Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[Park Lane James]

It's actually becoming quite scary the number of AVB acolytes their are on here now....it's like some scary cult following.

So far AVB has improved the games of

* Defoe
* Bale
* Scott Parker (apparently AVB has made him pass better)
* Lennon (despite him having a run of bad games where he doesn't even try and beat a player....2 good games and it's AVB apparently who has made him cross better...i mean wtf)

Replies to his very odd decision to getting every player back to defend corners is met with "Knowing AVB i'm guessing he has his reasons"


When it's questioning something negative the response is that he needs time, his own players, time to implement tactics but these same people are so so quick to praise him for absolutely everything. Hell he even gets more praise than the players who have apparently improved their game:lol:




He's doing well for sure but praising him for everything? give me a break.

I'd much rather people be praising him too much than criticising him too much. I just think it's a case of the team going on a good run of form at a difficult time in the season - fans getting a little bit ahead of themselves and thinking of what can be with the club.

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Wonder if the worries over our earlier season struggles at home can be put to bed now. We seem to really have started playing the football that he desires as opposed to the half way house that it was earlier in the season. Most teams will come to the Lane to frustrate us and its risky for them because we are learning how to break them down. They won't create any chances themselves and be left with a heck of a lot of work to do. Really confident about the club right now.

 

[Kingdawson]

I'd much rather people be praising him too much than criticising him too much. I just think it's a case of the team going on a good run of form at a difficult time in the season - fans getting a little bit ahead of themselves and thinking of what can be with the club.

Nah there has to be a balance tbh. You're moving into cult like territory if you're trying to praise him for every little thing whilst finding some sort of excuse for every criticism thrown at him.

Take the Scott Parker praise. Parker was deployed as a box to box midfielder for the Spammers and was regularly threading through balls/or attempting forward thinking passes. Arry bought him and deployed him as a defensive midfielder who's main job was to keep it simple. Scott Parker's defensive work was the main reason our attacking talent had so much time on the ball and looked so good....HE WON OUR PLAYER OF THE SEASON. Arry should have been praised over the hills for the decision to bring him here and the decision to deploy him in that role.

Fast forward today and posters are now saying Scott Parker has improved his passing and it's down to AVB :lol:. It's becoming tedious.

 

[linnet_spur]

I don't get why we get every player back to defend corners. You should always have a man on the halfway line.

Agreed, something we've done for years under all of our managers and it still happens. I don't get it. Basic rules of corners for me,a man on each post, a man on the halfway line, man mark the rest.

 

[Park Lane James]

Nah there has to be a balance tbh. You're moving into cult like territory if you're trying to praise him for every little thing whilst finding some sort of excuse for every criticism thrown at him.

Take the Scott Parker praise. Parker was deployed as a box to box midfielder for the Spammers and was regularly threading through balls/or attempting forward thinking passes. Arry bought him and deployed him as a defensive midfielder who's main job was to keep it simple. Scott Parker's defensive work was the main reason our attacking talent had so much time on the ball and looked so good....HE WON OUR PLAYER OF THE SEASON. Arry should have been praised over the hills for the decision to bring him here and the decision to deploy him in that role.

Fast forward today and posters are now saying Scott Parker has improved his passing and it's down to AVB :lol:. It's becoming tedious.

Mate I'm not disagreeing with you at all. All I saying is that people are getting a bit carried away as we're on a good run of form and everything is looking on the up. Who cares? Let them big AvB up, much better than when he was being slated THREE games into his reign and being told that he's not fit to manage us!

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

Agreed, something we've done for years under all of our managers and it still happens. I don't get it. Basic rules of corners for me,a man on each post, a man on the halfway line, man mark the rest.

having someone like lennon on the halfway line is perfect because he has pace and can beat a man and shoot also he is a midget so need to have him back for a corner

 

[linnet_spur]

having someone like lennon on the halfway line is perfect because he has pace and can beat a man and shoot also he is a midget so need to have him back for a corner

And because of that pace it means they have to have two men on the halfway line with him, which makes defending the corner just a little easier

 

[GrimsbyYid]

Argh, we're doing so well and people here continually trying to tinkle over everything. Wicked people are loving avb, like pele are saying its INFINTELY better than the tacos who who slag him off for no reason. And so what if its like. Cult, football IS LIKE A CULT, we love sirs no matter what and would follow them al lover the world, we have an instant connection with fellow spurs fans, you can't get more cult. But I'd prefer our cult to be a positive one where we BELIEVE we are amazing, believe we have an amazing manager and amazing players.

