Players Fury At Jol Jibes

[mawspurs]

SPURS "NEWS"

SPURS boss Martin Jol called his players in for a major rollicking after being beaten by Arsenal - and was hit by a dressing-room backlash.

Source: The Mirror

Dutchman Jol was furious after his team's 3-0 derby drubbing and called a first-team meeting on Sunday - but was stunned when some of them answered back.

Jol ripped into his Spurs players with a dressing down which "tore paint off the walls" after their lacklustre display.

But he angered some of his players with his team selection - and they told him he should shoulder some of the blame as they felt they didn't do too much wrong.

Jol sprang a major surprise by picking Teemu Tainio to mark Cesc Fabregas, even though the Finnish midfielder had only started one game in nearly three months.

And England striker Jermain Defoe was left devastated by being axed again - even though he is likely to be back for tonight's home game with Middlesbrough.

Defoe's omission at Arsenal could leave his future in doubt as Jol dropped him despite his stunning goal in the previous game when Spurs beat Wigan.

Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all keeping tabs on the striker's situation at White Hart Lane.

Spurs were furious at referee Graham Poll for three crucial decisions - two penalties and a controversial offside decision - but Jol claimed he would be "embarrassed" to blame him for the defeat.

[xzander]

We'll now see what this team is made of, I suppose; are they going to battle back or are they going to fold and collapse amid bitter in-fighting?

[Sanj]

We'll now see what this team is made of, I suppose; are they going to battle back or are they going to fold and collapse amid bitter in-fighting?

Battle back like Englands first innings or fold and collapse like the 2nd innings against the aussies.

What a sh!te sporting few days its been, i feel so so depressed !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sloth]

I think some of those players need to take a reality check... I don't know what passed between them and Martin Jol but if any of them had the nerve to blame refereeing decisions for their insipid performance they should be shoved in the reserves and left to moulder for a few weeks...

[jenko]

How do we know this even happend? tabloid BS if you ask me. Truth is we'll probably win the next two games cos their at home, its the away record needs work!

[sloth]

How do we know this even happend? tabloid BS if you ask me. Truth is we'll probably win the next two games cos their at home, its the away record needs work!

There are three different newspapers reporting it so you can be fairly certain something happened...

[Kingstheman]

Time to truly see whether we are men or boys.

I think that this is a crucial turning point in Tottenham's modern history.

If we succeed, we can challenge for top 6 status.

If we fail, then we will be fighting against relegation and mid-table mediocrity for another fifteen years.

We have a good home record, a good European record but we lack away day qualities. Call it luck, lack of fight, whatever, the team need to drag themselves to the summit and conquer this.

The only good team left to play away is Chelsea. So, we expect the team to take all but one away games as 3 points. Man U, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton and Villa are all out of the way, so now is time for Tottenham to fight like they have seldom fought before.

[MJsDeputy]

If anybody believe the mirror, which is unofficially the goon paper, then they need their head to be checked

[JackTheYid]

Don't believe there is much truth in this. If the paper is so adamant that there was a so called backlash, why haven't they made more of it in the article itself instead of just mentioning it briefly and then discussing the line up, which everyone else does anyway.

Totally agree with Jol that we can't blame Poll as we were an embarrassment to the club with the way we performed. Just hope the supposed bollocking they got will spur them on and they will come out fighting tonight.

[Chedozie]

There is no way any of those players are going to question Jols tactics or answer him back, it just wont happen, they are to scared of him.

This is just mirror rubbish

[JuanRebelde]

Really crap journalism.

These meetings are not like your average office 'yes sir no sir' shite that passes when you get a carpetting from the boss. On the contrary, these meetings in dressing rooms and elsewhere in football clubs have always been places when an opinion is said very frankly by players and the boss. The conversation is very direct and it is meant to be so to get across the points and opinions.

The most common word is the f word and it is not a place for shrinking violets. However, it tends to help in the longer term as it gets past the usual cultural 'can't say what you really think' problem common in the workplace.

In contrary to MJsDeputy I suspect that this meeting did take place and was roughly as I have described but relies on those with no experience of a pro dressing room to regard it as shocking. MJ would not have been shocked by opinions of his players and would have sought those especially from the senior pros as he is well experienced in football and also dutch, a nation renouned for freedom of expression in the dressing room.

1 out of 10 for the journal and 1 out of 10 for any reader who regards this as shocking stuff.

[Kinger]

This could be smart management by Jol.

