Mauricio Pochettino - Sacked

[Finney Is Back]

Seems like yesterday at say, Liverpool 2nd half were exactly like how an AVB team played at home though. And people thought it was AVB's desire to slow it down that much and that he was being unfair by also asking the crowd to cheer it.

But we are getting the same sort of performances under Poch at home, save for QPR. Maybe there is a deeper issue? Poch clearly states he wants fast tempo football so why are the players playing slow still? It's like they are afraid to let go, take risks and throw a bit of caution to the wind.

Under Sherwood we could attack but didn't look like we had an identity even if we won the points. It seems like our players can play to win, or play with an identity, but they don't have the mental capacity to do both. And that baffles me as to why, because I really think we have a talented squad that if was in any other club, would be able to do both.

Poch might SAY that he wants fast tempo football but the players clearly did not deliver that yesterday. With this in mind I was completely baffled when we came out for the second half with exactly the same players and formation as we had in the first half when clearly second best to West Brom.

IMO we are currently carrying far too many players to be successful in the Premier League.... *Dier, Kaboul and Chiriches are simply not good enough (* as a right back, I think he may well be fine as a centre half). Capoue adds nothing at all to the team (perhaps the worst midfield player I have seen in a Spurs shirt for a long while.... perhaps since Jason Dozzel?) and Nacer Chadli is the true definition of a luxury player, the problem being that in order to be able to justify such a player, they need to be able to really offer something on the occasions that the team gains possession of the ball. There was a period of around 30 minutes in the first half where I actually completely forgot that Chadli was playing, he doesn't help out defensively but then doesn't try find space when we have the ball. I lost count of the number of times that West Brom tried to overload our left hand side, while Chadli was standing with his hands on his hips somewhere up near the half way line. He also didn't bother to do any pressing of the opposition when they had the ball.

That is effectively 5 players that we are carrying - and doing that in this league you will always be found out.

I think Pochettino needs to do a few things VERY quickly.

1. Get both Kaboul and Chiriches out of the team. One is clearly past it and IMO the other will never be good enough to be a successful player in this league. When you see somebody getting bullied by a front pair consisting of a 19 year old and Sessegnon you know they are probably a lost cause.

2. Get a proper right back in to the team. I don't care if Naughton isn't of the appropriate quality for us long term, he at least understands the positional requirements of playing right back, whereas Dier doesn't seem to, suffering from poor decision making.

3. Drop Capoue.... preferably right down to the reserves as I don't think he is even worth a place on the bench. IMO this guy is absolutely stealing a living as a professional footballer.... He stands in between our centre halves when we have posession and then hides when the opposition get the ball. I don't care who comes in for him, move Dembele further back, bring in Strambouli or even Benteleb - any of them would be an upgrade on Capoue (in fact even Paulinho would probably be an upgrade on Capoue, that's how bad I think Capoue is!)

4. Drop Chadli, move Ericksen to the left, give Lamela a free role in the centre and bring in Lennon to play on the right of the 3 attacking midfielders. IMO this would really help us defensively as both Ericksen and Lennon understand that they need to track the opposing fullbacks runs, whereas Lamela and Chadli seem to pick and choose when they do this. Playing in this way would also give us a bit of natural pace and width on the right, allow Ericksen to find a bit more space to get on the ball and create, along with completely freeing up Lamela from any defensive duties, helping us to get him on the ball in dangerous positions and allow us to exploit his skill on the ball.

 

[Roy1983]

He's not gonna drop Kaboul having just made him club captain is he?!??!

 

[Finney Is Back]

I'm more worried about the board/Levy than the fans. I would honestly give Poch at least 2 years, even if we finish 7th this season.

My thoughts are that we can only give ANY manager time if there are signs that they are getting their message across to the team and progressing.... If we get to the end of the season and are regularly playing like we did yesterday then I don't see how the board could keep faith in the manager.

 

[Mumorn]

Capoue hate is hilarious. He's the least of our troubles.

 

[Finney Is Back]

He's not gonna drop Kaboul having just made him club captain is he?!??!

In which case I hope Pochettino is prepared for the flack that will come his way with us not finishing in the top 7.

 

[Kingdawson]

Capoue hate is hilarious. He's the least of our troubles.

We have bigger problems for sure but i genuinely think he shouldn't be in the first X1.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Capoue hate is hilarious. He's the least of our troubles.

If he is the least of our troubles then we are in more trouble than I thought!.... What is the point of a holding midfield player who constantly finds himself wrong side of the opposition midfielders when they get forward? Or have I misunderstood his role in the team and he is actually supposed to play no part when we don't have the ball while taking 5 yard passes off our or centre halves when we have the ball?