So much better than moaning about everything, slagging the manager off and the players off every day. So so so much better.

I would go one step further and ban everyone from the cult of glory glory who is an unreasonable, unintelligent negative bast too to be honest

 

[braineclipse]

You can do all the things you mention i.e. cover the posts and you'll still have more men to defend the box as the other team will always leave at least one defender and obviously their keeper, unless it's the last minute of course. And you can do that without bringing every man back.

Far from uncommon to see teams only cover one post. We did it pretty much all of last season at least, normally Modric was the one to cover a post, the other one was left uncovered.

 

[braineclipse]

It's actually becoming quite scary the number of AVB acolytes their are on here now....it's like some scary cult following.

So far AVB has improved the games of

* Defoe
* Bale
* Scott Parker (apparently AVB has made him pass better)
* Lennon (despite him having a run of bad games where he doesn't even try and beat a player....2 good games and it's AVB apparently who has made him cross better...i mean wtf)

Replies to his very odd decision to getting every player back to defend corners is met with "Knowing AVB i'm guessing he has his reasons"


When it's questioning something negative the response is that he needs time, his own players, time to implement tactics but these same people are so so quick to praise him for absolutely everything. Hell he even gets more praise than the players who have apparently improved their game:lol:




He's doing well for sure but praising him for everything? give me a break.

Since that was me I'll respond to that part.

Say what you want about AVB, but what seems very clear to me at least is that he is well prepared and methodical, he doesn't leave much up to chance. If me answering that he probably has his reasons for a tactical choice gets you annoyed and makes me seem like some kind of apologist to you then I don't really know what your starting point for a discussion is.

AVB has obviously put a bit of thought and probably some research into what to do when we defend corners, he's probably discussed this with other members of the backroom staff as well. Just because you don't understand his reasons doesn't mean that his reasons aren't good. It's not like he's the only manager who chooses that approach when defending corners.

Do you just want a place to vent your grievances without anyone arguing with you when they disagree with you? I would suggest twitter...

 

[Bishop]

okay, in here comes a matter of opinion...the real madrid game aside i thought crouch performed well for us. you think terrible...the difference in opinion between us seems to be THAT vast it would benefit either of us going into what he brought to the team or what he didnt bring to the team

keane..was indeed not the greatest signing. i would chalk that one down to a not so good buy especially whens considering outlay

i thought palacious was a GOOD buy, a very good one...EXACTLY what we needed at the time and was more often than not one of our most dedicated and consistent performers...who only lost his form when his brother was kidnapped and murdered(coincidence i think not on that guy. i think or would assume it affected him and his game badly)...

did palacious really cost 15 million pounds?

I wish I posted on here in the Crouch era as then I would have posts to pull up detailing my issues with him. Things that I disliked about him;

• Absolutely horrible finisher. The amount of on a plate chances he would tamely pass back to the keeper when it seemed easier to score still tinkles me off to this day.
• The touch of an elephant, the ball was forever bouncing off him.
• No awareness of space coupled with his none existent movement. When did we ever see him taking a shot on in clear space?
• Did I mention horrible finishing?

I can not fathom how you can describe what we saw between Crouch and Defoe as an understanding? How can two thick forwards and one of those lacking in basic football ability form any sort of partnership?

I remember taking my girlfriend to WHL, I believe it was the Villa 0-0 match in 09/10. She hates football on TV she never watches just complains but enjoys the live spectacle. Even she who has the football knowledge of a 5 year old asked me what was wrong with Crouch. Why did he keep doing stupid things. If she can gather that during a match I think it says it all. Crouch was a hindrance rather than a positive.

73 appearances 12 goals. 1 in 6 goal record. That is horrible anyway you look at it.

