Sherwood has gone!

[1971 Spur]

Bullshit!! This squad is FAR from mediocre and unbalanced. I give you

Lloris
Walker, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose
Capoue, Sandro, Dembele
Lamela, Soldado, Eriksen

I could go on and on and on, but, for some reason, I don't feel it'll sink in! The squad is nowhere near unbalanced, it's the fucking tactics, or lack of them, and the outdated formation, that is unbalancing a fucking good squad, possibly the best squad we've had in the modern era. Best of all, for those of us who are actually able to see it, this squad, or the players within it, can become even better. They just need a proper manager/coach to help them along the way. THAT is the ONLY thing this squad is lacking, a proper manager or coach.

I have to agree with Coopsie. We had a good squad previous to our spending spree in the summer and we bought:

1. A Belgian full international who was vying with Hazard and Dries Mertens for a place in the Belgian squad (and holding his own).
2. A full Argentinian international who, at 20, had just scored 15 goals in his 2nd season in Serie A.
3. A full Spanish international who had been top scorer in La Liga (after Messi & Ronaldo) for the past few seasons (the best of the rest if you will)
4. A full Brazilian international who was keeping Fernandinho (among others) out of the International side.
5. A full Danish international who had been pulling the strings for Ajax at the top of the Dutch league and was looked upon as one of the top talents in Europe.
6. A Romanian International who was on the radar of a lot of Europe's top clubs and had Champions League experience.
7. A full French international with European experience, also on the radar of a lot of top clubs.

All were purchased either with their peak years to come or right smack in the middle of them.

Added to the French captain, the Belgian captain, the Togo captain plus varios full internationals in almost every position.

Now, did I dream all this?

I know my points might not be 100% accurate as they're off the cuff but it aint too far from the truth. We currently have a squad performing less than the sum of its parts and that failure must lie at the door of the management.

If we can get someone in who can mould this side into a cohesive unit with a plan A and plan B then we'll have a side to rival almost any in England.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

agreed. this idea that we've suddenly got a mediocre squad is complete and utter BS. yes there is some complete dross here, but we also have a core of players around which a very good team can be built. Tim Sherwood is almost certainly not the man to do this building though.

 

[eddiebailey]

The talent is there, but there are too many players attempting to settle in, not enough Premiership nous, not enough leadership, and a mismatch between the skill sets of a least some of the players and the preferred tactics of the coaches.

 

[$hoguN]

The talent is there, but there are too many players attempting to settle in, not enough Premiership nous, not enough leadership, and a mismatch between the skill sets of a least some of the players and the preferred tactics of the coaches.

What are these preferred tactics of the coaches as I haven't seen any evidence of a preferred play style, let alone preferred tactics, a preferred formation or a clue how to utilise the squad

 

[nidge]

I agree AVB had very little managerial experience. After a career as an opposition scout, he had an okay season at Academia followed by one exceptionally good season in charge of a star-studded Porto team that he had largely inherited. His one previous attempt at managing in the Premiership was unsuccessful and brief. Two and half years management experience in total, with no previous experience as a player or, in the conventional sense, as a coach. Without that one, admittedly brilliant season, at Porto he would not had been in contention for management posts in England; that he could not necessarily replicate that success was demonstrated at Chelsea. He remains a very young and inexperienced manager.

Tim has had experience of playing in the Premiership, including captaining a Premiership winning team. He has also had six years of working behind the scenes at Spurs, with the first team squad as part of Harry's match day coaching staff, coaching our U21 team and supervising the youth set up. He is a little older, in some ways less experienced, but by no means a complete greenhorn.

When one considers the range of skills required to make a good manager, there is actually very little to say the AVB was more qualified for the job than Tim.

Just to be clear from what I understand AVB took over Academia after 7 games of the season with them bottom of the league. They finished 11th.

 

[$hoguN]

Just to be clear from what I understand AVB took over Academia after 7 games of the season with them bottom of the league. They finished 11th.

Yep, you don't get the Porto job by having an average time with a bottom team

 

[Nebby]

losing nearly a third of your league games makes you a good manager now?

Losing four of your first fourteen certainly doesn't make you a bad one.

 

[Styopa]

The talen tis there, but there are too many players attempting to settle in, not enough Premiership nous, not enough leadership, and a mismatch between the skill sets of a least some of the players and the preferred tactics of the coaches.

This is spot on. I'm convinced that most if not all of last summer's acquisitions will improve next season and develop into the players we hoped they would be.

 

[1971 Spur]

What are these preferred tactics of the coaches as I haven't seen any evidence of a preferred play style, let alone preferred tactics, a preferred formation or a clue how to utilise the squad

This.

I've been watching football now for many years and have seen good managers make sides with little quality into teams who are hard to beat. We're not hard to beat. Brendan Rogers made us look 2nd rate with an inferior squad by capitalising on our achilles heel (high line with no pace). I doubt I was the only one here who saw that coming a mile off. Why couldn't our manager see it? Or his coaches?

