Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[Jurgen the German]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

We still had 60% possession in the first half. Then we switched to 4-4-2 to chase the game and the walls came caving in.

Kind of irrelvant when we lost 6-0 and Emirates Marketing Project could have scored more.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Frankly, that's ******** and an accusation that I take exception to. No one has ever been told that they cannot discuss Redknapp in a positive manner on this site.

?

I mentioned him last week and was asked to not mention him again (i think the exact quote was "can you refrain from mentioning Redknapp please"). It wasn't like i kept mentioning him either...that was my first mention of him in that particular debate.

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I really don't think so. Attacking the media is almost always a mistake, in football as in politics. Not because the press will come after you (although, there is that) but more because it sounds insecure and paranoid.

There's also the question of whether AVB is right on the substance. I must go back and read the articles in question, but I hope he's right. He doesn't want to be making unfounded allegations of unfairness about reasonable op-ed pieces.

Out of interest, why do you think it is bad? What tangible bad outcome can there be if he calls the press out on the bull****?

They write more articles attacking him? A lot of good that does them. It doesn't affect us, because the players are still behind him.

I like the fact he attacked Ashton and Samuel. And I think it's funny how the Mail have put this on their website, as if they are the bastions of integrity. Ashton makes himself out to look like a sly, snivelling little ****.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

We still had 60% possession in the first half. Then we switched to 4-4-2 to chase the game and the walls came caving in.

We were losing 3-0. You get that by stating we're "controlling the midfield" it's not all about possession right? i mean there's other things you take into account when deciding if a team is "controlling the midfield"

1) Scoreline
2) chances created
3) general movement of midfield players
4) general performance of midfield players

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Frankly, that's ******** and an accusation that I take exception to. No one has ever been told that they cannot discuss Redknapp in a positive manner on this site.

It's not so much that but can't you see what he's getting at? When discussions about AVB arise, posters often feel the need to compare him to what Redknapp achieved or the style in which he played. I realise it's a controversial subject, but how else can you gauge how the team is doing if you don't compare to previous seasons? You get mods saying "does everything have to be about Arry" or "please keep this thread on topic" or something along those lines. But then the likes of GB slate him on almost a daily basis and I rarely see mods saying anything. I think we all want a positive forum don't we? What's the point of ****ging off ex players and managers? What does it achieve?

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Kind of irrelvant when we lost 6-0 and Emirates Marketing Project could have scored more.

I think GB's point is fair. He is talking about control of the ball, not control of the game and creating chances left right and centre. We were able to go to City and do that - and once we went 4-4-2 to be more direct we ceded that control. It happened. It's not a fanciful opinion.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

It's not so much that but can't you see what he's getting at? When discussions about AVB arise, posters often feel the need to compare him to what Redknapp achieved or the style in which he played. I realise it's a controversial subject, but how else can you gauge how the team is doing if you don't compare to previous seasons? You get mods saying "does everything have to be about Arry" or "please keep this thread on topic" or something along those lines. But then the likes of GB slate him on almost a daily basis and I rarely see mods saying anything. I think we all want a positive forum don't we? What's the point of ****ging off ex players and managers? What does it achieve?

yes i wasn't trying to say we're completely banned from talking about him in a positive manner.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

We were losing 3-0. You get that by stating we're "controlling the midfield" it's not all about possession right? i mean there's other things you take into account when deciding if a team is "controlling the midfield"

1) Scoreline
2) chances created
3) general movement of midfield players
4) general performance of midfield players

Especially when the other team is happy to let you have the ball because they know you won't create meaningful chances. It's how we've beaten Arsenal so often in the last few seasons, let them have the ball on the wings, but don't let them hurt you through the middle.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I really don't think so. Attacking the media is almost always a mistake, in football as in politics. Not because the press will come after you (although, there is that) but more because it sounds insecure and paranoid.

There's also the question of whether AVB is right on the substance. I must go back and read the articles in question, but I hope he's right. He doesn't want to be making unfounded allegations of unfairness about reasonable op-ed pieces.

I disagree, unlike in politics football is not a popularity contest where the opinion of an entire population is important. What happens on the pitch is the end game, not an election.

If he can handle the pressure of looking a bit insecure and paranoid then I think it's fine and like I said taking some of the pressure away from the players can be a good thing. As can creating an "us vs them" attitude within a squad.

 

[diego_maradona]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

?

I mentioned him last week and was asked to not mention him again (i think the exact quote was "can you refrain from mentioning Redknapp please"). It wasn't like i kept mentioning him either...that was my first mention of him in that particular debate.

Come on KD use your common sense pls, there is no agenda against saying positive things about any ex manager, without knowing the exact thread it's more than likely the conversation was taking a pro/anti Redknapp debate which has been done to death and quite frankly makes this place often as dull as dishwater.

