Is there still a place for the Spurs way

[CornerPinDreamer]

Hi all

Been thinking a lot about the Spurs way, how that freedom to express oneself, let the ball do the work, always moving, glory rather than workmanlike desires; washed over my childhood and shaped my life. I heard a lot of life lessons from adults being spun out of what players Hoddle, Ossie, Archibald etc were doing on the pitch.

..but is that the mainstream Spurs fan any more? Is our D.Blanchflower quote still valid? I see less and less of it and can see younger fans not even knowing what I am talking about...and finding no way to address or even ask the question I thought a poll might enlighten


cpd

[Caveat:I am not trying to criticise the team or management. I understand my attempts to do what they do would be shite, and more importantly they actually have the potential to build a silver collecting machine]

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Its a bit windy on this fence

 

[CornerPinDreamer]

yah, here too. The lure of SIlver is also quite blinding

 

[hodsgod]

Of course there is, we were the most entertaining team just a couple of years ago. We also finished fourth, if we had been able to develop that team we may have gone further. We have a completely different team today and a manager that seems to put the emphasis on not conceding goals.

Personally I am sick of this current brand of football. Football is an entertainment industry, and we aren't being entertained.

 

[hoodlum]

The Spurs way of faltering at the end year after year through injury, poor play or bad food? That Spurs way?

 

[parklane1]

The "Spurs Way" has won us one title in the last 50 years, do not get me wrong i loved watching Hoddle, Waddle, Ossie etc, however teams are so well organised in todays football that its not as easy to " go for it", i want to see us win things on a regular basis and under AVB we could develop into a team who will do so.

 

[Shanks]

It's about balance.

Being able to turn it on, but also to be tough and tight - get those balances right at the right times, it'll be good.

Difficulty when teams come and park the bus, when that happens, anything to win is a must.

 

[easley91]

City spent a season sureing their defense up before the attack really clicked into gear. This may happen to u, so it's key to remain patient. We may see clean sheets with attacking football in time, but for now we're getting more wins than losses and draws, so I can't complain.

 

[EnfieldYiddo]

The Spurs way, lol.

 

[Geyzer Soze]

I want to say ........... but finger goes for .............

I abstain

 

[tommyt]

The winning way.
The players getting to know each other way.
The best start to a season way.
The flair to follow once the foundations have been built way.
A new way.

 

[Ribble]

I've always thought that the objective of the club was the immortal "Push and Run", of free flowing attacking football built upon speed, passing and movement, not 10 individual flair players on the pitch looking pretty but doing little else. Admittedly these aren't exactly prevalent at the moment either, but that's always been my understanding of it.

If you ask me if THAT style of football has a place, I'd say certainly. I watch Dortmund play and I see what I've always thought of as "The Spurs Way".

 

[BPR_U16]

Of course there is, we were the most entertaining team just a couple of years ago. We also finished fourth, if we had been able to develop that team we may have gone further. We have a completely different team today and a manager that seems to put the emphasis on not conceding goals.

Personally I am sick of this current brand of football. Football is an entertainment industry, and we aren't being entertained.

I started watching Spurs with likes of Mullery, Mackay, Gilzean and Greaves in the team.

I've seen the showmen of Peters, Chivers, Hoddle, McNabb, Conn, Ardiles, Gazza, Waddle, Klinsmann, Popescu etc come and go but cannot say have ever seen such an entertaining team as we were we were for the first part of that season under Harry. But even then we were sussed towards the end of the season with teams just sitting back - it wasn't just Harry taking his eyes off the ball and thinking about England.

We have always been known for our stylish football that offered a lot but won little - the odd cup was thrown in for good show.

It's great to say we play in the 'Spurs way', but would say that with the exception of the Burkinshaw time that way has meant we have never really serious contenders on a consistent basis.

I now think we can be....... but we are not playing in the Spurs way of old.

Do I find that disappointing? Yes but I'm realistic enough to know cant have everything
Do I accept it? Yes - I want to be entertained but would like to win too.
Do I believe that we have become boring? No, just playing more to a system.

We have never had such a strong squad and manager.

We are very much work in progress, yet we still sit fourth in a very open premiership. Our once wide open defence and corner deficencies appear to be things of the past. We don't have to score 2 or 3 to win a match.
We have players within the squad that can/will allow us to play different styles against different teams.
BUT you have to start with the basics. Getting to know each other, the formations, your duties and roles within the formations and the expectations of the club and manager. Players have to settle to the demands and physicality of the premiership. A trust has to be built.
Once this solid understanding is achieved then you can start becoming more expansive.

AVB knows that you have to get the base right. You can't run before you can walk.

Trust the guy, trust his tactics and get behind the team.

The future has never been so positive, if we don't do it this time we probably never will.....

 

[riggi]

Is it the same as the 'west ham way'?

 

[JimmyG2]

What is the point of football and all sport
if it doesn't inspire and entertain.

