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Tottenham Vs West Brom: Match Thread

ebzrascal

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2009
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What after 5 league games you're not satisfied?
Don't you think the manager deserves more than 5 game's to implement his philosophy?
Could we not hold off till Xmas at least?
Or should the conveyer belt fire up, and on to the next manager or player who you fancy, before he has an off day?

Lets just say Deja Vu seen it all before I don`t believe even if he is still trying a philosophy across to the players we should be out played at home by West Brom. Team Selection, Tactics and attitude to the game not good enough!!
 

Legacy

SC Supporter
Mar 29, 2007
2,878
6,280
If only... we had spent the Bale money on Benteke and Lukaku. I'd happily see us set up now 4.4.2 with Lennon and Townsend on the wings knocking crosses in for two proper finishers up front, with Huddlestone and Livermore pulling the strings in midfield, and Defoe and Kane on the bench. Something tells me that team would win just as many games as the current one, and would feel much more like 'our Spurs'.
You want a midfield of Townsend-Huddlestone-Livermore-Lennon? Like, really?
 

diamondlight

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2006
1,263
1,326
You want a midfield of Townsend-Huddlestone-Livermore-Lennon? Like, really?
Not in an ideal world. But I'd rather we had hung onto Hudd and Livermore and spent all our money on two amazing strikers, instead of buying Lamela, Holtby, Erikson, Paulinho, Chadli, Capoue and Stambouli. Those players have improved on our midfield slightly, I accept, but much much less than two amazing strikers would have improved upon our forward line. A proper manager, as opposed to a director of football, would have understood this.
 

diamondlight

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2006
1,263
1,326
Not in an ideal world. But I'd rather we had hung onto Hudd and Livermore and spent all our money on two amazing strikers, instead of buying Lamela, Holtby, Erikson, Paulinho, Chadli, Capoue and Stambouli. Those players have improved on our midfield slightly, I accept, but much much less than two amazing strikers would have improved upon our forward line. A proper manager, as opposed to a director of football, would have understood this.
Sorry to quote my own post, but the penny has suddenly dropped for me about what is wrong with Spurs under ENIC.

Their buying policy is clearly about sell-on value, nothing more. Whatever the position, if the player can be sold at a profit, buy him. This is clearly why Levy favours a director of football, because the DOF is less likely to protest about the imbalance that ENIC's buying policy brings to the squad. For years now, we have witnessed bizarre accumulations of players in certain positions - there was a spell when we kept buying right backs, and another where we bought countless centre midfielders (in fact, we're going through one of those spells now).

Our managers never seem to get the players they want. What happens instead is that the DOF pops up at the last minute with some random bargain of a player in a random position. Levy's famous last minute buying policy is less of a negotiating trick than a way to flush out the clubs that are most desperate to sell players, and therefore sell those players at a bargain price.

For season after season now, we've needed a striker, and yet we've just seen an influx of random bargain players purchased at the last minute. This sometimes works out well - VDV, Erikson, Berbatov, Modric. If you throw enough random quality players at the manager's chosen formation, some of them will stick. ENIC's policy has overseen a considerable upturn in Spurs' fortunes. We've gone from being a financially mismanaged club with footballing passion, to a passionless club financially well run.

What we need is the best of both worlds. But in the modern game that's SO hard to find. It takes a billionaire to have the financial clout to compete with clinical operators like ENIC. The problem is, most billionaires are clueless about football. An Abramovic - very rich and very passionate and very knowledgeable - is what it takes to win the league these days. Or maybe things have always been that way in football.
 

THFCSPURS19

The Speaker of the Transfer Rumours Forum
Jan 6, 2013
37,886
130,485
Sorry to quote my own post, but the penny has suddenly dropped for me about what is wrong with Spurs under ENIC.

Their buying policy is clearly about sell-on value, nothing more. Whatever the position, if the player can be sold at a profit, buy him. This is clearly why Levy favours a director of football, because the DOF is less likely to protest about the imbalance that ENIC's buying policy brings to the squad. For years now, we have witnessed bizarre accumulations of players in certain positions - there was a spell when we kept buying right backs, and another where we bought countless centre midfielders (in fact, we're going through one of those spells now).