 

[africanspurs]

Yes I'm serious. The numbers are the numbers, how much they spent is surely just a matter of fact, not opinion.

right so you are serious then, but at the same time your dealing in just the facts as opposed to the cause and effect which is what i was asking you if you were serious about...NOT the numbers. your comparing two different criteria....money put towards a club the board are scared for and another put toward a club thats settled and established. THATS the "are you serious" comment i am talking about.....just let me know if we are ONLY dealing in facts and not looking to the reasoning behind them and we can pretty much part ways on this discussion with a friendly "agree to disagree" , cause i dont do that whole FACT = OVERRIDING TRUTH stuff

They were in different positions when they came in, but considering AVB lost arguably our best player in Modric, King had just retired and we also had to replace VdV it wasn't like he was walking into the Barca job and just had to keep them going. The number of signings you list and how important they've all been for us this season surely illustrates this as well as anything.

it doesnt matter who we lost, what matters is the kind of position the club is in at the time of his entrance. we were in MUCH better position when AVB walked in as opposed to when harry did, the mindset and everything about the club was jacked. we made good signings but such is the claibre of bluc we are now that we can do this....its not like we wont be able to sign decent players now. we can

In his second transfer window Redknapp signed Crouch, Bassong and Kranjcar. Combined they cost us around £20m. In the January window that same season he also signed Kaboul as well as Naughton and Walker. Not wishing to be a dingdonghead, but I don't really understand why you're arguing based on how much money they spent without having looked this up yourself first.

by all means be dingdong head if you want, we are all adults here, if you didnt want to have a look then dont look, chances are i'll probably ask you to quickly check something again if i havent got the time....what i am talking about is the kind of consistent financial backing that represents someone's philosophy or direction they want to take the club towards...after that first window harry redknapp did not have it. he bought crouch and a couple of squaddies , not first teamers...and this was clear in the type of players we bought...the differential between first to 2nd string got smaller..we were getting a deep squad. not one of the people that we bought in that second window could have been considered clear favourite first teamers i dont think....(in some locations they have crouch down as a 9 million pound purchase), bassong at 8, niko at 2.5, the klyes at 3 and 5 million and kaboul at 5 or 6 million. Harry went out there and got good players at cut prices...padding out the squad

sure it could have been a reason that we already had decent players so it would have been tough to improve on what we aalready had but there were no signs of signature players that demonstrated a clubs intent. as in financial backing that says "your my man. take us to the promise land harry"

Yo

u say it adds up and of course it does, that still doesn't change the fact that even if we had signed Moutinho (say for £22m) our net spend in the first window with AVB wouldn't have been significantly higher (if higher at all) than the net spend in the first window under Redknapp even if you include the £31m fee received for Berbatov in the window before Redknapp arrived.

why are we stopping at the berbatov money and not the keane one also? is it cause of the timeline?
and again if you cant see the difference in a club thats trying to avoid relegation versus one thats more stable then i dont know what to do really. cause thats the corner stone of my points with regards to that first window

This also means that we could sign Moutinho this January and still have a net spend of a bit more and still only match what Redknapp spent in his first two windows (when including the Berba money once again).

Same comment as above for this one. your dealing in just numbers and leaving the reasoning alone.

Redknapp was seemingly cut off in the last year and a half with the club and not given as much money to spend. We can always speculate on reasons for this (like for example publicly stating his wish to leave the club for the England job) and we can speculate if AVB will similarly be given money early on and then later expected to make a net profit in the market. None of this changes the discussion about the claim you made, one of AVB being supported financially more than Redknapp. Personally I would love to see that, knowing that Levy will only spend the money if we can afford to. But so far I can't see how that statement can be supported.

you know what, i should have clarified but heck i didnt think i needed to cause i thought it was obvious that redknapp was indeed backed in that first window he was in..but after that? NO real backing.

the key for financial backing is in the type of signing and the intent of it. if avb were to go out there and spend 50 million on squad players but a net spend of say 10 to 15 million i would also say that he wasnt given true financial backing...infact in the season we bought boateng i wrote a blog about something similar calling it the 55 million pound bluff. AVB was backed in this window (not as well as i had hoped to be honest) and its my opinion that he will be backed to a similar fashion for the next few windows that come forward. i'm going to have a look at something.....the place where i said that AVB was backed more than redknapp

 

[braineclipse]

I wish I posted on here in the Crouch era as then I would have posts to pull up detailing my issues with him. Things that I disliked about him;

• Absolutely horrible finisher. The amount of on a plate chances he would tamely pass back to the keeper when it seemed easier to score still tinkles me off to this day.
• The touch of an elephant, the ball was forever bouncing off him.
• No awareness of space coupled with his none existent movement. When did we ever see him taking a shot on in clear space?
• Did I mention horrible finishing?

