Tottenham v Besiktas Match Thread

[shelfboy68]

Was at the game, first one in ages. Pluses for me, lloris is amazing, would have conceded 3/4 if not for him. Kane took his goal very well, not sure what type of striker he will be but i like him a lot.

Soldado, we are ruining him, kinda feels like Rebrov all over again, poor chap gets zero opportunities to do anything and many in the team just dont work with him, taking him off for Ade stopped any attacking threat for us, my father in law put it nicely (not a spurs fan but his first ever match) "that number 10 is pointless he hasn't done anything" now i get that ade has it in him but we have the rubbish ade this season and poch should have brought on Lamela to play with Soldado, we at least need to see if it works.

If Ade starts at the weekend the spiel from Poch about dropping under performing players becomes another manager not following through, because for whatever reason he is woeful at the moment.

Bentalab is clear to me cannot play with a similar player next to him, as he improved after Dembele came on. For me he really slows the play and managed to kill our momentum a few times. Just a kid so long way to go for him but he needs to be much more bullish as direct for the position he is being asked to play.

I am going to be honest and maybe being the stadium is not the same as on tv because of the angles and shizzle but i really didn't see any implementation of any philosophy, pressing bar soldado was poor, and side to side passing we do makes us so predictable its unreal and its frustrating to watch.

All in all not a bad result as Besiktas are a good team but this comp should be high up our priority list considering the prize at the end.

Have to agree regarding philosophy cant see anywhere this is being implemented and the sideways passing is terrible to watch we are boring and predictable.

 

[Khilari]

Yep, I was trying to start some chants there and basically ended up getting on people's nerves.

I was amazed how the row of 50-60 something year olds in front of me spent 90 mins moaning, then left. Do they do this every game? WHL atmosphere is as low as I can remember, since I've been going to the lane in the early 2000s when we were playing a similar quality of football.

 

[Blackcanary]

I am a bit irritated that we're playing these 'shadow' sides in the cups.

It doesn't give Stambouli and Fazio a chance to acclimatize to the league, it doesn't give players like Eriksen and Lamela further opportunities to adapt to Poch's ideas (come on, they're both about 22, they're not going to burn out playing the first half in a cup game) and it creates a 'two-tier' belief in the squad - we know they're the second string, they know they're the second string. They don't need to have it confirmed though.

 

[parklane yid]

That's a complete exaggeration. Besiktas aren't a CL team because last time I checked they were playing us in the Europa League. People say Besiktas have a good team: which one of their players would get in our squad? Demba Ba?

Would Besiktas spend 18 million and play them only in the Europa League? Playing our second team isn't an excuse - most of them have had stints in our first team and are capable of playing there.

Typical arrogants from a spurs fan, we should not expect just to beat them and lots of there players from what I saw last night could get in our squad, secondly it's not just about so called big names it's about a team chemistry

 

[parklane yid]

If it wasn't for Lloris we'd all be saying the defence was shit last night though!
They really should have scored 3 at least.

So should have we scored 3, fazio was excellent

 

[parklane yid]

Too many miserable fans with to high expectations ruining the atmosphere at the lane, I was in parklane and it was rocking , I would never sit in west stand even if I was given a free season ticket, north stand is bad enough at times

 

[ethanedwards]

It's early days and our reserves should be beating CL teams.
This is what's wrong with our fan base.
Unrealistic expectations.

Not sure how you can class our team as reserves, bizarre.

 

[Reece]

I was amazed how the row of 50-60 something year olds in front of me spent 90 mins moaning, then left. Do they do this every game? WHL atmosphere is as low as I can remember, since I've been going to the lane in the early 2000s when we were playing a similar quality of football.

I gather that it's always like that in the West Stand, but I don't sit there much. Spoke to a guy two seats away from me and he said you'll never gee this lot up. I won't be sitting there again as it's just boring you might as well watch it at home on TV.

Also, the turnout yesterday was pretty disgusting. Lots of Turkish in amongst the Spurs fans too; imagine what that would like like in a 55k+ stadium!

