We are getting our team back....slowly

[SteveH]

Think you are being a bit over optimistic here.

IMO over the last 2 summer TW's we've brought in 14 players - and shipped out a lot who had been here for some time and with that lost a lot of players identified with and, as importantly a number of those players had played together for a few years and played like a team.

AVB couldn't make the players he brought in look like a team, and Poch was struggling at first but - as you say - he started to build the team around Kane, Mason, Eriksen, Bentaleb, Davies, Lloris - and Walker has always been enthusiastic about the team (as have a couple of others such as Townsend) so he will join that group too - and from the picture of Vertonghen celebrating yesterday, its another to join that group.

So I agree that Poch is starting to put together the nucleus of a team who will work and play for each other (which is a vital step) but think there is still a lot to do to get the team to look as effective as it did against Everton on a continual basis - which includes developing tactics, bringing new players and bringing through more youth who will delight in playing with the nucleus of players we now have.

Still a long way to go - but just bringing in another hardworking goalscorer to play alongside Kane (and/or insted of him as no player wull be able to play all the games) would make us look a lot better and paper over a few of the other cracks

Spot on
It was always going to be tough. We need a a new centre forward as matter of urgency.

 

[JonnySpurs]

Credit to the OP for trying to stay positive, which in amongst our fanbase is near on impossible these days.

No doubt about it, you'd have to be bonkers to think that we're playing well at the moment and I don't think ANY of us are suggesting that we are, including the OP. Sure, we've seen glimpses of quality but it is surely apparent to everyone that our biggest problem is the overall balance of our squad and it is this which is preventing us from establishing a consistent style of play.

In Poch I see a man that is clearly trying different things to find the best interim solution as we traverse the first half of the season. He knows as well as we do that this isn't the finished product and that there is so much more to be done. There's no doubt that we've dropped points where we shouldn't have but we've also won points where we shouldn't have, yesterday being a good example. The reality is that we are fairly well placed in the league despite us ALL knowing that things are far from where they should be. Personally that fills me with huge optimism.

It's fair to say that right now if we can't be good then we have to be lucky. However, some would say that you make your own luck and I personally feel that working your tail off is a good way to do that. Some fans think Vertonghen isn't playing well of late, I dont agree, I see a man who is playing with a huge amount of effort and passion and whilst skill might be lacking in some areas, I'll take the hard graft all day long - we didn't get that from him last season. Harry Kane is a prime example of a player that is making things happen by working as hard as he can.

Bottom line, until we can learn how to win well (which we will) then we have to just try and win full stop. It might not be pretty to watch but right now all that matters is the end result. I wouldn't normally say that but I have every faith that the good football will follow so until then I'm happy to enjoy our work rate and results like yesterday are the reward for that effort.

 

[prawnsandwich]

Eriksen is averaging almost twice as many tackles per game this season than the last. He's still inconsistent with it, but so are most of our players.

I have been saying for some time that he is working harder but losing a bit of creativity. I also think that it is either Eriksen or Lamela-not both in the same team. And of course if you are a Lamela supporter you must decry his rival. Same as Soldado's supporters and Ade.
Hopefully Sol and Lamela can contribute more to Spurs in coming games.

 

[THFCSPURS19]

. And of course if you are a Lamela supporter you must decry his rival. .

Fucking hell. You do spout shit sometimes. Name one person who supports Lamela that has complained about Eriksen.

 

[prawnsandwich]

Fucking hell. You do spout shit sometimes. Name one person who supports Lamela that has complained about Eriksen.

Are you for real? Read this thread.

 

[parklane1]

There are good signs for sure but its still early, it was never going to happen overnight ( no matter what the knee jerkers believe) There is still a lot of work to do but anyone who thinks it should have happened already are wrong ( imo).

 

[HW61]

I've kept radio silence for a few games because it's so easy to spout off negative crap following a poor performance.

I understand the sentiment of this thread. However, what concerns me is that I have seen little improvement in the style and standard of play. A few of these late winning games reminded me of the final months of Bale at spurs. We collected points due to individual moments of brilliance rather than a general flow of higher quality football. Bale was devastating. Eriksen is not as visually epic on the eyes but his quality has really showed at important times. It hides a reality of what is truly on show.

