*** OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Everton FC ***

[TheQuest]

Donely showed midweek he has the nous to help see a game out IF that is what we were trying to do. Bryan Gil? In a match like that against a side trying to mix rugby with football? Let’s be honest, he’s as strong in those moments as a rice-paper umbrella in a tropical storm…

Good point, if you have to see a game out , bring on strength and grit, experience too. We had Royal and Davies on the bench. I don't necessarily agree we had to see the game out but at least provide the personel to do it of that is the decision.

The Romero header was unlucky I guess, it can happen. Fine margins. But it was coming, I could feel the tension.

 

[braineclipse]

Doesn't really put a team away though does it? You're still open to the last of Wimbleton's lumps into the mixer finding it's target, unless you've got enough cushion on the scoreboard for it not to matter.

Obviously better possession of the ball would help us create more at the other end.

Well, yes, to your last paragraph. Create more, less chance of being vulnerable to a late surge. But also keeping the ball as a way of defending, tiring them out, less sustained pressure to deal with defensively.

 

[thfcsteff]

What a horrible place to play football. A silly little pitch, wherein every time the ball is wide players fall off the edge of the pitch and smash into the hoardings. Ugly screaming booing fans. Rugby football.

We should have bought fouls today, rather than trying to fight fire with fire.
Loads of times we had the ball, then tried to force passes that were not on. We should have shielded the ball and bought a foul. That's what a better team does, buy 15 fouls and we see out that game.

Agreed mostly. I think people need to start calling out Dyche. He’s a dinosaur. His ‘football’ is agricultural to be polite. As for the reffing and VAR today, appalling again. CLEAR obstruction for the first goal (it is in the rules you cannot do that) regardless of whether Vic was strong or not, Van De Ven wrestled to the floor from a corner - clear pen and VAR sees nothing- Godfrey a blatant dive second-half which (by the book) is a yellow which would’ve been is second yellow…no-one will say anything, like no-one questioned how Norgaard remained on the pitch midweek…I think Ange got the subs wrong personally, I’d most certainly have been bringing Donely on instead of Gil, and we ceded any control when we took off Madders, Bents and Hojberg (you need one of those for the full 100 mins - despite himself, you’d have backed Hojberg to help see that out)…I’m sure Ange will have learnt from today…

 

[thfcsteff]

Good point, if you have to see a game out , bring on strength and grit, experience too. We had Royal and Davies on the bench. I don't necessarily agree we had to see the game out but at least provide the personel to do it of that is the decision.

The Romero header was unlucky I guess, it can happen. Fine margins. But it was coming, I could feel the tension.

Davies is a great shout. Romero’s shiort was tugged hard which actually imbalanced him for that header. Not that the ref was going to see that when he missed more clear fouls!!!!

 

[braineclipse]

Donely showed midweek he has the nous to help see a game out IF that is what we were trying to do. Bryan Gil? In a match like that against a side trying to mix rugby with football? Let’s be honest, he’s as strong in those moments as a rice-paper umbrella in a tropical storm…

Wasn't on the bench... Can question the decision to have Gil over him on the bench of course. I wouldn't have minded Donley to be honest. Perhaps a close-ish call between the two?

 

[TheQuest]

It's absolutely laughable to suggest that Donley instead of Gil would have made the difference!

Well let's break it down. Donely is taller, heavier, stronger and probably faster. That might come in handy when defending a lead ?

 

[Bullet]

Nobody tracked 2 men at the back stick for Everton's second goal.
Richy just watched them go.
Maybe Davies would have tried to challenge.
But the keeper should have stepped 2 yards forward and simply caught the ball, simple pimple.

Very strange that Everton had such a clear overload at the back post in the last couple of minutes.

 

[thfcsteff]

Wasn't on the bench... Can question the decision to have Gil over him on the bench of course. I wouldn't have minded Donley to be honest. Perhaps a close-ish call between the two?

Now that makes sense. Thank you for clearing up my mistake.

 

[braineclipse]

Davies is a great shout. Romero’s shiort was tugged hard which actually imbalanced him for that header. Not that the ref was going to see that when he missed more clear fouls!!!!

Davies would be useful. But more useful than the defenders already on the pitch?

Not at you Steff, but for the record I don't think the plan was to try to just see/defend the game out. I think the plan was to keep playing our football. We just failed to execute on that. It's not like we just sat deep and hoofed it. We tried to play in our own half and on the break, just kept losing the ball.

 

[thfcsteff]

The two points lost are not on individual players. In the last two games we've been poor for large parts of the game. We have fallen into the opponents traps, and they have gotten the game exactly how they wanted. Some players don't look up to speed, especially Bentancur, who I think has been quite poor, and not managed to influence the games at all.

