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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

^Redknapp was given freedom in the first window to shore us up but beyond that Levy and his ideas on what was the right move obviously clashed. which is understandable, imv. before that it was the DoF

under Villa Boas we don't know yet if Levy will be more willing to listen to him on transfer targets as pretty much all our signings so far are what id call Levy deals - after half a season Villa Boas will have a better idea of what he is working with so will be better positioned to ask for certain players (even more so in the summer)
 
billyiddo said:
^Redknapp was given freedom in the first window to shore us up but beyond that Levy and his ideas on what was the right move obviously clashed. which is understandable, imv. before that it was the DoF

under Villa Boas we don't know yet if Levy will be more willing to listen to him on transfer targets as pretty much all our signings so far are what id call Levy deals - after half a season Villa Boas will have a better idea of what he is working with so will be better positioned to ask for certain players (even more so in the summer)
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i see AVB more of levy's "boy" than harry. so i think levy will do more for him than harry. But all the windows should count..including the one just gone
 
well yeah, hence why i said the next two will confirm it ;)

If Levy doesn't buy who Villa Boas wants in the next two windows then it will confirm it truly is a case of what Levy wants is what you get
 
LOL....i still dont understand why its the next two windows as opposed to all the windows before...? LOL

he has proven that he is in charge of transfers time and time again....the next two windows wont change that for me personaly
 
All chairman are in charge of transfers.

All people are doing on here is guessing and making assumptions, noone bar those at the club truly knows who exactly does what....
 
AVB says he wants player x and player y
Levy says he'll do his best
Levy says deals for player x and player y are too expensive for us but there could be a good deal going for player z
AVB shrugs his shoulders and mumbles something about dimensions
Levy says it's player z or no one
AVB reluctantly agrees
 
Rossi22 said:
AVB says he wants player x and player y
Levy says he'll do his best
Levy says deals for player x and player y are too expensive for us but there could be a good deal going for player z
AVB shrugs his shoulders and mumbles something about dimensions
Levy says it's player z or no one
AVB reluctantly agrees
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i.e.

Player X = Moutinho
Player Y = Willian

Player Z = Dempsey
 
billyiddo said:
a handful of poor results when there were plenty of mitigating circumstances at the time, in the grand scheme of things, is really not that big of a deal.
there's being critical and then there's choosing to focus your energies on the negatives above all else, which imo you and a few others have been doing for some time now.
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Totally agree with this. In works for all Managers and results too. Like last year we had a few poor games under Redknapp and people went OTT nuts. Likewise this season and last season we put together a good run of results and people went OTT with optimism. People need to stay realistic and judge things over a season, not a partial season. That's for both good AND bad performances.
 
Roy1983 said:
KD I agree with you but others won't for whatever reason. Lets just hope those results aren't important in May.
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As long as the fans saying that those results aren't that important are the same fans who kept the faith last season then it's fine. Otherwise it's double standards. And people with double standard views simply aren't worth the time to discuss anything with.
 
Not picking on anyone here, but anyone saying we don't need to sign anyone, will you still say the same if our rivals strengthen? Chelsea have already got Ba. Do you think our squad is good enough to get top 4 without signing anyone in this window?
 
billyiddo said:
we might be lining up in a similar formation but the style of play is entirely different



the lengths some people go to not to give the manager credit is truly laughable yea we may be third in the league, improving every step of the way looking a good all round side but :
we have too many players back at corners :(
we played some bad games at the beginning of the season :(
he's deploying the previous managers tactics :(
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Beginning of the season under AVB: High pressing game, long balls to Defoe or to the flanks, direct style of play, not patient going forward. Last season, we played with width (until Lennon got injured), were very patient in possession, short passing game, played it out from the back. Last few games under AVB? We have started playing with more width, aren't pressing so much, have switched to two banks of four, are playing a much more patient game and not trying to hit the ball long as much.

The key differences between the current system and last year? We are currently playing two up top as opposed to one in the hole. We mix it up more from the back in terms of rolling it out to a full back who kicking it upfield. We play a high defensive line and an offside trap. Those are the key differences. The "style and pattern" of our play in possession is completely different now than to the beginning of this season and is much more akin to when we were playing well (pre-Lennon injury) last season.

