Hopefully all Tottenham Hotspur fans had a good New Year’s celebration, but manager Jose Mourinho’s first team squad had the chance to make it a great start to 2021 as we welcome Marcelo Bielsa’s newly promoted Leeds United back to White Hart Lane.
Leeds don’t appear to do draws, they either win comfortably or lose comfortably and as we know, our own form is hardly predictable when it comes to what type of attacking display we might put in.
Whilst we still contend with a few knocks and niggles, having the Fulham clash postponed (at such late notice) has at least given the team a bit of an extra break and that should at least benefit us given the mental fixture list we’ve faced in the opening half of the campaign.
I don’t imagine there will be many surprises with the line up, but if you can call the first half of the season a frustrating success, let’s hope this game is a marker for how we approach the remainder of our league campaign.
Lot of talk here about how poor Leeds were but apart from those slips for long stretches of the game they played the sort of free flowing football that many here have been yearning for. Superb passing movements that could have made the game much tougher for us had they finished better. So in my book this was a good
win against a decent team which reminded me of “the good old days’ when we played some lovely football but came away with zilch.
Stan Rosenthal – “could have made the game much tougher for us had they finished better”, but they can’t. That’s why they have been described as poor. Some days it comes off for them, some days no matter how hard they run the ball doesn’t go in the net. They don’t have the quality strikers and clinical finishing a top team does, maybe if they stay in the premier league a few seasons they will get the players they still need. Then they will be a handful.
They have scored 30 goals in the PL. 1 more than Spurs. Bamford has scored 10 goals. Just 2 less than Son and the same as Kane.
Certainly Mark Twain features somewhere with the origin of that saying as apparently so do several others !!
However the low possession rate has been evident for the past few games and this statistic cannot be regarded as a mistake or a one off .
But anyone can interpret any statistic they want but I would still like the percentage possession rate , true or otherwise , to record at least 50% as it would make for a more enjoyable game and one certainly worth watching .
HT
Yes m8 a lot of old Norn Ireland Banter.
Apologies to those who didn’t get it.
Re yesterday, I hope many of us can accept that it was an improvement on our part.
Compared to what we were doing Christmas week, it is a good step forward.
With any luck we will progress.
Did anyone see the Man U pen, what Pogba does is wrap his leg around the defender and get the pen.
He did the same against us last season with Dier. Terrible play some would call it cheating.
The lies and stats quote is one of those sayings that people often use as though it were a fact. It’s not. It’s just a witty comment someone once made and is oft repeated…
Stats can of course be completely factual. Such as simple W L or D stats. Goals for or against etc…
Then it’s up to people how they are interpret those stats, given some perspective to something else that is relative to those stats.
But none of us need to know the exact percentage of ball possession to know or have an opinion on how well or not Spurs have played… Or indeed who had more control of the ball when it’s more than obvious. As it was yesterday…
It means nothing much if we just say., but we won. But it still means something to some of us if we then say., yes we won but the opposition played the more attractive football. Even though this is of course subjective.
And as Allan has pointed out, it’s a regular occurrence with Spurs now to have a low % rate of ball possession. Which can then be easily interpreted as something that is probably to do with Jose’s tactics and whether or not we see them as negative or positive…….
Ah, but we won! LOL!
For example I can agree with jod about Leeds not being clinical enough with their finishing. Why? Because although they have scored one more goal than Spurs, they have had a hell of a lot more shots on goal than Spurs have this season… But, it is still a simple fact that they have 30 to our 29! 😉
I’m just rabbiting here…. Ignore me….
A simple statistic / facts. Leeds had more % possession.. Spurs scored 3 goals Leeds did not score… Spurs won 3 points.
Time to move on. We should be happy spurs are back in top 4 of PL. Now onto next match v Brentford in the league cup semi final… a win for spurs.. and a cup final at wembley….COYS
I’ll move on when I want to move on…… But, I did say ignore me LOL!
I just find stats interesting… Sports fans throughout time have shown an obsession for them. That’s all……. But I have said on here several times the same as you have just said… We won! We did!
Niall.. I agree about pogba, slow replay showed he does the trailing leg job to perfection. Thats a good reason and with Fernandes doing his little bit as well wining a few and then scoring 15 of his last 16 penalties ! He has only been at Man Utd just one year, I don’t know of any PL player to score so many in a 12 month period / 2 halves of seasons. So that statistic shows what we all suspect about Man Utd and favouritism, since alex fergie days.
In an effort to be honest and straight up… I’m not that confident that we will even beat Brentford on Tuesday..
On the other hand, I’m certain that we will thrash Marine on the weekend……
Than again, I have my doubts that we can defeat a very good Villa team after that… But that’s just how I feel today. 🙁
100% B 108 re Man U
They get the rub of the green every time.
BTW re stats possession.
Just watched Man C put 2 past Chelsea with just 37% possession so far.
I know the game ain’t over.
But its the old stats debate..
I have to keep reminding myself that we are in a good position on the table and still in every other competition. So why aren’t I ecstatic about all this. Why doesn’t this seem to be enough. Probably because I’m content with our progress but not content with the football I’m watching. I can’t remember having such a conflict before. It’s weird. But I’ll keep reminding myself and try to convince myself that I’m really happy and enjoying the season so far.
Meanwhile, let’s hope our main opposition continue to share the points when they play each other.
I am, of course, a Tottenham supporter …. therefore I demand and expect a certain style of football that is consistent with our history, our reputation, and our club motto. Anything less that that is not good enough for me. And this has absolutely nothing to do with winning silverware. It’s purely about the team I love playing the football I love to watch.
The thing is with watching Spurs at the mo’ is that you go through every bloody emotion there is watching a game, it leaves me bloody knackered at time, not getting any younger you see lol!
