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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

I'm a very happy Spurs fan.

Pleased when Redknapp was sacked, in fact I thought it was time to go the season before because his mind was going to be on the England job and we'd be left with a problem at some point. As it turned out, the team did well - could have done better - AND Redknapp did flirt with the England job. Shame the momentum couldn't continue and blowing the lead over Arsenal was awful. Missing out on the CL for this season was as unlucky as it was the team's own fault. Just one more win in one of a number of games... ah well.

I was never concerned about AVB at Chelsea, it's been painfully obvious to most that the problems at that club are not with any of a number of managers. It is the senior players and the owners. Since they dumped Ranieri so ungraciously to get Mourinho (the right move, done the wrong way!) it has been a revolving door. Regardless of trophies and league finishes there has been a new man in charge and the nearest to get to the Big Cup was Avram Grant of all people, and then Di Matteo managed it. That means that Mourinho, Hiddink, Scolari and Ancelotti, some of the biggest names in the history of football management, didn't manage it but two of the 'least' qualified for the role got to the final.

As for AVB. He wasn't given a chance by the Chelsea players, they saw the DVD boy back in charge and younger than some of them. Ridiculous concept for a team so used to doing whatever it wanted. It isn't a club with class. Doesn't need explaining why...

Spurs is a very good fit for him, younger players, less threat of the sack and more potential to improve. Which he has done after a bit of a shaky start. I was very happy with the appointment and would have put up with a few months of mid-table before we took off and flew up the table. Right now I don't see any games we can't win, no team that is better prepared. We may lose some games but I am confident that the reason will be fixed for the next game. The way we dispatch teams these days just oozes confidence, even if the goal is late there is no real panic.

This Sunday is a huge test, though. I'm not entirely confident but that is more to do with having a history of being let down by Spurs!!

I also really like how AVB conducts himself in public. He was at the Bobby Robson do the other week expressing his heartfelt thanks to the man, it was noted by the gathered journalists how classy he was about it. In press conferences he switches seamlessly between languages, correcting his French interpreter the other week vs Lyon and answering in Italian for the Inter game. It's a far cry from the questionable rogue who lets himself off the hook for everything, could barely speak English and didn't know how to send text messages.

The best bit of the season so far, for me, was when Bale scored the winner vs West Ham and ran over to celebrate with the manager. One of the articles said how he had to force Chelsea players to include him (not sure how true that is...) but Bale's was instinctive. AVB and Freund are just as much a part of the team as the players are.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Danners9 said:
I'm a very happy Spurs fan.

Pleased when Redknapp was sacked, in fact I thought it was time to go the season before because his mind was going to be on the England job and we'd be left with a problem at some point. As it turned out, the team did well - could have done better - AND Redknapp did flirt with the England job. Shame the momentum couldn't continue and blowing the lead over Arsenal was awful. Missing out on the CL for this season was as unlucky as it was the team's own fault. Just one more win in one of a number of games... ah well.

I was never concerned about AVB at Chelsea, it's been painfully obvious to most that the problems at that club are not with any of a number of managers. It is the senior players and the owners. Since they dumped Ranieri so ungraciously to get Mourinho (the right move, done the wrong way!) it has been a revolving door. Regardless of trophies and league finishes there has been a new man in charge and the nearest to get to the Big Cup was Avram Grant of all people, and then Di Matteo managed it. That means that Mourinho, Hiddink, Scolari and Ancelotti, some of the biggest names in the history of football management, didn't manage it but two of the 'least' qualified for the role got to the final.

As for AVB. He wasn't given a chance by the Chelsea players, they saw the DVD boy back in charge and younger than some of them. Ridiculous concept for a team so used to doing whatever it wanted. It isn't a club with class. Doesn't need explaining why...

Spurs is a very good fit for him, younger players, less threat of the sack and more potential to improve. Which he has done after a bit of a shaky start. I was very happy with the appointment and would have put up with a few months of mid-table before we took off and flew up the table. Right now I don't see any games we can't win, no team that is better prepared. We may lose some games but I am confident that the reason will be fixed for the next game. The way we dispatch teams these days just oozes confidence, even if the goal is late there is no real panic.

This Sunday is a huge test, though. I'm not entirely confident but that is more to do with having a history of being let down by Spurs!!

I also really like how AVB conducts himself in public. He was at the Bobby Robson do the other week expressing his heartfelt thanks to the man, it was noted by the gathered journalists how classy he was about it. In press conferences he switches seamlessly between languages, correcting his French interpreter the other week vs Lyon and answering in Italian for the Inter game. It's a far cry from the questionable rogue who lets himself off the hook for everything, could barely speak English and didn't know how to send text messages.