I can not fathom how you can describe what we saw between Crouch and Defoe as an understanding? How can two thick forwards and one of those lacking in basic football ability form any sort of partnership?

I remember taking my girlfriend to WHL, I believe it was the Villa 0-0 match in 09/10. She hates football on TV she never watches just complains but enjoys the live spectacle. Even she who has the football knowledge of a 5 year old asked me what was wrong with Crouch. Why did he keep doing stupid things. If she can gather that during a match I think it says it all. Crouch was a hindrance rather than a positive.

73 appearances 12 goals. 1 in 6 goal record. That is horrible anyway you look at it.

The fact that someone who knows nothing about football agrees with your point of view should make you reconsider your point of view, it shouldn't strengthen it.

Both ourselves and now Stoke have had higher average points per game with Crouch than without Crouch. He also did fairly well for Liverpool.

Crouch and Defoe formed a good partnership both for us and for Pompey. Crouch is far from a thick forward, he had a very good awareness of space and actually frequently topped the distance covered stats. Crouch and VdV also formed a decent partnership and although I don't have stats for that it seems to me that VdV both scored more when playing alongside Crouch and actually enjoyed playing alongside Crouch.

His technique when striking the ball was very poor though.

 

[africanspurs]

Redknapp was seemingly cut off in the last year and a half with the club and not given as much money to spend. We can always speculate on reasons for this (like for example publicly stating his wish to leave the club for the England job) and we can speculate if AVB will similarly be given money early on and then later expected to make a net profit in the market. None of this changes the discussion about the claim you made, one of AVB being supported financially more than Redknapp. Personally I would love to see that, knowing that Levy will only spend the money if we can afford to. But so far I can't see how that statement can be supported.

there is actually no doubt that redknapp was cut off more and more after that first window but whatever....i want to focus on the part in bold

so at this point in time would you say that AVB has been supported and are you saying that you dont think he'll be supported as much as redknapp? i'm not even going to waste time talking about signings with intent or signature transfers ... use whatever criteria you want. your saying that AVB wont be financially backed more than Harry was or at least you dont think he will be. irrespective of the reasons behind the money...just numbers according to you, do you think AVB receives levy blessings more or less or thereabouts the same as Harry?

 

[africanspurs]

season 09/10
Kyle Naughton £5,000,000[2] David Hutton Undisclosed
Kyle Walker £3,000,000[3] Danny Hutchins Free
Peter Crouch £9,000,000 Didier Zokora £7,750,000
Sebastien Bassong £8,000,000 Chris Gunter £1,750,000
Niko Kranjcar £2,000,000 Darren Bent £16,500,000
Jimmy Walker Free Pascal Chimbonda £3,000,000
Younes Kaboul £5,000,000 Kevin-Prince Boateng £4,000,000
Tomas Pekhart Free
Troy Henville Undisclosed PTS POS
Total £32,000,000 £33,000,000 -£1,000,000 70 4

makes for some interesting reading, the club sold more than it spent this season

eason 11/12
Brad Friedel Free Jamie O'Hara £5,000,000
Cristian Ceballos Free Jonathan Woodgate Free
Souleymane Coulibaly £2,000,000 Paul-José Mpoku Undisclosed
Yago Falqué Undisclosed Robbie Keane £4,350,000
Scott Parker £6,000,000 Alan Hutton £4,000,000
Callum Tapping Nominal
Peter Crouch £10,000,000
Wilson Palacios £8,000,000
Roman Pavlyuchenko £8,000,000
Nouha dingdongo Free PTS POS
Total £8,000,000 £35,000,000 -£27,000,000 69 4
Season 10/11
Sandro Raniere £6,000,000[1] Lee Butcher Free
William Gallas Free Sam Cox Free
Rafael Van Der Vaart £8,000,000 Adel Taarabt £1,000,000
Bongani Khumalo £1,500,000 Dorian Dervite Free
Steven Pienaar £3,000,000 PTS POS
Total £18,500,000 £1,000,000 £17,500,000 62 5

then there are these...our first CL year and the year we got 4th for the second time. one shows an influx of money for whatever reason (could be CL i dont know) and the other just shows some mad ass money making..the year we werent in CL

but irrespective of speculative reasoning, seems that balancing the books was the order of the day

