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Manager Antonio Conte

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I have to admit, this latest extract in Ali G’s latest article did tickle me 😂

“Conte has the air of a man who has dined at Michelin star restaurants for much of his life but is now having to eat regularly at fast food chains with his family. He's smiling and going through the motions for them while always reminding them all that it's not what he's used to so they should lower their expectations about what arrives on the plate.”


www.football.london

Daniel Levy, Antonio Conte and a defining fortnight for Tottenham Hotspur

It was a tough night for Tottenham against their local rivals and what comes next for the chairman and head coach will define the rest of the season
www.football.london www.football.london
 
ShutUpPatrik said:
And disliked by all of those fanbases for playing overly defensive football.

Chris has made a career out of playing good football in the championship, getting promoted, and then defending to the death to stay up.
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While I wouldn't be in any way in favour of Hughton ever managing us, I remember the Newcastle fans were livid about his sacking. It was long time ago now, but that's what I remember.
 
I was against appointing Conte in the summer but in mid season with Nuno all at sea it seemed the best choice and I cannot criticise the appointment. He did well at the end of last season and I was expecting better this season but despite injuries it has been a major disappointment. Where do we go from here?
You can moan and moan about ENIC/Levy but they are not going anywhere. We had the 2nd most players in the W/C and therefore the players are good enough to beat most teams. If we have the wrong mix then that should have been sorted in the summer.
Conte has to accept much of the blame for recent performances and defeats. It is not one offs.
I see other clubs backing Managers going through a poor period and they turn it around but we never seem to do that.
There are never the best options as Managers available midseason and I do not want Poch back who basically failed to win a trophy and I cannot see a better outcome 2nd time around.
A caretaker Manager has never worked.
Our options are not good but the players will sense when the Manager has lost it and tell Parratici/Levy and if they do then Conte is gone.
Problem is we do not know what the players think but I cannot now see us activating the 12 month extension and do we limp onto the end of the season with either Conte or a caretaker or get rid but only get the best available from a small selection available now.
No option is good.
 
Fattynomates said:
I wouldnt say im Conte out yet as i think if you get him in you know what style he will play so you need to give him the players he requires, granted I think he should adapt until thats possible but he has his way of playing , which with the right players works so its either his way or nothing, Levy would have been well aware of that, what i think this team needs is some shock waves through the dressing room, if your Romero and you know your keeper is going to gift a goal every game and make your life harder surely that effects you as a defender, what about Kane, he knows Son is in shit form and the team is carrying him yet he plays any way?
He needs to drop the hammer on the team so to speak, and now is the perfect time to do it , sign a GK now and drop Hugo , make someone else captain , send a message that no one is undroppable and you play on current form not merit!
Son needs dropping as well, Start against City with Richi, Kane and Kulu and see what happens, it cant get anyworse surely?
If Conte isnt the man to be ruthless then get someone who is, I would rather play someone from the Youth team who is willing to die for the shirt on the pitch than some of the current plodders we have! Maybe this is the wake up call that Conte needs?
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Conte has been saying things out of character about playing the younger guys. I think he may actually be in for taking the project through the transition that is occurring. If he stays, a key next stage to rebuilding is to move along players like Dier and Lloris who are regarded as "team leaders". When I listen to interviews after tough loses I hear a guy like Kulu accepting responsibility and being irritated with some of what went on. Contrast that with Dier and Lloris who always appear to deflect. If you are paying for an elite coach then you have to go with players who will be into his culture and ideas. With Dier, in particular, I get a sense of "We were here when they (current manager) came and we'll be here when he leaves".
 
rusty said:
He knows Son is not playing well, (has to play because no one else)
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Richarlison came on and did well. Gill played the last two games and did REALLY well.

Conte wasn't forced to play Son, he just doesn't know any better.

Morale in the team is shit and it's not surprising when they can see players constantly be picked when they don't deserve to on merit.
 
Smogz said:
We don't know shit about that, so to say "he must" is pretty strange. What do you really know about Levy's level of control since Paratici started?

For example, Spence, the club signing. Is he a Paratici signing or a Levy signing?
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Levy. Obviously

Paratici clearly ambitious and must be fucked off the club has regressed. Do you think he’s happy with how the season has gone?
 
CarrieFi said:
Again like you, I’m not hating, but I don’t see it either. I’ll never forget when he did a speech before a game in the All or Nothing documentary and it seemed fairly tame.

I also thought it was quite telling during the World Cup seeing the England players looking to Jordan Henderson more than Harry
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Kane is more of role model than a leader. When you need calmness and patience he can exude it but when you shouty leadership, he isn't it.

