Tottenham v Newcastle (Sunday 25 August 16.30)

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Some really valid points by most on here. One paced, no intensity and one dimensional. We start games at a snail's pace knocking it round the back and back to hugo. However much we all love poch this is AVB football. Shit possession based football. I'll stand by what I've always said, the best attacking football we had week in week out was with redknapp. City and liverpool go for the throat. We need to be more direct in our attacking play
 
Listening to Poch in that interview, something isn't right behind the scenes, it's obvious.

Really worried for us honestly at this point.

We looked extremely easy to defend against today. Not enough teamwork, too much giving it to one player and hoping he can take it on/ make something happen.

It's early days but the team needs cohesion. It also needs to stop giving away the first goal, it's needlessly sloppy and instantly puts pressure on us out of what seems to be gormless behaviour. How he gifted Joelinton that much space today I will never know. One up front, one stay on the man the other anticipate and cover sharp movement on him. I like Davinson but for me he's running out of time before we need to think about him having the smarts for it, it happens too frequently for a player playing at a top 4 team.

Aside from that I was bitterly disappointed with our movement upfront. Mostly back to goal, nobody willing to run unless they thought they were going to receive the ball, nobody willing to move to fluster a rigid but determined Newcastle backline.

All will be OK but that's a pre-season mindset today, it smacked of getting out of the traps too slowly this year, burnout or just a lack of brains to calm it down instead of be too crash, bang wallop. 80% possession and 2 shots on target says it all.
 
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It's not the beginning of the end. The sky isn't falling. It all hasn't gone to shit. It was a bad result...we have those every season. We lose to a relegation candidate or two every season, usually early on or very late.

Is that good or acceptable? No. But it's not unusual.
 
If Poch does go then Levy needs to go as well as far as I am concerned.

Levy is the reason this club has not achieved success under Poch in regards to winning trophies, key moments when we should have made statement signings over the years he has been manager and he has failed him.

We would have never been a consistent top four side without Poch at the helm either, he saved Levys bacon after the AVB/Sherwood debacle.

Yes we made some top signings this season but the mismanagement around contracts, the lack of key areas like RB not being strengthend and a number of other issues alongside the past issues of failure to back him at key moments makes him just as much to blame if it all goes tits up.

A new stadium doesn't change that.

Levy will never leave, not unless the club is sold by Joe.
 
Has anyone seen anything, anything at all in these first 3 games that makes them feel like we can do big things this season?

If I woke up and found out that AVB had swapped places with Poch this season then I would not be shocked based on the level of performances
Mad some think we will finish ahead of Liverpool. Them & city on another level.
 
More to it than that.

I do want Kane to become more active. He has really changed his application since his younger years. No more channel runs. Is this a Poch application?

The Fbs are no longer a weapon in our side. They sit far deeper than they ever have and only provide width when the ball is in the final third. They are no longer making the break into the final third. Pool showed yesterday what early balls into the channels can do for a front three.

The biggest issue is our lack of a press. Since we decided to sit more, our clear cut scoring opportunities have taken a massive hit. We are relying far too much on magic strikes from stagnant build up. Gone are the days of winning the ball in the teams half and causing a ruckus. We did that today for 5 minutes and looked like we were about to break through, then we went back to sitting back.
Fullbacks sitting deeper is fine as long as the wingers stay high and wide and make runs in behind (see man city and Bayern and Juve). Son and Lucas however, are allergic to playing out wide, they're more like second strikers than out and out wingers. We also give up so much creativity by playing winks and Sissoko, who then don't do enough defensively to compensate for that. a) How often do those two pass the ball sideways to each other or a defender, or b) receive a pass and then turn their man and get goal side of him before playing a threatening pass? I'd say a) almost always, and b) almost never. Here's what I want to see from us.

Lloris

Back 4 (who gives a shit about this lot as long as Toby and Jan are in the middle)

Ndombele Dier Eriksen/lo Celso;

Lucas (sitting out on the right touchline, up on the defensive line) Kane Son (sitting out on the left touchline, up on the defensive line)

Defensive nous in the middle provided by dier, creativity and quick ball movement in the middle from Ndombele and Eriksen/lo Celso.

Width and pace mainly provided by Lucas and son, who should almost always be attempting to get goal side of their respective fullbacks via diagonal runs once Eriksen and Ndombele pick the ball up in the middle. Ultimately these passes should be going in between the CB and FB. In this system the fullbacks don't matter as much in terms of offensive output, they can sit in and halt counters and provide an option for the pass from the CB/winger/midfielders in a triangle formation to progress the ball quickly. The centrebacks shouldnt be too far apart, however the fullbacks don't tend to play close to them
 
I am not criticising other 'fans' but the usual piss their pants merchants that come out in force after a Spurs defeat that a very large number went missing the minute Moura got his third against ajax.

That's absolute bollocks and you know it, there is no way these people you are referring to "went missing" you act like some posters have a vendetta against the club and just want us to fail which is absolute bollocks, it's the opposite, they want to see us succeed, hence why they point out where we are failing and need to improve.

The only people who go missing on here are the ones who call other supporters shit for having an opinion different to them and when those supporters, who love the club, are proven right, you don't hear a fucking peep from them.

At least someone like myself can admit when I am wrong about things, good luck getting that from one of your lot.
 
Long time lurker, first time poster.

This will be controversial I'm sure but I think we need to freshen it up, and that means saying goodbye to Potch.

Its not an easy decision, but I just don't see us progressing any further under him, in fact we are going backwards.
How many PL games did we lose last season? More than ten wasn't it? Can anybody honestly see us not repeating that this season?
He got out of jail against Villa on opening day when Eriksen came on and changed the game and he hasn't learned from that as he's picked a poor team and formation today, where we were crying out for Eriksen to unlock them.

I think the heartbreak of the CL final is weighing on the players minds, and players refusing to sign contracts, Which is why I just think we need some new ideas, and we can only achieve that with a new manager.

If we keep Potch we know what we are getting, we are probably good enough for a top 4 birth, unlikely to push on and actually win anything though.

Time to gamble on a change? I think so
 
Sanchez has been our best player this game. A centerback should not have to be our best player against Newcastle.

Poch has to take a long hard look at himself because these tactics have to be put into question.
Hes fucking what now?!?
I've been wondering throughout the game if the guy is actually mentally capable of thinking about what hes doing or if he just wings every situation he finds himself in. he was crap today-made to look like a moron and shoved around like a kid by an unfit reject striker.
 
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