One of the things I would say about this team is that they seem to be a team of individuals (ironically rather like the Dutch side). Very few players seem to play for the team. Jol needs to get them united and by turning them against him he is getting the players to fight for a common cause.

If Jol is as strong as we all think he is, he could get this team to stand up for each other both on and off the pitch, if it backfires he loses their respect and puts his job on the line, if it works, we'll see a different Tottenham side who play as one, work for each other and most importantly start to get results away from home.

[RogerTCB]

Time to truly see whether we are men or boys.

I think that this is a crucial turning point in Tottenham's modern history.

If we succeed, we can challenge for top 6 status.

If we fail, then we will be fighting against relegation and mid-table mediocrity for another fifteen years.

Blimey! And I thought melodrama was a dying art.

[Kingstheman]

I'm sorry about the melodrama, but I just want Spurs to succeed so bad, but (having supported Spurs since 1987) am always worried about failure...

[Allygold]

Will be interesting to hear Jol's reaction to this after the game. Someone will ask him. I reckon it was true, but how 3/4 of those players can say they performed well but were stifled by tactics or bad refereeing decisions is beyond me.

[xzander]

JuanRebele's right, anyone who's read "The Glory Game" with it's accounts of shouting matches between Nicholson and Chivers will not be surprised by this. I'd have expected a bollocking fit to 'tear the paint of the walls' as an absolute minimum reaction to Saturday.
Saturday was a bit of a watershed. When I think of a Spurs player I'm most likely to tink 'twat' at the momnet.

[spursrocker777]

if its true that MJ has given the squad a rollicking then im hoping its the wake up call the team need to jump start our dismal away form,as mentiuoned in another article all but chelski are now out of the way,so lets all get behind the lads for them to get our team up the top end of the table sooner rather than later.:evil:

[KingSpur]

guys

I dont believe a rollicking is a good enough reaction.
A rollicking is a deserved reaction to the performance - but these guys earn 25-45k per week. They put in a bad performance and they get a 'telling off'.

I think players should have a claus in their contract allowing the manager to withhold some of their salary if their performance is poor.

Or have them do charity work, or paint walls - players can get used to a rollicking and it becomes a useless tool in motivation.

[theMAXILOPEZpsycho]

I'd have them fed to the lions!

[mawspurs]

He may have no hair but this proves Jol has a hair drier.

:grin:

[Breezer]

I dont balme the palyers if there was a backlash!

The tactics and team selection were both wrong therefore is also BMJ fault aswell as the players poor performance!

Tainio never looked fit to play and it didnt help when him and Zokora both sat in centre mid and had no attempts at moving forward and helping the strikers.....

I have never seen such slow and poor movement from any other team in the premiership! Our midfield are like robots who are programed to sit and not move off the ball!!!

For gods sake!! (PASS AND MOVE) not pass and sit!

Lets see how we do tonight..... if we loose i can see some supportes booing the players off!!

[rooster1]

I'd have them fed to the lions!

That's being too nice!! I'd have them eaten by flesh eating
Zombies from the dawn of the mirror. :evil:
(dead)

[Ali]

I dont balme the palyers if there was a backlash!

The tactics and team selection were both wrong therefore is also BMJ fault aswell as the players poor performance!

Tainio never looked fit to play and it didnt help when him and Zokora both sat in centre mid and had no attempts at moving forward and helping the strikers.....

I have never seen such slow and poor movement from any other team in the premiership! Our midfield are like robots who are programed to sit and not move off the ball!!!

For gods sake!! (PASS AND MOVE) not pass and sit!

Lets see how we do tonight..... if we loose i can see some supportes booing the players off!!

To be fair, Tainio had a good game against Leverkusen, and was rested last week precisely so he could start this game, because he is the type of battling player Jol (and many others on this site) thought would be needed for this game.

Anyone who actually went to the Wigan game instead of watching the very selective highlights on MOTD would know that Hudd is not that player, and Zokora has been rubbish ever since coming back from his bout of malaria.

The Keane/Defoe debate will rage on, but I don't think there's any evidence that Defoe will leave. Many people said here that Keane looked like the only one trying on Saturday, and that's precisely why he plays in important games. He gives it everything and he does play for the team, and at least tries to give a bit of leadership. Don't forget his performance against Chelsea.

So I don't blame Jol at all for his selection. If all those players played like they can, then it should have been no problem. The point is they are not doing so.

Jol isn't perfect, he is human, and he can have errors of judgement. But I don't think you can blame him at all for this. The players that played were good enough, they let us, Jol and themselves down.

