milo
Jack L. Jones
Imagine if things would have been different in AVB got in Villa and Bernard like planned.
or Oscar last year.
And Willian and most of all Moutinho
Imagine if things would have been different in AVB got in Villa and Bernard like planned.
or Oscar last year.
And Willian and most of all Moutinho
I have seen Capoue for years in France, and he'll never be as good as Parker was a couple of years ago.
I've been mulling over starting a thread on this for a few weeks now but maybe this is a better place for it.
I know that these two propositions are not mutually exclusive but a hypothetical question for you and everyone else.
Would you be more content playing attractive football but being a little open and finishing mid-table?
Or should we try to implement a system that may help us to continue to compete for champions league places regularly and allows us to make best use of the meagre resources compared to the teams that we are competing against?
I've been mulling over starting a thread on this for a few weeks now but maybe this is a better place for it.
I know that these two propositions are not mutually exclusive but a hypothetical question for you and everyone else.
Would you be more content playing attractive football but being a little open and finishing mid-table?
Or should we try to implement a system that may help us to continue to compete for champions league places regularly and allows us to make best use of the meagre resources compared to the teams that we are competing against?
It's a bit weird that AVB went from linked with Moutinho though to then going on to purchase Dembele/Paulinho type. It's like if he doesnt get in the player he wanted for a style he wants, it's like he has completely changed style.
You don't buy Eriksen, Lamela, Soldado for £70m if you want to play dull and negative football. (And if player purchases are not your decision, then you don't hang about to play the game of having to field players you don't want while PSG come knocking).
I think it's pretty clear that AVB wants us to be a well organise unit, all about ball possession and closing down the opposition. Tight defensive game, lots of passing, quick counter attack. Throw in a couple of electric players who can run at the opposition and you have some variety.
But it's not working quite right yet. So we give it time. All very well that Eriksen and Lamela show glimpses but often quality players take a time to come through. And who knows what the story is? All I know is that Europa league against a Moldovan side is a different match altogether than a run of the mill Premiership clash. Not necessarily harder or easier, just different.
One thing that was evident to me even just watching the games at home this week was the difference in the crowd. No goals for 60 mins against sherif and the fans were still rocking and kept going till the end . On Sunday yes we were a goal down earlier but the principle of patience remains. We threw everything at Saudi Sportswashing Machine (bar Lamela ) so whose to say a bit of 1882 would have made a difference? But the negativity in the first half from the stands didn't help.
I did feel the signs were there last year that AVB will learn from his experiences. We got burnt with a manager who, for all his success with us, blatantly never had a plan B. But I think we do have a boss who is a bit of a tinker man and would happily give him longer.
A bigger problem than AVB is WHL, season ticket holders (not all but a lot) and Sunday matches . AVB got this out there a few weeks ago but the fans themselves need to keep this on the agenda.
Support the team, support the manager. COYS!
First, I don't accept your proposition that the two are mutually exclusive. Nor do I think the formulaic way AVB has been playing will automatically achieve success. Nor would I consider our resources "meagre".
What I would most like is for us to achieve success while playing entertaining football. If we are going to come up just short due to the greater resources of our main rivals, then I would rather be entertained than bored rigid. I hope that answers your question.
Why do they have to be exclusive?
I look at the majority of the best teams: Man U, Arsenal, Bayern, Dortmund, Barca, Real.
The most successful teams play attacking football. If you go out to attack and still keep an eye on what you're doing defensively you will entertain and win!
AVB had his base, he had a settled and very solid spine:
Lloris
Walker Dawson Vertonghen BAE/Rose
Sandro Dembele
All he needs to do is play that spine then bring in the new attacking players and say 'let's play!'
Give them a bit of structure, work on movement and combinations in training and off you go! Freedom to express!
How come Rogers had Liverpool playing really well by the second half of last season with an average/mundane squad and Suarez?
How come Wenger has to manage a massive turn over of playing staff every other summer, integrates foreign talent and plays good football while keeping them competitive???
I agree which is why I said so before I asked the hypothetical question.
