Tottenham vs Swansea: Match Thread

[sebo_sek]

Why are you mentioning winning the league ffs we are not going to win it 4th spot could even be a push, our league position will falter this year because of the reasons previously mentioned.
Our best chance of success could be the league cup if things go our way, but to mention title chances please don't.

So out of everything I said you see "winning the league". I'm not saying we will, not at all. But all this doom and gloom is ridiculous. Everyone is dropping points so relax. I don't see us lacking intensity or creativity, so your point about not strengthening is IMO off the mark. You can't win them all but we played really well on Saturday, just unlucky.

 

[Hazardousman]

How is not starting Davies underestimating Swansea? He had played every match this season up until that point and Poch clearly wanted to rest him a bit. By putting Son in he knew we'd just have an extra attacker.

If Swans scored maybe you'd have a point here but I don't see what you're getting at.

We had just won a game against Dortmund at Wembley, instead of carrying that momentum over into the next game against Swansea with the same team he decided to take a risk and change things.

Also taking a risk playing Son at LWB and he did so because he thought this team was good enough to beat Swansea, therefore underestimating them, many of us called it prior to the match that Son at LB was a bad idea, many of us also said Aurier and Davies should have started, it was because Poch thought he didn't need those players as it was Swansea and it backfired.

That is the very definition of underestimating them.

 

[Hazardousman]

Lamela was woeful in his first season but became an integral and important part of the team in subsequent seasons. We should be aware by now that players need a bit of bedding in. Calling for Sissoko to be what amounts to blacklisted is very naive. Poch must see something that he likes and Levy won't accept a nil return on his level of investment. Against Swansea, Dembele wasn't an option due to the midweek match and what looked like a lack of fitness. There are still some concerns over Winks fitness and Wanyama is out so we had no other viable CM options unless we took a complete flyer on Oakley Booth. Sissoko didn't play any worse than anybody else in my opinion, and whilst I'm certainly not a fan of his, he seems to be a convenient hook to hang criticism on.

Lamela was an unproven quantity in a league he had never played in before, Sissoko has experience in the PL and has done nothing since playing in it of any note, we signed him based on one performance in the euros and let's face it, it smacked of a panic buy.

I don't buy that Poch sees something he likes, if that was the case then Sissoko would have been getting more game time last season, Poch is playing him because right now he is probably our only option given the injuries we have or because he doesn't have any viable competition in that area of the pitch, neither of those are good signs.

I agree he didn't play worse than anybody else but that doesn't mean he is a convenient hook to hang criticism on, he is criticised because he isn't very good at playing football at this level and has shown that on numerous occassions with us and Newcastle, it's that simple really.

If we are getting to the point where we are praising him for making basic passes and doing the bare minimum a footballer at this level is capable of because it's the best we have seen from him then it kind of indicates what is wrong with him in the first place.

I always believe anyone can turn a corner and I don't for one second doubt Sissoko's attitude, he works hard and I can see that but that doesn't mean he has the talent, he has yet to show he has the talent, if he proves me wrong then I will be happy as it will only benefit us but I honestly cannot see that happening and right now he just seems to be someone making up the numbers.

 

[Jamturk]

Lamela was an unproven quantity in a league he had never played in before, Sissoko has experience in the PL and has done nothing since playing in it of any note, we signed him based on one performance in the euros and let's face it, it smacked of a panic buy.

I don't buy that Poch sees something he likes, if that was the case then Sissoko would have been getting more game time last season, Poch is playing him because right now he is probably our only option given the injuries we have or because he doesn't have any viable competition in that area of the pitch, neither of those are good signs.

I agree he didn't play worse than anybody else but that doesn't mean he is a convenient hook to hang criticism on, he is criticised because he isn't very good at playing football at this level and has shown that on numerous occassions with us and Newcastle, it's that simple really.

If we are getting to the point where we are praising him for making basic passes and doing the bare minimum a footballer at this level is capable of because it's the best we have seen from him then it kind of indicates what is wrong with him in the first place.

