Vital Spurs Debate Section

Match Thread – Spurs Need To Throw Caution To The Wolves & End With Some Momentum

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With an embarrassing performance in the defeat to Leeds United in our last match, Tottenham Hotspur now have three more chances to try and end, what has ultimately been a disappointing 2020/21 campaign, on a high as we welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to White Hart Lane.

After so much early promise when we were challenging well on all fronts, the wheels well and truly fell off after the turn of the year, and even the relative high points have still been tinged with disappointments given our inconsistent, pragmatic approach to attacking.

It’s going to be a difficult, but big and important summer, for Spurs – the main question for fans will be answered by the next managerial appointment. Get that right and there will be renewed hope of the type of player turnover most seem to want, get that wrong and many will take it as a sign that nothing has changed and certainly, that nothing has been learned.

Wolves first, Aston Villa next and then Leicester City for the curtain closer.

To Dare Is To Do, so will we do just that?

Wolves

Win

Draw

Lose


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  • PompeyYid says:

    First maybe lol! Come On You Spurs.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Will we do just that?……… We probably will now it’s too late to be of any use although I guess we still have an outside chance of making EL next season.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    You only beat me by a whisker PY! 🙂

  • PompeyYid says:

    After all the excitement…not! Thanks Danny for another match thread, you have done a wonderful job all season, so many thanks again.

    Wolves up next then, will we show some teeth and win, I certainly hope so.

    This bloody miserable season is nearly at and end, along with our own misery, and maybe we will get some good changes in the running of our football club, which in turn will bring back a smile on our boatraces.

    Am not counting my Cockerels but just hoping that lessons have been learnt, and we now start a new era in Spurs history. COYS

  • TK says:

    PY,

    My misery at least is tempered by knowing that José Mourinho is gone gone gone, long gone.

    Now I hope that we can find a new manager who will instill not tactics and formations only, but a sense of pride in being a professional playing on THFC.

    Seeing players not trying, but merely putting in an appearance is much worse than seeing our team lose after putting in a real effort. I want effort, intelligence, flow, and honesty in my team. That’s enough to make me a happy old man. (At least when it comes to football. I’d like to see some justice and decency in the world, too, but that’s a far stretch compared to getting 11 men in short pants to put in an honest day’s effort.)

    • PompeyYid says:

      TK, you are so right there, what you write about regards wants from your/our team is probably what all of us want, plus of course “winning” lol! COYS

  • 123spurs says:

    Must win game, imagine arsenal finishing above us are they were in relagation fight and spurs were once top of the league.

  • 123spurs says:

    TK seems the players haven’t changed since jose left either.

  • Niall D says:

    Thanks Danny for the thread.
    I think the problem is that we have had to suffer this dross now for two seasons, almost 3 calender years and 3 mamagers, that’s actually what makes it so bad, no new dawn with a new stadium or no new beginning with a new manager (twice).
    It is hard to remember that this season we were once top of the league, cup finalists, personally I just feel I’m regurgitating the same crap in a different way, talk about Sisyphus (TK).
    Maybe we need a Periclese, but will end up with Jon Cleese.
    I do disagree with TQ just a bit one man in the right place be it a player or manager can turn a team around.
    I’m not saying winning a league but to make us competitive and at least in the race.
    Don’t have much to write about the game, would like a good performance, but in reality don’t have much heart for it anymore as it means little, maybe it is as (I think) Geof or BS said we are mid table and we as supporters are expecting too much, here’s to top 6.

    • TK says:

      Niall, Maybe we need Pericles but will end up with John Cleese–love the line, mate. Put a big smile on my face.

  • PompeyYid says:

    Niall, our fans wants and expectations has over my 60+ years a Spurs supporter increased almost to the rediculous, and with that comes pressure for the Club itself.
    I am not saying expectations are wrong because they are not, but I believe we have to step back a little and realise our expectations are unrealistic esp at this moment in time.

    What do we want to see?
    Is it changes in the hirachy above the team?
    Is it entertainment no matter the result?
    Is it a manager/coach who can take us forward given the time? then if not fast enough fans start on him with their to high expectations.
    Is it a competitive team?

    So do we come back to the fans expectations of Spurs being to high?
    I also have to ask…does the modern fan and his expectations have any patience.
    Or are we finally at the end of our tether.
    Are we ready for a “New Dawn” AGAIN! COYS

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Morning guys (and gals?), feeling relieved this morning as I had my second jab yesterday and not suffering any after effects this time. 🙂

    Do we expect too much? I don’t think so, expectations are based on ability to compete in financial terms so we would expect to be competing with clubs of a similar income. When we see our club being outperformed by clubs like Wet Spam and Leicester who have a lower income by some margin you have to question the management, recruitment, and coaching of the team.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    I’m feeling somewhat disllusioned as a consumer this morning after reading about the TV rights for the next three years. The current PL contract with the various broadcasters saw a 10% fall in the bidding when it took place a while ago, research has suggested that the value of these rights have peaked not just in England but in Europe generally.

    The PL are being allowed to roll over the current contract at the same rates for another three years (up to 2025) because they feared there would be another fall in bids, possibly by more than the 10% in the last round, which would reduce their income.

