Lucky Harry

[Bristol Coys]

Great though our week has been, it struck me how lucky a manager Harry is.
How many times have opposition hit the post or carved our porous defence open, only to mis hit, miss the ball (a la Kuyt), hit the post or have the ball blocked?

OK, the blocking may be down to defensive coaching and I've noticed more players putting their bodies on the line, but we could easily have been stuffed by Liverpool in the 1st hour. We may not have got an own goal from Carragher under Ramos, a player sent off against Bolton, a penalty.

Weras Portsmouth luck has deserted them. Funnily enough, about the same time that Harry left...

 

[robbiesavagehasbreasts]

It's about time we have games like this.

Last season we were always conceding ridiculous goals in injury-time. Am loving that we have done this in the last 2 games.

And it's not about luck. The 1st Gerrard shot was a good save by Gomes. How is that luck? The 2nd shot didn't go in, and that's Gerrard's fault. He should've finished it.

 

[hughy]

Not our problem we can finish our few chances and other teams can't.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

Without Doubt Redknapp has had more lucky breaks in three games than Ramos had all season.

Yesterday was no where near the one sided contest that some of the press made out (Adrian Childs on MOTD2 said we were batterd until we equalised) though. Arsenal was far more one sided.

I understand why Redknapp put Corluka out on Kuyt and went 442 but defensively it backfired and we were lucky that Liverpool actually weren't that clever with the positions they had in a little spell in the second half.

You have to say though, we as team, have been long, long overdue the rub of the green.

 

[ginol@14]

long may his luck last
its about time we had some !

 

[Bristol Coys]

It's about time we have games like this.

Last season we were always conceding ridiculous goals in injury-time. Am loving that we have done this in the last 2 games.

And it's not about luck. The 1st Gerrard shot was a good save by Gomes. How is that luck? The 2nd shot didn't go in, and that's Gerrard's fault. He should've finished it.

Exactly my point, under Ramos we seemed to be SO unlucky, stonewall penalties not given, bad bounces in area, Kieron Richarson handball not spotted etc.
Gomes' (who played really well) mistake that led to Gerrard hitting the bar. The own goal we almost scored.

I'm not knocking it, but our luck has really changed, Harry has the favour of the gods as the Romans would say.

 

[VegasII]

Long, long, long may it continue. Here's to Harry...cheers!

 

[nicdic]

We have had the same luck all season. It's just now we're getting into the positions to be able to use the luck to hurt other teams.

 

[PT]

If Wenger hadn't taken off v Persie and Walcott when they were up 4-2, we would have lost by that score, if not more.

Same again for Benitez - he changed his front line, didn't recognise our reorganisation when Corluka went left to strengthen our left defence with modric in front basically rudderless. He finally brought on Babel but Harry was one step in front of him.

My opinion is that other teams have under estimated our mind set since Redknapp has taken over. True, luck has played a part, but ineptness from our opponents is the real factor why we took those points we didn't really have any right to.

 

[Defsta]

Goat option even it's pretty harsh

 

[Bingy]

As the old adage says "You make your own luck" OR "Lucky events tend to even themselves out over a period etc".
Yes we have had some luck but who does not get the 'rub of the green'? Manure are forever getting lucky....and nobody comments on that (except Sky Views!). Harry is a lucky manager, without doubt, but he is a manager of great experience and that tells. I have a feeling that we are going to prosper in the coming months and that the experiences of recent times are going to be the stuff of legend (good and bad) in the future?
I foresee us getting better...and holding the Top 4 teams....however, we need to deal with the teams that are placed between 5-15 if we hold any hope of being seen as a quality side? Act 1 is looking good (after several rewrites?) and LONG may it continue....COYS!

 

[TK007b]

Onl time will tell if he's a lucky manager, but I don' believe in luck. IMO it's all about getting the best out of players in terms of belif, playing them in their normal positions and playing 4-4-2. After that it's down to timings abd decisions on subs and of course who comes in and goes out.

There is not pixy dust which will make us lucky, otherwise he would win the lottery every week.

long way to go yet and our hardest momet will be when we lose a few on the trot and have no-one to blame.

