***OMT*** Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea

[milo]

Three clubs..in London three cup finals..we have to play//

well that's tribalism for yah...LOL

a bit more depth in the squad..we could have been Champions.
missed opportunity in the winter window to strengthen!

It's certainly tougher for a London club (us) than it is for a club that plays no derbies (Leicester).

I don't think that there were any players available in January that would have made much of a difference to our title push. We've matched Leicester since Christmas, we fell short at the beginning of the season.

 

[elyid]

Great interview with Poch, he just shrugged when asked about 9 bookings "It's a derby, men vs men"

 

[DubaiSpur]

I'm too young to have seen the Double Winners but looks like they had a bit of fight in them too...

From what I've heard, they were the top dogs, though. No one could beat them for style, but no one could beat them for aggression either.

We're probably the most stylish side in the league right now, but we're also far from the most aggressive, bullying side. For what it's worth, that title belongs to Chelsea.

GHod, I hope we learn to be c*nts.

 

[Baleforce]

It's certainly tougher for a London club (us) than it is for a club that plays no derbies (Leicester).

they have loads, United, City, Everton, Liverpool, Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Sunderland, villa, Watford

there are loads of northern brickholes in the PL

 

[the dza]

he didn't stamp, his stride didn't change, not his fault if that clam put his hand in the wrong place

Showed incredible restraint by not repeatedly stamping on Fabregas' head, imo.

 

[Dr Rosenrosen]

I'd normally agree, but we allied it with helplessness. It's no good snarling and fighting off the ball if you're muscled off it and easily overrun while it's in play.

And make no mistake, we were thoroughly outclassed in the second half. I hope they left it in and that their c*nts feel sore in the morning, but in the future, aggression needs to be allied with nous, with cold steel, with game management.

I've said it to @thfcsteff, and I'll say it again; the day we learn to be c*nts is the day we have the title sewn up, done and dusted. Game management, the dark arts, call it what you want, but until we learn to stop losing our heads and reacting the way we did to losing a goal and being wound up, we will always be the pretty losers.

The next time, if there were similar circumstances, I wouldn't be impressed by us flying in, snarling and biting and losing our heads. I *would* be impressed by meeting a sly kick at the ankles with an equally sly f*cking elbow in the face, *minus* the cartoonish obviousness with which we tried to do it today (i.e, not in the Alli/Dembele way, which leads to bans).

Teams need to fear us; if not because of our football, then because of the high probability of being mauled, wound up and put through the wringer if they try any funny business.

I agree 1000%. Many of the fouls in the second half weren't hard-man fouls, rather, they were cheap, late tackles on players who were faster to the ball.

I have no doubt the players will learn from the experience. I just hope they get back in a position to make it matter.

 

[elyid]

Jeepers. The BBC Sport matchthread is like a Leicester love-in. Why dont they just have the trophy at the KingPower Stadium now so they can present live on Sky Sports at 10pm?

From the match report:
"Leicester's players were watching Chelsea beat Tottenham at the home of Jamie Vardy"

Amateurs

 

[glasgowspur]

So long as the officials write about it. If they say they didn't see it then we will likely see retrospective action.

If that linesman claims he didn't see dembelle then he's sacked and if he does and we don't appeal it then we are mad.

 

[AdamB]

Also, we need a leader and a set piece organizer. Really badly. Maybe not the leader, but the *set piece* organizer? Definitely.

I think we have plenty of leaders in the team, or players who lead by example: Alder, Dier, Kane....Lamela leads by example, Lloris is the sane captain.

What I thought we lacked tonight was a bit more quality in the final third, and also potentially another decent CM so that we could have gone 4-3-3 when it was 2-1 and stop them running over us.

this summer we need:
- another decent CM so that there's not a gulf in class between Dier/Dembele and the 3rd choice
- another decent AM to put pressure on Alli, Eriksen and Lamela
- a CF to provide cover for, and challenge, Kane

 

[elyid]

Ha, just saw this post from before the match

Hopefully the lads are a bit more disciplined than me.