The best bit of the season so far, for me, was when Bale scored the winner vs West Ham and ran over to celebrate with the manager. One of the articles said how he had to force Chelsea players to include him (not sure how true that is...) but Bale's was instinctive. AVB and Freund are just as much a part of the team as the players are.
Click to expand...

=D>
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Superted said:
Sorry if I'm a bit late to the party, but all the positive press AVB is getting made me remember the ITKs like Jjetset who were telling all and sundry that something was not right at the club and AVB and Levy were already at each others throats.

Now you realise why these ITK are lower than dog brick. I have more respect for Gooners than these Tottenham "supporters".
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According to Jjetset AVB is a fraud :ross: like most ITK he talks a lot of brick.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

RunTMC said:
That was pretty shocking journalism at the time. The press seemed to really have it in for him.

Also remember the one about player unrest just before the game at OT, and then we went on to win, lol
Click to expand...



Redknapps mates in the press.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

parklane1 said:
According to Jjetset AVB is a fraud :ross: like most ITK he talks a lot of brick.
Click to expand...

Maybe they did have issues initally but they have ironed those out since... why would that not be feasible to suggest? Like any relationship in its infancy - issues can arise whilst youre in the process of getting to know one another and getting used to each others methods etc.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Shall we get this thread back on topic? Feel free to start another thread on Jjetset and his kith and kin if talking about them rocks your world
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Long, long ago, I knew a scribe who specialised in talent-spotting football managers. After diligent trawls through boardrooms and boot rooms, he would tap his nose and divulge a name: ‘I’m told that this feller Clough/Atkinson/Ferguson could well be one to watch.’

His judgment was acute and his delight in their progress was a joy to behold. Whenever a trophy was won or a title secured, he wore the smug smile of one who had expected nothing less.

Of course, they were different, less complicated days. It is difficult to imagine my friend murmuring: ‘I’ve had some very encouraging reports of a lad called Luis Andre de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas.’ And yet, since he was an excellent judge, he would surely have recognised the extravagant potential.

For one of the happiest aspects of the entire season has been an increasing awareness that Villas-Boas might have something wonderful to offer the English game. With neither fuss nor clamour or any of those arch, self-dramatising eruptions which have characterised the career of a rather more famous fellow-countryman, he is producing a Tottenham team who are in tune with the club’s best traditions.


Glory days: Andre Villas-Boas (right) celebrates with Gareth Bale following the Welshman's late winner at West Ham

And he is doing it, moreover, with dignity; an increasingly rare quality in his precarious profession. It was the kind of dignity he revealed on that day, 12 months past, when he stood on the touchline at West Bromwich, watching his Chelsea side surrender with a feeble, uncaring apology of a performance.

‘You’re getting sacked in the morning,’ sang the merciless Black Country choir, and they were right. The players had rid themselves of an unwanted manager. For them, it must have seemed like a kind of triumph.

He knew all this, of course, but he did not round on the people who had effectively betrayed him. Instead, he apologised for the performance and acknowledged the need to do ‘much, much better’; almost certainly knowing he would not be given the chance. You found yourself hoping that other openings would quickly present themselves, since there was a sense that he had important things to offer. In the event, unemployment lasted barely four months.
And he is doing it, moreover, with dignity; an increasingly rare quality in his precarious profession. It was the kind of dignity he revealed on that day, 12 months past, when he stood on the touchline at West Bromwich, watching his Chelsea side surrender with a feeble, uncaring apology of a performance.

‘You’re getting sacked in the morning,’ sang the merciless Black Country choir, and they were right. The players had rid themselves of an unwanted manager. For them, it must have seemed like a kind of triumph.

He knew all this, of course, but he did not round on the people who had effectively betrayed him. Instead, he apologised for the performance and acknowledged the need to do ‘much, much better’; almost certainly knowing he would not be given the chance. You found yourself hoping that other openings would quickly present themselves, since there was a sense that he had important things to offer. In the event, unemployment lasted barely four months.

Perhaps because of his youth — he is only 35 — possibly on account of his nationality, Villas-Boas has been persistently undervalued by English football. An unbeaten League title season at Porto along with victory in the Europa League — at 33, he was the youngest manager ever to win a European trophy — persuaded Roman Abramovich to take him to Chelsea. But those achievements did not impress the Premier League, which persisted in regarding him as a callow interloper.