Lloris impressed me with this during the AoN doc but seems like the team have deserted him. Someone else mentioned that no one in our team will make an example out of the passengers in our team - Lloris did this, remember when Son gave the ball away and didn't chase it and Lloris called him out? We need this.
 
So many plates spinning, that will ultimately impact the outcome and Levy's thinking:
  1. Is Potter going to be available soon
  2. Is Poch waiting in the wings
  3. Is Tuchel still available
  4. Are we a development team
  5. Are we a big hitter
  6. Are we selling
1. Potter
He's built up a lot of credit at Brighton, and he's on borrowed time at Chelsea. I feel it's way early to give him the boot but they've been know for it before. Is Simeone who they have an eye on now anyway? Could we be thinking Potter will be available in the Summer for free, so it's worth seeing the season out, let Conte take his wage then blame him for not signing an extension?

2. Poch
How long will he wait, has he beenprimmed? It's worth seeing the season out, let Conte take his wage then blame him for not signing an extension? Then employ the fans favourite hoping Levy will be cut some slack

3. Tuchel
It's worth seeing the season out, let Conte take his wage then blame him for not signing an extension? Then employ Tuchel, hoping he finds the spark... throw enough mud (Jose, Conte, Tuchel), some of it will eventually stick (or will it?)

4. Are we a development team
If we are, the last three managers have been pointless, we need to decide, are we youth and player development, if so, employ correctly

5. Are we a big hitter
If we have moved away from development and have the funds to be a big hitter then it's time to act like one and spend the money, we seem to be dipping out toes in the water but are unsure.

5. Are we selling
I really think this is the big thing upsetting everything. If we sell, or get a huge investment what does this mean for fringe player? stars? the manager? transfer budgets? Nobody knows. Is Conte waiting for that and hoping he can buy his way out? If we are sold will the new owners want a Poch type development coach/project

I believe so much is resting on this investment deal that Levy will wait until that's resolved but in the interim it's unsettling everything. There's no way the players aren't discussing it, and maybe have got wind of it long before the general media.
 
iz futbal said:
Son is getting older, class isnt permanent. It diminshes with age especially if pace is our primary weapon.
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You're embarrassing yourself with those observations.

What Son has consistently been the best at Spurs for is shooting accuracy.

No one else at Spurs hits the target, as often as Son, regarding the quality of shots at goal, to the quantity delivered.

It's the chances to take a shot that have dried up under Conte's bilge.

Son is frustrated.

He still has ability.

What he isn't getting is the volume or quality of opportunities he once did.
 
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IF Conte does survive until the summer, and we can't get Poch in. I would have no problem with Arne Slot. Currently at Feyenoord.

Has Feyenoord playing some real attacking football. Got to the Conference League final against Roma last season, was voted manager of the year last season in the Netherlands over Ten Hag, and is currently sitting top of the Eredivisie.

We missed out on ETH. So why not have a go at another Dutch coach?
 
ShutUpPatrik said:
IF Conte does survive until the summer, and we can't get Poch in. I would have no problem with Arne Slot. Currently at Feyenoord.

Has Feyenoord playing some real attacking football. Got to the Conference League final against Roma last season, was voted manager of the year last season in the Netherlands over Ten Hag, and is currently sitting top of the Eredivisie.

We missed out on ETH. So why not have a go at another Dutch coach?
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Never heard of him but this is the type of manager we should be looking for.

Risky but the only way of success.

Why on earth would we want check book managers that failed at bigger clubs? Winning at spurs is a lot harder than Real Madrid or Chelsea.
 
bonaspur23 said:
Never heard of him but this is the type of manager we should be looking for.

Risky but the only way of success.

Why on earth would we want check book managers that failed at bigger clubs? Winning at spurs is a lot harder than Real Madrid or Chelsea.
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And considering where we are in the food chain, where we are too big to just be a selling club, but not so big that we can just hoard talent, I think that a manager that has made it at a top club in the Netherlands or Portugal could fit us well.

They'd be used to competing for those top spots in the league. But also used to dealing with players being moved on and having to retool every so often. So a bit of best of both worlds.

He also plays a football that I think that a lot of Spurs fans would like based on the few games that I have caught this season. And Feyenoord post almost 15 minute long highlights to youtube for anyone interested. But it is all in Dutch so I understand nothing.

 
I think we caught Conte at the exact moment his tactics have started to become a little stale, and he's been unlucky that all of the players he needed for his shit to work have been injured. But I think that either Antonio needs to teach himself a few new tricks so he can make this work, or we need to part ways. His system, with this squad, are not working at the rate needed. The process needs to change.

I think that if we lose Conte, we also lose Kane and probably Son, and maybe a couple of others who won't want to be part of another Poche-style "youth and aggression" approach. And at this point I think I have come to terms with that.
 
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