Having replaced former manager Jose Mourinho, Tottenham Hotspur’s caretaker gaffer, Ryan Mason, now heads into his fourth game in charge as we travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United in Saturday’s early Premier League kick off.
Mason’s plan against Manchester City in the EFL Cup Final didn’t quite work, but he does have victories over Southampton, and more recently, a heavy defeat of Sheffield United under his belt, so as we return to a bit more of an attacking intent, we know we will get chances against Marcelo Bielsa’s side.
Another good result puts us on the edge of being back in the battle for the top four/five places in the division and plenty of us had given up hope of that, and although their form over the last five games has tailed off, they are plucky and energetic battlers who keep running, so we’ll have to match the ugly stuff so our quality can show through.
Unless there are issues closer to the game, the only player listed as out currently continues to be Ben Davies, so all eyes to an on form Sonny, Harry and Garry.
Re my Poch comment, I think it would be a bit too soon for a comeback considering he (Poch) hasn’t really added much to his CV. However a point here or there can be dropped, it only takes a penalty or a free kick and a team drops points as we have unfortunately seen. That could happen to either team and suddenly Poch is, a French league winner or 1st of the losers.
As HT says its not exactly an uphill struggle, Lille are in the drivers seat but with 3 games that can change.
Having seen the game last night, I was a bit disgusted by the antics of the PSG players the phrase spoilt brats springs to mind, Poch definately has an attitude problem to sort out with those prima Donna’s.
Two more things struck me, whilst they are indeed full of household names and arguably world class players they were put to the sword by Man C so 1 we didn’t do too bad against em at the Carabo Cup.
2 One of City’s best players was a 36 year old Fabinho, as PY and I discussed we do need a bit of maturity through our team and need to get away from buying 19/20 Yr old all the time.
Re fixtures Westhams’
against, Brighton, Everton, S’oton, Wbrom any of those can be lost
Big Sam fights to the end, Southampton aren’t quite safe yet so need a strong finish.
Leicester and Chelsea have a tougher run, for me the danger man is Liverpool if they hit a bit of form and get their usual wee bit of luck, a soft pen, they could snatch top 4.
But look were still in the mix, just win our games and let the rest look after them selves.
Niall….there’s no doubt Liverpool ahve the easiest run in with Soton, WBA, Burnley, and Palace.
TQ …. This season has shown that any game is a potential banana skin. As Paul Simon said …. ‘Slip sliding away’!
🙂
Good game Geof, very creditable performance by Spurs against what is probably the best club side in womens world football right now. Spurs desperately need some quality attackers if we are to progress next season, we have little or no goal threat in the squad right now.
BS you seem to dislike Poch… the best coach we’ve had in years. Then you idolise Moaninho the worst coach we’ve had since One-day Ramos. Very strange priorities ….. from free flowing, exciting football to mundane, boring, defensive play. From the sublime to the ridiculous. From a smiling, supportive Poch to a dull, self- centred has been. Very strange priorities. Moaninho wasted a season with. We had a great ride with Poch and except for an early pen in the final, we could have been champions. With Moaninho, we had to put up with dismal play and demoralised players. Come back Poch at any time. Good riddance to the ghastly one. Shan’t ever see you again in the UK.
I don’t dislike MP, but I also recognise that he failed to win anything in 5 years.
I don’t idolise Mourinho, but I recognise that he has won many things in his career.
If wanting to win things is a strange priority to you, so be it. I would argue that valuing style over results is a strange priority, but to each their own.
It seems to me that to be a top coach you need loads of money and a strong presence that prima donna’s respect. They’ve all done the badges and understand the different tactical approaches. Given our new coach won’t have the money at the very least we need a strong character. Do Potter or Howe have that presence? Who has?
What a shame we missed out on Tuchel.
I hate to see Chelsea winning, but I hate to see Real Madrid winning even more. Looks like an all-England final in the CL.