I do think that the old project management principle of there being three elements to any project:
Cost
Quality
Time
You can only achieve two of the three. You can a high quality product, quickly but it will be expensive. Or you can have it within budget an delivered on time but the quality will suffer...
I would agrue that we have taken the thurd option and signed quality players (or players with high potential) at a close to zero net spend but following this principle, it will take longer to deliver.
I am now going to go and shoot myself for using the word project in a football context.
He's managed to numb and suck my enjoyment out of watching Spurs.
Hoddle, Santini, Jol, Ramos, Redknapp... They all had their faults, but none of them produced such soul-destroying football teams, such painful displays, such joyless, souless football, with no goals, in either end of the pitch.
FFS even Graham's teams had more life about them with Ginola and Anderton on song! We won something too!
I can't believe that no other manager received the backing he did, yet produced the pile of turd he has.
£30m creative talents left on the bench. Danish play-maker wizards get the odd game. One of Spain's top marksmen disappears. One of Brazil's starters looks lost! No width, no defence splitting passes, no crosses, no dribbling, no pace...
Just mundane huff n puff, we squeeze past the poorest with soft penalties and last-minute winners. We play for clean sheets at home.
We've got the best squad I can ever remember but I hate watching Spurs the most I ever have.
Each game is torture, cringe worthy torture. The stadium's full of tension, WHL is quiet, frought, nail biting, watching us pass sideways, backwards, sideways, backwards, not going anywhere.
I hate it. I just want to see some freedom and joy in our play. I want to enjoy watching us, win, lose or draw. I want the atmosphere at the stadium to be like it was and feel everyone was united behind the club, players and manager.
We're tense, at each other's throats, divided, subdued, angry, the managers having a go at us, but he needs to look at himself.
The fans don't help, but the footballs so poor there is nothing to cheer about.
I want him out! Now!
I agree which is why I said so before I asked the hypothetical question.
I do think that the old project management principle of there being three elements to any project:
Cost
Quality
Time
You can only achieve two of the three. You can a high quality product, quickly but it will be expensive. Or you can have it within budget an delivered on time but the quality will suffer...
I would agrue that we have taken the thurd option and signed quality players (or players with high potential) at a close to zero net spend but following this principle, it will take longer to deliver.
I am now going to go and shoot myself for using the word project in a football context.
I downloaded and watched Southampton's game against Hull (and have watched a few other games they've played this season). They actually are similar to us in a number of ways - how vigorously they press and win the ball back, how they play a fairly high line, etc, but they are so much better at it than we are lol. Not really at pressing and playing a high line because we do that well, but within that system the way they pass it, they way they run and move off the ball, the way they play the ball quickly out of their own half and counterattack, is on a different level to us.
That's what makes me think that the coach has something to do with it. Because Pochettino came to Southampton and they were leaking goals and he quickly got the defensive system working, and now they also look very good attacking as well. AVB's been here for 15 months and we've averaged about 1 goal from open play per 2 games. That's not good enough and he needs to sort it out really quickly. Pochettino's style of play and "system" seems to enable the Southampton players to be better - more than a sum of their parts, while AVB (at the moment) has our team playing as less than the sum of its parts.
Ok quick question: Allowing obviously that they're in a new league, new team, new country etc and some are fairly young...but then considering most are very experienced for those of that age, Eriksen is an international with loads of caps and CL appearances etc, Lamela scored 15 goals for Roma (that's Roma, not Salernitana, Roma) last season, Paulinho starts for Brazil etc.....
Do you think results (ie better, more cohesive displays with more fluidity and excitement) as well as better results points wise could have been achieved more quickly?? Ie by another manager/better management?
Or do you think this situation/squad could have been given to any manager and it would still result in 2 home loses to bottom half teams in 11 games, 7th place against an easy run and turgid football with 6 goals from open play in 11 games?
Great point. And add to that there is no doubt our team is player for player much superior to Southamptons.
Great point. And add to that there is no doubt our team is player for player much superior to Southamptons.