 

[Bishop]

@BrainEclipse

We shall never agree on Mr Crouch. I detailed my complaints, it is clear we see it very differently. I consider a striker who scores 1 in 6 and who provides no creativity or guile a waste of time. We have different standards I suppose. *shrug*

 

[africanspurs]

@BrainEclipse

We shall never agree on Mr Crouch. I detailed my complaints, it is clear we see it very differently. I consider a striker who scores 1 in 6 and who provides no creativity or guile a waste of time. We have different standards I suppose. *shrug*

crouch was 1 in 6? are you sure?

either was i respectfully disagree as well with how you see the criteria for a good and productive player

 

[thfcsteff]

Answered in bold within quote mate...

It's actually becoming quite scary the number of AVB acolytes their are on here now....it's like some scary cult following.

You can mark my card as one of the very early acolytes, and I mean one of the VERY first!

So far AVB has improved the games of

* Defoe Yes
* Bale Yes
* Scott Parker (apparently AVB has made him pass better) He has encouraged him to be the more adventurous passer he was at WestHam, etc. I thinkit's clear he is not being used as a shield per se when he comes on, and is instead being encouraged to move the game along. In fact, if we do get 4th or more this season, the management of Parker will be a vital thing, as it is an absolute luxury to be able to rotate him in and out of the side.
* Lennon (despite him having a run of bad games where he doesn't even try and beat a player....2 good games and it's AVB apparently who has made him cross better...i mean wtf) Are you denying that he has had his best season in years and is working the channels more effectively than ever?

Replies to his very odd decision to getting every player back to defend corners is met with "Knowing AVB i'm guessing he has his reasons" I find it intriguing that a team currently sitting third and winning match after match is questioned to this degree. Our defensive record has been excellent the past month or so, which would suggest that yes, we have our reasons. MY suspicion is that aside from whatever defensive shape none of us are smart enough to see, in bringing people back the opposition push up higher and thus we can hit them very fast with a speedy counter (in the ideal world)...put it this way, you don't see us hoofing the ball upfield to get it away nearly as much as you used to. I think there could be something in it myself...


When it's questioning something negative the response is that he needs time, his own players, time to implement tactics but these same people are so so quick to praise him for absolutely everything. Hell he even gets more praise than the players who have apparently improved their game:lol:
That's right.



He's doing well for sure but praising him for everything? give me a break.
Why does it hurt so much that he's doing so well? I don't get it mate. He IS doing extremely well. He has also shown he learns and evaluates things very very quickly. You know my story here and I've been consistent since wanting him in May. I think he is the absolute gonad*s, and am so confident with him at the helm that even when problems do arise, I trust in him to be humble and hard working enough to work hard to correct them. It's a great trait on his part.

 

[thfcsteff]

makes for some interesting reading, the club sold more than it spent this season



then there are these...our first CL year and the year we got 4th for the second time. one shows an influx of money for whatever reason (could be CL i dont know) and the other just shows some mad ass money making..the year we werent in CL

but irrespective of speculative reasoning, seems that balancing the books was the order of the day

There is a growing reality for us that despite one season in the CL, unless we want to do a Leeds so-to-speak, there has to be enormous prudence in purchasing. The size of our stadium is a physical reality. Again, I expect us to be very very shrewd in the market both now and in the summer (unless we end up selling)...

 

[thfcsteff]

there is actually no doubt that redknapp was cut off more and more after that first window but whatever....i want to focus on the part in bold

so at this point in time would you say that AVB has been supported and are you saying that you dont think he'll be supported as much as redknapp? i'm not even going to waste time talking about signings with intent or signature transfers ... use whatever criteria you want. your saying that AVB wont be financially backed more than Harry was or at least you dont think he will be. irrespective of the reasons behind the money...just numbers according to you, do you think AVB receives levy blessings more or less or thereabouts the same as Harry?

I think if we had it, Levy would give more of it to AVB because his philosophy matches Levy's (as discussed a while back, Levy and Harry always had differing views of the market in this regard, and a compromise could never quite be reached)...but in the event, I think it will turn out that he will get less than Harry in this window anyway.