, all about ball possession and closing down the opposition. Tight defensive game, lots of passing, quick counter attack. Throw in a couple of electric players who can run at the opposition and you have some variety.
But it's not working quite right yet. So we give it time. All very well that Eriksen and Lamela show glimpses but often quality players take a time to come through. And who knows what the story is? All I know is that Europa league against a Moldovan side is a different match altogether than a run of the mill Premiership clash. Not necessarily harder or easier, just different.
One thing that was evident to me even just watching the games at home this week was the difference in the crowd. No goals for 60 mins against sherif and the fans were still rocking and kept going till the end . On Sunday yes we were a goal down earlier but the principle of patience remains. We threw everything at Saudi Sportswashing Machine (bar Lamela ) so whose to say a bit of 1882 would have made a difference? But the negativity in the first half from the stands didn't help.
I did feel the signs were there last year that AVB will learn from his experiences. We got burnt with a manager who, for all his success with us, blatantly never had a plan B. But I think we do have a boss who is a bit of a tinker man and would happily give him longer.
A bigger problem than AVB is WHL, season ticket holders (not all but a lot) and Sunday matches . AVB got this out there a few weeks ago but the fans themselves need to keep this on the agenda.
Support the team, support the manager. COYS!
I have been patient.
He's been in the job for an entire season. The football but turgid last season, but Bale's flashes of brilliance kept us ticking over. We were a machine, grinding teams down, not conceeding then Bale pops up with a long-range shot. We didn't create chances, we relied on long-range shots and flashes of brilliance. We didn't concede many either, so that was alright.
Ok, first season, record points total, but still a failure to get fourth. I can accept that. I thought we'd see an improvement in performances into the new season.
After the investment in the summer to replace Bale, I was excited. The type of players being brought in I thought pointed to a switch to a more-attacking 4-3-3 (rather than 4-5-1 we played last season) and that we'd at least play good football and attack teams. I thought we had a lot of potential on board.
Unfortunately, if anything we've regressed from last season. Not only that, baffling decisions are being made, such as freezing out Ade, not playing Sandro and Dembele together when they were so successful last season, playing Lennon on the left. The football is so soul-destroyingly boring and pedestrian. We struggle against the poorest teams, especially at home. We don't look like scoring, ever. A lot of our matches have passed this season without a goal from open play by either side, or even without a clear goalscoring chance!
Seven new faces? Ok, so how many are playing regularly and disrupting the team? Lamela, Eriksen, Chadli, Capoue have not featured much at all in the league and Chiriches has only been given a run in the side recently. Paulinho and Soldado are the only two who have been first team regulars. That's 2 players. TWO PLAYERS FFS! It's a rubbish excuse, it's not even relevant! Arsenal have the same number of first team newbies in Ozil and Flamini!
Even Bill Nich took two years to build his team (remember he took over in '58). Burkinshaw got relegated in his first season but we backed his vision and really reaped the benefits 4-7 years later. And neither of those lost their four standout players in their first 12 months in charge (Modric, King, vdV and Bale).
We're going through an enormous amount of structural reform to move the club into this decade (or century). Changing mentality (from plucky underdogs to assured contenders), introducing a system for the first time in decades, playing as a team not 2 or 3 individuals and some journeymen, learning tactics including playing the long game (conserving reserves) etc.
I think we will switch to 4-3-3, but allowing Lamela and Eriksen to settle, and possibly the injuries to Rose and Capoue, have delayed this a bit. I'm not sure it's any more attacking that our 4-2-3-1 though as it means merging your #10 and LM into one to bring in a 3rd CM (say moving Eriksen left and dropping Lennon/Siggy for Capoue/Dembele).
Even Bill Nich took two years to build his team (remember he took over in '58). Burkinshaw got relegated in his first season but we backed his vision and really reaped the benefits 4-7 years later. And neither of those lost their four standout players in their first 12 months in charge (Modric, King, vdV and Bale).
We're going through an enormous amount of structural reform to move the club into this decade (or century). Changing mentality (from plucky underdogs to assured contenders), introducing a system for the first time in decades, playing as a team not 2 or 3 individuals and some journeymen, learning tactics including playing the long game (conserving reserves) etc.
I think we will switch to 4-3-3, but allowing Lamela and Eriksen to settle, and possibly the injuries to Rose and Capoue, have delayed this a bit. I'm not sure it's any more attacking that our 4-2-3-1 though as it means merging your #10 and LM into one to bring in a 3rd CM (say moving Eriksen left and dropping Lennon/Siggy for Capoue/Dembele).
So all that's required is super entertaining football and results good enough to challenge for the title. Preferably we'd still have players like Hudd, Ekotto, Kranjcar, Corluka and Defoe in the team as well I suppose. Piece of cake.
Last season we implemented a whole new way of playing and managed to get a record number of points in a PL season. And we did with a bunch of donkeys like Dempsey and Adebayor supporting Bale. It's no coincidence that we hardly concede, we've a minimum of changes to the back 5. I guess it's too much to ask to give our new attacking players a chance.
He's managed to numb and suck my enjoyment out of watching Spurs.
Hoddle, Santini, Jol, Ramos, Redknapp... They all had their faults, but none of them produced such soul-destroying football teams, such painful displays, such joyless, souless football, with no goals, in either end of the pitch.
FFS even Graham's teams had more life about them with Ginola and Anderton on song! We won something too!
I can't believe that no other manager received the backing he did, yet produced the pile of turd he has.
£30m creative talents left on the bench. Danish play-maker wizards get the odd game. One of Spain's top marksmen disappears. One of Brazil's starters looks lost! No width, no defence splitting passes, no crosses, no dribbling, no pace...
Just mundane huff n puff, we squeeze past the poorest with soft penalties and last-minute winners. We play for clean sheets at home.
We've got the best squad I can ever remember but I hate watching Spurs the most I ever have.
Each game is torture, cringe worthy torture. The stadium's full of tension, WHL is quiet, frought, nail biting, watching us pass sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, not going anywhere.
I hate it. I just want to see some freedom and joy in our play. I want to enjoy watching us, win, lose or draw. I want the atmosphere at the stadium to be like it was and feel everyone was united behind the club, players and manager.
We're tense, at each other's throats, divided, subdued, angry, the managers having a go at us, but he needs to look at himself.
The fans don't help, but the footballs so poor there is nothing to cheer about.
I want him out! Now!
Wow. I didn't think football fans had anything left to amaze me with and then..... Just wow.
I hope we do switch to 4-3-3, I just think that with the signing of Eriksen, it's difficult to fit him in, unless he will play from the left. But I can see everyone else fitting in to the system fine except him.
our ability not to concede is nothing to do with a lack of changes....its because we are unadventurous in attack and we have a way of playing that keeps the ball for longer than the opposition.
however, we have had occasions where we have been opened up and only last ditch sweeper keeping from Lloris has saved us. When put under pressure we dont look too smart in this department
Walker's improved under AVB? Really? :-k
Walker's improved under AVB? Really? :-k
I would say so. He's been really good this season.