I DO give credit to AVB for that as already stated. It takes a big man to abandon your footballing principles for the good of the team
 
Rossi22 said:
AVB says he wants player x and player y
Levy says he'll do his best
Levy says deals for player x and player y are too expensive for us but there could be a good deal going for player z
AVB shrugs his shoulders and mumbles something about dimensions
Levy says it's player z or no one
AVB reluctantly agrees
Click to expand...
AVB re-assesses squad given limited resources
AVB issues warning to Levy revenue risk from missing out on CL or cup runs
If Levy accepts then stop; keep calm and carry on
If Levy wants better, then either get AVB to "try harder" and agree to "raise his forecast"; OR Levy goes back to start and rediscusses potential candidates and costs/risks again.

I believe this time Levy has gotten the coach in the position he wants - as a key and specialized part of a larger football organization. Speaking of which where is that "Player Recruitment" guy we wanted to hire?
 
Push and Run said:
Beginning of the season under AVB: High pressing game, long balls to Defoe or to the flanks, direct style of play, not patient going forward. Last season, we played with width (until Lennon got injured), were very patient in possession, short passing game, played it out from the back. Last few games under AVB? We have started playing with more width, aren't pressing so much, have switched to two banks of four, are playing a much more patient game and not trying to hit the ball long as much.

The key differences between the current system and last year? We are currently playing two up top as opposed to one in the hole. We mix it up more from the back in terms of rolling it out to a full back who kicking it upfield. We play a high defensive line and an offside trap. Those are the key differences. The "style and pattern" of our play in possession is completely different now than to the beginning of this season and is much more akin to when we were playing well (pre-Lennon injury) last season.

I DO give credit to AVB for that as already stated. It takes a big man to abandon your footballing principles for the good of the team
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Don't really agree with your assessment of how we played earlier in the season to be honest. In fact I see the complete opposite. If you saw the Norwich match, we weren't pressing high. We were withdrawn. We wanted to sucker them out. Some games we pressed, but we were adjusting game to game, and within each game situation. So we'd sit back when we needed to and pressed when we needed to.

Swansea onwards though, there's been a clear change. We are pressing, we are more patient in possession but we still retain the pace on the break.

I understand people want to be balanced and say 'I've criticised him when he's got things wrong and praised him when he's got things right' but that ignores that as a new manager, there will be bumpy parts on the way. It assumes he's actively got things wrong, as opposed to it being the natural transition, and having to accept awkward moments for the long term good. As if any other manager would have gotten everything right and fans are being good Spurs citizens in pointing out the mistake.
 
All I know here is a lot of you are wishing for the moon and will get nothing. This team is already completely established, and unless there's a formation change or some of the 'old favorites' get benched, which in itself will bring controversy, no matter who is brought in - nothing will change.

These only spot up for grabs seems to be the Adebayor spot and even then, he hadn't scored one goal all season til yesterday and still his spot has never been in doubt.

Dempsey has been starting in Adebayor's spot until the Arsenal game, then Adebayor filled the spot, which coincided with a switch to 4-4-2. And then Dempsey switched to a replacement whenever someone was out (Adebayor after the red, Bale's injury, Siggy took this role in the Reading game) - No matter how bad the team has looked at times this changed has worked results-wise.

So it's switch formations, or a straight swap for Adebayor because Defoe is untouchable (even though benching him would solve so many problems). All I think is that with Defoe in the team the 'next level' cannot be reached. Either 4-5-1 with Defoe up top or nothing. Or 4-4-2 with Defoe will not result in whatever combinations or pretty play people want, no matter what new signings are brought in.
 