 

[Kingdawson]

If he is the least of our troubles then we are in more trouble than I thought!.... What is the point of a holding midfield player who constantly finds himself wrong side of the opposition midfielders when they get forward? Or have I misunderstood his role in the team and he is actually supposed to play no part when we don't have the ball while taking 5 yard passes off our or centre halves when we have the ball?

Jeez i genuinely thought i was the only one that notices he does this (i mentioned it in the Pool game). So far this season he's shown that he's not very good at all at holding his position...it's like we're not playing with a DM even though he's the assigned DM. It's very weird but i do hope people actually watch our game and pay particular attention to him when the opposition attack as 8 times out of 10 he's not holding position (in fact he's usually nowhere to be seen).

 

[Finney Is Back]

Jeez i genuinely thought i was the only one that notices he does this (i mentioned it in the Pool game). So far this season he's shown that he's not very good at all at holding his position...it's like we're not playing with a DM even though he's the assigned DM. It's very weird but i do hope people actually watch our game and pay particular attention to him when the opposition attack as 8 times out of 10 he's not holding position (in fact he's usually nowhere to be seen).

It is consistently apparent from where I sit in the East Upper. All the opposition have to do is drift into that space just in front of our back 4 and they will have the freedom of the park. I think that any team prepared to commit a few players forward against us will get lots of joy in terms of time and space on the ball in dangerous central positions while Capoue is playing, with an added advantage that because he simply takes 5 yard passes off of our centre halves their attacking midfielders do not even have to get themselves back to defend when we have the ball. Hopefully our coach has also spotted this and we'll see better personal deployed in our game against Arsenal next weekend.

 

[Millsy_Yiddo]

yeah but football clubs now use all these types of statistical data to make decisions on players, so why shouldnt fans be able to do the same to back up their argument. ........i agree with you that in the past fans went to football to just have a good time watching their side, but a lot has changed mainly due to the actual cost of going to football now and the obscene wages paid to players. Also all seating has had an effect,mates can no longer group together and stand and cheer their team on, standing, singing, chanting is just to crazy for football in the modern times. So whats left? Of course fans now expect to be entertained, expect the team to win and patience is thin. The fans see overpaid primadonnas failing to perform week in week out, failing to even do the basics sometimes, of course they are going to quickly get the hump.

Do they though?? Yes they may play a part in decisions but I doubt very much that the sole reason someone is playing infront of another is because they made 6 tackles in their last game when the other guy made 5. It's much, much more complex than that. My point being that unless you are on the training ground every day, know how the players train, how they respond to things, their personalities and about a million other different things, you aren't really qualified to know what is best for the team. We all like to think we do though (including me) and there is nothing wrong with that, until it results in the detriment of the team. This is what happens when people turn up to football games thinking they know more than the manager. They can't wait for player x to make a mistake so they can get on their back because they told everrrrrrrrryone that that player isn't good. Or the managers back because they read on the OPTA website that Kaboul has only won 47.8% of headers in his last 5 games where as Fazio has won 98%.

I agree with your second point, we pay good money to be entertained, but we're not failing week in/week out are we? Yet there are snippets on here of un-rest with the players/manager already.

 

[DHSF]

I would hate it if we just looked at stats for buying and selling players - my disdain for stats knows no bounds.

I think entertainment is key but what annoys fans is when you turn up and players arent even bothered - yesterday for example. Yesterdays abject performance goes far beyond just simple tactics and simple squad quality - the players were under the illusion this was a walk in the park - well **** no.

 

[Jordinho]

Spot on. Every club in this league will lose a game that they should win at a canter at some stage this season.

I liked it a few weeks ago when people recognised that it would take a little while for the new players and manager to bed in.

It's much easier to say you'll be patient when things are going well.

 

[milo]

It's much easier to say you'll be patient when things are going well.

I think that things are where I would expect them to be right now. We've had some good performances, some poor performances and some average ones. I'm happy to reserve judgement until Poch is regularly putting out his first team and they have had a run of games together.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I think that things are where I would expect them to be right now. We've had some good performances, some poor performances and some average ones. I'm happy to reserve judgement until Poch is regularly putting out his first team and they have had a run of games together.

I thought we would probably have a bit of a bumpy ride for the first half of the season. However I thought that this would be likely due to our pressing game not being fully coherent and the opposition therefore able to play through it and expose us. What I am a little concerned about is the lack of any pressing at all in both the Liverpool and WBA games. From where I was sitting both of those opponents pressed us and put us under pressure on the ball far more than we pressed them.