 

[Nebby]

I have to agree with Coopsie. We had a good squad previous to our spending spree in the summer and we bought:

1. A Belgian full international who was vying with Hazard and Dries Mertens for a place in the Belgian squad (and holding his own).
2. A full Argentinian international who, at 20, had just scored 15 goals in his 2nd season in Serie A.
3. A full Spanish international who had been top scorer in La Liga (after Messi & Ronaldo) for the past few seasons (the best of the rest if you will)
4. A full Brazilian international who was keeping Fernandinho (among others) out of the International side.
5. A full Danish international who had been pulling the strings for Ajax at the top of the Dutch league and was looked upon as one of the top talents in Europe.
6. A Romanian International who was on the radar of a lot of Europe's top clubs and had Champions League experience.
7. A full French international with European experience, also on the radar of a lot of top clubs.

All were purchased either with their peak years to come or right smack in the middle of them.

Added to the French captain, the Belgian captain, the Togo captain plus varios full internationals in almost every position.

Now, did I dream all this?

I know my points might not be 100% accurate as they're off the cuff but it aint too far from the truth. We currently have a squad performing less than the sum of its parts and that failure must lie at the door of the management.

If we can get someone in who can mould this side into a cohesive unit with a plan A and plan B then we'll have a side to rival almost any in England.

No problem with any of what you said. But please answer me this: do you think this squad is good enough to ensure a top four finish?

 

[eddiebailey]

What are these preferred tactics of the coaches as I haven't seen any evidence of a preferred play style, let alone preferred tactics, a preferred formation or a clue how to utilise the squad

Sherwood's preferred style is pretty much the same as AVB; AVB could not get it to work with these players, Tim has accordingly attempted to adapt his approach to the players, with I agree not much success.

 

[dspursusa]

They are not really level pegging though as AVB was in charge longer than a just the start of this season and had an excellent overall record with us. Sherwood's record is poor

I had a look quickly and I think im about right this season:

AVB - Played 26 - W18 - L5 - D3
TS - Played 19 - W9 - L8 - D2

With 9 games left - Tim more than likely wont end up with a better record than AVB (not saying he is or was the answer, or if he stayed results would be different) this season.

 

[1971 Spur]

No problem with any of what you said. But please answer me this: do you think this squad is good enough to ensure a top four finish?

With the right manager, yes. No doubt in my mind.

Even with the lack of a top class left back. Square pegs in square holes. A system that compliments the players available to us and let 80% of the teams in our league worry about what we're going to do rather than the other way around.

We have captains all over the pitch. Seasoned internationals. The best players in their respective positions that their country has available to them. To my mind, it's the leadership off the pitch which has caused the doubt. The foundations of the club are insecure and we have failed these players by not giving them that platform to play.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

Losing four of your first fourteen certainly doesn't make you a bad one.

We just going to ignore all defeats in cup competitions from now on?

Are we ignoring the draws against west brom and hull?

Your single lonely statistic is a very easy criteria for what determines a 'good' manager.

 

[Lilbaz]

Wasn't TS on the infamous "transfer committee"? If so the below quote is odd:

“Nobody else will come in here unless I sanction it. You can’t work any other way. The manager has got to work with the players so, unless he gets the players he wants, it’s always going to be an uphill task,” he said.
“He will always have the excuse of ‘well they’re not my players’. I’m sure it’s [the policy in the past] been thorough. Someone else has made those decisions in the past. I’ve not been privy to it"

Tim was in charge of youth development. This included loans and transfers. He did not have a say in first team transfers.

 

[dudu]

Sherwood's preferred style is pretty much the same as AVB; AVB could not get it to work with these players, Tim has accordingly attempted to adapt his approach to the players, with I agree not much success.

except those times we played 4-3-3 and beat Newcastle and Swansea convincingly.

 

[dudu]

We just going to ignore all defeats in cup competitions from now on?

Are we ignoring the draws against west brom and hull?

Your single lonely statistic is a very easy criteria for what determines a 'good' manager.

The fact is, he hasn't been in the job long enough with any team for you to deem he is either or.

 

[tobi]

I genuinely believe anyone who blamed Sherwood even a little for any element of this season is utterly clueless about football. Sorry but that's what I believe.

A mediocre and unbalanced squad he had no hand in compiling, ravaged by injuries to key players throughout the season. We are just not very good.

Unbalanced? Perhaps.

Mediocre? Hell no.

 

[Air Jordan 3]

I do love this idea that Sherwood (like Harry before him) has any control over the amount of time he spends talking to the press. It's part of his job.

Absolutely agree but if he thinks about what he says he can stay under the radar, like many a manager does.

 

[Dr Know]

Just being honest. I don't think we've got anything left to play for now. (I also think we'd be in a very similar situation if we'd stuck with AVB, for what it's worth.)

I disagree with that one mate. To some we might be the laughing stock of the EPL (having said that, I'd rather be a Spurs joke than a Fulham joke) but we still have our pride. This is the reason why I would prefer Shitwood gone now and Freund have a crack at looking after things until we appoint a new manager.