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What the pundits & media are saying about us

spud

Well-Known Member
Sep 2, 2003
5,850
8,794
Did someone put a spud gun to the back of your knees and force you to read it?
Unless you're a master of some telepathic skill then, like the rest of us, you need to at least start to read a post to see what it's about. Which means that those of us who visit a thread called 'What the pundits are saying about us' and who don't want to read several pages of irrelevant shit about whose dad is biggest are subjected to at least part of just that.

Do those of us who don't give a flying fuck who you think is the better player a favour and take it to a more appropriate thread. Then we can spend our time reading about what the pundits are saying about us. Thank you.
 
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Davo99

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2006
4,063
5,827
Man there’s some real doom merchants on here.

I wholeheartedly apologise mate, we were just having a bit of a debate (on the wrong part of the forum - granted).

Relax though man, we just beat Dortmund 3-0. :cool:
 

Davo99

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2006
4,063
5,827
Again, I apologise and also for the post you just quoted too - it was intended light-heartedly.

Surely adding another page of moaning about it only exacerbates the problem? :nailbiting:
 

Davo99

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2006
4,063
5,827
I guess I owe the thread this. :D

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47234647

Tottenham's understated and underrated progress through this season has been accompanied every inch of the way by suggestions they are going "under the radar".

Mauricio Pochettino's side have been following in the slipstream of headline-grabbing Premier League pacesetters Manchester City and Liverpool, almost but not quite getting knocked out of the Champions League and generally living in the shadows cast by Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.

Spurs midfielder Moussa Sissoko even used the phrase in recent days to illustrate how they might just be able to emerge to win the title.

In reality, the big prizes are rarely won by stealth and if Spurs are still under the radar after their magnificent 3-0 dismissal of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund to put themselves on the brink of the Champions League quarter-finals, then we must assume they are currently being tracked by the cheapest, most inefficient detection system known to man.

Pochettino's stock will only rise after Spurs, regarded as slight underdogs when the draw was made, overpowered the highly touted Germans with a display of skill, steel and organisation that made light of the absence of signature talents such as injured captain Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

The Spurs manager might still be on the radar of Manchester United and even Real Madrid - but on nights like this he will realise what a good thing he is on to in north London and this will be mutually felt by chairman Daniel Levy.

When all this is bolted on to the fact that Spurs made no signings in the summer transfer window or in January, it simply underlines what a superb job Pochettino is doing.

Indeed, it is a tough task to think of any manager at a high-profile club currently making better use of, or getting more out of, the resources available to him.

Spurs will now need a collapse of calamitous proportions not to reach the Champions League last eight, while still standing only five points behind Manchester City and Liverpool in the title race, despite the searing pace the top two teams have set this season.

And while they certainly used the scenic route to reach the Champions League knockout phase after losing to Inter Milan and Barcelona and drawing with PSV Eindhoven in their first three games, they look like making the most of achieving "mission impossible" by going through.

The manner in which they first subdued and then outclassed such impressive opponents as Borussia Dortmund was a tribute to the inner steel and staying power of a team that has not had the credit it deserves this season.

And that applies close to home, where some of us praising them now were doubting them earlier in the season.

After the home loss to Barcelona maintained that miserable start, this observer suggested it was stretching credibility to say Spurs belonged anywhere near Europe's best, as Pochettino had stated a year earlier after Real Madrid were beaten at Wembley.

If the humble pie is not yet being eaten, it is certainly on its way from the kitchen in the aftermath of this Spurs performance. Credit where credit is due.

The recent late victories against Watford and Newcastle United and the fight to the finishing line against Leicester City showed one side of Spurs, stubborn and resilient and almost overcoming themselves to grind out the points.

Against a team five points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, they delivered a more complete display here to snuff out the threat of the first half and push themselves into dreamland after the break as two late goals from Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente delivered that crucial three-goal cushion bolstered by the all-important clean sheet.

Vertonghen, in a wing-back role, gave a performance that must rank among his finest for Spurs.

The Belgian was not only solid in defence, he gave Spurs an added dimension in attack, his cross dropping over Dan-Axel Zagadou for Son's opener before he knocked the stuffing out of Dortmund by slamming home the second himself.

Llorente, sometimes derided but now a match-winner against Watford and the scorer of the third here, demonstrated exactly why Pochettino retains such faith in him.

Harry Winks, the long injury problems behind him, is maturing into a midfielder who will excel for Spurs and England.

And in Son, Spurs have a remarkably consistent attacking operator of the highest class, tireless, dangerous, intelligent and never frightened of running the hard yards.

Son has also made Borussia Dortmund his personal playthings. He scored five in five games against them when he was with Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen in Germany and now has four in five games for Spurs in Europe. They must be sick of the sight of the South Korean.

He is the man keeping Spurs going in an attacking context in the absence of their big hitter and with Kane now on the brink of a return after his latest ankle problems, Son's contribution cannot be praised highly enough.

No wonder he attracts so many from his homeland to Spurs games, South Korean fans posing proudly with their national flag for photographs after the final whistle.

This was no freak victory. This was fully deserved, a sign of growing quality and stature and a reminder that when Spurs get it right they can be a huge threat in this competition.

Pochettino will now be warning his players against complacency before the second leg in Germany on 5 March, although Spurs do not look like a team that entertains such an attitude.

They still feel the pain of how a five-minute switch off cost them in the second leg against Juventus at this stage last season, wasting the hard work of the first game when they came from two goals down to earn a draw in Italy.

Of course, accidents can still happen but what a position Spurs have fashioned for themselves.

Spurs are the team that simply will not go away.

And if Pochettino and his players are still under the radar, it is time to invest in a new detection system.
 

