Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[Jurgen the German]

This wasn't the case at all. We were on a good run but because of an injury to Lennon, Harry decided that moving our best player out of position to cover it was better than just using Kranjcar or Pienaar or going to a more natural 433. If the team had been left alone then there would have been no backlash to the performance. It was a legitmiate criticism of Harry as whenever he was missing a player or two, he didn't use the massive squad he'd assembeld, he'd rather move multiple players out of position to cover the loss of one player, he did this numerous times and that's why he was left with half a squad's worth of unhappy and rusty players.

If AVB moves Dembele to right wing and brings in Livermore to cover him all because of an injury to Lennon then I'd rightly criticise him for it, as would others ... some even more so.

We'll have to agree to disagree because I remember people throwing their toys out of the pram acting like a draw at Saudi Sportswashing Machine was a bad result.

 

[Rossi22]

We've been through this before. We are not the only team to have had upheavel. Liverpool have a new manager. Arsenal lost their two best players from last season. But somehow, OUR PROBLEMS/INJURIES are more important and valid than our rivals.

Because those two teams are doing so much better than us right?

We'll have to agree to disagree because I remember people throwing their toys out of the pram acting like a draw at Saudi Sportswashing Machine was a bad result.

It wasn't a bad result, it just could have been better had Harry played the right team.

 

[glorygloryeze]

This wasn't the case at all. We were on a good run but because of an injury to Lennon, Harry decided that moving our best player out of position to cover it was better than just using Kranjcar or Pienaar or going to a more natural 433. If the team had been left alone then there would have been no backlash to the performance. It was a legitmiate criticism of Harry as whenever he was missing a player or two, he didn't use the massive squad he'd assembled, he'd rather move multiple players out of position to cover the loss of one player, he did this numerous times and that's why he was left with half a squad's worth of unhappy and rusty players.

If AVB moves Dembele to right wing and brings in Livermore to cover him all because of an injury to Lennon then I'd rightly criticise him for it, as would others ... some even more so.

Quite frankly, the main criticism I have of Harry's methods in a nutshell=D>

 

[Jordinho]

We've been through this before. We are not the only team to have had upheavel. Liverpool have a new manager. Arsenal lost their two best players from last season. But somehow, OUR PROBLEMS/INJURIES are more important and valid than our rivals.

Our injuries are valid for looking at our performances. Given that we're picking up results the critics have decided to use the performances as the stick to beat AVB with.

Liverpool are not rivals for top 4 IMO. Our fight will be with Arsenal and Everton and maybe Chelsea, but the former two have played the same way, under the same manager, for years. Everton have their main players fit and got of to a good start for once. Arsenal are Arsenal. They don't spend their money wisely, but their experience at sneaking 4th place can't be underestimated.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Simple questions for Golfball and JurgenTheGerman:

What side would you have started today and what substitutions would you have made that would have given us a better chance to beat Stoke?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Simple questions for Golfball and JurgenTheGerman:

What side would you have started today and what substitutions would you have made that would have given us a better chance to beat Stoke?

Same team, never said any different.

I wouldn't have brought Parker on for Dembele.

This is about more than today. It's about the entire season, especially at home. I've never said I'm unhappy with the results, 5th would be a good season, but is it so wrong to want our performances to be better.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Because those two teams are doing so much better than us right?



It wasn't a bad result, it just could have been better had Harry played the right team.

I didn't say they were better than us. It's natural for us to look at Spurs rather than other clubs, but we are not the only side to have enforced changes/problems this season.

 

[glorygloryeze]

Same team, never said any different.

I wouldn't have brought Parker on for Dembele.

This is about more than today. It's about the entire season, especially at home. I've never said I'm unhappy with the results, 5th would be a good season, but is it so wrong to want our performances to be better.

When you say you are happy with 5th but want our performances to be better, how so?
Do you mean we play more games like we did at Saudi Sportswashing Machine on the opening day, i.e. play well hit the post etc and then lose balanced out with other games when we win and win by 2 or 3 goals because the opposition have men sent off? i.e. instead of W9 D3 L6, say we had W10 D0 L8?

