Tottenham fans must look at the big picture

[225]

The simple fact is both AVB and Sherwood would have us performing better than we are.

That is a fact that the majority of Spurs fans can not accept so instead we plead for patience.

Absolute nonsense.

Not quite sure that's true.

In the last 10 games we've won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2. We had the same run of results under AVB and Sherwood during the same/similar time period last year.

 

[Jenko]

What is that going to help us to do though? IF we beat sheffield we only have one match in the league cup left, we aren't going to win the Europa cup and were not going to get fourth place.
I sure as hell don't feel blessed by the result, it's just another step closer to not winning anything at this season.

You can't dismiss the race for fourth yet. I don't think we'll do it but we're still not so far behind where we shouldn't pull every resource we have to give it a shot. What's the point otherwise?

 

[cliff jones]

The simple fact is both AVB and Sherwood would have us performing better than we are.

That is a fact that the majority of Spurs fans can not accept so instead we plead for patience.

Absolute nonsense.

in what way could this be a fact? It's your opinion of what might have been, nothing more. I agree there's been little improvement, but am prepared to wait till the deadwood is cleared and either better signings are made or more likely given how tight Levy is some of the kids mature further. We can't fire this bloke yet!

 

[Mullers]

we've already played almost a full league season and it's only January. Yeah, sure, the games thin out a bit after the League Cup final. But two legged games in the Europa League, one maybe 2 more in the League Cup, another 16 league games.

I don't feel blessed either, home to Leicester is a winnable game that they let slip... but, despite your prophecy, if Spurs can somehow get further in the EL or make progress in the league then having some weekends off will be helpful. Especially if there are no plans to strengthen before the window closes.

The more games the merrier, successful teams play a lot of games and with the double training sessions I would have hoped that the players were more than capable with the number of games otherwise I don't see the point of doing double training sessions.

You are not the first to say it's a blessing in disguise, I've never seen us get any benefit from going out of a cup competition, we still only got to the CL once in our history and we still only got one cup in 14 years.

 

[225]

Lost more games to poor teams so far this season than any since Martin Jol improved us.

There isn't much difference at all. We've taken more points off our 'rivals' this season than we did last - there's not really a pattern at all.

League Losses so far:
Liverpool, WBA, City, Newcastle, Stoke, Chelsea, Palace

League Wins so far:
West Ham, QPR, Soton, Villa, Hull, Everton, Swansea, Burnley, Leicester, Chelsea, Sunderland

Losses last season:
Arsenal (twice), West Ham (twice), Newcastle, City (twice), Liverpool (twice), Norwich, Chelsea

Considering how crap West Ham were last season, they are the equivalent of this season's Palace/WBA

 

[Mullers]

You can't dismiss the race for fourth yet. I don't think we'll do it but we're still not so far behind where we shouldn't pull every resource we have to give it a shot. What's the point otherwise?

I've never thought of us in the race for fourth at any stage, there is still ages to go and by the end I really don't believe we will get anywhere near.

 

[Danners9]

The more games the merrier, successful teams play a lot of games and with the double training sessions I would have hoped that the players were more than capable with the number of games otherwise I don't see the point of doing double training sessions.

You are not the first to say it's a blessing in disguise, I've never seen us get any benefit from going out of a cup competition, we still only got to the CL once in our history and we still only got one cup in 14 years.

I'm not keen on it either, it's not as if Spurs had to play 1999 Man Utd in the FA Cup. It was Leicester. At home. I posted a graphic in the 'do we play too much football' thread that shows Arsenal play 3 times in the same time frame that Spurs play 7.

The squad can't cope. Not as it currently is, anyway. A few changes and the performance level goes right down - and, as has already been mentioned, on the whole the performance hasn't been that high all season.

I just hope they can win on Weds and not make it a totally average, typical season.

 

[cliff jones]

this piece just meanders along, what was the punchline again?

We can't score from open play against teams that don't come at us? We know that, bar Kane and Eriksen, and a bit of Chadli we are very blunt. I don't mind our second string winning one nil against a team with three or forwards who are very good indeed on their day, witness their demo job on Yanited. But when we play a spine of Kab, Cap and Ade we might as well all stay in the pub. Actually, that's who they should be playing for.