Quite frankly I have found Spurs so boring to watch. I just haven't enjoyed watching our team at all this season. When Poch was appointed I thought that at least we would be watching some expansive entertaining football. Let's be honest, we haven't seen any this season. Yes I accept the QPR game was fine against a very poor team and we played high octane football against Everton although limited in quality. But that's been it.

Poch simply doesn't have the players to play his brand of football. Yet he won't adapt to the players we have. I am frustrated at the complete lack of width in our game and unwillingness to spread the play. There's an obsession to play through the middle with no variation. I've seen so little team play in the last half dozen games it worries me. Swansea zipped the ball around. We just didn't. A quality striker is an absolute must, possibly of the Bony ilk. But I don't trust Levy to deliver on that front.

I'm happy to continue to support Poch because under the existing Levy set up, any other coach would face the same problems. However, to say there's slow progress is not showing itself to my eyes.

I hope in a couple of months I'll feel differently.

 

[Spurger King]

I've kept radio silence for a few games because it's so easy to spout off negative crap following a poor performance.

I understand the sentiment of this thread. However, what concerns me is that I have seen little improvement in the style and standard of play. A few of these late winning games reminded me of the final months of Bale at spurs. We collected points due to individual moments of brilliance rather than a general flow of higher quality football. Bale was devastating. Eriksen is not as visually epic on the eyes but his quality has really showed at important times. It hides a reality of what is truly on show.

Quite frankly I have found Spurs so boring to watch. I just haven't enjoyed watching our team at all this season. When Poch was appointed I thought that at least we would be watching some expansive entertaining football. Let's be honest, we haven't seen any this season. Yes I accept the QPR game was fine against a very poor team and we played high octane football against Everton although limited in quality. But that's been it.

Poch simply doesn't have the players to play his brand of football. Yet he won't adapt to the players we have. I am frustrated at the complete lack of width in our game and unwillingness to spread the play. There's an obsession to play through the middle with no variation. I've seen so little team play in the last half dozen games it worries me. Swansea zipped the ball around. We just didn't. A quality striker is an absolute must, possibly of the Bony ilk. But I don't trust Levy to deliver on that front.

I'm happy to continue to support Poch because under the existing Levy set up, any other coach would face the same problems. However, to say there's slow progress is not showing itself to my eyes.

I hope in a couple of months I'll feel differently.

Sums it up for me. We played pretty well against Southampton too, but I was expecting some signs of progress. It didn't take AVB long to get us looking tighter. It took Sherwood even less time to get us playing more direct. I couldn't even tell you what style of play Pochettino is trying to get us playing.

Perhaps that's the point, and the changes he wants to make will take longer to become tangible, but will have a longer lasting effect. Unfortunately right now that's entirely hypothetical, and we could just as easily be being taken down a blind alley.

 

[double0]

Poch needs to be given a few transfer windows first before we can really judge him, at the minute, we're no playing flowing football but (as of 15th Dec 2014) are still in all the cup competitions 4 pts of CL position.

 

[WiganSpur]

I think people were expecting too much from the Swansea game.

It was after a long trip to Turkey, and it's such a cliche but The Liberty really is a tough place to go. The most important thing was that we won the fucking game, and we did. We were patient, stayed in the game, didn't cave after the equaliser and took most of our opportunities with a bit of quality.

If United, City, Chelsea etc went there I actually don't think they would have done much better. People can't expect a work in progress to perform every single week. Therefore I am not too concerned by our away performances, you can't just expect to rock up at places and collect 3 points with swashbuckling football all the time.

Our priority for now should be to find a way to deal with 10 men behind the ball in front of an impatient WHL crowd. Newcastle, WBA, Palace, Stoke are the reason why we're playing catch up. Hopefully Walker back can help a little.

 

[Tit&Ham]

I agree with threadstarter.

We have players to love: Lloris, Eriksen, Kane
We have youngsters who may be future stars: Mason, Bentaleb
We have young players who should be future stars (not showing much now though): lamela, townsend

We have a young manager who is likeable.

We have supporters starting to sing at the matches again.

I'm loving life now compared to a couple of months ago! Give it time and get rid of the deadwood...