Cups, league positions, points, prizes are all incidental
though they seem to have become its purpose.
They are a distraction.
The game itself and the way it is played is the point.
Good football and success are not alternatives.
The which would you rather do: win playing badly or lose playing well
is a false theoretical dilemma.
It's a mind game
We should aim to win playing well and if we fail
pleasure and satisfaction will have been shared by players and fans.

 

[CowInAComa]

What a load of toss. Dont tow the party line, most successful football sides are entertaining sides.

Its just the Portuguese who like to win dull.

We arent winning because we are dull we are winning because we are better all over the park than the teams we are playing.

Dont fall for the bullshit success and dull, over failure and entertaining choice

 

[parklane1]

I started watching Spurs with likes of Mullery, Mackay, Gilzean and Greaves in the team.

I've seen the showmen of Peters, Chivers, Hoddle, McNabb, Conn, Ardiles, Gazza, Waddle, Klinsmann, Popescu etc come and go but cannot say have ever seen such an entertaining team as we were we were for the first part of that season under Harry. But even then we were sussed towards the end of the season with teams just sitting back - it wasn't just Harry taking his eyes off the ball and thinking about England.

We have always been known for our stylish football that offered a lot but won little - the odd cup was thrown in for good show.

It's great to say we play in the 'Spurs way', but would say that with the exception of the Burkinshaw time that way has meant we have never really serious contenders on a consistent basis.

I now think we can be....... but we are not playing in the Spurs way of old.

Do I find that disappointing? Yes but I'm realistic enough to know cant have everything
Do I accept it? Yes - I want to be entertained but would like to win too.
Do I believe that we have become boring? No, just playing more to a system.

We have never had such a strong squad and manager.

We are very much work in progress, yet we still sit fourth in a very open premiership. Our once wide open defence and corner deficencies appear to be things of the past. We don't have to score 2 or 3 to win a match.
We have players within the squad that can/will allow us to play different styles against different teams.
BUT you have to start with the basics. Getting to know each other, the formations, your duties and roles within the formations and the expectations of the club and manager. Players have to settle to the demands and physicality of the premiership. A trust has to be built.
Once this solid understanding is achieved then you can start becoming more expansive.

AVB knows that you have to get the base right. You can't run before you can walk.

Trust the guy, trust his tactics and get behind the team.

The future has never been so positive, if we don't do it this time we probably never will.....

Great post

 

[beats1]

The "Spurs Way" has won us one title in the last 50 years, do not get me wrong i loved watching Hoddle, Waddle, Ossie etc, however teams are so well organised in todays football that its not as easy to " go for it", i want to see us win things on a regular basis and under AVB we could develop into a team who will do so.

The spurs way has Barcelona many titles than we could dream of, It helped Ajax win the CL with a team that mostly homegrown, it helping Spain dominate international footy and produce technically gifted players

These system maybe labelled but all came from the same philosophy which some spurs guys took to Europe like Vic Buckingham and Rowe

The reason for us not winning title arent down to the way we played(in some cases it may be) but the shocking mismanagement we have had through the years like the 90's

 

[ohtottenham!]

The Spurs way is not a total misnomer, but it is probably fed by how boring and defensive...and unfortunately successful the unmentionables across the way were for a long period all those years ago. Burkinshaw got us playing beautiful football again after some horrible years. Best Spurs manager apart from Bill Nick! We should have held onto him.
Thing is, Ossie was as tough as nails as well as being a sublime talent. He couldn't be intimidated! He used to get kicked all over the park, but always battled and never shirked a tackle.
I found out by accident, that the only way you could really appreciate Glenn Hoddle was when you had an aerial, panoramic view. I always stood in the Shelf at that time; arrived late one game, couldn't get in and ended up sitting way up in the East Stand. His vision and passing were jaw-dropping when you could see the whole pitch - couldn't even really get it on the TV. Still the most naturally gifted Spurs player I've ever seen! But, we also had some really tough defenders at that time: Perryman, Roberts, Miller and Hughton! Miller got even more stick than Dawson does now for abusing the ball!
We actually have much more skill now throughout our squad than we did then; the game is much quicker now too. Personally, I think we have a coach who is the right coach for us; we need to stick with him. But, he’s still learning and he’s being too cautious, and maybe too stubborn with regard to formations, for my liking. We haven’t learned very much about either Lamela or Chadli yet, or even Eriksen for that matter. But, none of us have the pressure of being a PL coach in the modern game...and we are 4th, so he’s doing his job.
I think we’ll see changes when Rose gets back - that left side defence and attacking option is killing us without him. It screws up our whole strategy of using width from our flanks to attack, which allows us to get the space to play more attractive football.

 

[Lilbaz]

Um... does anyone think that we are the finished article yet? Lot of new players (including Rose and Townsend) have come in and are learning AVB's style. Think by January we will be scoring a few more goals and creating chances. That is what get fans excited.

So will wait to see what our style will finally be before deciding that AVB is George Graham reborn.