***OMT - Tottenham Hotspur Football Club vs AFC Bournemouth***

[Muttley]

But Frank wasn’t allowed to ensure defensive soundness; the fans didn’t like it as it was boring and dull.

You are right. We are Spurs. We must attack, attack, attack and score one more than them with at least 70% possession. It's the only way and been such a winning formula for decades. That's why our trophy cabinet is so full.

 

[Raziel]

Yeah. We scored twice, should have been enough. xG of 1.63. We even scored from open play, first one in 6 games if I heard correctly. Richarlison missed that one, but has been scoring at a good rate.

I do think we were a bit unlucky. They were clinical, we weren't. This and the Sunderland game two of very few games this season where we probably deserved more than we got.

Thought we did well enough to fight back after going behind. But we, again, struggled with their pressing. And part of us doing well was probably them not being able to press as much as they did in the first game against us. Had they done that we would have looked way worse imo.

Broadly (it's been done to death) the data doesn't back it up, yes we have been better for parts of a half against Sunderland and Bournemouth but that vast majority of the data says we are where we should be or lower. And if you get enough "unlucky" results, it's usually because it's actually what you deserve.

 

[Eriktheviking]

I

You are right. We are Spurs. We must attack, attack, attack and score one more than them with at least 70% possession. It's the only way and been such a winning formula for decades. That's why our trophy cabinet is so full.

think you are being semi serious and mischievous. As written earlier, we want champagne football with bang average players. We seem to think THFC has a divine right to have the players of and play like prime Real Madrid.

 

[braineclipse]

No worries. I always see your posts as balanced as you know.

My view is always that I'd love my club to play massively entertaining football but not as the be all and end all. I've spoken a lot about the disease in this club in the goals against column. You don't pick up a club who has conceded over 60 goals in the league for 3 seasons and not make that stat the number 1 priority for the entire football club. The club's history just doesn't come into it. You get down to basics.

Last night we opened up our footballing style and conceded 3 goals. Nobody has even mentioned it. That comes with the territory of being a Spurs fan. I would have taken a scrappy 0-0. A clean sheet and an away point. I feel like the absolute minority around here, believing that turning losses into draws, and draws into wins is the right way to run a football club.

I've said this before, but when you make defensive solidity the number one priority, and then later in the season try to "open up the footballing style" it's almost inevitable that you'll look more defensively vulnerable.

To me the defensive solidity as the number one priority is a mistake. Because that will only go so far, at some point you have to open up, attack. And unless a cohesive style, attacking and defending, has been coached you'll then suffer defensively and offensively.

At Brentford Frank could do that. Because scraping enough wins through a defense first (and set piece) strategy was enough to get them the results they were satisfied with. That won't happen here imo. We need to see attacking and defending together. Work on risk taking and when to do it instead of ignoring risk and then later after just hoofing it first sign of trouble for 3 months start taking risks you haven't been practising.

I don't envy him this position. Mid season, two games a week, injuries and rotation, trying to instill a more "open up" style of play. A fan base angry with him because of boring football. Mistakes will happen rather frequently. Defensively and offensively we look lost at sea at times. But that's what he's chosen with being so defense first, set pieces first, the rest will follow.

This is a question stolen from elsewhere (can't remember where). What manager has taken over a club our size-ish and succeeded with a defensive solidity first then later start being more attacking approach? Managers succeeding with that with clubs that are satisfied in mid table or just staying up aren't hard to find. But at our level? I can't think of many...

 

[paxtonwolf]

The board have got a very difficult decision to make about Frank which, if the past is anything to go by, they will probably get wrong....

If we weren't at the start of a transfer window I would keep Frank until the end of the season - unless/until the situation deteriorated even further....

But how can we now spend hundreds of millions on players for a manager who just doesn't seem to be the right fit for the club...

I would buy players now to suit the next manager ( if he can be identified), sack Thomas and bring in an interim to play the 'Tottenham' way for the rest of the season... Harry Redknapp was mentioned during the commentary as he was in the crowd and if he still has the energy for it i would give him a go....

Not ideal but nor is the alternative....

What a mess..

I heard that and I think the commentator said he had been talking to Harry and had said he would be 'up for it' if the right offer come up

If we lose at home to Villa this weekend I think that could be the final straw for Frank.

Yes not ideal, but Harry Redknapp for 3/4 months could not be any worse, but if we did pull the trigger. West Ham at home and Burnley away would be a bad pair of games for a new manager to walk into. It would also be a chance for TF to get some points on the board, but right now I am not 100% confident with him in charge we can win them, and right now one thing we cant afford is to lose to one of them (especially West Ham) and get them started on mini-run.

win them both we move to 33pts, and I tell you now, no team is going this season with 33pts or more

 

[billyiddo]

Porro is about the only player who came through Ange's time unscathed - perhaps he's just super human?

 

[SirPercyHotspur]

If only Eric was still here, he would have sorted out the moaners.

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[glorygloryeze]

I heard that and I think the commentator said he had been talking to Harry and had said he would be 'up for it' if the right offer come up

If we lose at home to Villa this weekend I think that could be the final straw for Frank.

