Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[the yid]

Parrott is on loan at Preston in the Championship not League 1.

My bad thought he was at MK Dons but that was last year!

 

[Yiddo1982]

It was fine as a stop gap, certainly better than nothing. The complaint isn’t that Lenglet isn’t good enough, it’s that we look like we’re not going to follow up on that by permanently buying the defenders the club NEED - not want, but absolutely 100%, difference between success and failure NEED

We were also hearing the club wanted two centre backs last summer, long after we got knocked back for Bastoni. It was Bremer + another LCB, such as Ndicka.

if that was the goal (pinch of salt and all) then a single loan signing wasn’t going to cut it.

 

[Russ1201]

Sad reality is that no manager could manage this team. The team is full off stupid idiots who are so error prone. Even if we are 2 up with 20mins left to play I still don't feel comfortable.
I can't think 9f another team in Premier league who have made as many individuals errors. The season in my opinion is already a write off and I need a break for my sanity watching these clowns trying to play football.

 

[Metalhead]

Jamie Donley’s (Youth strikers) dad supposedly. Sums up how our youth teams must be feeling it Conte would rather put all defensive players on the bench

Like most of us, I would love to see youngsters on the bench; however, is anyone surprised by Conte's approach? Did Conte appoint himself to the job or did Daniel Levy appoint him with the modus operandi of winning trophies? If he wants youth to be promoted in the short term then he's probably got the wrong guy but how is that Conte's fault?

 

[A Bit Much]

Sad reality is that no manager could manage this team. The team is full off stupid idiots who are so error prone. Even if we are 2 up with 20mins left to play I still don't feel comfortable.
I can't think 9f another team in Premier league who have made as many individuals errors. The season in my opinion is already a write off and I need a break for my sanity watching these clowns trying to play football.

We've only been two goals ahead of the oppostion with 20 mins to go twice this season. At home to Leicester when we smashed them, and against southampton first game of the season.

 

[Impspur1]

Sad reality is that no manager could manage this team. The team is full off stupid idiots who are so error prone. Even if we are 2 up with 20mins left to play I still don't feel comfortable.
I can't think 9f another team in Premier league who have made as many individuals errors. The season in my opinion is already a write off and I need a break for my sanity watching these clowns trying to play football.

I thought there was ( for a change ?) some quite rational debate last night. Having slept on it and your point about other managers working with what we have. I agree, so hypothetically a new manger comes in, refreshes with Spence,Sarr, Donley, Devine et Al would we as a fan base be happy to take a step back to go forward?

 

[FinnYid]

Sure, player for player City’s bench was better than Everton’s 11. Chelsea are better than Forest and PSG are better than Lens.

Difference is that while over 10 games Chelsea is on better form than Forest, City on better form than Everton, we are on worse form than Villa. We have less points, conceded more and scored just 2 more. On form table of last 10 we are 12th.

 

[Russ1201]

We've only been two goals ahead of the oppostion with 20 mins to go twice this season. At home to Leicester when we smashed them, and against southampton first game of the season.

Sorry meant in general not just this season. That is a terrible stat for a team who were meant to be challenging top 4.

 

[the yid]

I thought there was ( for a change ?) some quite rational debate last night. Having slept on it and your point about other managers working with what we have. I agree, so hypothetically a new manger comes in, refreshes with Spence,Sarr, Donley, Devine et Al would we as a fan base be happy to take a step back to go forward?

What ever happens we're going to take a step backwards you don't do as much work on our squad as we need to do and not got backwards. These kids though aren't the class of 92 and aren't quite there yet Donley and Devine need a load development so if we're relying in them we're going to be in trouble however we need to have a path to the first team for these players

 

[A Bit Much]

Sorry meant in general not just this season. That is a terrible stat for a team who were meant to be challenging top 4.

Ha yes - I get what you were saying. I guess my point highlights how poor we've been this season and haven't comfortably won nearly enough. That's before we get into stats showing 10 games in a row going behind etc.

 

[Russ1201]

I thought there was ( for a change ?) some quite rational debate last night. Having slept on it and your point about other managers working with what we have. I agree, so hypothetically a new manger comes in, refreshes with Spence,Sarr, Donley, Devine et Al would we as a fan base be happy to take a step back to go forward?

The youngsters would add energy and passion which we are seriously lacking. But the lack off experience in the long run wouldn't help this season and technically we still have a shout of top 4.
Hard to say what to do catch 22.

 

[Gb160]

Sad reality is that no manager could manage this team. The team is full off stupid idiots who are so error prone. Even if we are 2 up with 20mins left to play I still don't feel comfortable.
I can't think 9f another team in Premier league who have made as many individuals errors. The season in my opinion is already a write off and I need a break for my sanity watching these clowns trying to play football.

This season we are top of the gaff table (individual errors leading to goals), on 5...the next closest team is on 2.
3 of ours come from Hugo.

I guess the positive to take from this is that we still might win something this season.

