OMT *** Tottenham Hotspur v woolwich *** 22.2.26

[Mrs Vert]

We were massively outclassed yesterday.

What worries me is that they seemed more up for it and fresher than us. I’m pretty sure they’d played THREE times since our last game.

Having now seen back our second goal I have to say that yet again the officials were appalling. I thought they were poor all game actually. Several times their defenders played the man rather than the ball and every time the ref allowed it. Meanwhile every time Saka fell over it was FK.

But it’s the key decisions in key moments that are killing us. We had the hilarity of Eze’s offside goal being given in the away match (to make it 2-0) and now today that abomination of a decision by Bankes to keep the score at 1-2.

I’m not saying that either decision would’ve made a difference (it’s actually fairly unlikely) but the simple facts are that ‘goals change games’ and the officials are consistently putting us on the wrong side of these decisions. Contrast the disallowed goal yesterday with Ekitike pushing Romero for Liverpool’s winner and I think it shows a lot. Abysmal as we are, it’s simply impossible to contend with having to ‘beat’ the officials as well.

I’m amazed how many people think there’s no chance that we can go down.

Wolves managed to give them something home and away
I mean they scored all the goals at theirs

 

[Mrs Vert]

Looked to me at the game like one player putting his hands up to stop the other reversing into him
And that player then doing a horrendous leap to make sure he wins a foul knowing he was nowhere near where the defected cross was landing

Did var look at it? I just can't believe if they did they thought it was fine. I mean I can believe cos its us. If other way round we wouldnt have been given the pen.

 

[Mrs Vert]

More angry about our dissalowed goal this morning then I was yesterday. Don't get me wrong I know we were terrible but if that goes level at that point yesterday anything could happen.

Liverpool scored a goal against us earlier in the season with a far more blatant push than the one we saw yesterday and of course the goal stood. There is no consistency with the officiaring whatsoever.

I didn't see any of the after match reaction but did any of ours mention that goal in the post match interviews ? If not then they should have. Any other big team would. Make it very loud. Constantly on the wrong end of decisions. Still not had a penalty in the league this season.

We would actually need to be in the box for us to be ignored

 

[Mrs Vert]

We were genuinely awful yesterday, no patterns of play or anything. Could barely string 2 passes together, it was actually embarrassing how easily they ran rings round us without even trying.

We could very well go down on that evidence, I've not actually watched us much this season but if it's been as bad as that every week then it makes hanging onto Frank even worse.

There was no fight or grit at all, it's a derby yet no one wanted to put in any big tackles, take a yellow for the team etc - we need a miracle from somewhere.

Rich made a 1 yard pass and managed to give them a throw in

 

[Mrs Vert]

The overload on our left side seemed to me to be similar to the overload which Saudi Sportswashing Machine created on our left side, with players like Spence not knowing where to be, which player to mark. If I was the Fulham manager, I'd aim to repeat it against us...

If I was any manager I would just tell them to play football and that will be enough

 

[Mrs Vert]

Is there a system/formation the currently available players are well suited to? Particularly in a game against a very good team. Seems to me like we'd be imbalanced no matter what.

It's not like we packed a flat back 5 at the back. And I definitely don't think that's how Tudor wants us to play in other games either.

Souza for his full debut in the NLD up against Saka, I think that would be asking a hell of a lot of the lad.

Again the board taking yrs to get a grown up in. And when we do finally address the problem we have ignored, we buy this

 

[Mrs Vert]

Looking back, did anyone take any small positives from Igor's first game that may be of use in the final stretch of games to come?

Kolo scored

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Did var look at it? I just can't believe if they did they thought it was fine. I mean I can believe cos its us. If other way round we wouldnt have been given the pen.

No way IMO var would over turn it
Needed a competent ref to start with

 

[Mr Gogolak]

Just had a re read through the thread after a few days and I still think that our wage structure and recruitment policy is what has caused our decline since the Champions league final. I know we pay more than the likes of Palace Brentford Fulham etc to name a few but there are at least 6 or 7 clubs whos wage bill is significantly higher than ours. Its why the likes of City and Arsenal can get top class players to join them. City got Semenyo and Guehi for a combined £85mil ? in January. Both of them miles better in their respective positions than anyone we have got. Our recruitment has been terrible for years. I know there is no replacements available for the likes of Son and Kane when they left but Kane to Bayern and Tel to us good grief.
I`ve seen it said in the thread that some of you think Simons is going to be a top player but I just can`t see it. He has been at 2 of the biggest Clubs in Europe PSG and Barcelona and they let him go then PSV and Liepzig same again until we pay 55 million euros for him. And some on here think he will be a better player than Eze when he gets to Eze`s current age. For one Eze is not even a starter for Arsenal and 2 he`s not that good it`s just that we have made him look good for a couple of games. If we get a full squad with no injuries Simons will be a bench warmer at best, I`ll be amazed if he becomes a consistent starter for us.
In fact in 3 years and 5 managers time I doubt hardly any of our current squad will still be playing for us

Kevin De Bruyne blew it at Chelsea and that didn't prevent him from being one of the best players in the world. There are plenty of reasons why a quality player wouldn't make it in a top club: competition for places is too tough, lack of competition for places, poor relationship with the manager and so on.

Having said that, I don't think Simmons will ever make it in England, for two reasons: a) he's a bit lightweight and b) in order to become a top player, you have to play in a good team. Peak Eriksen would look bang average in this team. Maybe he'll get picked up by a Top 6 at a later stage, but as long as we're stuck in relegation battles, he'll never realise whatever potential he may have.

Our current squad is full of players who have neither the quality nor the mentality to be considered 'good'.