OMT - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC vs stoke

[braineclipse]

Stoke aren't Stoke any more. Leicester are the new Stoke.

Stoke aren't Stoke any more. Asked before the game if we were taller than them, and looking at it now we were. At least going by the heights on whoscored.com we were on average over a centimeter taller than them.

But Stoke fans are definitely still Stoke fans and winning away to Stoke is great, even just watching on TV

 

[braineclipse]

Agree on both points, however i feel we are still not at our best but once all the players get settled in we will improve on the first point.

Dembele coming in for Wanyama (hopefully) should go some way towards correcting this I think. Wanyama and Dier started the game slowly yesterday and whenever a team starts with high tempo pressing we're not capable of playing through midfield with Wanyama and Dier.

 

[StephenH]

Wanyama and Dier for me are good for away games but not sure we can start so slowly without going behind in some games.
Wanyama is a bit off a problem?
Like him but he is a walking yellow, too defensive for my liking as we have Dier, not sure how 'I' would use him in the current setup . Probably making tea.......I do like a cuppa during a game .

 

[braineclipse]

Wanyama and Dier for me are good for away games but not sure we can start so slowly without going behind in some games.
Wanyama is a bit off a problem?
Like him but he is a walking yellow, too defensive for my liking as we have Dier, not sure how 'I' would use him in the current setup . Probably making tea.......I do like a cuppa during a game .

Dembele back will make a big difference I think. Not a huge difference between Wanyama or Dier, though I prefer Dier.

As the season progresses I do still worry a bit with Dembele's history of fitness issues and Wanyama so far the preferred stand-in for him. I really hope either Onomah, Winks or some other youngster can step it up a bit and provide that creativity in central midfield.

 

[Rorschach]

Dembele back will make a big difference I think. Not a huge difference between Wanyama or Dier, though I prefer Dier.

As the season progresses I do still worry a bit with Dembele's history of fitness issues and Wanyama so far the preferred stand-in for him. I really hope either Onomah, Winks or some other youngster can step it up a bit and provide that creativity in central midfield.

Or Alli. I thought he was pretty decent as a CM in the 2nd half.

 

[braineclipse]

Or Alli. I thought he was pretty decent as a CM in the 2nd half.

Alli-Dier (like we played at the start of last season) looks a better partnership to me than Dier-Wanyama. But Alli is a much better player for me further forward. Perhaps the additions of Nkoudou and Sissoko mean more pacey options for the attacking midfield trio that could free up Alli to play deeper for some games Demble isn't available for. But so far Pochettino has preferred the Dier-Wanyama partnership, even with Son available on the bench (or against Stoke, Lamela on the bench).

 

[metalgear]

lots of goals and we finally came to life, however its gotta come down more to son's instinctive brilliance (including the assist for kane).

hope this ignites something in the rest, who have a lot more to go !

 

[Roland Beurre]

Dembele coming in for Wanyama (hopefully) should go some way towards correcting this I think. Wanyama and Dier started the game slowly yesterday and whenever a team starts with high tempo pressing we're not capable of playing through midfield with Wanyama and Dier.

Good point, I am not so sure it is a case of us being sluggish at the start of games this season; more a case of teams starting out with a high energy, high press against us and not being able to keep it up.

Yesterday was like a Smokin' Joe performance; those hooks to the body are going to take their toll eventually, and when the guard comes down ... boom, boom! Out go the lights.

 

[braineclipse]

Good point, I am not so sure it is a case of us being sluggish at the start of games this season; more a case of teams starting out with a high energy, high press against us and not being able to keep it up.

Yesterday was like a Smokin' Joe performance; those hooks to the body are going to take their toll eventually, and when the guard comes down ... boom, boom! Out go the lights.

Problem is that teams that maintain an effective high press for longer will cause us problems for longer. See the Liverpool game. Stoke were poor, but even so they managed to cause real problems for us in the opening 15 minutes yesterday. Those are worries, despite us running away with the game once we got the 2nd goal. On another day...

 

[Roland Beurre]

Eriksen looks disinterested

As resident grammar bore, I feel obliged to observe that disinterested means "impartial", which is what the referee should be.

Uninterested means "not engaged".

Posting these irritating observations the day after the match means I need to get out more ...

 

[metalgear]

As resident grammar bore, I feel obliged to observe that disinterested means "impartial", which is what the referee should be.

Uninterested means "not engaged".

Posting these irritating observations the day after the match means I need to get out more ...

thanks for that. its guys like you did keep me sharp.

thats what you get for living life and paying less attention to grammar !

 

[Roland Beurre]

Problem is that teams that maintain an effective high press for longer will cause us problems for longer. See the Liverpool game. Stoke were poor, but even so they managed to cause real problems for us in the opening 15 minutes yesterday. Those are worries, despite us running away with the game once we got the 2nd goal. On another day...

Yes, I quite agree. I don't know that we can start any faster or more energetically, though; we just need to play smarter.

All teams seem to be getting fitter and running more (except Bournemouth, for some reason), so our competitive edge on fitness will diminish.

