The beginning of the end...

[rossdapep]

Jose's next project?

In all seriousness since the CL final and with every Poch press conference after that I've not been able to shake this thought Mourinho will end up as our coach at some point. If Poch doesn't get us out of this rut, it'll happen.

Come on Poch, sort it out

 

[Matthew]

Tbf I’m nowhere near Poch out territory - but we have been a fucking chore to watch since January. Something‘s off.

This, poch is CLEARLY irked about something, but you still do your best for the club that is paying you millions of pounds, you don’t leave 2 of your very best players on the bench cos your pissed off with their contract situation, I’m no where near poch out either, but he needs to stop being so ducking stubborn and stop playing silly fuckers. Or I feel levy will be loading the bullet soon.

 

[Tonio]

One minute everyone is bashing Levy because he’s gonna push poch out. 3 games later and everyone is trying to push poch out.

What a world

It's not really everyone though it? Personally though, I wouldn't be chucking myself off the nearest bridge if Poch left. He ain't the b all and end all of managers. Something isn't right and unless we change things tactically itll get much much worse.

 

[richard_gleeson]

A lot of talkers in our team. All I hear from winks is how important he is now and it's time to win. But then when the match starts he doesn't try anything positive but plays safe.

 

[Wsussexspur]

Unbelievable! Words fail me! Who do you think we will get better than Potch in?? Yes we were awful today! Let’s not start these knee jerk threads straight away.

 

[Yiddo100]

We need to look at both, no doubt we have a good enough team for the expectations (3rd/4th) and no doubt we have a good enough manager, but for the last 10 or so games we’ve simply been nowhere near top 4 level and poch can not argue with being questioned about this

 

[Mr Pink]

This is a coaching problem, plain and simple.

Against sides that frustrate, we struggle more than others to break them down. Sometimes fatigue sets in and we win the game late on but it's a recurring theme.

Our attacking patterns of play are lethargic and predictable, hence we're relatively easy to defend against when a team sets up with that intention.

Poch has to address this, and he hasn't so far.

I hope he's got the enthusiasm to do so because there are a lot of things simmering away that don't seem right at the moment.

But people calling for his head are utterly off their rockers lol.

 

[wadewill]

No way am I saying Poch out

But I am pretty worried, we could easily get a beating next week and then there will be bit of a problem

There is definitely something going on, we just don’t look as well coached or like we have any particular game plan

 

[Ronwol196061]

He is 100% a control freak and I know that for a fact from a source who works with him and the players day in day out. That’s not nessercarily a bad thing in that job to be fair but it can have its negatives for sure

Yes it's fine being a control freak but what he cant do is think on his feet. I don't think he is a creative thinker.
He has a plan that's it.When it works it works when it diesnt they are not playing the system well enough.
Creativity?
How would someone that isnt creative understand.

 

[VancouverSpur]

There are so many parts to what is going on it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what is happening. However put all the following points together and you can understand why people are questioning if this is the beginning of the end.

1. Poch is not coming across as the Poch of old. He appears jaded with it all and is so touchy when asked perfectly reasonable questions at Press Conferences. E.g "How is Eriksen's contract situation affecting matters?" Thats not an unreasonable question even if its asked 50 times. As a premier league manger press conferences are a big part of the job as fans like to know what is going on even if you aint telling the truth. Without a decent Press conference things become like the White House right now with no Press briefings happening and people feeling like they have no idea what the fuck is going on.

2. Poch seems so rigid in his tactical thinking to the point that we are suffering because of it. We should have made a half time sub today if not earlier as it clearly was not working. He seems so reticent to change and either cannot adapt on the fly or believes he knows best and won't adapt even if it means we end up being abysmal for a full 90 minutes.

3. We signed NDombele one of the premier midfield options on the market. A truly game changing type signing along with LO Celso and Sessegnon who I believe is going to be a massive signing for us. Yet Poch has not been invigorated in anyway by these signings and seems so utterly fed up with it all.

4. If Levy is such a genius how can 3 of our best players all be able to walk away for nothing at the end of the season. Their situation is destabilizing the whole team. Yes it is not black and white and having been in business myself for god knows how many years I understand the nuances and vagaries of HR. However it does not take a genius to realize what is going to happen when CE,TA and JV are all in a state of flux.

5. Pochs attitude to this whole player contract situation is odd. We all knew for the last year or so that the transfer window closes a full month before the European window. So you should cut your cloth accordingly. Verts for me is one of my favorite ever players for Spurs and I have been at this for a good while so dont say that lightly. Yes he might not be fit but if that is the case then come out and say it and stop with all the "Confucius says" bullshit. Coming out with vague weird phrases like" the team is the team and I am the team and we are the team and I pick the team this week and this is the team and next week this is the team". It helps no-one.If he is dropped and that's your choice and you are willing to live or die be it fine that is your right as manager But don't be surprised when it all goes tits up like today.

