Jose Mourinho

[mumfordspur]

Jose's job is to put us in situations to win football matches, and the players job is to covert those situations to wins. Jose is fulfilling his end of the bargain.

"covert" - not openly acknowledged or displayed

you sir are a genius

 

[bigblue]

The bit about winks just amused me. He doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about. It’s laughable

“Similarly, Mourinho’s treatment of Harry Winks is also baffling as he is an England international, a midfielder full of creativity who was a huge influence under Mauricio Pochettino but has been sidelined this season despite playing regularly for his country. They miss his creativity.”

Cross is a Gooner who ghost wrote Wenger’s book. Ignore.

TBF if I had the opportunity to troll Arsenal in a national newspaper I’d do it!

They do occasionally like to troll; I got to know Steven Howard (the Sun, also a Gooner) a little bit before he retired; he wrote in his column that Walcott must make the last Euros squad...
I fired off a quick message to him asking if he was taking the piss... he replied to say he was crying laughing as he wrote it and I was the tenth Spurs fan who’d messaged him that morning.

Good bloke though!

 

[JimmyG2]

Don't worry, if we sign anyone, I'll PM you.

And me.
You would have a got less time
if you murdered a mod.

 

[Shadydan]

no problem with defending deep “at times”

for both goals we were deep, holding the line on the edge, as usual, but no one laid a glove on Gylfi, or either runner

my point is he coaches, and picks the team and at least signing off on transfers - so the buck stops with him.

would you pay 60 quid to watch his football?

When I say defending deep I mean defending as a team, i.e the back line being baby sitting by the 2 dmf's in front of them and the wide men doubling up on the full backs, we didn't play like that against Everton - the mistake came from a lack on anticipation and generally poor reading of the game. This is why I think at time he's had to play with the handbrake on because our defenders don't anticipate danger quickly enough.

Same things were happening under latter years of Poch with more or less the same group of players:

 

[allatsea]

Still have nightmares about that night

I was living in Cyprus at the time so 2 hours ahead of the UK. Went to bed at halftime as we were leading 3-0 and they were down to ten men. Couldn’t believe the result when I found out the next morning. Still rather stunned even now.

 

[RichieS]

When I say defending deep I mean defending as a team, i.e the back line being baby sitting by the 2 dmf's in front of them and the wide men doubling up on the full backs, we didn't play like that against Everton - the mistake came from a lack on anticipation and generally poor reading of the game. This is why I think at time he's had to play with the handbrake on because our defenders don't anticipate danger quickly enough.

Same things were happening under latter years of Poch with more or less the same group of players:

Poche's main issue was his bonkers application of a midfield diamond with Winks as a deep regista and the fullbacks pushed miles up the pitch. When even Moussa Sissoko is saying he can't cope with the physical demands of his assigned role, you've got to take a step back and reevaluate!

 

[Aphex]

I’m amazed it’s taken John Cross so long to write a shit stirring piece on him.

Ill save you reading the nonsense. A classic part of it is asking why he hasn’t played Harry winks as we’ve missed his creativity ??? you couldn’t make it up!

I actually tweeted him I was that incensed by the article.

 

[Aphex]

Who knows. I really wonder if John Cross got confused and meant to say GLC who is a creative midfield player that we really are missing.

No because he was using it as a stick to beat Jose with, GLC wouldn't fit his agenda as he's injured.

 

[Metalhead]

No because he was using it as a stick to beat Jose with, GLC wouldn't fit his agenda as he's injured.

Right. Yeah clearly he must be then.

 

[cliff jones]

When I say defending deep I mean defending as a team, i.e the back line being baby sitting by the 2 dmf's in front of them and the wide men doubling up on the full backs, we didn't play like that against Everton - the mistake came from a lack on anticipation and generally poor reading of the game. This is why I think at time he's had to play with the handbrake on because our defenders don't anticipate danger quickly enough.

Same things were happening under latter years of Poch with more or less the same group of players:

I’m not disagreeing with most of that. Or that we should sit deeper, condense the space and play on the counter- some of the time.

it shouldn’t be the only way we can play though, against those further down the table. And we must show ambition to score a second if we do get our noses in front- Wolves, Palace etc. Sitting back for 60 or 70 mins also exposes the defence collectively and individually

back to my main point again. He signed or signed off on a RB/ LB/ CB/ DM in the summer, and has had plenty of time now to get his ideas across to them and those who were there before.

Buck stops.

 

[ohtottenham!]

When I say defending deep I mean defending as a team, i.e the back line being baby sitting by the 2 dmf's in front of them and the wide men doubling up on the full backs, we didn't play like that against Everton - the mistake came from a lack on anticipation and generally poor reading of the game. This is why I think at time he's had to play with the handbrake on because our defenders don't anticipate danger quickly enough.

Same things were happening under latter years of Poch with more or less the same group of players:

Defending deep is a positional defensive set up i.e. a low block. That’s commonly understood. A whole team defence can be used with different set ups re block positions; all teams try that out to suit their squad and the opposition in any game.

For example, Pep’s got his City team playing more team defence these days; he’s learnt, and he’s not defending deep. The “deep” is positional re defensive set up on the pitch.