 

[braineclipse]

Yes, I quite agree. I don't know that we can start any faster or more energetically, though; we just need to play smarter.

All teams seem to be getting fitter and running more (except Bournemouth, for some reason), so our competitive edge on fitness will diminish.

Dembele will make us more able to play through pressure and thus makes us "play smarter" imo.

 

[Roland Beurre]

thanks for that. its guys like you did keep me sharp.

thats what you get for living life and paying less attention to grammar !

Yeah, but we all knew what you meant, so who gives a stuff?

I clearly do, but I think it is a form of OCD.

You may wonder why I am reading the OMT a day after the match finishes, but I can no longer bear to watch matches live. Like most fans I secretly believe that I can influence the outcome of a match by supporting hard enough. I've become a bigger bag of nerves since we actually became quite good.

Nowadays, I avoid the result and download the match afterwards. I still get nervous but no longer blame myself for disappointing results. I might have to start watching non-league football to rediscover my love of live football.

 

[metalgear]

Yeah, but we all knew what you meant, so who gives a stuff?

I clearly do, but I think it is a form of OCD.

You may wonder why I am reading the OMT a day after the match finishes, but I can no longer bear to watch matches live. Like most fans I secretly believe that I can influence the outcome of a match by supporting hard enough. I've become a bigger bag of nerves since we actually became quite good.

Nowadays, I avoid the result and download the match afterwards. I still get nervous but no longer blame myself for disappointing results. I might have to start watching non-league football to rediscover my love of live football.

i find it a big difference when i just watch the match live without any access to this or any fan site.

at other times, after a couple of drinks, just getting or impulsive and emotional on the match thread here comes closest to being at the game itself!

 

[ringo]

Yeah, but we all knew what you meant, so who gives a stuff?

I clearly do, but I think it is a form of OCD.

You may wonder why I am reading the OMT a day after the match finishes, but I can no longer bear to watch matches live. Like most fans I secretly believe that I can influence the outcome of a match by supporting hard enough. I've become a bigger bag of nerves since we actually became quite good.

Nowadays, I avoid the result and download the match afterwards. I still get nervous but no longer blame myself for disappointing results. I might have to start watching non-league football to rediscover my love of live football.

But if we lose, that will be because you didn't support the team hard enough during the live match......(1)


1. Loughlan, A., Harraty, M. The Flawed Psychology of Football Supporters. Psychology Review . Jan. 2012. pp12-18. Wiley, Chichester.

 

[Roland Beurre]

But if we lose, that will be because you didn't support the team hard enough during the live match......(1)


1. Loughlan, A., Harraty, M. The Flawed Psychology of Football Supporters. Psychology Review . Jan. 2012. pp12-18. Wiley, Chichester.

Fair point, but for the 95 minutes or so that I sit down to watch the recorded game, I can do so safe in the knowledge the die has already been cast.

Basically, THFC's failure to win the title in more than 50 years has all been my fault. I've passed the curse on to my kids as well, so you young 'uns should not be expecting Spurs to be champions in your life time either!

 

[ringo]

Fair point, but for the 95 minutes or so that I sit down to watch the recorded game, I can do so safe in the knowledge the die has already been cast.

Basically, THFC's failure to win the title in more than 50 years has all been my fault. I've passed the curse on to my kids as well, so you young 'uns should not be expecting Spurs to be champions in your life time either!

I still think there is an outside chance of rehabilitation (for live game purposes).

Perhaps, for example, you might be persuaded that if results are influenced by "supporting hard enough" then that would constitute a collective effort on the part of all those fans watching, and therefore collective responsibility for any outcome.
Thus you could blame any unsatisfactory result on the one fan who, even if only for a minute, focused on his/her large bowl of Doritos at the expense of "supporting hard enough".
It's always someone else's fault!

 

[Mr_B]

Yeah, but we all knew what you meant, so who gives a stuff?

I clearly do, but I think it is a form of OCD.

You may wonder why I am reading the OMT a day after the match finishes, but I can no longer bear to watch matches live. Like most fans I secretly believe that I can influence the outcome of a match by supporting hard enough. I've become a bigger bag of nerves since we actually became quite good.


Most fans don't think that, I would say thats very worrying behaviour from a grown man, how are you in other stressful situations in life, do you ask your boss/family to video them talking to you and then watch it later ?

 

[Roland Beurre]

I still think there is an outside chance of rehabilitation (for live game purposes).

Perhaps, for example, you might be persuaded that if results are influenced by "supporting hard enough" then that would constitute a collective effort on the part of all those fans watching, and therefore collective responsibility for any outcome.
Thus you could blame any unsatisfactory result on the one fan who, even if only for a minute, focused on his/her large bowl of Doritos at the expense of "supporting hard enough".
It's always someone else's fault!

I like your thinking.

It is easy to get distracted, though. For instance, I noticed when reading your reply I have now posted enough times to be accorded "Jamie Redknapp" status, and I've got to be better than that, Shirley?

At times during yesterday's game I worried that Sissoko would be the new Roger Morgan (one for the old gits, there!). I can afford that sort of mind-drift when watching a recorded game, but not during a live match.