- May 5, 2004
- 24,183
- 48,814
No context to your stats though. AVB inherited a golden squad - one of the best. Poch inherited Sherwood'a mess.1, No Man City game didn't convince me. It was more off the ball quality than on. We really wasn't that good, it was a very decent efficient plan which worked. It didn't impress me, no not at all. If we didn't get the lucky own goal to kick things off could quite easily have been a 0-0, was actually that kind of game.
2, these were not high pressure games, they were group stages. These are groups not knock out.
3, I think to bring up Andre is very relevant. He didn't inherite a strong club. King, Modric and VDV which were our real world class players all left or retired at the start of his tenure. Lloris was brought in under Andre and was his choice by all accounts. Rose improved drastically under Andre, do you forget that? Poch continued his improvement but Danny was getting MOM performances under Andre. Bale actually publicly credited Andre, do you forget that. If you are saying what would this team be like with Bale? Then consider what Andre's team would of been like with the Kane of Today. Dembele was actually very good in his first Season under Andre. Similar to what he is now, it's the gap in between where Dembele was under par. Andre lost Modric, VDV and King immediately from the team prior which was huge. Also had to rebuild the team with Bale money with choices from the transfer committee. Andre improved many players it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise. Rose in particular. If we look back on the threads here Andre was praised for improving players.
We were a team that lost its core and spine when he arrived.
Lloris, Walker, Vertongen, Rose, Dembele, Eriksen and Lamela all played regular under Andre, and remember Sandro had his big injury under Andre. Then Bale left.
Andre's team with Bale + Kane of today is much the same as pochs team of today with Bale. Goals wise very similar. We had trouble creating chances under Andre & we certainly have trouble creating chances now.
I'd say that Maurice picked up Tottenham in a better place than when Andre did, hard to fail after the hated and ill fated Tim spell. Andre also played against better opposition as his highest points total meant we were 5th with a higher total than we finished 3rd.
Too many draws was Andre's supporter complaints. Don't create many chances it was said. Players look disinterested it was said. We can't score without Bale it was said. Football style was boring it was said.
All sounds very familiar doesn't it?
Andre got the chop for a similar performance and thrashing that Newcastle gave us at the end of last season. Regardless Andre's record was probably better than Maurice's game for game if we where to take Andre's number to pochs number.
Andre definately had a harder time, if given time and the players he wanted (poch has this Andre didn't) I think there wouldn't be much diference.
The emperor wears new clothes...or does he?
Poch:
Games: 88
Won: 44
Draw: 26
Lost: 18
Andre:
Games: 80
Won: 44
Draw: 20
Lost: 16