 

[Gassin's finest]

My thoughts from the game:

• That back four was far too inexperienced. Very little communication between them, positioning was dreadful, and simply not tough enough. Fazio again grew into the game as a big lump for clearing out the ball and dealing with one on ones. But there was far too much dithering on the ball, and they let the forwards get in behind them far too much. Chiriches was very weak, and Dier is not a full back. Davies continues to lack confidence.

• There was no link between defence and midfield. The back four stroked it between each other simply enough, but would frequently pass into a blind alley and get caught out. This is because no one dropped and showed for the ball enough. This should be Bentaleb, but he didn't do it enough and when he did he immediately returned it or went to the wing/inside; never controlling on the turn and looking forward. This has been talked about in another thread with better detail.

• Kane and Soldado worked well as a forward pair. Kane is growing with each game, his touch is improving, and his finish accurate. He linked with Soldado on many occasions, and this was at the heart of most of our creativity going forward. I was very surprised, like many around me, that it was Bobby who went off, as Kane by the 70th minute was looking very leggy. Come the fatal 80th minute the lad could barely lift his legs to run... couple this with Adebayors apathy, this nullified our ability to retake the lead.

• It was a funny old game. In that when we did go forward with intent it was always dangerous and enjoyable to watch. But it took us a while to get going, and to get players like Soldado involved, as we were alternating between dicking around with the ball in the centre of the park with no clear idea how to move it on, or being hounded by the opposition.

• Besiktas were excellent. Its actually a testament to our squad that we drew against Bilic's strongest team. They pressed us in exactly the way we're supposed to be doing, but never actually do. Our back four could not cope with it and if not for superb keeping we would have been in serious trouble. Speaking of which...

• Hugo Lloris is arguably the best keeper in the world. Just unbelievable saves are produced from this guy every game, he is the sole reason we didn't get humped last night, and why we aren't floating around the upper mid-table area. His reflex palm over the bar from a top corner bound effort was heart stopping. Best keeper we've had here since Jennings.

• The pies are far too fucking hot to eat straight away! It was nearly full bloody time by the time I could finish it! And why take the tops off the water bottles? It's not easy carrying a coffee, a scalding hot pie and a bottle of water in two hands with jostling fans all around you.

• Dembele changed the way we played. I'm not sure what Stambouli's purpose is yet. He doesn't seem to be particularly defensive, and doesn't seem particularly creative. There are flashes of grit, and equally flair and creativity. I think it may just be finding his feet. Whatever it is, all the aforementioned linking the defence to attack and plugging of the gaps in behind the defence appeared when Moussa came on. Actual tackling in deep midfield, bringing the ball out and linking up with the attack allowed us to start really going at them.

• The same players are still hiding. Genuinely amazed Paulinho and Lennon started after last weeks display against Forest. Either hovering out of harms way on the wings or too close to their marker to be an option. Can't be fucked with either of them right now.

• The same can't be said of Townsend. His limitations as a footballer are well evident. Regularly get's caught between decisions, to the point where he simply can't make one and surrenders possession, and has no great technique to speak of. But when he gets to run at the full back or the ball in space, there's always this sense that he can make something happen with pace and strength. He needs to become more instinctive in the same way Walcott has become in order to use his strengths to his advantage. Otherwise he'll go nowhere other than maybe QPR.

• The crowd were mostly good. Plenty of choruses of COYS, Oh when the Spurs, Shelfside etc etc at the right times... usually to drown out the Besiktas lot when they too noisy. But what was with all the Besiktas shirts walking so brazenly around in the concourse at half time? I swear I saw a Galatassaray shirt in the queue for the loo's.

• Ultimately I'm dissappointed in the result because I thought we were creative enough in spells to score 2 or 3 on the night. But the brain farts of (an admittedly young and inexperienced) back four, with no great support from midfield, were always going to bite us in the end. Need to take points off Tripoli and Belgrade at home now, as the return game to Besiktas is going to be tough as fuck.