 

[Pirate55]

Same team, never said any different.

I wouldn't have brought Parker on for Dembele.

This is about more than today. It's about the entire season, especially at home. I've never said I'm unhappy with the results, 5th would be a good season, but is it so wrong to want our performances to be better.

I agree. I may have rested Lennon who looks so off the pace recently and brought in Sig or Townsend. Also, if Dempsey was fit, he has done more than Ade to justify a start. Parker for Dembele was akin to Parker coming on at Aston Villa last season. A damn stupid move imo - both times

 

[Pirate55]

When you say you are happy with 5th but want our performances to be better, how so?
Do you mean we play more games like we did at Saudi Sportswashing Machine on the opening day, i.e. play well hit the post etc and then lose balanced out with other games when we win and win by 2 or 3 goals because the opposition have men sent off? i.e. instead of W9 D3 L6, say we had W10 D0 L8?

In a nutshell, I want our performances to be better too - especally at home. I havent yet seen anything dynamic, different or exceptional from AVB in this respect. I am trying to be patient but the jury remains out.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I agree. I may have rested Lennon who looks so off the pace recently and brought in Sig or Townsend. Also, if Dempsey was fit, he has done more than Ade to justify a start. Parker for Dembele was akin to Parker coming on at Aston Villa last season. A damn stupid move imo - both times

Rested Lennon? Really?? Weren't you one of those that complained when he was taken off at Everton??
If Sig or Townsend had been bullied out of the game today, I wonder what you would have said?
Apparently Dempsey was NOT fit, but even so, if he had started instead of Ade and we had the same result or lost, I wonder what you would have said..

Assuming Dembele needed to come off due to fatigue/slight injury, who would you have brought on instead of Parker?

 

[Jurgen the German]

When you say you are happy with 5th but want our performances to be better, how so?
Do you mean we play more games like we did at Saudi Sportswashing Machine on the opening day, i.e. play well hit the post etc and then lose balanced out with other games when we win and win by 2 or 3 goals because the opposition have men sent off? i.e. instead of W9 D3 L6, say we had W10 D0 L8?

I'd like us to go for more goals rather than settling for a one or two nil lead. It's backfired on us countless times already this season. I do think AVB was a bit negative at the start of the season, but to his credit, he's started to become a bit more expansive.

We haven't played with the same pace that we did last season. We've looked really good in patches of games, but we've not managed to produce many performances that were good from start to finish.

I'm happy with our away form. The Saudi Sportswashing Machine game wasn't too disappointing as we were unlucky to lose and outplayed them for more than half of the game.

I fully accept AVB's hands are tied to a certain extent until the window opens and we hopefully sign a striker and a creative midfielder.

 

[glorygloryeze]

In a nutshell, I want our performances to be better too - especally at home. I havent yet seen anything dynamic, different or exceptional from AVB in this respect. I am trying to be patient but the jury remains out.

Can you please give an example of something 'dynamic' that could have been done.
Can you give an example of something 'different'; also 'different' to what?
Can you also state what you count as 'exceptional'? Are you talking movement, patterns of play, results??

 

[Jurgen the German]

In a nutshell, I want our performances to be better too - especally at home. I havent yet seen anything dynamic, different or exceptional from AVB in this respect. I am trying to be patient but the jury remains out.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[Pirate55]

Rested Lennon? Really?? Weren't you one of those that complained when he was taken off at Everton??
If Sig or Townsend had been bullied out of the game today, I wonder what you would have said?
Apparently Dempsey was NOT fit, but even so, if he had started instead of Ade and we had the same result or lost, I wonder what you would have said..

Assuming Dembele needed to come off due to fatigue/slight injury, who would you have brought on instead of Parker?

I certainly never complained when Lennon came off at Everton. He looked shattered for virtually the entire second half - even his covering had gone to pot.