Davo99

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2006
4,063
5,827
Thought this was worth a mention as well;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...mpares-Tottenhams-current-squad-Class-92.html


Wenger was watching Tottenham's round of 16 first leg match with Borussia Dortmund alongside Marcel Desailly and Ruud Gullit.

Spurs ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Wembley, thanks to goals from Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente.

The win continues a remarkable run of form for Mauricio Pochettino's side, especially considering that they are missing two of their star players in Harry Kane and Dele Alli through injury.

The north Londoners have come under fire for their lack of silverware under the Argentine but Frenchman Wenger believes Tottenham are yet to reach their full potential - making a comparison with Manchester United's famous treble winning generation.

Wenger added: 'It's very difficult to win trophies in England, the last cup we won we had to play against City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final - who were the champions.

'What I want to say about Tottenham - I'm an Arsenal fan so it's a bit of a sensitive subject for me - they have a generation of young players, who for me look like a little bit like the Man United generation, with Giggs, Scholes, Butt, the Nevilles, Beckham.

'They (the Class of 92) made it to the complete top.

'You feel there is something there at Tottenham, but they have not shown the maturity in the decisive moments to get to what we speak about (winning trophies).

'That's the target now, they come to maturity in the next two, three years, and they have to show that.'




Backhanded compliment and a bit of a sly dig or genuinely respectful comments?
 

Kiedis

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,926
8,490
Having listened to Wengers analysis in the last couple of days, it's really annoying to think about how much money tthe likes of Jamie Redknapp are being paid for their "analysis".

Wenger is as Arsenal as they come, but I think he's a class act. He even had the decency to make them a laughing stock in later years.
 

hellava_tough

Well-Known Member
Apr 21, 2005
9,429
12,382
Thought this was worth a mention as well;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...mpares-Tottenhams-current-squad-Class-92.html


Wenger was watching Tottenham's round of 16 first leg match with Borussia Dortmund alongside Marcel Desailly and Ruud Gullit.

Spurs ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Wembley, thanks to goals from Son Heung-min, Jan Vertonghen and Fernando Llorente.

The win continues a remarkable run of form for Mauricio Pochettino's side, especially considering that they are missing two of their star players in Harry Kane and Dele Alli through injury.

The north Londoners have come under fire for their lack of silverware under the Argentine but Frenchman Wenger believes Tottenham are yet to reach their full potential - making a comparison with Manchester United's famous treble winning generation.

Wenger added: 'It's very difficult to win trophies in England, the last cup we won we had to play against City in the semi-final and Chelsea in the final - who were the champions.

'What I want to say about Tottenham - I'm an Arsenal fan so it's a bit of a sensitive subject for me - they have a generation of young players, who for me look like a little bit like the Man United generation, with Giggs, Scholes, Butt, the Nevilles, Beckham.

'They (the Class of 92) made it to the complete top.

'You feel there is something there at Tottenham, but they have not shown the maturity in the decisive moments to get to what we speak about (winning trophies).

'That's the target now, they come to maturity in the next two, three years, and they have to show that.'




Backhanded compliment and a bit of a sly dig or genuinely respectful comments?

Truthful comments, first and foremost.

We haven't had the maturity in the past to dig out results (e.g. Juventus last season), although that doesn't mean we've never ground out results in past seasons. We just need to do it more often and under pressure.

But that said, I think this team is growing and I'm hopeful we'll get there in the end.

I think we might surprise a few next season, when we have a home ground again!!
 

eddiev14

SC Supporter
Jan 18, 2005
7,173
19,679
Nice article from Michael Cox (tactics-focused journalist) on Son:

http://www.espn.in/football/blog/th...njured-harry-kane-has-saved-tottenhams-season

He says he thinks Son will end his career as the greatest Asian footballer of all time.

Also, interesting insight:

"...he's among the most ambidextrous footballers around. Only Pedro, Sadio Mane and Raheem Sterling are more "balanced" in terms of their attempts at goal this season, and they tend to pull the trigger from closer range, where it's more about composure than technique, where solid contact rather than technical perfection is required. Son is a serious long-range threat with both feet, a rare quality "
 

kmk

Well-Known Member
Oct 5, 2014
4,145
27,497
Ian Wright tweeted this last night but later deleted the tweet.

0_ian-wrightPNG.png


He later explained why he deleted it but also called out the Arse fans who abused him for praising Spurs.

 

tommo84

Proud to be loud
Aug 15, 2005
6,120
11,100
Love Wrighty, so much time for him.

Ian Wright has just about the perfect balance for the present-day audience: He absolutely loves his club team, but he loves the game and his country even more. I think that’s where so many pundits (as do fans in general - including myself) go wrong.
 

shelfmonkey

Weird is different, different is interesting.
Mar 21, 2007
6,690
8,040
Nice article from Michael Cox (tactics-focused journalist) on Son:

http://www.espn.in/football/blog/th...njured-harry-kane-has-saved-tottenhams-season

He says he thinks Son will end his career as the greatest Asian footballer of all time.

Also, interesting insight:

"...he's among the most ambidextrous footballers around. Only Pedro, Sadio Mane and Raheem Sterling are more "balanced" in terms of their attempts at goal this season, and they tend to pull the trigger from closer range, where it's more about composure than technique, where solid contact rather than technical perfection is required. Son is a serious long-range threat with both feet, a rare quality "

Ambidextrous? o_O
 

Everlasting Seconds

Well-Known Member
Jan 9, 2014
14,914
26,616
Ian Wright has just about the perfect balance for the present-day audience: He absolutely loves his club team, but he loves the game and his country even more. I think that’s where so many pundits (as do fans in general - including myself) go wrong.
I don't know if fans and pundits should be mentioned in the same sentence, though. For me, I actually don't enjoy the game and there is no national team I feel affinity to. I'm just a Tottenham supporter, not a football fan.
 
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