Our managers never seem to get the players they want. What happens instead is that the DOF pops up at the last minute with some random bargain of a player in a random position. Levy's famous last minute buying policy is less of a negotiating trick than a way to flush out the clubs that are most desperate to sell players, and therefore sell those players at a bargain price.

For season after season now, we've needed a striker, and yet we've just seen an influx of random bargain players purchased at the last minute. This sometimes works out well - VDV, Erikson, Berbatov, Modric. If you throw enough random quality players at the manager's chosen formation, some of them will stick. ENIC's policy has overseen a considerable upturn in Spurs' fortunes. We've gone from being a financially mismanaged club with footballing passion, to a passionless club financially well run.

What we need is the best of both worlds. But in the modern game that's SO hard to find. It takes a billionaire to have the financial clout to compete with clinical operators like ENIC. The problem is, most billionaires are clueless about football. An Abramovic - very rich and very passionate and very knowledgeable - is what it takes to win the league these days. Or maybe things have always been that way in football.
So ENIC have been here for about 13 years and you realised in 90 minutes that ENIC look for future profit when they buy players?

:p
 

diamondlight

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2006
1,263
1,326
So ENIC have been here for about 13 years and you realised in 90 minutes that ENIC look for future profit when they buy players?

:p
ha ha, er.... yes! I guess it never struck me that they were buying only for profit. At the end of the day, every ambitious chairman presumably wants to make a profit, but only indirectly, because success on the field translates into financial success. It has never occurred to me that ENIC are only interested in success indirectly. First they make a profit, and if the team happens to be successful then jolly good.

To me, this is a crushing realisation. It means that the owners of the club don't directly want what the fans want: a successful team on the field. I think that's why I don't really enjoy watching spurs as much as I used to. I feel like I'm watching an investment bank running around in the shape of a football team.
 

iluvsteffenfreund

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2004
2,078
2,465
Problem is we finally get the go ahead to buy a world class striker and spunk all our cash on soldado who won't have huge sell on value because of his age and he turns out...er...not world class!
 

jezz

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2013
5,650
8,650
Nope but I never represented my country and no one ever paid 30 million quid for me... Unfortunately you have to deal with that price tag and produce a bit more than what he has done so far, but if he keeps putting a shift in I'm sure you will be happy
This is his first run in the EPL, so after 5 games, yes I'm happy so far.
I think once the team is more settled and he grabs a goal, I think we will see a lot more of what Lamelas about.
Personally I think he's trying to hard, I'm hoping MP is having a quick word and telling to relax a bit.
Only time will tell of course, but hey isn't that the point in the first place?
 

jezz

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2013
5,650
8,650
Lets just say Deja Vu seen it all before I don`t believe even if he is still trying a philosophy across to the players we should be out played at home by West Brom. Team Selection, Tactics and attitude to the game not good enough!!
I'm sure Pellegrani said the same about Stoke a couple of weeks back, Martinez about Crystal Palace, Van Gaal about Leicester.
See where not the only ones who drop the ball.
 

jezz

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2013
5,650
8,650
He had two assists against QPR but I don't know where the other two came from? In the Europa? Did he play in the 3-1 win over Limassol?

I think the jury is still out on Lamela. He doesn't seem direct enough for me, never charging into space and usually very reluctant to take his full back on one-on-one. Hopefully it's a confidence thing that'll change over time. I've never been a big fan of inverted wingers because they tend to move inside every time and then lay it off or lose it (or smash it into the stand in Townsend's case). Unless they have a real goal-scorers directness, like Remy. A bit of variety is best, but I watch him closely and he very rarely (if ever) takes the ball into a one-on-one situation on the wing even though you'd imagine he has bags of pace to skin his marker.

But the additional problem for Lamela is the fee around his neck. For 30 million, it's not unreasonable to expect a more complete player. Maybe it'll come, but it's a feature on this site for people to make a reflexive defense of him when others question his contribution to games.
This is his first run in the EPL, so after 5 games, yes I'm happy so far.
I think once the team is more settled and he grabs a goal, I think we will see a lot more of what Lamelas about.
Personally I think he's trying to hard, I'm hoping MP is having a quick word and telling to relax a bit.
Only time will tell of course, but hey isn't that the point in the first place?
 