A Special One: Villas-Boas is hoisted aloft by his Porto players after beating Braga to win the Europa League two years ago

His English is almost too good, his intellect too sharp, his distaste for matey back-slapping too obvious. And, anyway, he is The Man Who Replaced Harry Redknapp at Tottenham, a fact which does not endear him to the touchline fraternity. Villas-Boas was still settling into the Spurs job when Redknapp observed: ‘These days you are getting [from managers] 70-page dossiers on this and that. Bulls**t can baffle brains at times.’

The gibe was widely believed to have been aimed at his successor at Tottenham. The young manager retorted: ‘It is not about the manager, it is about the players. It is the players that take us to success and different managers have different leadership styles.’ It was an impeccably correct response.

But the skirmish was no more than a trivial diversion. Far more important was his task of providing football which was both attractive and effective, of augmenting the work which Redknapp had carried out at Spurs and lifting it to a new level. His progress has become more apparent by the weeks and months.


Taking shape: Tottenham - who trounced Inter Milan 3-0 on Thursday - last tasted defeat in the Premier League in December, with their unbeaten run stretching to 12 games

Tottenham are now recognisably the team of Villas-Boas. The results have been remarkable, the players are responding full-heartedly and, just as important, the Spurs crowd sing of the manager as if he had always been part of the fixtures and fittings at White Hart Lane.

All this has been accomplished by remaining true to the principles which served him so well back in Porto. Clearly, he has adapted and improved his methods in the course of a brief career but the notion that his experience at Chelsea prompted a radical transformation of his managerial philosophy is palpably absurd.

He does what he does and he does it rather well, far better than those early, glib dismissals of his talent would have us believe.

A formidable man is Villas-Boas. I doubt that my old talent-spotting friend would ever have come to terms with his extended name but I know he would have approved of that promising lad they call AVB.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/ar...itics-look-plain-foolish-Patrick-Collins.html
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Really happy with AVB yesterday, particularly his reaction afterwards. I actually expected him to be a bit more protective of the players, but he seemed genuinely tinkled off (even though he conducted himself with dignity) that sloppy mistakes cost us yesterday. I could imagine someone like Jol or maybe Harry saying you can't blame the player, they are top lads etc but AVB fronted up, said they were mistakes, said it probably was a penalty, but was honest and said we should have won that match. It was nice, it felt like it was handled how a big manager for a big team would handle it, at a club where mistakes simply won't be tolerated. But at the same time he wasn't an arse about it like Mancini is when criticising players (even though Mancini is probably right most of the time, it can't endear him to the players) so AVB keeps them onside but reminds them that it isn't acceptable.

And we set up well, tactically we were good, and we stopped Liverpool playing their game on the ground where they've given United, City and many other teams a real scare this season. The defeat gave me heart. It wasn't a total capitulation. It wasn't a game where we dominated possession but failed to create anything decent. We had chances we should have scored and played really well. Similar to West Ham away, although unluckily we didn't win this one. This shows we are a good team and more often than not that quality will shine through.

AVB seems like a pretty ruthless guy with extreme confidence in his own ability and high standards that he expects players to live up to. We'll be fine!
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

BrainOfLevy said:
Really happy with AVB yesterday, particularly his reaction afterwards. I actually expected him to be a bit more protective of the players, but he seemed genuinely tinkled off (even though he conducted himself with dignity) that sloppy mistakes cost us yesterday. I could imagine someone like Jol or maybe Harry saying you can't blame the player, they are top lads etc but AVB fronted up, said they were mistakes, said it probably was a penalty, but was honest and said we should have won that match. It was nice, it felt like it was handled how a big manager for a big team would handle it, at a club where mistakes simply won't be tolerated. But at the same time he wasn't an arse about it like Mancini is when criticising players (even though Mancini is probably right most of the time, it can't endear him to the players) so AVB keeps them onside but reminds them that it isn't acceptable.

And we set up well, tactically we were good, and we stopped Liverpool playing their game on the ground where they've given United, City and many other teams a real scare this season. The defeat gave me heart. It wasn't a total capitulation. It wasn't a game where we dominated possession but failed to create anything decent. We had chances we should have scored and played really well. Similar to West Ham away, although unluckily we didn't win this one. This shows we are a good team and more often than not that quality will shine through.

AVB seems like a pretty ruthless guy with extreme confidence in his own ability and high standards that he expects players to live up to. We'll be fine!
Click to expand...

=D>=D>=D>
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Loving the way that AVB keeps on reinforcing a positive vibe about the extra games that come with Europa League involvement.

Among the many good things that Harry did, one of the things that really disappointed me was the total disrespect that he showed towards this competition. And not just because it meant that we were never likely to come close to winning it. What annoyed me more was the fact that it was small time thinking. It was an admission (or, rather, a self fulfilling prophecy) that we weren't big enough or strong enough to be competing on multiple fronts. And that kind of attitude from the manager inevitably filtered down to and infected the players. It's an attitude that perniciously set them up for failure........on multiple fronts.

