West Brom Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

[tommyt]

Oh wind your neck in daniel ffs, take off the lilywhite specs for a minute will you.

Right and wrong.

Corluka was below par today, looked shattered like several player VDV and Gallas as obvious examples, but Corluka is a quality player

 

[DoublePivot]

We follow charlatans and mistake fortune for merit

 

[kishman]

Is Giovani injured? Just out of interest.

Also would have to say that I am quite worried about our performances. We're really struggling to create clear-cut chances at the moment. Actually all season, so far we haven't had many goals as a result of good team play, maybe only Bale's and that was just a wonder strike.

Really need to start picking up our form, Arry was saying all that talk about title challengers etc before hand but we're struggling against average teams. The striker situation is a worry, Lennon, Corluka, Palacios all of form. Think we should persist withh our 4-5-1 but need to work on it a lot more.

I saw Gio in the stadium, i just think Harry didn't include him.

Also i think it's now official that we're not title challengers. We're 7 points behind Chelsea, 7 points is going to be too tough to catch up.

 

[leffe186]

Just watching the game in full. 20 mins in and not surprised VDV got tired, he's done an unbelievable amount of running. So far we look OK, West Brom working hard. We just don't look particularly fluid and Pav has not been able to hold the ball up at all.

 

[spur_souljah]

I saw Gio in the stadium, i just think Harry didn't include him.

Also i think it's now official that we're not title challengers. We're 7 points behind Chelsea, 7 points is going to be too tough to catch up.

Exactly, especially when we struggle up north with newcastle and sunderland, haven't got anything against Man utd in years and liverpool away.. We always struggle at bolton to get 3 points too.. Also our record in the west midlands isn't that great either..

 

[leffe186]

Is Giovani injured? Just out of interest.

Also would have to say that I am quite worried about our performances. We're really struggling to create clear-cut chances at the moment. Actually all season, so far we haven't had many goals as a result of good team play, maybe only Bale's and that was just a wonder strike.

Really need to start picking up our form, Arry was saying all that talk about title challengers etc before hand but we're struggling against average teams. The striker situation is a worry, Lennon, Corluka, Palacios all of form. Think we should persist withh our 4-5-1 but need to work on it a lot more.

We created an unbelievable amount of chances in the first 45 minutes of the season. Need to go back to basics.

 

[THOWIG]

I saw Gio in the stadium, i just think Harry didn't include him.

Also i think it's now official that we're not title challengers. We're 7 points behind Chelsea, 7 points is going to be too tough to catch up.

Oh cmon now.

 

[StartingPrice]

Bale to LB was a stupid decision, as was playing Palacios, and Pav.

Why?

Because he was poor defensively = no.
Because he was at fault for the goal = no.
Because he was poor offensively = no.
Because him playing LB caused Palacios, Corluka and Lennon to have really poor games, and VDV to be so knackered = no.

 

[DEFchenkOE]

I saw Gio in the stadium, i just think Harry didn't include him.

Also i think it's now official that we're not title challengers. We're 7 points behind Chelsea, 7 points is going to be too tough to catch up.

Obviously i'm not expecting us to win the league but it is a bit disappointing to see Chelsk, Arse pulling away from us already. I know it's early days but a good start to the season is important. Only good thing right now is that both Manc clubs both dropping points aswell.

 

[mattdefoe]

Palacios was pathetic . A ball late on to keane summed up his game . Couldn't hit his man poor positioning was like a little lost puppy today

 

[Archibald-CPH]

Why?

Because he was poor defensively = no.
Because he was at fault for the goal = no.
Because he was poor offensively = no.
Because him playing LB caused Palacios, Corluka and Lennon to have really poor games, and VDV to be so knackered = no.

Because we missed him on LM :razz:

 

[kishman]

Why?

Because he was poor defensively = no.
Because he was at fault for the goal = no.
Because he was poor offensively = no.
Because him playing LB caused Palacios, Corluka and Lennon to have really poor games, and VDV to be so knackered = no.

Well that's not entirely true, he did get beaten by Brunt who was first to the ball for his goal. I'm sure Bale would be disappointed with himself for that.

Bale had a decent game at LB and he probably would've had a decent game at LM.

Obviously i'm not expecting us to win the league but it is a bit disappointing to see Chelsk, Arse pulling away from us already. I know it's early days but a good start to the season is important. Only good thing right now is that both Manc clubs both dropping points aswell.

Me neither, that was a message for Harry.

 

[StartingPrice]

Well that's not entirely true, he did get beaten by Brunt who was first to the ball for his goal. I'm sure Bale would be disappointed with himself for that.

Bale had a decent game at LB and he probably would've had a decent game at LM.





Me neither, that was a message for Harry.