 

[milo]

I thought we would probably have a bit of a bumpy ride for the first half of the season. However I thought that this would be likely due to our pressing game not being fully coherent and the opposition therefore able to play through it and expose us. What I am a little concerned about is the lack of any pressing at all in both the Liverpool and WBA games. From where I was sitting both of those opponents pressed us and put us under pressure on the ball far more than we pressed them.

I think that the problem in both of those games is that we were slow out of the blocks and then struggled to get into the game. Other than that though, I do not see many similarities between the games. In fact I thought yesterday had more in common with Thursday's game than the Liverpool one: plenty of possession but doing sweet FA with it.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I think that the problem in both of those games is that we were slow out of the blocks and then struggled to get into the game. Other than that though, I do not see many similarities between the games. In fact I thought yesterday had more in common with Thursday's game than the Liverpool one: plenty of possession but doing sweet FA with it.

Perhaps I have remembered the games wrongly but as I recall it in both yesterday's game and the Liverpool game we seemed to have the lions share of possession (probably by quite a wide margin in both games) however the opposition were able to create more chances and have more shots than we did.

 

[SUIYHA]

Problems can be explained here - http://www.glory-glory.co.uk/showthread.php/6478-The-Winger-Thread

A lack of technical skill in the final third is really going to hurt us this season - regardless of "systems", motivation, tactics or whatever.

Even accepting that it's not easy to find players like Bale, Modric, Van Der Vaart and Berbatov, we could really do with more players like Kranjcar, Defoe, Keane, Malbranque, Dalmat or Sigurdsson. The type who have that bit of guile and skill to unlock a tight defence and score/assist a goal from a difficult situation. It's no good having players making penetrating runs off the ball if the guy who has it can't pick him out with an accurate pass, or if the guy making the run can't control the ball or finish the chance. Chadli, Kane, Paulinho etc are way way off having that technical capability to win games on a regular basis for us, yet all regularly feature on the pitch.

The defence is another issue entirely. There's a major lack of organisation, as well as a major lack again in technical skill. Far too many clumsy challenges, careless balls given away and lapses in concentration. Sloppy defending also weakens the attack, as careless goals conceded damage the morale of the whole team and the crowd, as well as letting the opposition park the bus and hit us on the break.

It's quite straightforward here. We can have absolutely no place at this on the pitch, on the training ground, or on the wage bill at this club for the likes of Rose, Kaboul, Chadli, Kane, Paulinho etc, if we are to compete for the top 4. Either we sign players of that level, or we can descend to their level, it's that simple. It really hurt seeing Yacine Brahimi score a hat-trick for Porto in the Champions League this week after we were linked with him in the summer, or watching Tadic tear things up for Southampton. The skillful players are there. It's just that we appear to be prioritising physical attributes and hard work over those who will actually improve the team.

 

[DTA]

He got mugged twice by Tim Fricken Sherwood last year!!

Tims a good manager just look at his win record

 

[braineclipse]

I think that things are where I would expect them to be right now. We've had some good performances, some poor performances and some average ones. I'm happy to reserve judgement until Poch is regularly putting out his first team and they have had a run of games together.

Excellent post milo! One of many in this thread and in recent days.

So much negativity, seemingly most of it from posters that haven't really been around when we were doing well. Now trying to put a negative spin on everything that's been going on.

At the very least he should be given until Christmas before we start evaluating what he's doing for the club.

 

[Nigeyman]

mopo needs more time (I remember saying this with AVB) and he needs backing in the transfer market, it isn't great that it looks like he didn't get his first choice centre back and central midfielder.

How to fix spurszzz....mopo please do this!

1.Decide what your best back 4 is and keep playing them regular. In my mind in front of handsome Hugo should be Walker, Fazio, Verts, Davies, in the absence of Walker, Naughton should play, Let Dier be introduced slowly and have Kalamity Kaboul as back up, ensure that Vlad is moved on for his own and our benefit!

2.Decide which two central midfielders are best suited to a pressing game and have an eye for a quick pass (I dont know myself yet though I would say I dont think Dembele helps as he holds onto the ball for too long.

3. Lets try Eriksen left and Lamela right as inverted and lets get Soldado partnered with Ade up front....4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 whatever you want to call it, I actually think Soldado in terms of one touch play and creation is the spark we are missing.

Aaron Lennon is not the answer nor has he really been for a few years. I think mopo is still figuring out his best team and evaluating our many players and in particular deciding which of our many cm's we need to move on.

4. Lets buy some effin firepower in January.......lets go all in for Bony who seems disgruntled at Swansea....As soon as we get some decent firepower and we carry more of a threat up front then confidence will come back to the team! Kane can keep developing, Soldado needs to play, Ade is Ade....either way we NEED another option up front!