 

[TottenhamMattSpur]

Too many miserable fans with to high expectations ruining the atmosphere at the lane, I was in parklane and it was rocking , I would never sit in west stand even if I was given a free season ticket, north stand is bad enough at times

I was in the west stand for the 4-4 with Chelsea and it was immense.
I've been in it for other games and listened to corporate twats bang on about corporate hospitality all match.

 

[evoid]

Too many miserable fans with to high expectations ruining the atmosphere at the lane, I was in parklane and it was rocking , I would never sit in west stand even if I was given a free season ticket, north stand is bad enough at times

I agree, I was in the the corner of the East last night and despite the shocking attendance I thought the atmosphere was pretty decent for once. I think having a load of turks in the home end probably helped a little bit to be honest, it seemed to make more people vocal for some reason...

 

[evoid]

I am a bit irritated that we're playing these 'shadow' sides in the cups.

It doesn't give Stambouli and Fazio a chance to acclimatize to the league, it doesn't give players like Eriksen and Lamela further opportunities to adapt to Poch's ideas (come on, they're both about 22, they're not going to burn out playing the first half in a cup game) and it creates a 'two-tier' belief in the squad - we know they're the second string, they know they're the second string. They don't need to have it confirmed though.

Agree with this, one of the only reservations I had about Poch prior to his signing was the fact that he hadn't managed European football before, playing two games a week. I think there's no surprise why there is so much inconsistency with some of our play, I think he needs to find the right blend in terms of rotation, instead of making 10 changes for each game.

 

[tiger666]

• The pies are far too fucking hot to eat straight away! It was nearly full bloody time by the time I could finish it! And why take the tops off the water bottles? It's not easy carrying a coffee, a scalding hot pie and a bottle of water in two hands with jostling fans all around you.

Fucking ENIC

 

[prawnsandwich]

A midfield consisting of Bentaleb, Stambouli and Paulinho offers no creativity whatsoever, im not slagging them all individually (well yes Paulinho I will because he is bloody useless) but the balance is wrong with those three, and we have nothing going forward.
Plus Chiriches is stopping Dier playing in his natural position (Walker injury aside), that is nearly as annoying as Vlad's crap performance last night.

Vlad was given a chance again and he did not take it. But on reflection it is hard for a ball playing CB to show what he is good at if there are no midfielders showing for the ball.
A guy who went to the game praised Soldado but on the telly he was invisible. Kane showed that you could get at their defence and Sol just plain didn't.
I think we will do better playing them away when we will not be expected to attack so much. Besiktas are a good outfit and a draw is a good result. I enjoyed the game.

 

[thinktank]

Vlad was given a chance again and he did not take it. But on reflection it is hard for a ball playing CB to show what he is good at if there are no midfielders showing for the ball.
A guy who went to the game praised Soldado but on the telly he was invisible. Kane showed that you could get at their defence and Sol just plain didn't.
I think we will do better playing them away when we will not be expected to attack so much. Besiktas are a good outfit and a draw is a good result. I enjoyed the game.

That's got nothing to do with him being totally, consistently, kamikaze.

 

[prawnsandwich]

Please can the phrase "this is football" be banned?

It's not cricket.

 

[Cheltenham Spur]

[quote="Gassin's finest,
And why take the tops off the water bottles?
[/quote]

This happened at my local league 2 side and we were told it was so the bottles couldn't be used as missiles.

Just put a spare bottle top in your jacket pocket.

 

[Gassin's finest]

My thoughts from the game:

• That back four was far too inexperienced. Very little communication between them, positioning was dreadful, and simply not tough enough. Fazio again grew into the game as a big lump for clearing out the ball and dealing with one on ones. But there was far too much dithering on the ball, and they let the forwards get in behind them far too much. Chiriches was very weak, and Dier is not a full back. Davies continues to lack confidence.

• There was no link between defence and midfield. The back four stroked it between each other simply enough, but would frequently pass into a blind alley and get caught out. This is because no one dropped and showed for the ball enough. This should be Bentaleb, but he didn't do it enough and when he did he immediately returned it or went to the wing/inside; never controlling on the turn and looking forward. This has been talked about in another thread with better detail.