 

[Metalhead]

I’m not disagreeing with most of that. Or that we should sit deeper, condense the space and play on the counter- some of the time.

it shouldn’t be the only way we can play though, against those further down the table. And we must show ambition to score a second if we do get our noses in front- Wolves, Palace etc. Sitting back for 60 or 70 mins also exposes the defence collectively and individually

back to my main point again. He signed or signed off on a RB/ LB/ CB/ DM in the summer, and has had plenty of time now to get his ideas across to them and those who were there before.

Buck stops.

We'll have to see if the last couple of matches were an aberration or a move towards how Jose wants the team to play. I'm not envisaging lots of losing/winning by the odd goal in 9 scenarios but I do think that his philosophy does involve more than what we saw for a long period.

 

[Shadydan]

Defending deep is a positional defensive set up i.e. a low block. That’s commonly understood. A whole team defence can be used with different set ups re block positions; all teams try that out to suit their squad and the opposition in any game.

For example, Pep’s got his City team playing more team defence these days; he’s learnt, and he’s not defending deep. The “deep” is positional re defensive set up on the pitch.

Um okay

 

[Shadydan]

I’m not disagreeing with most of that. Or that we should sit deeper, condense the space and play on the counter- some of the time.

it shouldn’t be the only way we can play though, against those further down the table. And we must show ambition to score a second if we do get our noses in front- Wolves, Palace etc. Sitting back for 60 or 70 mins also exposes the defence collectively and individually

back to my main point again. He signed or signed off on a RB/ LB/ CB/ DM in the summer, and has had plenty of time now to get his ideas across to them and those who were there before.

Buck stops.

I don't disagree with that, yeah we shouldnt have to rely on containing the opposition against teams we are clearly better than, Wolves and Palace matches are good example where we should have taken the game to them more - I feel he's been overly cautious at times.

Bar Doherty (although this has pushed Aurier) the defensive acquisitions are working out fine and we have collectively improved as a team defensively from last season but how are you meant to coach players out if individual errors an basic defending if they're not good enough

 

[-Afri-Coy-]

We'll have to see if the last couple of matches were an aberration or a move towards how Jose wants the team to play. I'm not envisaging lots of losing/winning by the odd goal in 9 scenarios but I do think that his philosophy does involve more than what we saw for a long period.

It's laughable that some think that Mourinho has only one plan in his pocket and what we've seem from the players during this slump is all he has to offer.

There is so much more to it than just sitting deep and hoping for a counter. We have seen that vs WBA and Everton already.

 

[ohtottenham!]

Um okay

Defending deep is pretty obvious. Think we need to get that clear in the first place. It's a positional defence on the football pitch. Are you saying "defending deep" means something else? That's what I'm reading at least. And all I can read is you're saying is it means a whole team defence; it does of course in the end, but the defending deep is the question given what we have.

 

[cliff jones]

I don't disagree with that, yeah we shouldnt have to rely on containing the opposition against teams we are clearly better than, Wolves and Palace matches are good example where we should have taken the game to them more - I feel he's been overly cautious at times.

Bar Doherty (although this has pushed Aurier) the defensive acquisitions are working out fine and we have collectively improved as a team defensively from last season but how are you meant to coach players out if individual errors an basic defending if they're not good enough

Lloris v Liverpool, Rodon and Aurier v Leicester, Dier v Chelsea, Sanchez v West Ham, even PEH the other night... most have had a turn

 

[Shadydan]

Lloris v Liverpool, Rodon and Aurier v Leicester, Dier v Chelsea, Sanchez v West Ham, even PEH the other night... most have had a turn

I mean you can pick out isolated incidents and moments or you can judge objectively from the entire season so far, it's up to you...

 

[cliff jones]

I mean you can pick out isolated incidents and moments or you can judge objectively from the entire season so far, it's up to you...

Om cool with Aurier, much improved. Want to see more of Rodon, hopeful on him. Tony is passed his peak, but I want to keep him. Davies too.

I’ve seen and had enough of Lloris, Dier, Winks- and Dele. They’ve run their race at the Club. The first three are generally culpable in various ways for our defensive insecurity.

If it’s not Jose’s, who would you trade out in the summer? Do you want him in charge of the overhaul- or too soon to say?

 

[Shadydan]

Om cool with Aurier, much improved. Want to see more of Rodon, hopeful on him. Tony is passed his peak, but I want to keep him. Davies too.

I’ve seen and had enough of Lloris, Dier, Winks- and Dele. They’ve run their race at the Club. The first three are generally culpable in various ways for our defensive insecurity.

If it’s not Jose’s, who would you trade out in the summer? Do you want him in charge of the overhaul- or too soon to say?

I mean it has to be him, pointless bringing anyone else in as they're going to run into the same problems that he has and by bringing someone else in you're effectively starting again...our best players aren't waiting around for that.

I trade out the likes of Winks/Sissoko/Doherty/Lucas/Sanchez/Dier/Alli - Bale will obviously leave although I can see him keeping Sissoko and Dier around, we definitely need a couple of CB's and another midfielder and a RW