Tottenham are a striker short of top four spot, claims Sherwood

[CrazyHeart]

Saying that it 'doesn't get any easier' to hit top four, with just another striker is just another example of the hubris that got Sherwood canned in the first place! It wouldn't make a goddamned bit of difference to Tim anyway, as 'Keys to the club' Adebayor would always be selected regardless of his performance. What he's basically asking for is cover when guaranteed-starter Ade would be off to the African Cup for a few weeks while tacitly reinforcing the myth that Soldado and Kane just aren't up to the job.

On the subject of Brendan Rodgers, it was time, support and non-interference (in addition to being a real manager) that got Liverpool to where they are. Sherwood personally saw to it that AVB would be stripped of this oxygen through a campaign of destruction from within for his and Ade's benefit, regardless of what anyone thought of him.

Fortunately, Levy caught onto it and has rectified this error with Poch's appointment, however we've wasted a season in the process. So Tim, please go manage another club and lead it to greatness and show us why your opinions should be taken in a non-comedic context.

Putting any sort of expectation on Pochettino or lecturing anybody on the management of Spurs is the last thing in the world he's qualified for. Even if we had another striker, I'd bet my bottom dollar that we'd not challenge for a top four spot under Sherwood no matter how easy he thinks it might be.

 

[jolsnogross]

You do not claw your way into the Premiership unless you have fight in your belly, and you certainly do not stay there. Our problem is that most of our players, because they are that cut above in terms of talent, have not undergone the same character forming experiences. When it all starts to fall apart they can't cope.

This should be in font 100. We lack character, and if we don't start winning the physical battles, we're going to be midtable fodder.

Hopefully Fazio and Stambouli add a bit of fire to our line up. We have a team almost entirely composed of guys who are too cool for school who give the impression it is beyond them to fight for the cause. Or we had posers like Sandro who appear to have character, but then can't be as brave on the ball as they like to appear without it. Certainly having two defensive midfielders who do not impose themselves is a waste of time, especially when two is already one to many even when they do have some fight. I get the feeling that the personalities and relative inexperience of Bentaleb and Capoue means they should not play together. Neither is enough of a leader in an area that appears fundamental to Poch's line up.

The Liverpool game was very illuminating in that Poch doesn't have a magic wand to banish this weak streak from the side. That's not a criticism of him, just a hope we probably all had that when he came in he might banish some of our worst tendencies immediately.

When Dier cleaned out the ball, Ballotelli, and some turf in the corner, you started to get the feeling we have at least one guy who gets this. That we're being given a run around and we need to snap back hard to get a foothold in the game. If our midfielders had any nous at all, they'd have done a similar valid but crunching tackle on Allen to soften his ambition. But instead we rolled over as we did against all the big sides last year.

 

[Chedozie]

Yes, the pressure - and lack of support from Levy - got to him. And he tinkered too much, to the point of confuisng everyone, including, I suspect, himself.

But I felt he might settle down given time, and I was concerned both that losing him would be a waste of the six months he had had to assess the squad, and that his passion for youth development - which is our only realsistic strategy for breaking into the top four - would not be shared by his successor. But Poch has taken most, if not all, the decisions I would have expected Tim to take - such as ditching Sandro and Holtby and persisting with Bentaleb - and crucially seems to have more buy-in from the players, to him personally and to what he is asking of them. He has actually succeeded in getting them to do some pressing, something both AVB and Tim talked about a lot, but which never seemed to happen. The club seems happier - of course, that might be tested by a few more results like the Liverpool one, but hopefully not. The real concern is that whereas Tim groped around to find tactical solutions in individual games, with admittedly mixed results, Poch seems rather too wedded to Plan A. Plan A, is a good plan, I like it, but it does make us a bit easy to suss out.

I thought sherwood might have done well, but as you say, he was sunk by Levy early on and latterly by the players, who didn't play for him, which I thought he brought on himself with his public ranting.

As Sherwood pointed out, a lot of our midfield is like for like, let's hope Stambouli helps.

 

[jolsnogross]

Putting any sort of expectation on Pochettino or lecturing anybody on the management of Spurs is the last thing in the world he's qualified for. Even if we had another striker, I'd bet my bottom dollar that we'd not challenge for a top four spot under Sherwood no matter how easy he thinks it might be.

It hardly makes him the last thing in the world he's qualified for given that he was the most recent person pre-Poch to manage Spurs. And he has a record against which we can measure Poch's first half season - I hope and expect Poch to do as well or better, but the side hasn't changed so drastically as to make a comparison void. If anything, the changes that have been made should strengthen Poch's hand.

And for curiosity's sake, given that your bet is untestable, would you consider a bet of your bottom dollar on Poch achieving top 4? I think he's got his work cut out for 6th and don't think that would be a disaster by any means.

 

[Chedozie]

This should be in font 100. We lack character, and if we don't start winning the physical battles, we're going to be midtable fodder.

Hopefully Fazio and Stambouli add a bit of fire to our line up. We have a team almost entirely composed of guys who are too cool for school who give the impression it is beyond them to fight for the cause. Or we had posers like Sandro who appear to have character, but then can't be as brave on the ball as they like to appear without it. Certainly having two defensive midfielders who do not impose themselves is a waste of time, especially when two is already one to many even when they do have some fight. I get the feeling that the personalities and relative inexperience of Bentaleb and Capoue means they should not play together. Neither is enough of a leader in an area that appears fundamental to Poch's line up.