Ade just isnt in form at the moment. He hasnt had a good game all season imo. Dempsey (if he had been fit) was coming into some form. Same wtih Sig. Lennon has offered nothing going forward for a few games now - - time to rotate him that is all. Hopefully we will buy a good like for like in the window.

Townsend was the obvious substitute for Dembele if he was injured and if we wanted to try and win the game.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I'd like us to go for more goals rather than settling for a one or two nil lead. It's backfired on us countless times already this season. I do think AVB was a bit negative at the start of the season, but to his credit, he's started to become a bit more expansive.

We haven't played with the same pace that we did last season. We've looked really good in patches of games, but we've not managed to produce many performances that were good from start to finish.

I'm happy with our away form. The Saudi Sportswashing Machine game wasn't too disappointing as we were unlucky to lose and outplayed them for more than half of the game.

I fully accept AVB's hands are tied to a certain extent until the window opens and we hopefully sign a striker and a creative midfielder.

I'd agree about the pace of our game, but sure that comes down to the loss of Modric/VDV who saw passes to our pacy players very quickly and would keep our tempo. Again, Moutinho may have helped in this regards as you seem to have acknowledged.

However, wouldn't you agree that perhaps apart from the Liverpool game, since we played Chelski we have not just sought to go one or two gaols up and settled? I hope you are not going to use Emirates Marketing Project away and Everton as examples...

 

[Jurgen the German]

I'd agree about the pace of our game, but sure that comes down to the loss of Modric/VDV who saw passes to our pacy players very quickly and would keep our tempo. Again, Moutinho may have helped in this regards as you seem to have acknowledged.

However, wouldn't you agree that perhaps apart from the Liverpool game, since we played Chelski we have not just sought to go one or two gaols up and settled? I hope you are not going to use Emirates Marketing Project away and Everton as examples...

Yeah I did mention that he's starting to become a bit more expansive in recent games. I don't have a problem with shutting up shop with a few minutes to go, but don't do it with half an hour left, or longer.

I'm not saying you are doing this, but I don't like being painted as an AVB hater or someone that's still bitter about Harry when I've quite clearly given AVB credit for certain things and acknowledged that he was let down by Levy in the last window.

 

[glorygloryeze]

I certainly never complained when Lennon came off at Everton. He looked shattered for virtually the entire second half - even his covering had gone to pot.

Ade just isnt in form at the moment. He hasnt had a good game all season imo. Dempsey (if he had been fit) was coming into some form. Same wtih Sig. Lennon has offered nothing going forward for a few games now - - time to rotate him that is all. Hopefully we will buy a good like for like in the window.

Townsend was the obvious substitute for Dembele if he was injured and if we wanted to try and win the game.

Really???? In the centre of midfield against Stoke?? Do you not think that would have been risky seeing how he is not a posession player/hard to knock off the ball like Dembele, would not likely have had the space to run in behind Stoke's players and use his pace?
Imagine if this had led to Stoke dominating the centre of the midfield??

I agree that perhaps Lennon hasn't been at his best, but the facts are that few have his pace to push teams back on the right hand side.
I'm sure if he had been dropped today and we got the same result many would have said 'how cab AVB do that the idiot...'

 

[glorygloryeze]

Yeah I did mention that he's starting to become a bit more expansive in recent games. I don't have a problem with shutting up shop with a few minutes to go, but don't do it with half an hour left, or longer.

I'm not saying you are doing this, but I don't like being painted as an AVB hater or someone that's still bitter about Harry when I've quite clearly given AVB credit for certain things and acknowledged that he was let down by Levy in the last window.

Tbf, you are talking about AVB's performances after a game that we draw at home to Stoke; it looks immediately on the surface you are still going on about the negatives from previous weeks and are using today as a further exhibit to prove your point. I asked specifucally about what different you would have done today.

You have given AVB some praise, but you can see how you easily paint yourself as an AVB hater, particularly when you most often agree with those who are actually AVB haters (eg SUIYAR)

 

[onlyme]

I don't think that our tactics were wrong today, I think the team selected was certainly our best available XI and the subs all made sense.
Stoke are in form and tough to score against.