The Mauricio Pochettino thread

[DCSPUR]

I'm suggesting there remains huge questions marks over Poch's ability to get this team over the line. At the end of the day, we can look for all the excuses under the sun, but it keeps happening every season. Poch still hasn't won a trophy, progress seems to have stalled big time. We haven't learnt anything from our previous semi final defeats, we are still plucky losers.

is this rawk?

 

[Lighty64]

I’ll use the England team in the summer as an example. They practiced penalties every day at the World Cup. Their goalies were briefed like never before. Both instances got us through penalty shootouts for the first time in decades. The players have repeatedly stated the practice helped as they knew exactly where to hit the ball time and again. I agree you can’t replicate the pressure but you can try to make the players technically capable of hitting fabulous penalties by making them practice them more. Its undeniable.

so you have forgotten that we beat Watford in a penalty shoot out?

perhaps we need to learn how to take them when the spot doesn't even lay flat, as I'm sure our players expected that on Thursday, and wasn't helped the ref insisted it was dead centre of the spot, when like a corner it can be touching the circle. I bet Chelsea made sure they practiced with that condition, perhaps we didn't think about trying.

 

[DCSPUR]

And I highlighted that his winning a single trophy - and his history of winning trophies - meant fuck all when he was about to get us relegated.

Poch's won fuck all but has achieved SO MUCH MORE with establishing us as a force.

Isn't this obvious?

Mate - you are right but there is honestly little point in arguing with many here (I am guilty of occasionally trying to bring rational points to the debate but realize the futility while doing so). Best to look for the posts from those who have some sense of reality (for the record I will look for your posts, as an eg, for that reason).

Roy Hodgson's comments Friday were so smart and on point but dismissed by too many.

In terms of where we stand; I understand Poch's caution on transfers. I imagine he is looking to the summer and recognizes that Fernando, GKN, Vorm and Janssen will all be gone. He probably will use the summer to make a decision on Big Vic (based on his book he will be desperate to keep him). He probably also understands the need to work out what to do with our 3 RBs.
Obviously his hope will be to tie down Eriksen and Toby to new deals.
If this comes to pass we are probably still looking at a baseline squad of:
Hugo, Gazza
Trippier, KWP
Toby, Juan
Verts, Davidson
Rose, Davies
Dier, Wanyama
Sissoko, Winks
Eriksen, Lamela
Alli, Son
Kane, Moura

That is only 18 players.
Add in some combo of youth: Skipp, Amos, Onomah etc.
But at that point money will need to spent and Poch will know that he has the wages and fees to bring in a few.
As an aside, if Eriksen has his head turned by Madelona and Toby moves, we will be down to 16 + Skipp et al.

 

[DCSPUR]

The one thing that makes this current take, that Poch is being stubborn about signings, strange is the Barkley affair.
Clear that Poch wanted him but heard we didn't take the risk due to money involved...doesn't seem to match up.

 

[shelfmonkey]

And I highlighted that his winning a single trophy - and his history of winning trophies - meant fuck all when he was about to get us relegated.

Poch's won fuck all but has achieved SO MUCH MORE with establishing us as a force.

Isn't this obvious?

A force for what exactly?

 

[am_yisrael_chai]

A force for what exactly?

Good ?

 

[jaewalka]

Or we could've won comfortably and had no more injuries at all? That's just as likely a scenario. You can't just never play your best players because you're terrified of them getting injured.

On a different tack, if we had lost 10978 players injured against Palace and had to play Watford with an even more depleted squad, one thing that annoys me is that we seem to have absolutely no plan B of how to play. Today we kept tikki-takka-ing it around the box like we usually do, only without any of the talented players who usually make that system work. Palace meanwhile sat back, hit us on the break and could've had more goals if it hadn't been for Foyth and Sanchez doing good work.

Why can't we play differently? If we're genuinely down to the dregs, why can't we be the ones who sit back, nice and compact, make it difficult for the opposition and make use of the likes of Moura and GKN on the break?

We're so wedded to one system. Totally unwilling and unable to change even when the situation so obviously demands it.

This is spot on.

 

[Gassin's finest]

As a wise old Owl once said:

https://www.football365.com/news/premier-league-boss-slams-naive-pochettino-critics

“If the be-all and end-all of your ability is have you got a trophy to your name, I find that hard to understand,” he said. “It’s so naive in terms of what the job of being a football coach is all about.

