Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***
Noooooo. If he takes everyone to Tromso, he will deserve to get sacked for that decision alone.
Forget Tromso. Use all his so called brilliant tactical genius to get us three points off each of United, Fulham and Sunderland. Show us all he is a top coach. Stop leaving his hidden talents for another day. Show us all what he can do NOW.
Doesn't matter anyway, the wheels are turning regardless of whatever ******** we exchange mate…for the record, he has to show up in Tromso it's an obligation (he is contractually obliged to be at the press conference, etc)…I fear he is retreating back into his nervous and OCD shell right now. He is learning how to handle extreme pressure, but he has not learned yet. It's a great shame…
I'll use this post as an opportunity to answer Jurgen's question of earlier with regards to what I see as his grand plan.
I believe his first objective was to assemble a squad of players who could all play several different styles and positions in their respective areas. Footballers who could quickly adapt and switch according to the ebb of the game.
I believe his plan was to play high-line football with full-backs pushing on to supply width and inverted wingers used to check in and make channel runs/runs/get into creative spaces.
I believe that from day one he craved Moutinho, a passer, and that this type of player remains the one he needs to get it all flowing.
I believe that he wanted us as a team to both dominate possession and slowly pick teams off, squeezing the play and controlling the game, in effect playing the game in the other team's half.
I believe that his first order of call was to make sure the defense was tight and the keeper played as an auxillary defender, watching for breakthroughs and snuffing out whenever the defense could not recover.
I believe that he was looking to eventually develop several points of sustained attack by virtue of controlling the ball; through the channels, from the overlapping full-backs, and from the inverted wingers. Essentially looking to blitz with quick to-feet touches and movement around the box, sustained pressure being the safe-cracker.
I think he was probably 60% of the way there. PERSONALLY, I would like to see him approach a slightly more 'sheepskin coat' approach to management sometimes, where he occasionally drags a case of beer into the dressing room and reinforces the camaraderie and togetherness that these highly paid children need nonetheless. I would like to see him employ a bit more psychology in this regard. I am sadly convinced that due to a lot of new faces, due to not ever getting 'the player' he REALLY wanted, and due to the increasing pressures and expectations of managing a club like ours, some of his old nervous tics have reappeared. His comments about the fans, whilst 100% correct IMO, were ill-advised. His comments during the Lloris saga, whilst once again not the worst, were once again ill-advised. And again, even though I agree with everything he said post-Sunday, those are the times you have to either take it on YOUR OWN shoulders as the manager, or write it off as a freak. When Martinez's Wigan lost 9-1 at ours, he wrote it off. I'll bet he didn't in the dressing room. So inexperience and nerves rising to the surface again…
It's all really sad. All of it. I mean look real LIFE is obviously much sadder, but in the football sense and as Spurs supporters, this is all really sad.
I hope I'm wrong, but I hear the bell tolling in the background…again, hope it's actually someone's car alarm!!!!