Examples…up down in the chair, hiding behind the sofa, cussing, cheering, there is probably many more for each and everyone of us, I can chat to a mate via text, be negative as shit, then at the end say something like, you were right, just proves I know eff all about football lol!
ND…good its to hear your on the ball with your banter etc, I am 100% with you regards MU, am sad to say I have a couple of Mancunians to call mates, bless em lol!, I do give them shit regards all the shenanigans MU get away with lol!
Mmmm!…Stats, Chavs had a bigger poss’ % v MC but who won, its really as simple as that, the be and end all of Proff’ football is winning! whether it be for rewards, as in trophies, money, or just surviving and staying in the lucrative Premiere Lge.
Well I say…Next! lol, of course its Brentford tomorrow night, tough one but we are Spurs, so hello Cup final. COYS COYS
ND…not good its, should ave been its good, what a twat, should check what I write lol! COYS
Geof – I am also a Tottenham supporter, and I have no specific expectations on style – I only hope we do the best we can to win things.
I am well aware of the club’s tradition and motto, but I am also well aware that playing expansive, pretty football has won us 1 league cup in the last 30 years.
I will not try to argue that the style and results are mutually exclusive, nor will I argue that playing expansive, pretty football has won us nothing and therefore must be scrapped. Other teams have managed to do both, so why not us?
This being said, I’ve seen plenty of expansive, pretty football at WHL and the TH stadium in recent years.
What I haven’t seen in many years, though, is us lift a trophy.
I know what I crave more, right now.
And if that means compromising elsewhere, so be it.
Thanks for the clarification but I’d already guessed you were a Tottenham supporter. : – )
That was in reaction to what you wrote earlier :
“I am, of course, a Tottenham supporter …. therefore I demand and expect a certain style of football that is consistent with our history, our reputation, and our club motto.”
I’m not sure if that was your intention, but I read that sentence as if you were implying that Spurs supporters, by their very nature, will demand and expect a certain style of football.
I was merely pointing out that while that is very true for certain sections of our fan base, it is not a universal truth for all. In other words, you can be a Spurs fan and not put the highest priority on style – the 2 aren’t mutually exclusive.
BS …. You really felt the need to comment on that? It wasn’t even directed to you. My post was all in the first person …. surely that was clear enough. It obviously ignored the wishes of other supporters, which vary considerably, because it was simply about what I like. You, and others, can comment about what you like and I will just accept that as another view, without feeling it necessary to instigate a lengthy discussion.
I suppose we’ll just put it down to the risks of non verbal communication then. I just hate a blanket statement when I see one, and that sentence could have been read as one, from my point of view.
In times like these, with someone as controversial as JM at the helm, different sections of the fan base will see things differently. That is no problem in itself, and doesn’t mean any of them are any less Spurs fans.
Given the sometimes heated exchanges of recent days, it’s always useful to remind everyone of that, even if you yourself are convinced of it..
Regarding the Leeds game, it wasn’t a perfect performance but it was better and a job well done.
Was that Jose being more positive? The players simply responding better to his instructions? Both? Something else? We’ll never know.
I suppose that whether you blame Jose, the players or a combination of both for bad performances, those same people should be getting the credit for good ones too.
As a side note, I am very disappointed by Lamela, Lo Celso and Reguilon and I ertainly would not mind Jose disciplining all 3 heavily.
Jose even went as far as buying Sergio a fancy meal because he thought Sergio would be home alone for Christmas. Some nerve from Reguilon there.
City were away to a very good (but fading) Chelsea team. And their lower ball possession wasn’t because they parked the bus and chose for it to be that way.
They played with some great attacking football but also defended very well. And they are slowly creeping up the table.
If we are not to enjoy our football under Jose, as much as we would like to. Then winning is all we are left with, if we are to celebrate our team… This is to me, very sad.
I’m thinking of something once said by someone high up at Chelsea, when commenting on Jose…
He said something akin to; Without winning with Mourinho, what is left?
Nobody that is a declared Jose supporter (whatever the result) has said on here that they enjoyed the game. Funnily, I did quite enjoy it…
HT …. I actually quite enjoyed the game, too. But, as PY said, the games do seem to take us through the whole range of emotions. There was a time when, if the game was 0-0 at any stage, I expected to win. Now, unless it’s 2-0 with five minutes left, I’m not so sure. I think I need to get much fitter to watch our games now!
That’s right there Geof, a full 90mins fitness is now required to watch Spurs lol! I love it. COYS
lol PY
HT agreed ref Man C and Chelsea.
But I say that we didn’t “park the bus” against Leeds, but we have been guilty of that offence in other matches.
Geoff I take your point re dissatisfaction of our style of football. I too would be similar where I happy re league position, and Cup comps, but not how we are playing.
But I keep seeing games like Saturday where I can see what we’re capable of a though there is much room for improvement, I thought Saturday showed progress.
I’m wondering if JM is restricting our playing style against certain teams, perhaps against teams he shouldn’t be.
I listened to an item on TS pod cast last night, ref HK10 going to Man C.
Jamie O’Hara and the other presenter “gutted” some poor caller, but what they basically said is that medals, and I suppose trophies are completely what it’s about.
Not playing lovely fotball
Which completely backs more or less what BS says.
I would urge you to listen, I was a bit shocked at their put down nature of this caller.
God help anyone form here who posted about our playing style over trophies, with those two.
ND …. To be honest, listening to other peoples views on what they want from football is not going to change my mind about what I want/like. We are all different and I can understand where other supporters are coming from, and why, but they’re not me! : – ).
ND….Harry Winks said the same in an interview over the wkend, as in…its all about winning, most important thing, how it is achieved is irrelevant, like I said its about trophies, money/dosh, non-relegation, its modern day football.
Basically in the end it is what BS is saying, and others of course. COYS