With new Tottenham Hotspur gaffer, Nuno Espirito Santo, experiencing his first real struggles with performance levels and results in recent matches, it was a change of pace on Wednesday evening as he returned to Molineux to face former club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup.
It was an unexpectedly bright start from Spurs and 25 minutes in we had a two goal advantage following efforts from Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Kane and it looked like we might take some real confidence into Sunday’s North London battle with Arsenal.
Sadly not as Wolves hit back to take the game to penalties and even though we secured a 3-2 win, it was again more of a sense of relief than a reemergence of any real form.
Although we head to the Library with a three point advantage, form is clearly on their side as they come into the tie looking for their third win on the spin, so with derby day tensions on top, it takes a brave man to try and predict this one – but with a reaction expected from the players, there would be little sweeter than travelling home with a win from this one.
I’d give Nuno till Thursday to show that he can adapt. Maybe the Villa match if there are signs of improvement. That would be it. We need a manager who can make the most from the lot we have.
As to Espirito Santo–I’m in the “give the man a reasonable chance” camp. this was one screwed over team when he arrived. If he’s not up to it, we’ll know for sure in two months. That’s enough time. Until then I’m no inclined to blame him–except for the stupidity to come into this dysfunctional situation. Our players haven’t been able to play seriously for four managers now–the final weeks with Poch, Mourinho (who only knew how to worsen the situation), Mason (who could succeed in those circumstances), and Nuno ES (who might yet prove that he’s not up to it).
If Nuno ES is fired today, what reasonable replacement would want to come here? It would be like marrying a known wife beater. Word to the next possible manager: if we start a search today: beware. Only a glutton for punishment would want this job today.
Arky…..I’m not sure such a manager exists who can get a tune out of this lot, some of the best have tried and failed!
Alternative theory: maybe the problem is the supporters. LOL. Replace us and all will be well. The team will march out of Hades without looking back. If only the supporters changed to having a more positive outlook. Therein lies the reason for the lousy football we’ve been watching. Yeh. That’s it. It’s us who are to blame. The lads running about in short pants have been perfect.
Mine and many more’s opinion, Kane has been poor for us every game so far, but lets be honest he hasn’t really lit up the pitch playing for England also, what is wrong? I have no bloody idea! he has just become a “Bertie big bollox” and a rift is forming in the changing room.
Talking of changing rooms, there is a whisper that Nuno has lost it already, bloody hell if true, record breaking time, we are truly in a mess! COYS
Hullo TK, only a glutton for punishment will turn up for the next three months to see this shower. 1-0, down and every players’ head dropped. Look at it. What did Nuno do ? Cheer the lads on ? Chastise them to be the first to the ball ? Change the formation to plug the hole in the middle ? Nah, nothing. Tell me that you’d be saying the same thing if the previous manager had the same run of results. Tell me so
Harry Kane’s stock is dropping like a stone. No one is going to pay 150 million in the Jan transfer window. By next summer, he will be worth less than 100 million being a year old, possibly injured and a lack of goals. Well done Levy….great business.
Also we have Doherty, Lo Celso and Doherty on our books screwing us with their wages. Cut our losses and give them away….they are just not good enough.
We just happen to need 2 wing backs, 2 central defenders, a winger, attacking ,creative midfielder and striker plus probably a coach/manager….Nuno will not last whatever happens.
Roll on next summer. Let’s hope we are still in the Prem. I have serious doubts.
Hullo TQ2Spurs, a least a manager that tries different things to get a tune that we can hang on to ? With Nuno there is no tune. Not even a cacophony!
Ndombele–for all the talent he shows on extremely rare moments–plays 99% of the time like he resents being on the pitch. unless and until he has a shock of lightning on the road to Damascus, he’ll be a negative presence–I assume both on the pitch and elsewhere. Perhaps he’s the real team leader, leading us into indolent refusal to give a damn.
We don’t need a manager. We need an exorcist to toss out the evil spirits. It’s spreading. The few who played their hearts out last year are becoming suspect. The new lads will become infected. Urgent care needed to protect those who are not yet ill from those who are carrying the negativity virus. It’s far worse than mere COVID.
Life for many players on our roster is an opportunity for not giving a damn. Blighters. Let several of them train with the under eights youth team. If we don’t have one, we need to start one for the infantile selfish don’t give a damners. Clean them out now. I’d be happier to see the 17 years olds who are hungry to prove themselves.
Nuno? Till the end of November to show he’s getting threw to the players. If not, start a search in December or give is to Mason until May. That can become a routine until Mason finally has enough experience.
… getting through to the players. not “threw”, LOL. I’m so gutted with indolent players of the pitch I can’t keep my mind on the typingl
Freudian slip TK?
There’s a fair few that need throwing out! :- )
Indeed, this is a candidate for interpretation as a Freudian slip. lol
Hi BS,
Re the assist as I said before I was being tongue in cheek. You know a bit of a joke
HK didn’t show for our first two games this season
He hasn’t scored in the premiership.
He hasn’t been at his best this season, for me looking quite a bit off the pace.
He may be getting a bit of focus on this site, but he is(or was) to a degree Mr Spurs.
I’m only calling as I see it.
However I will defer to HT’s post of 1:17 and TK’s I feel they articulated the point very well without me going round the block yet again.
I don’t know why Kane is off the boil, I just think it is a coincidence that he was strongly linked to a transfer, didn’t get it and has (for me) been on poor form ever since, by his standards.