“Unfortunately you are just dooming 97-to-98 per cent of all the people working in football as failures because they may not have a chance of winning a trophy.
“What about the Rotherham manager (Paul Warne)? Is he going to be a hopeless manager all his life who never wins a trophy?

“People should sort of wise up to what football is today and stop talking about trophies.

“They should look at the fact (Pochettino’s) taken over a Tottenham team who, really and truly, are having their longest spell as being considered Premiership title contenders, Champions League contenders, bringing through loads and loads of homegrown players.

“What’s a trophy got to do with it?

“He’s good. Anyone who watches football and watches Tottenham play would have to be an admirer of the way they play football, and the way they go about their business.

“The manager has an integral part in that. So, as far as I’m concerned, if you’re only going to call managers who have won a trophy any good, then basically you have four or five.”

 

[Gassin's finest]

View attachment 44720

He said "speak English..."

 

[JCRD]

Its funny because we havent got in anyone over the last window we are now in a position where we need to bring in three or four in my view... I dont want to get into the intricacies of who what where when why and dont care if Poch has a specific list as that would be on his head

I dont think we should be bringing anyone this window, lets go with what we have, now that the cups are out the way we can focus on the league, get CL... then this summer really go for it and bring in the three or four players or even five players needed.

Poch needs to be there, we need to get into the stadium and next season we start like we mean business BUT this will only work out if Levy also supports Poch 100% and gets who he wants and who we need

 

[Gassin's finest]

Its funny because we havent got in anyone over the last window we are now in a position where we need to bring in three or four in my view... I dont want to get into the intricacies of who what where when why and dont care if Poch has a specific list as that would be on his head

I dont think we should be bringing anyone this window, lets go with what we have, now that the cups are out the way we can focus on the league, get CL... then this summer really go for it and bring in the three or four players or even five players needed.

Poch needs to be there, we need to get into the stadium and next season we start like we mean business BUT this will only work out if Levy also supports Poch 100% and gets who he wants and who we need

Jermain Defoe is still playing!

 

[fluffybunnyuk]

bbc : "Pochettino says his team is "doing so well" despite a second cup exit in four days. "

bunny: Lets hope his team arnt "doing so well" every year.

I get fed up with nothing to chase for the rest of the season.

 

[Gassin's finest]

bbc : "Pochettino says his team is "doing so well" despite a second cup exit in four days. "

bunny: Lets hope his team arnt "doing so well" every year.

I get fed up with nothing to chase for the rest of the season.

Race for 3rd!

 

[parj]

Reading a lot of these posts I sometimes think we have a sugar daddy or the highest revenues in the premier League.

We gave been shit pretty much most of the time between 1991 and 2010. Let's be honest. We had a week backbone and Sir Alex never feared us even when we were "good". We have flirted with being the best of the rest for a while now. But in the background Levy has building a true platform for us to take the next step with new training ground and stadium.

Poch comes in and turns us into a team with a spine. We actually play very good football, when Poch decides to play his football, and are regularly challenging top 4. Without a stadium, without the revenues and without any recent history for a top young player to want to really come to us.

This season has been fcuked up. Every game has been away. No signings. 32 injuries this season. And the dumb luck that we had 9 players in the semi finals of a world cup. We are still in top 4 and champions League. Made semi finals of carabao cup where our 3 main scorers were out and still took them to penalties.

I don't doubt Poch. He is the fcuking man. I get pissed off when he plays negative against perceived better teams and lack of plan B, but when he backs himself and his plan B we usually win. When was the last time anyone under 40 could honestly say that we had a manager as good as our better than Poch? That includes George Graham who won a lot of League title and cups with Arsenal.

This is that rough time we need to get through. We need to step up. If Sissoko can step up, so can we.

 

[spursfan77]

After reading his full quotes I wonder if this is what he meant earlier in the season when he spoke about perception and reality?

