Match Threads Spurs vs West Ham - Day 15

[spursville]

I now think we need to sign a forward that can score before anyone else

Agreed but as soon as we do that Son will go back out wide on the left and he doesn't look good there in this system.

 

[only1waddle]

We tried to create the perfect goal without any ballers, we need to be more unpredictable, or create chaos against a low block by playing the ball into the box like at the end of the first half when they nearly had an own goal, nice football without end product became complacent football, and we've seen that film before.
Lots to do, from Ange and recruitment.

 

[bubble07]

When kulu cuts back for whipped Cross chances of it being good I'd say is 20%

 

[Hawk_Spur]

3 points off top four, playing exciting, attacking football full of movement, energy and positivity. Half the team out with injuries. Yes - we’re overplaying it at times, yes -we’re not clinical enough, yes - we’re conceding some silly goals. But anybody remember last year? We all would’ve bitten our own hands off if we‘d been offered that at the start of the season.

We’re not able to maintain the pace we play at for 90mins so if we’re not 3-0 up by half time then there’s a chance we’ll throw it away. But the majority of games we’ve played recently, we should‘ve been 3-0 by half time.

It’ll come. When we‘re back up to full strength and we get a couple of transfer windows in, then we’ll be looking very good.

So stop shitting the bed and try and enjoy what has (for the first time in 4-5 years) been a fucking great ride

Of course we are at the start of a process with Ange and are playing attractive football. Equally you can be concerned with losing 4 games after leading. It’s a worrying trend.

 

[mpickard2087]

Another loss where after dominating almost all the match, the opposition has performed a smash and grab on us. Becoming a really really bad few weeks.

I don't get the plaudits for West Ham's second half display. They still did basically nothing, just ran a little bit harder at us, and were gifted two goals.

As for those goals, really bad from us. People can say the first one is unlucky and a total fluke for the ball to fall into their path, but it came off the back of spectacularly weak defending. Midget Bowen vs. two centrebacks, they (particularly Romero) get royally embarrassed as he shrugs them off, takes the ball down, brings others into play in our third. That should never have happened, we paid the price off the back of really fucking soft defending. The 2nd is just a bad back-pass, I get Vicario could maybe hold it and give away the freekick, but it all happens instinctively for him and he knows it is a team mate knocking it back plus is a 50/50 challenge he has to get right. That was all Udogie's mess I'm afraid. Was also disappointing, even if they couldn't have done anything about it ultimately, to see many of our players just stood still having given up and accepted it rather than running back towards our goal.

As for our play, it's a recurring theme. Some great stuff up to the penalty area, but we're not ruthless in front of goal and often lack composure and quality in the heat of the moment or right in the thick of it. In this aspect we need to improve across the board, but we still need two wide players, particularly against bus-parkers, and anyone who thinks otherwise I say is deluded, and another dollop of technical quality in the midfield in there too would help massively. The changes completely fucked any logical possession sequences and we were left with getting it to the right and cross spamming.

Tonight will be obviously one of mega frustration. There are more than a few glimpses that we're on the right track and that if/when it all clicks we will be a team to be reckoned with. We've got to be improving in both boxes though, otherwise, as we're finding, that's not enough unfortunately.

 

[jackson]

I hated watching us under Nuno and Conte and Jose far more when we didn’t create anything or dominate the ball and then just lost easily anyway.

Fair enough but I find it more annoying to loose when you should win particularly because you're devoid of ideas. Ultimately in both scenarios it's because we're not good enough at carrying out the game plan.

FYI I've no complaint with Ange or the way we're playing. We need better players

 

[bubble07]

Agreed but as soon as we do that Son will go back out wide on the left and he doesn't look good there in this system.

Think he can look good. At the very least he won't be worse than Johnson or gill

 

[Impspur1]

It’s not the reason, no, but it plays a big part in us dropping points. This league is about fine margins and to have the officials consistently favouring the other team with those marginal calls (where they take opportunities to slow down momentum every single time) doesn’t help ange’s brand of football.

Didn’t see anything out of the norm from the ref that was against us, we were just shite In the second half

 

[Trix]

Really hope the Vlahovic link today has some truth to it.

 

[keenu]

Everyone knew that this would take time. It's way too early to start panicking.

Yes, lets start if we lose at home to Newcastle on Sunday

 

[Joe Bjorn Hotspur]

People keep saying "unacceptable" as if Ange is going to be going "great job lads" in the dressing room. Losing is unacceptable but people need to understand that there will definitely be more bumps in the road this season.

Spot on Metalhead. It was an incredible start to the league season, literally incredible after 10 games. A mixture of injuries & suspensions and we’ve been exposed also see players like Son are running on empty.

The thing is this was going to come at some stage this bad run. It’s a long game and I can understand in the heat of the moment how fans would find it unacceptable. We had a starting XI in Ange’s image and that was after 10 games. We haven’t even got a squad in his image yet. Obviously we cannot rely on transfers etc as when have we ever. Need to blood in some of the academy lads. I hope the fans stay on board.

 

[sidford]

Different feel about this one..

We never came out in 2nd half and we're utterly pathetic, all that sterile possession yet created nothing. Terrible subs. There's nothing to be positive about that 2nd half and to top it off son injured.

 

[WiganSpur]

Son up front doesn't work at home. Or at least against teams who drop off. Johnson suffers from the same issue that he can't do anything without space in behind, plus he doesn't look anywhere near top class with his finishing deki is basically a midfield player and Richarlison simply isn't any good.

In short, Our forward line only works with space in behind.

Of course Son works up front. He's far worse on the wing. The issue is not having a suitable secondary option.

 

[Nebby]

West Ham defended well and got incredibly lucky with their two goals. That‘s just how it goes sometimes. It’s not happening in the final third at the moment, but there’s so much else to be positive about. Can’t believe some of the negativity.

 

[spoon]

It’s not the reason, no, but it plays a big part in us dropping points. This league is about fine margins and to have the officials consistently favouring the other team with those marginal calls (where they take opportunities to slow down momentum every single time) doesn’t help ange’s brand of football.

Sorry dude but the ref had a decent game today. And I usually moan about refs

 

[Bobby TwoShots]

We will be fine, just going to take a few windows to sort

Agree. But that was also the message under Jose and Conte, so understandable some people are getting frustrated

 

[TheChosenOne]

So many unforced errors again, balls getting played short or stuck under a boot.

Some good stuff early doors but after half an hour I said if we didn’t score a second we would be in trouble again.

 

[coysjod]

My personal take on what's happening is that with the press we do we start very strong in games but early second half we tire and that's when if we had more fit players Ange would be able to make some subs without a drop in quality. As it is, the injuries are killing us and we can't really do that so our players run out of steam, make mistakes and we concede. We are very reliant at the moment on getting at least a couple of goals in the first half of games and if we don't manage that we struggle to see games out.

West Ham spent the whole first half chasing shadows and yet they had more energy than us in the second half…?

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

We will be fine, just going to take a few windows to sort

.

 

[1882andallthat]

I don't think their goals were that lucky. A clear tactic of Moyes to play higher up and wait for us to be lax or throw too many forward.

By that logic did Moyes also plan to get a lucky bounce that came off the back heel of a Spurs player that couldn't have fallen kinder for Bowen, if he did then that's some Crystal ball like innovative and cunning forward planning....