I did say about him downing tools like Moderic or Ericsson, and perhaps, I am to a degree justifying my prediction, but even if I am wrong, he still ain’t playing well.
I seriously don’t see what’s the point in all this giving out like spoiled brats. Daniel Levy’s masterplan is to deliver the league title to this club in 2022/2023 season and he’s on track,one slight problem its the championship title he’s gunning for.
nice one, Pauric, but at least a championship title would get us back to the top league.
Harry Kane is allowed a drop in form. Question is if we can set him up to rediscover his sharpness. Do we have the manager with the tactical nous to help him achieve it? In my book he is trying. He ran 80 yards to cover for his mistake. He ran past the second bank of three to help his defenders. All three were labouring to get back. Why suddenly Harry and Son can’t find a pass to each other ?
Hi all
I was simply astounded and amazed at our performance . I have seen some bad Spurs teams but this .
However there appear to be many problems within the club which are being now floated in the press .
I have said all along Levy is the main problem since he has to attempt to make money for Enic but at the same time attemp to try and build a good footballing team .
He / the board appear to lose sight of the fact that the club is about the team so building a wonderful stadium and excellent training facilities do not make a good team . Glisters and gold spring to mind .
He has for many years failed to produce consistent footballing sides and attempts to build a team around youth , cheap buys and loanees .
Managers do not appear to want to come to Spurs I suspect because of Levy’s policies .
If Nuno is sacked who is going to come and make any difference with the team we have ?
Jose couldn’t and since he has left which players have we bought in to improve the squad ?
It is a shambles and one which Levy must take full responsibly .
Where do we go from here with this misfiring squad , a manager who I was prepared to back but is out of his depth and a chairman who expects ridiculous sums for our poor players but won’t pay the going rate for quality ?
Hugo: “We need to respond in the best way in front of our fans”
It’s as I said the other day, they always roll out someone to try to appease the fans with soundbites like this, trouble is they don’t live up to it!
We have to face up to reality as stark and depressing as it is.
Levy would not invest in players at the end of the Poch as he was preoccupied with the new stadium.
This has now come to bite him in the bvm as he has tried to buy bargain basement replacements for Dembele, Eriksen, Vertongen, Alderweireld, Walker and Rose. We now have a ragbag of no hopers plus a loss of form in our once top players.
We appoint a 6th choice coach/manager to take on the poison chalice. We have a world class striker who was desperate to leave but foiled by Levy’s stubborn intransigence. His value (never 150 million) has been falling by the day.
If Levy had seen sense, we might have signed a couple of top players (with the Kane money) to plug the huge gaps in our team and inspire the others to greater things and give the coach some optimism. Kane is going anyway..like Modric and Eriksen,
he wants greater things and obviously could sense we were going no where after Poch was sacked.
We are no longer the exciting, attractive, footballing Spurs but a desperate bunch of has beens…desperate in defence, uninspiring in midfield and impotent up front.
Levy should be ashamed of what he has done.
Levy will buy some generic brand Viagra when he hears that the players are impotent up front. As to his being ashamed? Enough evidence is in to see that he is shameless. Either that, or he’s a closeted Gooner whose doing his all to embarrass us.
God I hope I’m wrong, but HK seems to be in something more than just a bad patch.
He playing reminds me of me when my first marriage went down the drain. I was drained and pretty useless for several months. I came back though and got married many times since. lol. Does this mean HK will play for many teams in seasons to come? Maybe like CR7? Team of the year, no loyalty to anything. He cam back to Manure in middle age. Maybe Harry will play for Spurs as he turns 50.
hope this funk doesn’t require months to dissipate. A shot to shit HK isn’t a pleasure to watch.
IF Harry Kane wants to be one of the elite amongst the elite, then he needs to drag not only himself out of his on-pitch slumber but his team mates as well. A world class superstar doesn’t allow his mates on the pitch to play like crap. It makes him look bad to allow such lethargy on his team without demanding that they do better or bugger off.
If you think your team should have accepted 150 million for you, then play like you’re worth 150 million. At that value, you need to wake the whole team out of their lethargic tragedy on a pitch. Playing poorly is one thing. Playing like you’re forced labor in a salt mine is another. Have these blokes no sense of shame?
HT – I don’t believe Kane has been superb this season, no. I don’t think he was particularly good on Sunday, but I don’t think he was awful. He had a few chances and kept trying. Let’s face it, had we won that game 2-0, people would be calling his performance industrious, the same way many Spurs fans used to defend Soldado’s lack of goals citing effort. A striker’s job is to create chances and score them. Kane got 50% of that job done. Is that really awful?
Kane has set such lofty standards that anything less than a 9 out of 10 performance from him is considered sub standard. I saw his performance Sunday as being a 6 or a 7. He created 3 good chances but didn’t score on the day. That’s my honest opinion.
We can all talk about work rates etc but let’s face it: if a striker is lazy but still scores a hat trick, that’s all people will remember. Berbatov proved that point over an entire career. If Kane had scored yesterday, nobody would even be talking about his work rate.
TK – it’s fair to point out that Nuno inherited this mess, and that the mess isn’t his own making.
But to a certain extent, that’s besides the point, for me. The question going forward isn’t so much whether it’s Nuno who created this mess, but rather whether we believe Nuno can get us out of it.
Personally, I don’t think so. And the more time we waste, the farther we are from identifying the man who can fix it.