 

[Locotoro]

Lost more games to poor teams so far this season than any since Martin Jol improved us.


My personal opinion as to why we struggle to break teams down probably belongs on the unpopular opinion thread...... But I believe it's because AVB and Pochettino are both two of the most single minded coaches I've ever seen. They have plan A and will play it, regardless of opposition, playing staff, scores, performances etc etc etc.
What works against Chelsea might not work against palace and vice versa.
I was worried about it before AVB came and I was beside myself once Pochettino was linked. So far this season there's been two games where I've dared to think my mind may have been changed. QPR and Chelsea. It's not because we scored loads of goals in those games either, it's because we played football with a desire to win.
Every other game this season has, at best, been laboured.

...And yet we have won 9 other league games, the same number as Arsenal and Man Utd and we sit 5 points from 3 place.

The reason why we struggle to break teams down is because we are still adapting (since Redknapp's team) to being one of the really dangerous teams in the league. Poorer teams will sit back in numbers against us and try to hit us on the break. The better we become the more teams will do this. We have had two strikers who have not been clinical in their finishing so one can surmise that we would be putting results to bed with relative ease if they were playing closer to their potential respective abilities.

Additionally, with the exception of Chelsea earlier in the season I don't think any of the top teams in the league have played well and even Chelsea recently have fallen off their "invincible" perch. The important thing is that we have been winning, sometimes by small margins but still winning. And winning games gives the players and manager breathing space and time to tweak the team ever so slightly until we have not only a winning team but one playing with greater efficiency.

The big picture is that we have been progressively improving over the last 6 months.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

...And yet we have won 9 other league games, the same number as Arsenal and Man Utd and we sit 5 points from 3 place.

The reason why we struggle to break teams down is because we are still adapting (since Redknapp's team) to being one of the really dangerous teams in the league. Poorer teams will sit back in numbers against us and try to hit us on the break. The better we become the more teams will do this. We have had two strikers who have not been clinical in their finishing so one can surmise that we would be putting results to bed with relative ease if they were playing closer to their potential respective abilities.

Additionally, with the exception of Chelsea earlier in the season I don't think any of the top teams in the league have played well and even Chelsea recently have fallen off their "invincible" perch. The important thing is that we have been winning, sometimes by small margins but still winning. And winning games gives the players and manager breathing space and time to tweak the team ever so slightly until we have not only a winning team but one playing with greater efficiency.

The big picture is that we have been progressively improving over the last 6 months.

And yet the one striker we have got that seems capable of scoring regularly had been pushed back.
It doesn't feel like we're improving at all. Since the Chelsea game we've been beaten by Leicester, held to a draw by Burnley, scrapped a win vs Sunderland and an even closer win against league 1 Sheffield United.

 

[225]

And yet the one striker we have got that seems capable of scoring regularly had been pushed back.
It doesn't feel like we're improving at all. Since the Chelsea game we've been beaten by Leicester, held to a draw by Burnley, scrapped a win vs Sunderland and an even closer win against league 1 Sheffield United.

That's the same Burnley that beat southampton and drew with City and Newcastle between our PL win and the cup draw though.

Same with Leicester - they'd lost only 1 of their previous 5 games before we gifted them the win.

Could say similar for Sheffield and who they've beaten in the cups.

Context is important - it's far too arrogant to assume we should be beating smaller teams when they are holding their own and in form against strong opponents

 

[Main Man]

Not quite sure that's true.

In the last 10 games we've won 6, drawn 2 and lost 2. We had the same run of results under AVB and Sherwood during the same/similar time period last year.

Why are you only looking at the last 10 games?

Looking at Poch's tenure so far in full, he hasn't performed as well as any of our three previous managers. That is fact.

This is the worst team we have had since Harry took over although I can accept that isn't necessarily Poch's fault (he does have to take some responsibility though imo).

But with regards those 10 games you mention alongside our record, how many have we actually deserved to win? How many can you actually say us not winning would have been a travesty?

The answer is one - and it was the Burnley replay after we gave them a two goal head start.

