Is it just me or does it feel like this end of March international break has gone on forever. Never fear though, there’s only a few sleeps left until Tottenham Hotspur make the trip up to St James’ Park to face Steve Bruce’s battling Newcastle United side.
Unless I’ve missed something during my little Vital Spurs hiatus as I’m not a huge international fan, short of maybe some tiredness I don’t believe any players will return worse for wear and that should give us a decent chance to make it back to back Premier League wins again after yet another recent wobble in our form and performance levels that also saw us booted out of the Europa League.
Manager Jose Mourinho will be unable to call on Ben Davies, but we’ll have to see what the later injury update says when it comes to Son Heung-Min, Matt Doherty and Sergio Reguilon. Erik Lamela will return following suspension.
17th placed Newcastle might not have won in their last five, but they are keeping their heads above the drain and have proven tricky for plenty of sides this year, even if they aren’t exactly potent or that threatening on the attack.
As ever though, this is the sort of side that on paper we know we are capable of blowing away, yet we all season long it’s the kind of game that has been our Achilles heel and we’ve struggled to perform in.
All eyes to Sunday as we can still end what was once a promising 2020/21 campaign on a high and with something to cheer about.
Haha ha TQ I’ve been saying it for ages there are still those who don’t believe that there is, a bias for Man U, what all the TV coverage? On BBC they have something about Man U every other week on Football Focus, think on it how often has Spurs featured on that programme this season.
Between ManU and Liverpool they have the Beeb stitched up.
Niall,
When I’m traveling I find people know who Man U and Poo are, but when I tell them I support Tottenham Hotspur they give me a funny look and have difficulty pronouncing the name. Brazil, Chile, China, people know Man U and Poo, (and Chelsea), but many don’t know us. our name is a real tongue twister for lots of people. Once is a while when I say only Spurs they think I’m talking about the American basketball team. Of course, people who really follow football know us, but the non-football public does not. BBC? They’re interested in drawing an audience, and they think THFC isn’t all that big a draw as you move around the globe. The non-football people don’t hear our name.
Well….at least all of the BBC pundits thought it was a penalty to Brighton!
No joking guys…if we had Fernandes in our team Harry would be knocking in at least 40 goals a season the way he picks passes.
It was interesting listening to Jose’s post match interview on 5 live, he was asked about his reputation for closing out games when leading matches and he replied…same coach – different players. In other words he is saying what I have said a number of times, his success is based on the quality of the players he has had at his disposal previously, with the possible exception of Porto, which was just one of those one off events like Leicester winning the PL.
This suggest to me that Levy has got it wrong, he shouldn’t be chucking money at managers who have earned their reputation on the back of quality players, he should be buying quality players who don’t need much managing!
Yep TQ it’s easy to say after the game it’s a pen, but tye damage has been done. This is the old bounce of the ball I’ve been talking about, Man U and Liverpool have created this legend status and the like of the BBC have helped propagate it. Keep watching Football Focus even in these last few, weeks and, watch how often they sneak in compared to everyone else.
Re Mourinhos comments, perhaps he’s preparing his exit strategy who knows.
However whether we like it or not, history says his comments bear some truth.
But there is something wrong in a club team which has players basically saying they’re glad to be away from the club on international duty then others obviously not returning back to camp on time.
Do these guys not know who pays their exorbitant wages, that they can’t get back to club training.
Or is it so bad at Tottenham that no amount of money can lure them back.
I will say on todays game whilst Newcastle got in and about our defence, we still had as many chances on target in reality, but we were slow sluggish and pedestrian, at times lacking ideas, but we still seem to have to go out and win games, I looked at goals for both Fulham and Villa today where the defence made a mess of a back pass, when did we last get a goal like that? When did we last get away with a defo pen like ManU today.
We never seem to get that wee run of luck, mind you when you play at walking pace and don’t put the opposing teams defence under pressure, what do you expect.
Man U and Liver Poo are well known because they make a lot of money for a lot of people, and they make a lot of money for a lot of people because they are well known. Vicious cycle, that. THFC hasn’t broken into that cycle, although the number of Spurs matches on cable TV went way way up after the CL final. But it’s dropped now to what it was. Liver Poo may be even with us in the table, but they get a lot more matches on TV around the world because they’re a much better known “brand.” It’s no wonder why Manure and Poo get the breaks from the officials much more often than other teams do. They pay more of the bills. Our team needs to work hard to obtain the same level of attention and the same level of unfair calls on the pitch. That’s life. It’s like asking why white men wearing suits get better treated by the police on the streets than do dreaded-up black adolescents. Even white duchesses… well, never mind. lol.