Trees

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
1,534
4,203
You want a midfield of Townsend-Huddlestone-Livermore-Lennon? Like, really?
Would they do any worse ? The middle of the park yesterday wasn't exactly top drawer. However, I don't like either midfield !
 

panoma

Well-Known Member
Jan 16, 2012
3,901
12,188
I remember after the first game or so this season we had itk how the players just loved playing for Poch etch, was so pleased reading stuff like that cause looked like we finally got our team back on track after a messy year.

Guess that didnt last long lol
 

prawnsandwich

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2014
6,035
4,064
Good point. Personally I'm inclined to attribute some of our success last season to Sherwood, even if he wasn't 'good with the media' - whatever that even means. Decent players, decent manager, decent league position. This was the season we could have pushed on - either the players or the manager might have improved, taking us to the next level - but typical Spurs we de-stablised everything, and now we're seeing the results.
Tim is our most successful points collector.
 

thebetamaxboy

Active Member
Jun 5, 2012
382
480
I am a firm believer that Poch will improve this team, i do however have a worry about his selections (after the EPL game) and thought that in picking the side yesterday he did not take WBA as a serious threat.

Why he appears to think that the CB pairing of Vlad and Kaboul is working is beyond me (and i guess most who witnessed the game yesterday).

Dier could and should have slotted in at CB and Naughton started at RB. That in my opinion was bloody obvious before a ball was kicked. No one wanted Naughton at left back last season but those same people say nothing when a CB plays at RB when we have a RB in the squad!

We do not need a third showing of this CB pairing for anyone including Poch to see that it's our weakest link. We simply have no one with pace in midfield or on the wing (yesterday) to play 4-2-3-1 and if proof of that were needed then look at any game under AVB. It is just like watching Groundhog Day. We failed to score against Liverpool, WBA ans in the EPL and two of these games were at home!

In your original post you did refer to Levy and that is where i responded with him in mind, but thought that i had made it clear. He has a hand in all of what we witnessed yesterday, and one that many fail to see i think.


I have to agree the idea of Kaboul as captain and Kaboul and Chirches as a pairing baffling. ..hopefully the last two showings has shown this to Poch.
 

WiganSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
15,974
32,682
Just a bad day at the office. Let's ignore the performance last week and against QPR though because that means nothing now we've had a bad performance. Everyone else is great and we're the only ones who aren't etc.

Some people resigned to defeat at home against Southampton. Laughable.

We haven't been disastrous, we've been OK- could have been better could have been worse so far. A bit inconsistent but fuck me has no one thought of the fact that we've only just appointed a new manager? It's to be expected. Sadly the lack of patience is unsurprising.
 

arunspurs

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
8,807
35,543
What a deflating game.
Its so difficult to get a week where Chelsea, City, United, Liverpool, Everton all drop points. Just when that happens we also lose to WBA at home. Worst part, we lost without putting a fight.
 

ebzrascal

Well-Known Member
Sep 13, 2009
2,635
4,670
If only... we had spent the Bale money on Benteke and Lukaku. I'd happily see us set up now 4.4.2 with Lennon and Townsend on the wings knocking crosses in for two proper finishers up front, with Huddlestone and Livermore pulling the strings in midfield, and Defoe and Kane on the bench. Something tells me that team would win just as many games as the current one, and would feel much more like 'our Spurs'.[/quot
I'm sure Pellegrani said the same about Stoke a couple of weeks back, Martinez about Crystal Palace, Van Gaal about Leicester.
See where not the only ones who drop the ball.

I agree we are not the only ones to screw up but why do we never take advantage of these situations. The more I think about it the more I think our players thought West Brom would be an easy game and were surprised by it which is not professional. i am not sure I like splitting the group of players so drastically between Cups and League I don`t see that creating the spirit we need to move on. I am sure these players are sorry for the performance but they have to look at themselves where was the desire and hunger to get this result. I think we need someone on the pitch a true leader who shouts at his team mates to keep them focused as so many of our players seem to lack concentration and decision making in the right areas.
 
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