• Kane and Soldado worked well as a forward pair. Kane is growing with each game, his touch is improving, and his finish accurate. He linked with Soldado on many occasions, and this was at the heart of most of our creativity going forward. I was very surprised, like many around me, that it was Bobby who went off, as Kane by the 70th minute was looking very leggy. Come the fatal 80th minute the lad could barely lift his legs to run... couple this with Adebayors apathy, this nullified our ability to retake the lead.

• It was a funny old game. In that when we did go forward with intent it was always dangerous and enjoyable to watch. But it took us a while to get going, and to get players like Soldado involved, as we were alternating between dicking around with the ball in the centre of the park with no clear idea how to move it on, or being hounded by the opposition.

• Besiktas were excellent. Its actually a testament to our squad that we drew against Bilic's strongest team. They pressed us in exactly the way we're supposed to be doing, but never actually do. Our back four could not cope with it and if not for superb keeping we would have been in serious trouble. Speaking of which...

• Hugo Lloris is arguably the best keeper in the world. Just unbelievable saves are produced from this guy every game, he is the sole reason we didn't get humped last night, and why we aren't floating around the upper mid-table area. His reflex palm over the bar from a top corner bound effort was heart stopping. Best keeper we've had here since Jennings.

• The pies are far too fucking hot to eat straight away! It was nearly full bloody time by the time I could finish it! And why take the tops off the water bottles? It's not easy carrying a coffee, a scalding hot pie and a bottle of water in two hands with jostling fans all around you.

• Dembele changed the way we played. I'm not sure what Stambouli's purpose is yet. He doesn't seem to be particularly defensive, and doesn't seem particularly creative. There are flashes of grit, and equally flair and creativity. I think it may just be finding his feet. Whatever it is, all the aforementioned linking the defence to attack and plugging of the gaps in behind the defence appeared when Moussa came on. Actual tackling in deep midfield, bringing the ball out and linking up with the attack allowed us to start really going at them.

• The same players are still hiding. Genuinely amazed Paulinho and Lennon started after last weeks display against Forest. Either hovering out of harms way on the wings or too close to their marker to be an option. Can't be fucked with either of them right now.

• The same can't be said of Townsend. His limitations as a footballer are well evident. Regularly get's caught between decisions, to the point where he simply can't make one and surrenders possession, and has no great technique to speak of. But when he gets to run at the full back or the ball in space, there's always this sense that he can make something happen with pace and strength. He needs to become more instinctive in the same way Walcott has become in order to use his strengths to his advantage. Otherwise he'll go nowhere other than maybe QPR.

• The crowd were mostly good. Plenty of choruses of COYS, Oh when the Spurs, Shelfside etc etc at the right times... usually to drown out the Besiktas lot when they too noisy. But what was with all the Besiktas shirts walking so brazenly around in the concourse at half time? I swear I saw a Galatassaray shirt in the queue for the loo's.

• Ultimately I'm dissappointed in the result because I thought we were creative enough in spells to score 2 or 3 on the night. But the brain farts of (an admittedly young and inexperienced) back four, with no great support from midfield, were always going to bite us in the end. Need to take points off Tripoli and Belgrade at home now, as the return game to Besiktas is going to be tough as fuck.

@Spurs.n.o explain how this is spam please.

 

[Chimbo!]

Typical arrogants from a spurs fan, we should not expect just to beat them and lots of there players from what I saw last night could get in our squad, secondly it's not just about so called big names it's about a team chemistry

You're getting unnecessarily abusive. By your logic we should accept defeat to West Brom at home because they have better team chemistry. In case you've forgotten, a few years ago we were thrashing Champions League teams at WHL.

 

[easley91]

[quote="Gassin's finest,
And why take the tops off the water bottles?

This happened at my local league 2 side and we were told it was so the bottles couldn't be used as missiles.

Just put a spare bottle top in your jacket pocket.[/quote]
It's not just a football thing, it's for every event near enough. Concerts as well won't allow bottles or glass cups and only use plastic. It's a safety issue.