We have outplayed one team in our last 10 games. Why I am the only Spurs fan who this worries is completely beyond me.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Why are you only looking at the last 10 games?

Looking at Poch's tenure so far in full, he hasn't performed as well as any of our three previous managers. That is fact.

This is the worst team we have had since Harry took over although I can accept that isn't necessarily Poch's fault (he does have to take some responsibility though imo).

But with regards those 10 games you mention alongside our record, how many have we actually deserved to win? How many can you actually say us not winning would have been a travesty?

The answer is one - and it was the Burnley replay after we gave them a two goal head start.

We have outplayed one team in our last 10 games. Why I am the only Spurs fan who this worries is completely beyond me.

Chelsea?

Other than that, agreed.

 

[fedupyid]

We miss Bentaleb in midfield and I never thought I would be saying this because last season I thought he was an awful player. The fact is we have bought in 3 out and out central midfielders which cost us £28 million plus signing on fees and they all struggle to make the team. Arguably our best two central midfielders came from our academy the others look like they do not really care.

Poch has inherited a squad with lots of problems where their is very little balance in it. The fact is past managers and directors of football have spent money unwisely and Poch is suffering for it. Levy needs to realise it is better to get some money back on the players we have signed and cannot use than allow the contract to expire like with Gomes.

 

[225]

Looking at Poch's tenure so far in full, he hasn't performed as well as any of our three previous managers. That is fact.

Is it? Really? We've played 35 competitive games and won 19 of them, drawing 7.

We're also in an advantageous position ahead of a potential cup final, something we've not seen for 6 years. That's from the first 6 months of Pochettino at spurs.

Doesn't sound like fact, sounds like conjecture.

 

[cliff jones]

Why are you only looking at the last 10 games?

Looking at Poch's tenure so far in full, he hasn't performed as well as any of our three previous managers. That is fact.

This is the worst team we have had since Harry took over although I can accept that isn't necessarily Poch's fault (he does have to take some responsibility though imo).

But with regards those 10 games you mention alongside our record, how many have we actually deserved to win? How many can you actually say us not winning would have been a travesty?

The answer is one - and it was the Burnley replay after we gave them a two goal head start.

We have outplayed one team in our last 10 games. Why I am the only Spurs fan who this worries is completely beyond me.

much more objective than your last post, all IMO of course. In addition to the Russians, I watched the Sunderland game for the first time over the weekend (my stream died on the day) and judging by all the vitriol on here I expected us to be absolute crap. We were not, in the last 25 or so I thought we showed more drive and movement than I'd seen for quite some time. What worries me just as much is that we manage to concede two gilt edged chances during that domination, luckily both fell to Graham!

 

[cliff jones]

Is it? Really? We've played 35 competitive games and won 19 of them, drawing 7.

We're also in an advantageous position ahead of a potential cup final, something we've not seen for 6 years. That's from the first 6 months of Pochettino at spurs.

Doesn't sound like fact, sounds like conjecture.

prem win percentages or ppg I think he's probably right? Timmy had a legendary win percentage, greater than Shankly, Fergie and Bill Nick the way he carries on about it?!

 

[225]

prem win percentages or ppg I think he's probably right? Timmy had a legendary win percentage, greater than Shankly, Fergie and Bill Nick the way he carries on about it?!

WIn % or PPG doesn't take into account the points you take off your divisional rivals though, which is why such arguments are flawed.

Redknapp had less than 50% win ratio as manager, but finished higher in the league than AVB or Sherwood ever did.

Ramos had a low win ratio but won us our only cup of the last 10 years...

 

[Main Man]

Is it? Really? We've played 35 competitive games and won 19 of them, drawing 7.

We're also in an advantageous position ahead of a potential cup final, something we've not seen for 6 years. That's from the first 6 months of Pochettino at spurs.

Doesn't sound like fact, sounds like conjecture.

It is. Really.

I think a very kind draw in the Carling Cup has left us on the verge of Wembley as opposed to anything Pochettino related.

 

[Main Man]

Chelsea?

Other than that, agreed.

We scored some good goals against Chelsea, but if we are being honest Chelsea should have come away from that game with something.

Second half especially, they missed chance after chance.