[Breezer]

To be fair, Tainio had a good game against Leverkusen, and was rested last week precisely so he could start this game, because he is the type of battling player Jol (and many others on this site) thought would be needed for this game.

Anyone who actually went to the Wigan game instead of watching the very selective highlights on MOTD would know that Hudd is not that player, and Zokora has been rubbish ever since coming back from his bout of malaria.

The Keane/Defoe debate will rage on, but I don't think there's any evidence that Defoe will leave. Many people said here that Keane looked like the only one trying on Saturday, and that's precisely why he plays in important games. He gives it everything and he does play for the team, and at least tries to give a bit of leadership. Don't forget his performance against Chelsea.

So I don't blame Jol at all for his selection. If all those players played like they can, then it should have been no problem. The point is they are not doing so.

Jol isn't perfect, he is human, and he can have errors of judgement. But I don't think you can blame him at all for this. The players that played were good enough, they let us, Jol and themselves down.

I wasnt blaming Jol completely! The players were poor and not up for the battle but Jols tactics were also incorrect!

You can have an centre midfiled that both want to sit deep on the ball. We have no movement off the ball except for Lennon who is now being taken out the game cause other teams are putting 2-3 players on him as the rest of the spurs midfield are scared to push up and help out upfront!

We need much more movement off the ball!! Huddlestone should be playing in the deep position and picking of passes to our other 3 midfiled players e.g how carrick was doin last season!

Im quite sure we will see a more attatcking midfield tonight if not it will be another long hard night!

[rooster1]

I wasnt blaming Jol completely! The players were poor and not up for the battle but Jols tactics were also incorrect!

You can have an centre midfiled that both want to sit deep on the ball. We have no movement off the ball except for Lennon who is now being taken out the game cause other teams are putting 2-3 players on him as the rest of the spurs midfield are scared to push up and help out upfront!

We need much more movement off the ball!! Huddlestone should be playing in the deep position and picking of passes to our other 3 midfiled players e.g how carrick was doin last season!

Im quite sure we will see a more attatcking midfield tonight if not it will be another long hard night!

I tottally agree,nobody comes short for Lennon to recieve the ball,play a one two or get a shot in. The goons invite you to attack and get possession and then counter quickly into the space that's been left open that's why it was so important for us to score first, if Jol wanted to play them at their own game he should of done the same,maybe he did
but you need an accurate passer and our fastest striker,Defoe.:shrug:

[alfiespurs]

All I can say is that Jol ( I do love him !) but question his selection. But, its really down to the boys to become men ... I really feel that we will do a Fulham this season, not win till one the last few games. We will get far in Uefa, Semi's in League Cup and I am tipping us to lose against Cardiff. League position will be 10th .... We are not good enough, last season was a fluke ... Totally Depressed !

[devonte01]

"Ali", i used to enjoy reading your statement/rumours during the transfer windows as to the sort of players coming to the Lane. Since you stated in one of your replies that "Carlton Cole" was in the bag (info from your contact) and it failed to materialise, I felt slightly let down.

Now to say (or even intimate) that BMJ was not partly to blame for the debacle of Saturday was at best disappointing and at worse foolhardy. He is paid a million pounds a year to make decisions. In my view, leaving Defoe and Huddlestone out was a massive mistake.

All said and done, I will still continue to read your transfer rumours, as 95% of the time, you are right.

[wakefieldyid]

The heart of this is cheap journalism, with the intention of appealing to as wide an audience as possible, regardless of any need for truth or accuracy.

Spurs fans will obviously read it, but the story was also designed to appeal to the Manure fans, Villains, and car thieves because they are the ones reputed to be sniffing round Defoe.

I crappy little story then gets read by the fans of 4 clubs and the editor goes home happy.

[Bingy]

While Jol is ultimately responsible for the teams fortunes BUT in this instance the PLAYERS are the one's who need to 'soul search', and do it urgently. Some Yid's may not have played at a high level but it does not take a genius to see that the majority of Saturdays 'excuse' for a team were not 'at the races' and they got the result that they deserved....even if there were some 'home town' decisions.
So....Players should look to themselves (and apologise to the fans) before they 'slong' mud....in any direction....COYS!

[MidnightCaller]

This is a good thing, hope the two players that were moaning was Dofoe, he scored in is last match, and played outstanding with Berbatov. and the other player who should have moaned is Tom (the Rock) Huddlestone, why is Martin calling him the best holding midfield in the world, then dropping him for the Arsenal game.

[Bulletspur]

There are three different newspapers reporting it so you can be fairly certain something happened...
In other words, there is no smoke without fire