I would have said that was pretty standard in a game - folk HAVE to understand that there is no such thing as a 100% game from any player ever and looking to heap all of the blame onto one little incident, especially when assessing a defender's performance. I would have said that, by and large, the goal was either caused by a lack of communication between Gallas and Cudicini, or a slightly dodgy challenge on Cudicini, or a bit of both. Considering Bale could have scored two and whipped plenty of crosses in, and there was little that could be pinned on him in terms of genuine defences errors, I really see no reason as to why this slightly disappointing result, which was down to Modric going off when we looked in control, and the performances of Palacios/Corluka/Lennon (two of whom play on the right, and one in the centre), somehow proves that Bale should play on the wing.

And it is fine to say he played while and probably would have done starting on the wing, not a problem with that. Just this idea that Bale is somehow terrible at LB and King Kong/Godzilla/Mohammad Ali on the wing, and that anyone who can't see that is a babbling buffoon - he did nothing on the wing wagainst Wigan, for instance, and he was fine at LB today.

 

[brett.spurs]

Involved in 7 of our 8 goals playing from left wing before today. Enough said.

Plus Benoit is my hero.

 

[mil1lion]

Why?

Because he was poor defensively = no.
Because he was at fault for the goal = no.
Because he was poor offensively = no.
Because him playing LB caused Palacios, Corluka and Lennon to have really poor games, and VDV to be so knackered = no.

He was nowhere near as effective going forward from left back though. It's ok when we're at home to a team that get everyone behind the ball, because we'll be camped in their half. Away from home it just doesn't work. It especially didn't work in the 2nd half when West Brom started looking for a goal, because it restricted Bale from going forward.

I don't get how go from playing so well at Stoke away from home with Bale scoring 2 goals from the wide left, only to drop him back to left back today. We're struggling for goals as it is and yet we move our best attacking player so far this season to a more defensive position. :bang:

 

[milkman]

Did VDV play any part in the game? (I havent watched or heard anything about the game apart from the goals)

 

[StartingPrice]

He was nowhere near as effective going forward from left back though. It's ok when we're at home to a team that get everyone behind the ball, because we'll be camped in their half. Away from home it just doesn't work. It especially didn't work in the 2nd half when West Brom started looking for a goal, because it restricted Bale from going forward.

I don't get how go from playing so well at Stoke away from home with Bale scoring 2 goals from the wide left, only to drop him back to left back today. We're struggling for goals as it is and yet we move our best attacking player so far this season to a more defensive position. :bang:

That just is not true.
He could have scored two running in on the 'Keeper, so it is just factually incorrect to suggest he didn't get into those positions because he was playing LB.
He whipped in plenty of crosses, so it is just factually incorrect to suggest he didn't whip crosses in because he was playing LB.
That is just obvious.
If he really did nothing today offensively I would say it, whether he was at LB or LW, but he did plenty offensively.
IMHO more of a problem was that we were paying 4-4-2.
But the fact remains that he did plenty today offensively, and you didn't see any of that:shrug::bang:

 

[degoose]

Did VDV play any part in the game? (I havent watched or heard anything about the game apart from the goals)

yep he was behind pav and played pretty well sadly pav was poop and didnt provide anything

 

[robin09]

Did VDV play any part in the game? (I havent watched or heard anything about the game apart from the goals)

He put a great ball through for Bale to be one on one with Carson, but Bale had the shot saved. Our best chance to score other than the goal, and that glimpse of class from VDV was more than any other spurs player managed the whole game.

 

[mil1lion]

That just is not true.
He could have scored two running in on the 'Keeper, so it is just factually incorrect to suggest he didn't get into those positions because he was playing LB.
He whipped in plenty of crosses, so it is just factually incorrect to suggest he didn't whip crosses in because he was playing LB.
That is just obvious.
If he really did nothing today offensively I would say it, whether he was at LB or LW, but he did plenty offensively.
IMHO more of a problem was that we were paying 4-4-2.
But the fact remains that he did plenty today offensively, and you didn't see any of that:shrug::bang:

I didn't say he didn't do anything offensively though did I? I said he is nowhere near as effective getting forward from left back, unless it's against teams who defend in numbers. He did play well today, but the fact is, as soon as West brom started to attack and get a good share of possession, Bale hardly did anything going forward. Its not rocket science that having him play left back means he has to focus more defending. Why play him in a defensive position when he is sooooooooo much better in attack.

I'm not saying he can't play left back, or can't defend, or even that he can't get forward from left back. I'm saying he is always going to be restricted when he plays left back. He has a lot more freedom on the wing. He has been our best attacking player so far this season and we dropped him to left back.

Funny you mentioned the Wigan game earlier aswell, because he was dropped back to left back in that game aswell. When we were already struggling to score as it was. It's bad enough we have our top scorer from last season out, without sticking our best attacking midfielder (or at least before VDV arrived) back to fullback.

We were playing 4-4-1-1 btw