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Push and Run said:
As long as the fans saying that those results aren't that important are the same fans who kept the faith last season then it's fine. Otherwise it's double standards. And people with double standard views simply aren't worth the time to discuss anything with.
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You do understand that Harry got a lot of love and support the FIRST half-season he oversaw a plummet in league fortunes, right? You know, the one before last season where we had an abysmal last half season too?
Last season was not the first time.
Have you ever truly understood WHY so many people got upset last season anyway?
It was because he COULD HAVE but he simply DIDN'T because he WANDERED...if AVB fudges up because he doesn't do the best job he can do, he will rightly get an absolute fudging COATING. But the man puts in more hours to getting things as right as he can get thenm each week than ANY manager/coach we have had in years.
He at least deserves respect for that.
Failure when you're doing the best you can will always be acceptable, especially when augmented with a sense of grace and humility.
Failure when you could've actually done BETTER but for a variety of reasons DID NOT and then tried to pretend it wasn't anything to do with what you were otherwise distracted by is, to me, unacceptable.
 
tottenhamlondon said:
All I know here is a lot of you are wishing for the moon and will get nothing. This team is already completely established, and unless there's a formation change or some of the 'old favorites' get benched, which in itself will bring controversy, no matter who is brought in - nothing will change.

These only spot up for grabs seems to be the Adebayor spot and even then, he hadn't scored one goal all season til yesterday and still his spot has never been in doubt.
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:ross:


Why has it taken so long to cotton on indeed...how's your mate Thierry doing BTW?
 
Push and Run said:
Beginning of the season under AVB: High pressing game, long balls to Defoe or to the flanks, direct style of play, not patient going forward. Last season, we played with width (until Lennon got injured), were very patient in possession, short passing game, played it out from the back. Last few games under AVB? We have started playing with more width, aren't pressing so much, have switched to two banks of four, are playing a much more patient game and not trying to hit the ball long as much.

The key differences between the current system and last year? We are currently playing two up top as opposed to one in the hole. We mix it up more from the back in terms of rolling it out to a full back who kicking it upfield. We play a high defensive line and an offside trap. Those are the key differences. The "style and pattern" of our play in possession is completely different now than to the beginning of this season and is much more akin to when we were playing well (pre-Lennon injury) last season.

I DO give credit to AVB for that as already stated. It takes a big man to abandon your footballing principles for the good of the team
Click to expand...

We actually played quite a few long balls last season. Friedel regularly go criticized for it, normally I then defended him saying that it was because the players ahead of him weren't good enough on the ball and did show for the ball enough so I remember it quite clearly.

Our style has changed a bit over the season although I don't think it's as much down to AVB abandoning his principles at all. We were disjointed at the start of the season, losing two of your best players and your captain in a messy transfer window followed by bringing in quiet a few key players late in the window and then getting struck by quite a few injuries will sometimes have an effect on how teams play. What we have seen is a somewhat gradual change towards what AVB wants from the team, this change hasn't been consistent, but there have been trends for sure.

If you really think long balls to Defoe was what AVB was planning this season I struggle for words, surely you can't think so little of any professional football manager? Never mind someone who has actually shown himself to be successful... We were sometimes forced into playing long balls, the key word here being "forced".
 
Push and Run said:
Beginning of the season under AVB: High pressing game, long balls to Defoe or to the flanks, direct style of play, not patient going forward. Last season, we played with width (until Lennon got injured), were very patient in possession, short passing game, played it out from the back. Last few games under AVB? We have started playing with more width, aren't pressing so much, have switched to two banks of four, are playing a much more patient game and not trying to hit the ball long as much.

The key differences between the current system and last year? We are currently playing two up top as opposed to one in the hole. We mix it up more from the back in terms of rolling it out to a full back who kicking it upfield. We play a high defensive line and an offside trap. Those are the key differences. The "style and pattern" of our play in possession is completely different now than to the beginning of this season and is much more akin to when we were playing well (pre-Lennon injury) last season.

I DO give credit to AVB for that as already stated. It takes a big man to abandon your footballing principles for the good of the team
Click to expand...

One of the key ways in which we played last year relied on Luka Modric.

We do not play with a flat '2 at the top' one is ALWAYS dropping off/in/wide. There are clear differences in the efficiency, movement and effectiveness of our attacking players. There is purpose and shape to our movement which requires the entire team, from full-backs to striker and even to our goalkeeper, to be part of a unit which produces chances. Last season we played some great stuff for sure, we were enjoying the fruits of a team which had been percolating for two seasons prior and which got topped off by a couple of excellent signings by Harry. But make no mistake, there are subtle but clear differences effected as much by personnel as anything else i.e. no Modric.

Playing a high defensive line involves everyone, not just the defenders. The change has been universal.

EDIT: Just seen Braineclipses post and agree wholeheartedly.
 
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