The Liverpool game was very illuminating in that Poch doesn't have a magic wand to banish this weak streak from the side. That's not a criticism of him, just a hope we probably all had that when he came in he might banish some of our worst tendencies immediately.

When Dier cleaned out the ball, Ballotelli, and some turf in the corner, you started to get the feeling we have at least one guy who gets this. That we're being given a run around and we need to snap back hard to get a foothold in the game. If our midfielders had any nous at all, they'd have done a similar valid but crunching tackle on Allen to soften his ambition. But instead we rolled over as we did against all the big sides last year.

Too true, for the build of Capoue, Sandro, Paulinho and Dembele, none of them really influence the game, Bentaleb seems to have some grasp of unsettling the opposition lets hope Stambouli brings some heart with him.

 

[CrazyHeart]

It hardly makes him the last thing in the world he's qualified for given that he was the most recent person pre-Poch to manage Spurs. And he has a record against which we can measure Poch's first half season - I hope and expect Poch to do as well or better, but the side hasn't changed so drastically as to make a comparison void. If anything, the changes that have been made should strengthen Poch's hand.

And for curiosity's sake, given that your bet is untestable, would you consider a bet of your bottom dollar on Poch achieving top 4? I think he's got his work cut out for 6th and don't think that would be a disaster by any means.

I wouldn't make a bet that Poch will hit top four either this season, though I'm hopeful. And I do see a difference in the way we're playing for Poch than under Sherwood.

 

[Jules77]

We play 1 up front, not sure why we're 1 striker short. 3 out and out strikers are plenty. 2 established and 1 young. anymore and we'll have trouble keeping them happy (ie defoe).

Ade, if he goes, goes in Jan. We can address his departure then, if we need to. Coincidently, that's when our top forward target is fit.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Presumably he's talking from the same perspective he took at the end of last season, that Soldado doesn't exist.

He doesn't.

 

[h2005]

Funny he couldn't see it when he was perfectly happy with the squad.

 

[diamondlight]

I thought sherwood might have done well, but as you say, (1) he was sunk by Levy early on and (2) latterly by the players, who didn't play for him, which I thought he brought on himself with (3) his public ranting.

Number 1 caused number 2 caused number 3. Levy made a mistake with undermining Sherwood. In fact, the more I think about it, Levy himself probably has cockneyphobia. He's pretty posh, and treated Harry and Sherwood aloofly, with insufficient respect.

 

[Chedozie]

Number 1 caused number 2 caused number 3. Levy made a mistake with undermining Sherwood. In fact, the more I think about it, Levy himself probably has cockneyphobia. He's pretty posh, and treated Harry and Sherwood aloofly, with insufficient respect.

A cockney accent amongst the upper classes is treated as it was 100 years ago. Be anything but poor.

 

[balalasaurus]

Baffles me every time I hear "top four" being thrown around. As if we're actually a top four side that we're competing. We need to stop kidding ourselves and be realistic. Something that's apparently lost on many spurs fans unfortunately.

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

Saying that it 'doesn't get any easier' to hit top four, with just another striker is just another example of the hubris that got Sherwood canned in the first place! It wouldn't make a goddamned bit of difference to Tim anyway, as 'Keys to the club' Adebayor would always be selected regardless of his performance. What he's basically asking for is cover when guaranteed-starter Ade would be off to the African Cup for a few weeks while tacitly reinforcing the myth that Soldado and Kane just aren't up to the job.

On the subject of Brendan Rodgers, it was time, support and non-interference (in addition to being a real manager) that got Liverpool to where they are. Sherwood personally saw to it that AVB would be stripped of this oxygen through a campaign of destruction from within for his and Ade's benefit, regardless of what anyone thought of him.

Fortunately, Levy caught onto it and has rectified this error with Poch's appointment, however we've wasted a season in the process. So Tim, please go manage another club and lead it to greatness and show us why your opinions should be taken in a non-comedic context.

Putting any sort of expectation on Pochettino or lecturing anybody on the management of Spurs is the last thing in the world he's qualified for. Even if we had another striker, I'd bet my bottom dollar that we'd not challenge for a top four spot under Sherwood no matter how easy he thinks it might be.

Absolute one hundred percent drivel of the highest order.

 

[Hoddlesrightboot]

I would really like Sherwood to shut the fuck up and piss the fuck off

 

[eddiebailey]

I would really like Sherwood to shut the fuck up and piss the fuck off

Since he knows the club better than anyone I am actually quite interested in what he has to say.

 

[shelfboy68]

Whatever anyone thinks of sherwood he is right about Our strikeforce which is deciedly average.

 

[CrazyHeart]

If Poch thought we're just a striker short of top four, then don't you think he'd have gotten one? Frankly, I'm satisfied that we've signed the right players and strengthened our defense after Liverpoool strolled right through it, like it didn't exist. Poch develops players to greatness, and I'm confident that he'll do likewise with Soldado, Ade and Kane - let's find out.

As for Sherwood - his undermining of our manager's judgement will have to be done from the outside this time, and not from within.