The football gods have their own glorious plan …. and it does not involve the club at N17. So we’ve had it for this season.
TQ …. After watching Kerr play followed by our boys, I forgot all about the City game until I saw your comment. I’m going to watch it later today.
This is the most frustrating season in ‘my’ living memory!
Spurs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.
Davinson Sanchez is stealing a living as a PL centre back. If we just wanted a centre back who is big, fast and strong, but can’t think or pick a pass, we should have just held on to Cameron Carter-Vickers and saved ourselves 42 million.
Where would we be without the brilliance of Harry Kane?
BS…..CCV is wide but he isn’t that tall in CB terms, I watched a Bournemouth game recently and commented at the time that I can’t understand why he is still on our books. I can safely say he is in the right place! :- )
I have to agree though, Sanchez was awful yesterday which is so frustrating as he performed really well in his previous couple of games.
And that’s why the hated Jose mistakenly picked him for this game TQ2. Can’t blame him for that.
Stan 100%
I understand why he was picked, particularly now since I’ve noticed JM’s (apparent) limited options.
And agreed he did have a couple of decent games, I was starting to think he had turned a corner.
My issue with JM was to do with subs, who he brought on and when he brought them on.
Surely he could’ve brought Dier on, and go to a back 3 or bring him in along side Hoj, because or defence was struggling. Why bring on Bale at what 87 mins? What good is that going to do.
For the forty years I’ve been going to White Hart Lane it seems we’ve played out the same scene over and over again, like a football version of groundhog day. Ardilles said that his team could beat anyone on their day but on another day lose to anyone. You could make the same comment about almost any Spurs side over the years. If you change managers, change players, but keep having the same problem then there is something wrong with the club’s culture. Maybe the fans have something to do with it. We’ve had people on this site say they don’t care about winning as long as we play pretty football, I can’t see a United or Liverpool fan saying the same thing. Maybe that gets transmitted to the players, who knows. A club’s culture can change, Wenger’s Arsenal was very different from George Graham’s. But no manager seems able to change ours. One thing for sure, while some of our fans may not care about winning Kane and Son certainly do. I doubt either will be around much longer.
There is no question Sanchez had a very poor game but we should also remember he was playing alongside a rookie right back, who didn’t exactly cover himself in glory either, and made the initial error for the first goal by passing the ball back with Sanchez cornered and under pressure from an attacker.
We could all see that Sanchez was having a stinker during the game, why didn’t Jose react to this? As Niall has said, why didn’t he replace him with Dier, a seasoned RCB who (even on a bad day) couldn’t have been any worse than Sanchez. Jose is normally quick enough to sub off players who aren’t performing, why didn’t he do it in this case or at least change things seeing that our right side wasn’t coping?
Just to say….regardless of his performance yesterday, it is an absolute disgrace the Sanchez has been racially abused on social media after the match. I’m assuming this has come from some of our own so-called ‘fans’ who were unhappy with his performance, I want to make it clear that I don’t want to be associated with these morons in any way whatsoever.
Maybe PY was having a bad day, or 123spurs
Tom, whatever gave you that impression, lol! COYS
Having supported Spurs since the mid 1950’s, I am very dismayed and disenchanted with our current performances after the exciting times with Poch. We have had some depressing times (Oneday Ramos) and made some poor signings. However despite being in the top half of the table and in the tin pot cup, we have been guilty of playing some abysmal football. I still look forward to watching a game but my attention regularly wanders through boredom and frustration.
Levy has made the most enormous boob appointing the dinosaur when he could have tried a more modern, progressive coach. I will remain disenchanted until the morose Moanino goes. Levy needs to show his brutal side sooner rather than later.
Also, we have many mediocre/poor players who are not top 4 standard and we ned much culling. Here are a few…..Doherty, Sanchez, Bergweijn, Vinicius (only touched the ball handful of times yesterday), Winks etc.
Drastic action needed to show Kane and Son, we mean business. They are both getting closer to leaving in the summer. I will blame Moanino yet again for the disastrous performances. He never ever admits he messed up. It is always the players.
Cannot wait to fall in love with Spurs again.