6. Along with the contract situations you have the RB issue as well as the Left back issue as Danny Rose was allowed to discuss leaving for god knows how long. Fullbacks are integral to how Poch likes to play so why are we in this position that Serge is clearly not fancied and KWP is just starting to establish himself.

7. Kane is undroppable and that is having a major major say in what happens on days like today. He has not been great for many months now and if he isn't firing but still playing it affects the team massively.

These are not al the issues but you can see that things are not quite right and perhaps Poch saying that he would have left if we won the Champions League shows what he really wants and where his head really is at. Why the fuck would you want to leave a team who has just won the biggest prize on club football. Wouldn't you want to revel in it and push on to even more accomplishments. Imagine if Klopp or Pep had said that we would all have been like WTF.

 

[Danfunkel]

Yeah, something isn’t right. But sometimes things aren’t. Our squad had to change at some point, that fabulous team we had 2 year’s ago wasn’t going to last forever.

It will take time to get back and keep moving. It’s only the 3rd game.

 

[Matthew]

The fact he started talking about leaving shows he thinks he could get bigger jobs elsewhere. Maybe some players have lost faith. I love him and really want him to succeed but I think he's caused his own problems. A couple of years ago we had so much energy and passion, it now seems so flat, not just the team but the club.

Again this, how do you go from the aggressive pressing that had so many opposing managers calling us “monsters” and “they just don’t stop” to the turgid side to side shit, don’t pass me the ball im a passenger in a short space of time, either the players have lost faith, or poch has lost interest, either way it doesn’t end well!

 

[riggi]

Are people seriously thinking Jose would come to us? ????

 

[jolegend]

I do think this is a valid and justified debate to be had.

I’ve been worried about our performances for a while. Form and performances don’t exist in a vacuum. It’s no surprise that Liverpool and City have started the season like they ended it. Leicester too.

Teams that are in a good place usually start a new season in the same way they ended the last.

Our decline has been apparent since Xmas. We’ve been a labouring bore to watch. Our defence has looked terrible for over a year now and our attack is impotent.

Our flukey CL run seems to have spun people’s heads and glossed over it all. Even In The CL we weren’t convincing at all and it was last minute goals and VAR that got us through.

We limped into 4th. For me I’ve grown bored of Pochs style of play. It’s tedious, and I look on at Klopps Liverpool with massive envy.

You can’t say Poch doesn’t have the players. To me it’s entirely down to the coach that we are seeing this decline because the performances tell us the true story not the results.

We’ve been a poor side in attack for many months, it rarely if ever clicks anymore.

The Man City game was alarming in so many ways. We got absolutely annihilated and it indicated a performance like today was coming. So to did the Villa game but we got out of jail that time.

I have no confidence for next weeks NLD because our performances indicate we won’t turn up and play well. You can’t just turn it on like a tap. It doesn’t work like that.

For the first time in Pochs reign I’m in a position where I feel ambivalent if he left. I’m sick of his thinly veiled threats about leaving etc

Obviously I hope he turns it around but I just don’t know if he will be able to. We’ve been playing like shit for ages now. Since last Xmas. He seems out of ideas and doesn't know how to get the best out of the players we have.

Plus there is a nagging thing I’ve had with a Poch since he started that for some reason he doesn’t have it in him to win trophies. We always lose the key games. Finals and semi finals but I guess that’s a separate argument.

This is a worrying state of affairs.

Totally agree. It’s not an anti-Poch statement or flying off the handle because of one defeat. It’s a balanced analysis of our performances while not being blinded by Poch loyalism.

 

[Sandros Shiny Head]

We all rightfully praised Poch for having us punch above our weight for a few years but now our squad quality has caught up we are less likely to win anything now than ever. Arsenal, Chelsea and Utd have all won major trophies recently with massively inferior squads

 

[Ronwol196061]

Yeah, something isn’t right. But sometimes things aren’t. Our squad had to change at some point, that fabulous team we had 2 year’s ago wasn’t going to last forever.

It will take time to get back and keep moving. It’s only the 3rd game.

The world caught up.
Pressing? Who doesn't do it?
High line?
You can beat Sanchez with a pass from an average player

 

[Tonio]

What would it take for Levy to pull the trigger? Genuinely? I mean how bad would it have to get. I doubt it would be this side of the season tbh. But if losing top 4 becomes a serious possibility, then would he?

 

[Sandros Shiny Head]

Are people seriously thinking Jose would come to us? ????

Personally think he’s nailed on to be our manager either this season or next

 

[riggi]

Personally think he’s nailed on to be our manager either this season or next

With our owners? Really?

 

[richard_gleeson]

Personally think he’s nailed on to be our manager either this season or next

I've been thinking that for ages.