    Surely this is wrong, shouldn’t market forces determine the value of these contracts? It’s the same old story, the little man (consumer) who is being shafted by having to pay inflated subscription fees to view the content so that the clubs (many owned by the super rich) can continue to pay obscene wages to their players while the average covid affected fan has to either cough up or go without.

  • Niall D says:

    Good point there TQ, I mentioned this sometime ago, the first W/Ham and New Castle results have come back to haunt us as we would be in and around top five if we had ‘ve gotten those two wins.
    However this doesn’t help our current predicament, it’s just that our form particularly since Christmas has been atrocious with only a few shards of decent performances here and there against lesser sides.
    Is this the Jose effect, or is it indeed much deeper.
    But I do have to agree we should be better than Leicester and W/Ham.
    Just looking for answers m8, and there don’t appear to be any. 🙁

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    I think it’s a combination of factors Niall, there is no doubt for me that there was a drop in form under Poch following the disappointment of our CL final defeat, I think the players were mostly shattered not just by the experience but from all of the physical effort that had gone into not just that campaign but also by our international players extended participation at the world cup in 2018.

    It was at this point we should have refreshed the squad by bringing in some new energy and better quality but for whatever reason we didn’t, whether this was down to Poch not wanting the players that were obtainable or because the club couldn’t/wouldn’t stump up for his targets we’ll probably never know.

    There is absolutely no doubt that Jose’s outdated methods were as much a contribution to his failure at the club as were the players performances whether this be down to his tactics, their own shortcomings, poor man management, or a combination of these and other factors.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    HT….where are you? I know you are inclined to avoid the negativity that usually abounds on here following a defeat or poor performance but I personally miss your input, I’m sure others do too.

  • TK says:

    Just read a story in some place called talkSPORT. Says that Bales’ agent, some fellow called Jonathan Barrett said that he told the club to let him play his own game, not tell him to do this or that and treat him like Messi or Ronaldo, and you’ll see.

    Think this story has it right? Bale’s agent saying that Bale is such a star that he cannot be told to fit into the tactics and strategy that the club is playing, that he’s such a super star that we’ve got to let him do whatever it is that he wants because he’s a galactic like Messi or Ronaldo?

    Wow! I guess that’s why he often has gone stretches of time when he simply doesn’t seem to be participating in marking someone on defence. No wonder i found myself shouting at the tellie for Bale to go out and mark that man coming in on the wing. If we are to believe this story, Bale is simply to big a star to be asked to help defend.

    Anyone think this story is credible? If is is… Well, you can fill in the blank.

    If I’m right that football largely is about flow and space, can we afford a player on the pitch who won’t attend to the plans for disrupting what the other team wants to do when flowing into the spaces that they want?

    I was hesitant to write this, because someone could, I suppose, construe this comment as possibly providing some support for Mourinho. But I would guess that Bale’s agent would have made the same comment no matter who the manager was. Mourinho or no–and I don’t like his approach to tactics–a team needs to have 10 players in the outfield who are playing to the same plans, or nothing will work. Some sports might work with a bunch of chaps running about, but football is a TEAM sport, and all 10 have to pitch in on the pitch. One bad apple–forgive the triteness of the expression–rots the lot, be it Aurier, Dier, or dear Mr Bale.

    Just wondering out loud. What a way to wake up to read Bale’s agent saying he’s to big to have to listen to the team plans for a match.

    • TQ2Spurs says:

      It’s a bit of a conundrum isn’t it TK. Having a player of Bale’s (Neymar/Messi/Mbappe) quality usually requires having a trade off whereby the rest of the team work that little bit harder to cover them while hoping they are going to produce that bit of magic that will win them the game. It doesn’t work in every game but looks good when it does.

  • TK says:

    By the way, I’d be unhappy if Spurs ever signed Neymar. He obviously does whatever he wants on the pitch, thinking that his magic will outshine all the other problems he produces by going off on his own, the team plans be damned. I found I was relieved when Neymar got injured as missed matches for the Seleção do Brasil. The team as a whole played far better when he was sidelined.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Quiet on here today!

    Gossip is linking Poch with an attempt to sign Ndombele for PSG, he has apparently been reluctant to approach Spurs to sign players out of respect. Wouldn’t be a bad move for me if we could get close to what we paid for him, I’m sure we could invest the money better.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    Talking of Jonathan Barnett…….apparently he is also the agent of 18 year old midfielder Eduardo Camavinga who is highly rated by many. If Levy has a good relationship with JB it could work to our advantage.

  • TK says:

    So long as Barnett doesn’t tell Camavinga that he doesn’t need to mark his man on defence but just to “do his thing” because he’s another Messi/Ronaldo in the making.

    I don’t care if you’re the biggest star in the cluster, you need to keep in mind that you’re one of 10 playing in the outfield and you have to fulfill your role.

  • TQ2Spurs says:

    What do we think of the links to Joachim Andersen? A good age with PL experience – 6′ 4″ with pretty good figures for defensive headers which is something we have been poor at for a couple of seasons at least. Could make a good partnership with Rodon, Ben White would also be a good signing, it doesn’t look like we will have any luck getting Skriniar.

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