Yes not ideal, but Harry Redknapp for 3/4 months could not be any worse, but if we did pull the trigger. West Ham at home and Burnley away would be a bad pair of games for a new manager to walk into. It would also be a chance for TF to get some points on the board, but right now I am not 100% confident with him in charge we can win them, and right now one thing we cant afford is to lose to one of them (especially West Ham) and get them started on mini-run.

win them both we move to 33pts, and I tell you now, no team is going this season with 33pts or more

I think losing at home to West Ham would be that. Losing to Villa (whilst not nice and as long as not a complete battering)s no disgrace, but losing to this West Ham team would certainly be...

 

[Muttley]

I

think you are being semi serious and mischievous. As written earlier, we want champagne football with bang average players. We seem to think THFC has a divine right to have the players of and play like prime Real Madrid.

I've been very clear on my point of view. I just want to see a respectable goals against column this season to prove that we are putting the foundations in place for future success. Without it, we should just forget the rest of our desires.

Yesterday proved that Frank can turn the dials to change the balance between defence and attack. I wish he hadn't. I'd have settled for a 0-0 draw and a point away. Turn the dials at home.

 

[braineclipse]

Broadly (it's been done to death) the data doesn't back it up, yes we have been better for parts of a half against Sunderland and Bournemouth but that vast majority of the data says we are where we should be or lower. And if you get enough "unlucky" results, it's usually because it's actually what you deserve.

I specifically said those two games were rare in that regard.

On the whole this season I don't think we've been unlucky, more the opposite. I've said before, what will happen if we go on an unlucky run. And what will happen if that happens before we're able to play better?

 

[Finney Is Back]

Going well isn't it !!

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We really shouldn't worry about a couple of coked up wallies who probably couldn't even get their school football team 40 years ago when they weighed 16 stone less.

A majority of the fans were clapping the players last night (as you can see from this video). Frank is taking the brunt of things from a reasonable section of our match going fans at the moment, some of that is the poor results but I think it is more because much of his football has been so horribly turgid since he took charge of Spurs (though I'm not sure what people expected from Frank seeing as his Brentford team had this exact same way of playing).

 

[Finney Is Back]

I agree that this time last year the injury situation was the worst I've ever known as a Spurs fan.

The problem is that Ange was getting a total forgiveness from so many fans because of the injuries and fatigue. Because Frank has a couple more "squad fillers", he is getting absolutely none.

Here is my first team

Vic
Porro, Romero, VDV, Udogie
Palhinha, Gray
Kudus, Madds, Kulu
Solanke

Across the 90 mins, I would have Kinsky, Danso, Spence, Sarr, Bergval, Xavi, Tel, Odobert, Richi, Muani to change things. 3 or 4 of them are game changers.

I really do hope that fans can see that Frank is completely hamstrung with current choices. Whether it is as bad as Ange had it is debatable, but they do have to admit that it is a MAJOR reason why we find ourselves where we are.

It's the double standard that hits me the most.

I'm not convinced that he was. There were actually very few people on here defending Ange, yet there was a sizeable element who wanted him sacked and didn't want to hear about the injuries and fatigue. My problem with Frank isn't the results (though they are poor) it is the nature of many of our performances where we played such negative, small team, anti-football. I actually thought last night was better than a lot of what we've seen these past several weeks (especially for the first 15 to 20 mins) and has led me to think that maybe Frank is starting to 'get it' and it giving him a bit more time makes sense.

 

[Finney Is Back]

I agree that this time last year the injury situation was the worst I've ever known as a Spurs fan.

The problem is that Ange was getting a total forgiveness from so many fans because of the injuries and fatigue. Because Frank has a couple more "squad fillers", he is getting absolutely none.

Here is my first team

Vic
Porro, Romero, VDV, Udogie
Palhinha, Gray
Kudus, Madds, Kulu
Solanke

Across the 90 mins, I would have Kinsky, Danso, Spence, Sarr, Bergval, Xavi, Tel, Odobert, Richi, Muani to change things. 3 or 4 of them are game changers.

I really do hope that fans can see that Frank is completely hamstrung with current choices. Whether it is as bad as Ange had it is debatable, but they do have to admit that it is a MAJOR reason why we find ourselves where we are.

It's the double standard that hits me the most.

As a further point here Bournemouth had 7 players out injured last night. We had 5.

We've not been up near the top of the injury table this season.

We also sold a player who was one of our top scorers last season, was fit and available and had made an appearance for us in pretty much every league game this season despite having no replacement lined up, a busy fixture list, Sarr away at Afcon and lots of fatigue across the team. £s over performance again from THFC?

 

[Finney Is Back]

You haven’t specified how. The question was, what should he have done differently to ensure that happening?



Firstly, I’ll have a case of whatever you’re drinking, please, if you think we’re spending hundreds of millions on players anytime soon!

Secondly, we had a manager who apparently played ‘the Tottenham way’ last season. We finished 17th.

And won the Europa League.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Where does that leave us Aussies?

Erm.... still with a brick football team?