I always believe anyone can turn a corner and I don't for one second doubt Sissoko's attitude, he works hard and I can see that but that doesn't mean he has the talent, he has yet to show he has the talent, if he proves me wrong then I will be happy as it will only benefit us but I honestly cannot see that happening and right now he just seems to be someone making up the numbers.

Lamela was shit for 2 years,
Sissoko doesn't fit in with our team style and strategy, I don't blame him though as you said a panic buy from an incompetent football club.

 

[Bulletspur]

I've seen quite a few saying ridiculous things such as "poch needs to look in the mirror" and "this result is all on poch" with numorous agrees and likes

I think what we're seeing is a rising of expectations, because of our amazing results in recent years, that we must win every game and if we don't then something has gone badly wrong, not just that it was a contest against another team who wanted to do well aswell and most things went against us

EDIT- look in ratings thread for some examples of the hyperbole

While your argument has a lot of merit, you seem to omit what the fans were complaining about, which was the baffling selection. I would not say their reactions were of the knee jerking persuasion either, as when the team was announced pre match, most predicted an outcome which subsequently came to fruition. If you can honestly say hands on heart that Poch didn't fuck up, then words fail

 

[Marty]

Lamela was shit for 2 years,
Sissoko doesn't fit in with our team style and strategy, I don't blame him though as you said a panic buy from an incompetent football club.

Harsh when he was injured for nine of his first twelve months. Agree about Sissoko though.

 

[Shadydan]

So much bollocks being spouted in here which is a feature on this site when we drop points.

 

[shelfboy68]

So out of everything I said you see "winning the league". I'm not saying we will, not at all. But all this doom and gloom is ridiculous. Everyone is dropping points so relax. I don't see us lacking intensity or creativity, so your point about not strengthening is IMO off the mark. You can't win them all but we played really well on Saturday, just unlucky.

If you don't see us lacking in creativity since the opening day when only a sending off gave us the initiative to open up Newcastle as prior to that we created nothing then that is strange.
Against Swansea again crab like football passed from side to side without little or no end product, so I'm not sure what games you think we have been creative in but I will leave it there and say no more.

 

[mark87]

So much bollocks being spouted in here which is a feature on this site when we drop points.

Not only when we drop points either.

 

[Streetspur77]

While your argument has a lot of merit, you seem to omit what the fans were complaining about, which was the baffling selection. I would not say their reactions were of the knee jerking persuasion either, as when the team was announced pre match, most predicted an outcome which subsequently came to fruition. If you can honestly say hands on heart that Poch didn't fuck up, then words fail

I think you could argue starting starting tripps over aurier but just as easily he could've played aurier, aurier be tired after playing two games in a few days so early and then poch is critised for poor squad management, and then moving tripps out left definatly didn't work but I really wouldn't call it a "fuck up". He still set us up well enough to win, which on 9/10 days we would've.

The tone was overly toxic towards poch on Saturday, something I hadn't seen in a long time

 

[Gilzeanking]

Watched and agree with most. Really laborious and the game was screaming for Winks to come in. He would have been perfect for that game since Dier had all the time he wanted on the ball and could rarely start an attack.

One thing I will say is this: Alli looks really disinterested this year. I don't know what his summer consisted of, but I think his partying in LA and some of the talk has really gotten to his head or something because although his competitive streak was always there and still is, it comes across as disgruntled this year instead of the passion to help the team out. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if his head has been turned, but once those goals start coming it may change. IDK though, he just seems to have a different body language this year. When the team scores he just seems less interested and his connection with Sonny seems to have taken a hit as well. All speculation, but his body language is just off.

All pure speculation of course, but worth mentioning, especially when one of Dele's goals this season was marked by a strange zero celebration .

When Archibald was in a strop with Spurs he showed it by not celebrating his goals .

 

[Spurger King]

When Archibald was in a strop with Spurs he showed it by not celebrating his goals .

Should have taken more care of him...