Just wanted to say guys, that over the past couple of pages of this thread in particular your posts have been logical, sensible and fair; I agree with virtually all of what you have both said.
Everyone knew Poch was a manager with a philosophy and a system. He is like AVB in that manner and whether you like it or not that is the reality of the situation right now. How well suited our squad and players are to his philsophy and system is a very, very pertinent one which people don't really seem to take into account. (incidentally the answer in my view is - probably - not very well suited).
Then, add the fact that we have an unbalanced squad shorn of top players, and players who are made of the right mentality and leadership stuff.
Next, times it by all the other various and myriad contextual factors that apply to Tottenham Hotspur - some of which as follows: Spurs is a big club, which has high pressure and expectation despite a recent history of constant near misses or relative failure; Spurs is a club which has good players but not TOP PLAYERS; Spurs is a club which plays in a top and very competitive league and which has a large and demanding fanbase; Spurs is a club which fights towards the top of the table against sides with greater resources but with a similar (ish) level of expectation.
To me, these things jar. That is, a new manager such as Pochettino is fighting an uphill battle from the start. I don't understand how some fans can't see that this jarring is GOING to cause bumps in the road. I don't understand how fans have to massively overreact when these bumps are hit.
This is what this all is - a big overraction. Let's look at the league campaign so far... we've had a mix. Great: QPR. Good, or decent, with areas for improvement: Sunderland, Southampton, the S**m. Mixed bag with positives and negatives: Emirates Marketing Project, Villa, Saudi Sportswashing Machine. Terrible... West Brom & Stoke (no questions asked, no debate, we were SHOCKING in these last two matches).
Cup form has done the business: points over style in Europe (which, btw, is generally the same as EVERY SINGLE Europa league group stages) and good win against lower league in the LC.
And points-wise, this is a tight league this year, we are still right in the mix and not in a Ramos style situation. We are not playing like a relegation team overall, we have played like that for two matches.
Total games played: 11 league matches with 5/6 cup matches thrown in. It's not even December and we have a new manager who is having to deal with massively high expectations from fans, unbalanced squad not suited to his system, pressure from all areas. And our 'crisis' looks like: several hard games out the way already and midtable, definitely not relegation material, not out of any cups, not even at Christmas yet. I've even seen a manager able to bend his philosophy and be pragmatic to take advantage of the opposition (S**m away).
I don't understand what people EXPECT. Miracle-working clearly. Van Gaal is one of if not the most experienced managers around and it's not all plain sailing at Man U is it! After hundreds of millions spent. Yes they have hit the 'adapation climb' towards his methods slightly quicker than us (or it seems there are slightly more consistent signs of it) - but it's not like they are miles ahead of us in the league is it?
Poch has made mistakes. I don't agree with some of his decisions. In a couple of games we've looked clueless. But this is early doors. We don't have the squad and team of the teams above us who can adapt seamlessly. We don't even have any leaders who can help our unsuited squad try and make that transition either. Poch has had one transfer window to change a few players around. But the wider job - of reshaping the squad, of getting leaders in, of changing the mentality - will take him or any manager longer than that.
That is what I see... I see a seriously difficult job at Spurs. I think we need to wake up to this. I also think that at some point our whole managerial merry-go-round has to stop. We have to put faith in a man to change it around - or at least give him the best possible shot at doing that. And I simply don't agree that at THIS STAGE IN THE SEASON what has happened so far is even close to being the 2 points from 8 points level hysteria that is engulfing a seemingly increasingly large proportion of Spurs fans. I call it hysteria and this is what I am seeing - even in this very thread!
Football is short term these days, in the majority of cases, fact. This timeframe we are talking about now (not even December) is just ludicrous.
Poch needs a minimum of 3 transfer windows and a timeframe of well into full season TWO before a serious analysis can be conducted IMHO. if there are no strong and consistent signs of consistency and improvement at this stage, fair enough.
But until that point, and unless we get Stokes/WBAs every other weeks, we have to back the guy in charge.
The number of Spurs fans who: (usually) didn't want Poch in the summer, say they will give him a chance and some time and show some patience, then proceed to effectively turn on him him within a matter of months, saddens me a lot. (And incidentally some of these Spurs fans are my best mates, who I am having the same debates with in person!). I don't understand the lack of patience.