If those weren't reasons enough to take the Europa League seriously, then there's also the fact that failure to do so damaged our UEFA coefficient - which increases the chances of an unfavourable draw in future UEFA competitions. Lastly, AVB is so right to point out that, if we can't afford to take the Europa League seriously, then we would be in no position to take the Champions League seriously either. Big clubs that are serious about competing for major silverware have to get used to competing on all fronts. So we might as well start getting used to it now.

Quite apart from all that, I believe that AVB is quite right to say that being in the latter stages of the EL will actually prove to be a help rather than a hindrance to our goal of finishing in the top 4. The legs might be a bit more tired but the mind will be so much more alive. And mental strength is the more critical of the two, at this stage of the season especially.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

jimmyb said:
Loving the way that AVB keeps on reinforcing a positive vibe about the extra games that come with Europa League involvement.

Among the many good things that Harry did, one of the things that really disappointed me was the total disrespect that he showed towards this competition. And not just because it meant that we were never likely to come close to winning it. What annoyed me more was the fact that it was small time thinking. It was an admission (or, rather, a self fulfilling prophecy) that we weren't big enough or strong enough to be competing on multiple fronts. And that kind of attitude from the manager inevitably filtered down to and infected the players. It's an attitude that perniciously set them up for failure........on multiple fronts.

If those weren't reasons enough to take the Europa League seriously, then there's also the fact that failure to do so damaged our UEFA coefficient - which increases the chances of an unfavourable draw in future UEFA competitions. Lastly, AVB is so right to point out that, if we can't afford to take the Europa League seriously, then we would be in no position to take the Champions League seriously either. Big clubs that are serious about competing for major silverware have to get used to competing on all fronts. So we might as well start getting used to it now.

Quite apart from all that, I believe that AVB is quite right to say that being in the latter stages of the EL will actually prove to be a help rather than a hindrance to our goal of finishing in the top 4. The legs might be a bit more tired but the mind will be so much more alive. And mental strength is the more critical of the two, at this stage of the season especially.
Click to expand...

This all the way. COYS
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

I hope he plays Dawson and Vertonghen at centre back after tomorrow in every league game. And Ekotto at left back. Can't keep chopping and changing the back four.
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

Jurgen the German said:
I hope he plays Dawson and Vertonghen at centre back after tomorrow in every league game. And Ekotto at left back. Can't keep chopping and changing the back four.
Click to expand...

Bar Gallas having an absolute mare against Inter our defense has looked better for being rotated, different opposition tactics calls for different defenders needed and keeps them fresh and motivated so I'd disagree with that personally.

Central midfield is our current position worry for me (and strikers obviously)
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

jimmyb said:
Loving the way that AVB keeps on reinforcing a positive vibe about the extra games that come with Europa League involvement.

Among the many good things that Harry did, one of the things that really disappointed me was the total disrespect that he showed towards this competition. And not just because it meant that we were never likely to come close to winning it. What annoyed me more was the fact that it was small time thinking. It was an admission (or, rather, a self fulfilling prophecy) that we weren't big enough or strong enough to be competing on multiple fronts. And that kind of attitude from the manager inevitably filtered down to and infected the players. It's an attitude that perniciously set them up for failure........on multiple fronts.

If those weren't reasons enough to take the Europa League seriously, then there's also the fact that failure to do so damaged our UEFA coefficient - which increases the chances of an unfavourable draw in future UEFA competitions. Lastly, AVB is so right to point out that, if we can't afford to take the Europa League seriously, then we would be in no position to take the Champions League seriously either. Big clubs that are serious about competing for major silverware have to get used to competing on all fronts. So we might as well start getting used to it now.

Quite apart from all that, I believe that AVB is quite right to say that being in the latter stages of the EL will actually prove to be a help rather than a hindrance to our goal of finishing in the top 4. The legs might be a bit more tired but the mind will be so much more alive. And mental strength is the more critical of the two, at this stage of the season especially.
Click to expand...
=D>

=D>
 
Re: AVB - Making Tottenham His Own

spurspinter1 said:
Bar Gallas having an absolute mare against Inter our defense has looked better for being rotated, different opposition tactics calls for different defenders needed and keeps them fresh and motivated so I'd disagree with that personally.

Central midfield is our current position worry for me (and strikers obviously)
Click to expand...

Hard for the back four and keeper to get consistency when you keep chopping and changing.
 
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