Can you imagine the match today is on tellie in NYC only on a Spanish language channel?
that’s it then: citeh vs skum in CL final.
RM looks to be a spent force. That’s okay with me.
TK…they’ve allowed the core of the team to grow old, I’m not sure they have the money to replace like for like quality wise any more, that’s why they needed the super league.
Hi folks
Personally much like us V Liverpool, but to a much lesser degree, I’m delighted that we have two premiership clubs in the CL, which for me once again states that the premiership is the best league in Europe. But it does show what “sugar daddies” money can do.
TQ …. It was a good game. Full credit to Spurs for making things difficult. Keeping this Chelsea team down to two goals is no mean feat. Obviously I was very happy with the goalscorer. That should win her the GB. I agree that they are probably the best team in the world at the moment. They’ve certainly given me the most CONSISTENTLY enjoyable entertainment of ANY football team this season!
Hi Geof….It was a shame Alanna Kennedy wasn’t fit to play, she is a big miss as she is probably our biggest goal threat. She has 2 goals in contention for goal of the month for April on the THFC website.
Hi TQ …. I wondered where Kennedy was. I thought she must have been injured but must have missed the commentator mentioning it. If she’d played she knows Kerr very well but I don’t think she could have stopped her because Kerr knows her very well, too.
Geofspurs and TQ2Spurs.
I think it’s about time that you two realised that women can’t actually play football.
It’s a mans game, in a mans world!
Or so I’ve been told… 😉
Oh for the old days, HT! Watch Chelsea WSL team and experience the new days! : – )
By the way, I did say (a year or more back) that we should buy Sam Kerr as a back-up to Harry! Obviously, I was only joking at the time …. now I’m not so sure!
lol @ HT………….it’s actually quite refreshing to watch games where the participants still play for the passion of playing rather than a fat weekly pay cheque, although it has to be said, the usual suspects are now following the male model as the popularity increases and the broadcast rights are attracting higher fees.
UEFA so far seem insistent on the CL final being played in Istanbul despite Turkey going into a 20 lockdown due to massively increased covid infections. Just shows how out of touch they are to the real world. There are 4000 tickets available to fans of the two finalists so that’s potentially 8000 people travelling from and coming back to the UK after mixing with (I believe) 12000 local fans.
How can this be sensible? Can you imagine 4000 shed end Chelsea supporters self-isolating when they return?
* 20 day lockdown
For me the one man can only be Diego Simone, this guy will put the shits up our players.
Simeone
Someone?!
123….we’ve been linked with Conte who would probably be the same, problem is, how are todays pampered players going to respond to being bullied?
Just seen the Conte link, is this not a bit of “out of the frypan into the fryer”, for me his philosophy is much the same as Mourinhos’ strong defence, workman like, get a goal and defend it.
Is he what we would want after the Mourinho tenure?
No doubt he has won at very high levels but is, for me, too similar to Mourinho in his playing style and attitude.
Just not for me currently.
Conte? To Spurs after just leading Inter to their first title in 10years…..lazy journalism to me.
I think it comes from the fact that Inter, despite doing well ion the pitch, are very much struggling financially and the owners are looking to sell.
Several of their top players are due to leave this summer to raise funds for the club, and so some journalists are wondering whether Conte would want to stay through a rebuild.
Even if that were true, Conte still won’t be coming Spurs.
Personally, I don’t even think Conte would be a great fit. If Spurs fans didn’t like Mourinho’s defensive style, Conte isn’t far removed from that.
But it still wouldn’t surprise me to see both Conte and some important players leave Inter this summer.
Put all players on the minimal wage with a very large bonus for a win and they won’t even need a manager! : – )
Seems Spurs saving 9 million a year with JM’s signing at Roma.
The Inter manager coming to Spurs? Tony Conte? Antonio? Something like a 3-1-4-2? Only Doherty can benefit from this as a high wingback. I cannot say that I can muster much enthusiasm for this possibility. But rumours abound.