Am stopping in as feeling a bit punchy.

Coys.

 

[paxtonwolf]

That's not right, they are 9 goals behind us. If we lose our two games 2-0 that is 5 goals they need... if they beat the Gooners 3-0 they only need a 3-0 against Villa

Sorry, I was on about finishing above Arsenal. There is a 14 GD between us. Thats why we are guaranteed 3rd barring a landlside

Okay, if, we lost the last 2 2-0 70pts +35

Arsenal beat Chelsea.....then we blew it but still finish 3rd ARS 73 TH 70 MC 67
Draw.. still 3rd ARD 71 TH 70 MC 68
City beat Arsenal. Its all on GD All finish on 70pts. Then City need 2 wins totalling +5 to finish 2nd, while Arsenal wouldn't need to beat Villa 12 or 13-0

 

[mjc23]

Showed incredible restraint by not repeatedly stamping on Fabregas' head, imo.

For this he should be applauded, Tony Pulis should hopefully come out in the press praising this.

 

[SteveAWOL]

It's certainly tougher for a London club (us) than it is for a club that plays no derbies (Leicester).

I don't think that there were any players available in January that would have made much of a difference to our title push. We've matched Leicester since Christmas, we fell short at the beginning of the season.

I doubt many Nottingham Forest or Derby County fans will be celebrating Leicester' title, a pity neither club could do anything to help stop it.

 

[Robbo]

We lost our heads tonight - we will win fudge all with idiots lose the plot like tonight, they are better than that

They'll learn. Imagine what an experience this season has been for our young squad. The pressure they've been under - sometimes we folded, other times we rose to the occation. We've ravaged the Manchesters, had Chelski and Arse on their knees, have scored the second most goals, conceeded the least, we have the top scorer, the young player of the year, and one of the most promising managers in the world.

I'm not surprised the frustration got to the players tonight. But it shows the belief in this squad, that even when the title is all but loat anyway, they still get so angry and wound up by drawing. Maybe on the next occation they'll channel the frustration differently, and outplay the opponent instead of trying to beat them at their own game.

I'm really looking forward to next season.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

The players undoubtedly did get caught up in the occasion tonight. A bit more experience would have helped calm things down. I am in favour of a hard edge to our game but we didn't handle it well tonight. Compared to Chelsea who still contrived to get away with foul play with no punishment. Not making excuses for us but getting away with 'hard' play (as opposed to dirty play) is a skill we need to refine. Another season, more experience, we will get the balance right.

 

[glasgowspur]

Also, we need a leader and a set piece organizer. Really badly. Maybe not the leader, but the *set piece* organizer? Definitely.

No we need refs to blow for clear fouls. He's standing watching Dier have his shirt pulled off.

 

[SpurMeUp]

The team will be gutted not to have won. What they have done all season is learn and come back stronger. Although I don't feel like we learnt from the 2nd half against wba, we will come back stronger. A lot of young lads in our team. To think how little I understood aged 23.

Poch hopefully has learnt too. I think Furgeson was so good because he got players in the appropriate mental state. Maybe fatigued played its part, but second half we didn't have the right focus or mentality.

 

[SteveAWOL]

From what I've heard, they were the top dogs, though. No one could beat them for style, but no one could beat them for aggression either.

We're probably the most stylish side in the league right now, but we're also far from the most aggressive, bullying side. For what it's worth, that title belongs to Chelsea.

GHod, I hope we learn to be c*nts.

I'd hoped we'd learned that lesson after the Chavs done us over with their cynical play in the League Cup final last season but guess we've got a largely new team since then, fingers crossed that our youngsters will be the ones celebrating next time silverware is up for grabs when we play the Chavs...

 

[Bullet]

Three clubs..in London three cup finals..we have to play

Six.
But at least QPR and Charlton are no longer in the Prem.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

No we need refs to blow for clear fouls. He's standing watching Dier have his shirt pulled off.

Not one mention of that on TV shocker!!!

They highlighted shirt pulling earlier when Jan did it and got elbowed but not when it led to a Goal