 

[Russ1201]

Ha yes - I get what you were saying. I guess my point highlights how poor we've been this season and haven't comfortably won nearly enough. That's before we get into stats showing 10 games in a row going behind etc.

Not l9oking forward to the next few games could get very messy?

 

[Russ1201]

This season we are top of the gaff table (individual errors leading to goals), on 5...the next closest team is on 2.
3 of ours come from Hugo.

Terrible stats and wouldn't be surprised if we are near the top of that table most seasons.
If only you could train players to use their footballing brain, if I was Conte I would need a new wig by now?.

 

[AJW]

Like most of us, I would love to see youngsters on the bench; however, is anyone surprised by Conte's approach? Did Conte appoint himself to the job or did Daniel Levy appoint him with the modus operandi of winning trophies? If he wants youth to be promoted in the short term then he's probably got the wrong guy but how is that Conte's fault?

I have no issue with him not using youngsters if the whole squad is available. But he chose to put 5/6 defenders and 2 defensive midfielders on the bench over using some youth on this one occasion. Where is the hope for a younger player when you can’t even get in the squad when there are no other options.

 

[Trix]

Should he be given assurances? He is an employee of our great club. Has he given us any assurances that the unacceptably negative and turgid football will stop if he gets player x? From where I'm standing the team is underperforming and so you would think that he would perhaps ne in a better bargaining position if he was getting them performing above their weight?

He is. He has also personally won more trophies than our great club has done in its entire history, let that sink in. People really need to open their eyes here, Whether he was the right fit or not, we were massively punching to bring in a manager of Conte's reputation and stature, and we've done literally the bare minimum to back him up.

 

[mpickard2087]

The biggest irony is that those who are the loudest to demand that we “act like a big club!!!!!!!!” are often the ones who act the most small-time and with zero standards – eg. put the manager up on such a pedestal, act almost like that we’re not worthy of having them, obfuscate and blame everyone else and “the lack of backing”, and any criticism of him is a sin and calls your whole support of Spurs into question. We saw it with Jose until it was undeniable, we see it even worse with Conte.

Yesterday, and most other games, the lack of coached ethos and how to use possession was embarrassingly bad. Totally and utterly unacceptable and a reflection of what is (not) drilled into the team. We just shuffle it about in the most basic fashion, then spray it long or sling in a random cross. Conte’s “Plan A” of sit, soak, some rudimentary up-back-through moves out of your half, and then attack space might have a solid track record and won many trophies, but teams have adapted to it, and these days you have to some sort of ethos against teams sat in and you having to break them down - especially so if you're not stacked with outrageous individual quality. Our attempts and tactical identity here are simply pitiful.

This squad might have its faults. It might need more quality and investment. He might be getting badly let down by some of his senior players like Lloris (yep), Son (obviously), and Kane (yes him too, if you take the goal stats away his general play is awful). The owners might not be perfect, they might need changing. This all can be true…. But Conte (on £15m+ a year don’t forget) is also taking the piss at the moment, and right now bringing the square route of fuck all to the table with his coaching/management. You are allowed to admit this and criticise him guys, it doesn’t make you a bad Spurs fan for doing so.

 

[Lifelong]

Personally I think, and this might not even be an option now, we stick with conte and back him to the hilt. That includes getting rid of unwanted players even if we take a hit, something that should of happened years ago but we all know that. The only reason for this view is I dread to think what the alternative is, I mean who in their right mind would entertain it. And for the record I definitely wouldn’t want poch back……

 

[buttons]

Whatever you think of Conte and Levy, the current situation is unworkable. With six months on his contract he isn’t going to be fully backed with all the players he wants - I can kind of understand Levy’s reticence here (that’s not to excuse his many many previous failings).

Quite what we do though, I have no idea, what a horrible situation. Ideally I guess Conte commits and we back him this month - that seems the least likely of all situations. If I were a betting man I’d probably wager Poch is our manager again before January is out.

FWIW though, if conte is half the coach we think he is, he should be getting far more out of this group of players than he is currently. Yes there are glaring holes in the squad but the squad is still better than 3/4 of the rest of the league, we shouldn’t be being outplayed every week by Brentford, Villa etc.

 

[C1w8]

Terrible stats and wouldn't be surprised if we are near the top of that table most seasons.
If only you could train players to use their footballing brain, if I was Conte I would need a new wig by now?.

The gaffs are an issue but when we play the way we do we leave no margin for error as we're at best level and at worst already behind when they happen.

Im not conte out but i dont buy that he is the only route to any measure of success, and whilst others have mentioned that city only got a point vs brentford/everton and that we're still in touching distance of the top 4, its the football (the lack of) thats the issue at the moment. The atmosphere would not be the way it is if we played half as well as what city do and returned the same results.

Hoping for a miracle transformative couple of signings like we pulled out of the bag last year, but much like playing from behind every game its not a bankable strategy, and we should be able to improve performances with what we've got also, hopefully starting at palace.