No mod would have an issue with positive talk about Redknapp, more an issue with threads being derailed slightly by old ground

 

[BrainOfLevy]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I disagree, unlike in politics football is not a popularity contest where the opinion of an entire population is important. What happens on the pitch is the end game, not an election.

If he can handle the pressure of looking a bit insecure and paranoid then I think it's fine and like I said taking some of the pressure away from the players can be a good thing. As can creating an "us vs them" attitude within a squad.

I think it's also unfair to expect someone to take more than their fair share of personal criticism and have to refrain from responding because it might make them look insecure. These papers I need TP for my bunghole themselves by making it personal. They deserve to have something come back at them.

I mean, Martin Samuel said AVB sticks with his 'pig-headed high line defence'. If you're a journalist, criticise the high line all you want. Try you're best. Make a tactical point. But why bring 'pig-headed' into it. They make it personal. They deserve to be shown up in public.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Come on KD use your common sense pls, there is no agenda against saying positive things about any ex manager, without knowing the exact thread it's more than likely the conversation was taking a pro/anti Redknapp debate which has been done to death and quite frankly makes this place often as dull as dishwater.

No mod would have an issue with positive talk about Redknapp, more an issue with threads being derailed slightly by old ground

I said my wording was wrong....it's pretty much how Jurgen described it.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

?

I mentioned him last week and was asked to not mention him again (i think the exact quote was "can you refrain from mentioning Redknapp please"). It wasn't like i kept mentioning him either...that was my first mention of him in that particular debate.

I don't recall seeing that (and I've searched for that phrase and cannot find it) but I suspect that the request was made because it was off topic or it was revisiting old arguments.

 

[braineclipse]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

We were losing 3-0. You get that by stating we're "controlling the midfield" it's not all about possession right? i mean there's other things you take into account when deciding if a team is "controlling the midfield"

1) Scoreline
2) chances created
3) general movement of midfield players
4) general performance of midfield players

City didn't create that many chances in that first half, they had chances given to them by us when individual players made mistakes.

Our midfield kept Yaya Toure quiet and although we didn't create a ton of chances we looked a bit dangerous at times at least and had one big chance.

 

[jurgen lineker]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

[video=youtube;XFmFFElRLRM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFmFFElRLRM#t=26[/video]

 

[Jurgen the German]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I think GB's point is fair. He is talking about control of the ball, not control of the game and creating chances left right and centre. We were able to go to City and do that - and once we went 4-4-2 to be more direct we ceded that control. It happened. It's not a fanciful opinion.

But the point is a lot of teams are happy to let us have the ball as they know we don't create many chances so winning the possession battle by itself is nothing to be proud of. Obviously you would like to have more of the ball than the opposition, but you have to do more with it than pass it from side to side.

 

[Mumorn]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Spurs' current points total of 21 is 1 better than this time last season, the year in which we achieved our best ever PL points total.

I like this stat.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I don't recall seeing that (and I've searched for that phrase and cannot find it) but I suspect that the request was made because it was off topic or it was revisiting old arguments.

I'm pretty sure i can find it (the mod in question was Steff if that helps).

Look i didn't mean to say you guys are banning us from speaking positively bout Arry but on that particular debate i literally made a passing comment...and it was the first mention of him. GB on the other hand makes (negative) Redknapp references a lot more but it seems like it's more accepted. No biggie.

 

[milo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

It's not so much that but can't you see what he's getting at? When discussions about AVB arise, posters often feel the need to compare him to what Redknapp achieved or the style in which he played. I realise it's a controversial subject, but how else can you gauge how the team is doing if you don't compare to previous seasons? You get mods saying "does everything have to be about Arry" or "please keep this thread on topic" or something along those lines. But then the likes of GB slate him on almost a daily basis and I rarely see mods saying anything. I think we all want a positive forum don't we? What's the point of ****ging off ex players and managers? What does it achieve?

99% of what the admin team do is behind the scenes and we do not discuss in public. I have certainly warned posters about things they have said about Redknapp in the past, as I have about comments about AVB. Our approach is completely even handed.

I think that the issue is that we have a handful of posters who feel that Redknapp was unfairly treated by members of this board and decided that they would try and redress the balance by giving his successor the same treatment as a point of principle. This is tiresome and against site rules.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

City didn't create that many chances in that first half, they had chances given to them by us when individual players made mistakes.

Our midfield kept Yaya Toure quiet and although we didn't create a ton of chances we looked a bit dangerous at times at least and had one big chance.

Why did you only mention yaya and not Navas and Nasri that were tearing us a new arsehole and Fernandinho who most thought was the stand out player that half?