“We are going to create a debate that to win a trophy is going to help the club,” he said. “I don’t agree with that. That only builds your ego. In reality the most important thing is being consistently in the top four and playing in the Champions League. That is going to help the club to achieve the last step.
“The club is doing fantastically well. It’s so successful. In the last four or five years we’ve been fighting in different ways to achieve what the club needs, to be in the level of Chelsea, United, City, Arsenal or Liverpool. People wish we could win some trophies. But, being realistic, we are a team not built to win titles still.”
Pochettino should have Son Heung-min, back from the Asia Cup, available for Wednesday’s game against Watford at Wembley. “It’s true, this season has been tough,” he said.
“But to be a contender is always difficult for us. Now the realistic targets are trying to be in the top four, to try and be close to Manchester City and Liverpool and reduce the gap. Another is to try to beat Dortmund and be in the next round.
“That will be tough. We are competing against a team who are doing fantastically well in Germany, who are top of the table and have come back off their [mid-season] holidays. They are all fresh and we are the opposite. But we have to be positive. We are still in two competitions, in a good position in the Premier League and the Champions League, which is a massive motivation for the club. We have to be strong.”

 

[rossdapep]

As a wise old Owl once said:

https://www.football365.com/news/premier-league-boss-slams-naive-pochettino-critics

I think Roy is spot on here and trophies are not the be all and end all, especially for us and when you consider who we are competing with. But when you reach a semi-final and continuously come up short, even when the opposition are perceived to be weaker than you, it does feel very deflating and another missed opportunity.

Poch has worked wonders with this club and he's brought a lot of pride back into the club. We are up their competing and we've been better than we've ever been in my lifetime. I certainly wouldn't trade it for where we were previously.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want an FA Cup or League Cup to add to the cabinet, especially if we are just going to be trying to stay in the top 4 for the near future.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

to get over the line you need some luck

his 1st season we managed to get to the Final, but had to face Chelsea not that easy at the time

3rd season we get to the Semi's we have to face Chelsea, okay the other 2 opponents were tough ones being Man C and Arsenal

4th season we get drawn v Man U, a bit of luck would of seen us play Southampton

5th season we play Chelsea, with a little bit of luck we would of played Burton

now if we had lost to an easy opponent in every big match then perhaps his talent could be questioned. the only time he did something really weird was playing Son as LWB




with Davies going off earlier bringing on another sub in the 1st half isn't the best thing to do, and had he done that and a 3rd before Sissoko got injured we would of only had 10 men

So basically, we’re just unlucky every single time?

 

[buckley]

Cups for kids.
Champions league for grown ups.
I have never been so happy with spurs and incidentaly do you think that if Alderwield ; Kane ; Son; Ali ; Winks ; Sissoko: Rose ; Aurier ; had played we might have won this match .
My fear is that the fans that feel entitled to win cups will drive Poch out with their bitterness.
There are two cups and the league to win silverware there is a chance that City will win them all and with that scenario where does that leave the other 91 clubs ? the only club that seems to be singled out for not winning a shiny thing is spurs.
This is a media led vendetta by most of the media and it suits their narrative to single out spurs . Myself for one have enough sense to ignore the media especially sky ; BT ; BBC ; ITV ; so called pundits who apart from A few are failed in management and some failed dismally so why should I take note of there views.
I also notice that Klopp has not won anything and guess what not a word of complaint by the pundits.
To sum up the media in general for whatever reason has not a good word to say about spurs which fits the anti spurs agenda.
I will say That Holt and Savage and Hodgson had some sensible views on spurs but the anti spurs clamour gathers pace .
Will Poch have the guts and the Character to ignore the naysayers I think he is a man of "true grit" and will come thru all this media mayhem and lead us to success .
By the way most of the people saying we "must win a Cup" are the younger fans and as the saying goes they must "get your knees brown"before comment.

 

[dagraham]

The question for me is not necessarily do we the fans consider trophies important, but do the players?

Both our current top players that we want to keep and players that we are looking to recruit?

Yes money as always is key, but players do want medals to look back on at the end of their career.

 

[Seafordian Spurs]

The question for me is not necessarily do we the fans consider trophies important, but do the players?

Both our current top players that we want to keep and players that we are looking to recruit?

Yes money as always is key, but players do want medals to look back on at the end of their career.

Quite. Our current core/spine are being sold the angle the T4 consistency now will yield pots in the medium term future.. And, of course, give them a major platform to show off how good the are to the rest of the universe in the Champions Leauge..