I agree with this.
I do think, however, when you make subs, you bring on physicality and experience when dealing with a rugby side. @braineclipse corrected me re: Donely, I thought he was on the bench so my bad there. WIsh he had been instead of Gil.

 

[thfcsteff]

Davies would be useful. But more useful than the defenders already on the pitch?

Not at you Steff, but for the record I don't think the plan was to try to just see/defend the game out. I think the plan was to keep playing our football. We just failed to execute on that. It's not like we just sat deep and hoofed it. We tried to play in our own half and on the break, just kept losing the ball.

I agree with that, but when you strip your midfield of the ability to do that against a side who are going to brickhouse as much as possible in the closing minutes of a tight game, you need to consider your subs. I think you have to ask another 6 minutes of Hojberg, and I think I’d rather the experience of Davies in that moment than Dragusin (who did nothing wrong of course)…there is a message sent when you put three CBs on the field in the last few mins IMO.

 

[thfcsteff]

Nobody tracked 2 men at the back stick for Everton's second goal.
Richy just watched them go.
Maybe Davies would have tried to challenge.
But the keeper should have stepped 2 yards forward and simply caught the ball, simple pimple.

Very strange that Everton had such a clear overload at the back post in the last couple of minutes.

Agree, and I think again, the subs interfere with who is doing what at these critical moments.

 

[jrh]

Tough place to go, they were always going to rediscover some kind of form eventually. A point is not ideal after leading most of the game, but it'll do. Better than 0

 

[Baleforce]

Nobody tracked 2 men at the back stick for Everton's second goal.
Richy just watched them go.
Maybe Davies would have tried to challenge.
But the keeper should have stepped 2 yards forward and simply caught the ball, simple pimple.

Very strange that Everton had such a clear overload at the back post in the last couple of minutes.

We get overloaded all the time, our wide players don’t come back deep enough.

 

[TheQuest]

Now that makes sense. Thank you for clearing up my mistake.

Ok Scarlett then ?

 

[TheQuest]

We get overloaded all the time, our wide players don’t come back deep enough.

It's a bit last ditch for me. At one end we are struggling to break down our opposition defence, at our end they knock the ball long and Vdv has to Linford Christie it to get back .

 

[thfcsteff]

I am absolutely done with protecting sides and managers who play this way. I know I know, we should control what we can control, understand that not everyone plays football-football, but this sort of brick needs calling out. Dyche is like some celebrity brontosaurus, ‘a good lad’ and all that. I’ve met him, chatted with him, and he IS a ‘good lad’ but his approach to football stinks, and it needs to be called out. As for the ref/VAR combos, well, Ange is right, the likes of Dyche and Frank play the margins knowing they’ll get far more than they lose.

To everyone who says we need to be tougher, I agree to an extent, but tell me, you think Romero’s getting away with what Norgaards and Tarkowskis are doing? Does Bissouma get away with what Young does? We need to find a way for sure, but we also need to call out this sort of brick.

 

[Robbo]

Annoying to lose two points at the end, but we were tireing and it wasn't surprising.

You gotta wonder who sets up the schedule so that the team with the latest kickoff in the last round gets the earliest kickoff in the next.

Touch game against the Liverpool Kloggers, and a point up there is not didastrous by any means, but I can't help thinking we might've gotten the win with a bit more rest.

 

[TheQuest]

Annoying to lose two points at the end, but we were tireing and it wasn't surprising.

You gotta wonder who sets up the schedule so that the team with the latest kickoff in the last round gets the earliest kickoff in the next.

Touch game against the Liverpool Kloggers, and a point up there is not didastrous by any means, but I can't help thinking we might've gotten the win with a bit more rest.

I like the word Didastrous, especially in connection to the scousers. As in Diddymen.

 

[Bishop]

I am absolutely done with protecting sides and managers who play this way. I know I know, we should control what we can control, understand that not everyone plays football-football, but this sort of brick needs calling out. Dyche is like some celebrity brontosaurus, ‘a good lad’ and all that. I’ve met him, chatted with him, and he IS a ‘good lad’ but his approach to football stinks, and it needs to be called out. As for the ref/VAR combos, well, Ange is right, the likes of Dyche and Frank play the margins knowing they’ll get far more than they lose.

To everyone who says we need to be tougher, I agree to an extent, but tell me, you think Romero’s getting away with what Norgaards and Tarkowskis are doing? Does Bissouma get away with what Young does? We need to find a way for sure, but we also need to call out this sort of brick.

You say call them out but to what end? Theres no rile that says you must play football in a particular or style. You might not like or enjoy his football but so what?