I’m the same WW, I had one eye on our women’s match v Man City which was being played at the same time, if I’m honest I probably paid more attention to this game than the mens game despite the fact that there is a gulf in quality between our own and Man City’s womens squads!
There could be part of the problem in what jod says…. Pretty football is nice to see but winning PL titles and CL takes a lot more effort and mental fortitude by players manager club directors and fans. We have all seen comments over the years from Man Utd Fergie / Roy Keane / media…about how spurs are fancy dans /too weak to be serious league winners. Good for FA Cup wins not much more.
Now again we are seeing this over last 6 years…. a frustrating scenario happening. What can be done ?? a good question.
It seems JM’s, drummed into the players, “we hold what we have” tactic is risky to say the least esp’ when only having a 1 goal lead…and doubly so if the team has shown they are not suited to it.
Thus we get the old truism….to keep doing the same thing time after time with the same outcome and expecting a different outcome is the definition of insanity!
15 pts dropped from winning positions.
I have said the changing room is lost on numerous occasions, and after watching/listening to our esteemed Leaders post match interview yesterday, if he hasn’t already lost the dressing room he most certainly deserves to now.
In the interview, when asked “how does his current Spurs team lose so many points/matches from winning positions compared to his past teams who rarely did?”
His answer…”same manager different players”…implication…players fault!
Reality…”different skill set of players” “different game” “same old tactics”….managers fault.
Regards Toby n Aurier it appears they were both back on time and were seen in training on Friday. COYS
Jod 100%
Im surrounded by ManU and L/pool supporters here, I worked in a large firm probably 1000 people in it and easily 800 of em were either Untied or Liverpool. And you are right, for them it’s the win first, then the performance. The stick I got from them at the CL final, they were totally blinkered as to their performance, they won the CL that was it.
I was trying to say that I could take Mourinhos tactics, based on his Chelsea teams, which were efficient and athletic if not flashy, I could’ve lived with that for a time, if we got some success, but what we got was far from it. It wasn’t efficient or flashy, in fact it has been at times a chore and a grind to watch, with lack lustre pedestrian even negative play, a defence which lack cohesion, confidence and reliability.
We are relying on our forwards to score from very few chances, but then also to act as surrogate defenders.
WW
I couldn’t agree more with your list of players to move on.
Re our history again agreed, historically we’ve always been, the flair team, who entertained games full of oohhs and aaahhs but no banana. Many managers have came and went, marquis signings, players brought in sold for massive profits.
Maybe we do need to change our mindset, which was something Mourinho said he was going to do, but yet again this hasn’t appeared to have happened.
It just looks like we’re destined to be yet again a top 5 or 6 team.
As Stan says it can’t all be Joses’fault.
TQ
Re the comments on Dave, I Havnt seen em m8, but I’m with you re racial abuse, no room for it m8.
That’s why utd sacked Jose not only could he not deliver the title nor an attractive style of football, yes winning football matters but it’s not written in stone that non attractive football will deliver title. Its seems weird that some fans would rather put the blame on the fans who have no control over the players chosen or the tactics than the manager because of his past. Managers come and go we will always be here.
Agree with TQ2Spurs that no matter how poor the performance, there is no justification for racist abuse.
This being said, had I been in that stadium, I would have had a few (non racist) choice words for Sanchez myself – he was that poor.
It ‘s all well calling for Dier to come on, but how many times has he been slated for poor performances? If we’re honest, Eric isn’t above having a terrible game himself. Hindsight is always 20/20. Dier has been awful himself enough times this season that I can understand how JM would have no faith in Dier being an improvement on the day…
It goes back to the lack of quality we have been talking about many times.
Regardless of what anyone thinks of JM and how much he is to blame for performances like yesterday’s, he’s far from our only problem, as I have said many times.
BS…..surely having identified a problem it is better to try to remedy it rather than doing nothing? Not replacing Sanchez with Dier because he ‘might’ be worse isn’t a good argument.
The other way to look at it is potentially wasting a sub to get no better.
If JM wasn’t convinced Dier would fare better, why go ahead with that sub and limit your options for later in the game?
Yes we have criticised Jose for parking the bus to hang on to a one goal lead in the past. Rightly so when the defence had a chance of keeping a clean sheet whilst the attack had the upper hand earlier in the season. However since then we have regressed and that defence could not be trusted so parking the bus by bringing on Dier would have been the right decision on the day, but Jose blew it again. He is not motivating the players, quite the opposite, he is killing them.