F***ing hope we survive .. but there,s no easy games in the prem anymore.

COYS ... fight for your badges, supporters and salaries !

 

[roosh]

As has been said, you make your own luck. There is a reason that a positive mental attitude is lauded by, pretty much everyone. I don't doubt that the universe works in strange ways and that our mentality and belief, coupled with other teams mentality and belief affects how they and we do things.

Liverpool would have been well aware of what we did against Arsenal and this, subconsciously affected them throughout the game. Gerrards miss could quite easily have been down to him thinking the ball was already in the back of the net before ever hitting it - seeing the headlines as it were.

Benitez'a and Wenger's substitutions undoubtedly had an impact on the mentality of the teams, as well as how they shaped up.

 

[Phate]

I can remember the FA cup 2 years ago at Stamford bridge, we were 'unlucky' and lost the replay.....what goes around etc etc

 

[Bristol Coys]

OK guys, I'll admit I am slightly playing devil's advocate here in order to;

a) Recognise just how good a mana manager Harry Rednapp is. (Eat your heart out David Brent)

b) Appreciate how good his tactical decisons have been and shows his thorough understanding of the game.

c) Highlight what a good decision it was by Levy, who doesn't often get much credit.

I am not for a minute doubting these 3 points, which why I was shouting Harry's praises on this forum, while others were giving him a muted response. I love the tounge in cheeck confidence when asked about next 2 fixtures after the Bolton game to say "Well that Arsenil away Livepool at home, so a 9 point start for me then"

If you sling in dangerous crosses into their box and stop the ball entering ours it is more probable that goals will flow for us and not be conceded. In the Ramos era, would the tremndous save that Gomes made be negated by the ref giving hand ball against King. Refs seem to be a mysterious and random force in the game these days. Maybe Harry is a Jedi and can USE the FORCE.

 

[SpurSince57]

No, he just happens to know what he's doing and the players have responded to that.

 

[14/04/91]

I'd rather credit his substitutions; BAE was getting mullered in the air by Kuyt, we had to go 2 up front & Modric wasn't getting the ball on the left hence bringing Lennon on.
Sure they had a couple of chances but we weathered the storm & there was only going to be one winner after we equalised.
I know it's not going to be this good every week & there's still a lot of work to do but a bit of luck, hard work & tactics have got us 4 points when we were expected to get 0!!

 

[si_yidarmy]

well considering if you look at his record with other clubs when he joined them, i dont think he won his first few games.... in fact spurs v pompey few years bk was his first game and he lost 3-2? and his first saints game was against us, we won 5-1?

redknapp is a quality manager and he is at a proper club now! no dreamland where your enjoying it for as much as you can.....he is at a club now where he can enjoy money, top quality players, and immense fans, aswell as a future 60,000 seater stadium!

sit down

 

[Bristol Coys]

I'd rather credit his substitutions; BAE was getting mullered in the air by Kuyt, we had to go 2 up front & Modric wasn't getting the ball on the left hence bringing Lennon on.
Sure they had a couple of chances but we weathered the storm & there was only going to be one winner after we equalised.
I know it's not going to be this good every week & there's still a lot of work to do but a bit of luck, hard work & tactics have got us 4 points when we were expected to get 0!!

I'm not dentying that tactically he has been great, but the magin between winning and losing in pro sport is often very narrow and that extra 2% of the 100% improvement could be called luck.

So pleased, that this thread has shown why it is so marvelous to be a Spurs fan 40% vote for a bit of luck 30% for all tactics and the rest for the sacraficial goat. The wondeful diverse opinions of Spurs fans, if we were piloting a ship it would sail the seas forever as we could never all agree on a port to dock in LOL.

Glad you all appreciated my thread and my poll - (Hint) ;-)

 

[ravo]

I vote D, a combo of the above.

Every manager needs a bit of luck, coupled with their managerial and tactical nouse.

It isn't just the fact that Harry has had luck. He has also, through is man management skills, brought back confidence to the side. He has also done what many of us may see as simple tactics, in that he is playing the guys in the correct positions.

Go option d.

COYS