• The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Match Brighton vs Tottenham Hotspur (A) - Thursday 28th December 19:30

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

this isn’t glass half-full , but honestly considering the circumstances, where we are missing the 4 players who our our “spine”, results like this will happen.

The subs weren’t even ideal but fresh legs/athleticism matters so much in the prem, we were slowest to everything until the final 15.

The CB situation is what it is (I did want 2 in the summer) and I’m positive it will be addressed the upcoming window. Dier isn’t part of Ange’s plans and mobility is the most basic requirement of his defence.

I can understand not wanting to throw the youth into a difficult situation, there’s a load of difference between Quanshah at LFC (who is 2 years older than Phillips and Dorrington btw) coming into a team with Van Dijk (IMO the best prem defender in the last decade) as a partner than Ben Davies, solid pro that he is.

Hojbjerg isnt part of Ange’s plans either so not much point discussing him, he keeps showing why he can’t play this brand of football.

At the end of the day Ange’s style is extremely intense so to counter that he needs the squad and options to match.

Out of the Squad players only Lo Celso and Davies have shown that they can keep their heads above water so far this season.

The club have no choice but to undertake more squad turnover over the next 2-3 windows.
 
Henry Hotspur said:
Brilliant post. Spot on.

I seem to have to keep caveating my posts on here and my discussion points IRL with “I love the way we play but….”. With Spurs as with life it seems as if people take instantly binary positions on things.

Yes, our play is so open as to appear naive.
Also, yes, we’ve had a run of bad luck with injuries and suspensions, the like of which I cannot remember.
Yes, we have some very talented players (still fit) in the team. Also yes, some of these players go missing and ‘hide’.
And lastly, our lack of true, quality squad depth has really hurt us.

All of the above is true without being seen to ‘take sides’ or appropriate all the blame.

Just wish we could go back in time to the Chelsea game…..sigh
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Quality depth is the main problem here Henry Hotspur Henry Hotspur in my view - we are down to the bare bones (again!) and so are playing with the same team that Conte struggled with last season. The injury/suspension run could be the worst ever but Levy/the board should have been preparing for it, going into 2023-24 with two quality CBs+Dier was suicide.

As for the style of play, this is what you will get with Ange - he will never compromise his principles, but we will concede a lot of goals in this system especially with the emergency CBs we have. We badly need one in the January transfer window, and this shouldn't be left to the last week this time.

I thought Veliz was a bright spot - seemed to take it personally we were 4-0 down and was angry - I like that. Looks a powerful lad too, and skilful.
 
Watched back the highlights this morning. I know it’s been said a lot on here, but that tackle by Dunk is pure evil. 4-0 up and you can see he is aggressively trying to damage Kulu. He’s seething as he makes the tackle. Disgusting that it’s just being ignored. Can’t help feeling that he’s getting off lightly as he’s such a “nice hometown local boy captaining his boyhood club” bollocks. We should get someone to target him in the rematch.
 
bus-conductor said:
Johnson and Kulusevski just standing around watching.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
That’s what they are good at. Never understood this shit about kulu being strong. He loses many challenges if he does at all and for the 3rd goal just stands there with BJ letting g the guy have a free hit. Great strike ofc. Wouldn’t it be a good idea if we actually tried to shoot in and around their pen box now and then? All we do is either keep passing the ball sideways like rugby or go back.
 
GDG said:
No it isn’t and we haven’t been worked out, it’s complete hyperbole on the back of a poor result and TBH I hope you stick to what you’re saying and don’t change your tune when we’re back spanking teams.

The manager has been here 6 months and has dealt with possibly the worst injury crisis in modern club history. In spite of that we’re 5th, 6 points off top and 4 off 2nd place (remembering that pre-season expectations seemed to be in the 6th - 8th range).

In the 10 games prior to our horrific injury list we went unbeaten and conceded 9 goals and had 4 clean sheets. In nearly every game during that run we dominated the opposition and completely controlled the game.

Now you’re pulling out quotes like “might have worked in Scotland but it won’t work here” and “once teams press up against us we fall apart”.

Of course we’re open at the back and passing pretty poorly, we have our only 2 competent CBs injured and the whole CM in front of them out too! The lack of appreciation for the situation the manager is in is fucking astounding.

Everyone on this forum needs to appreciate it’s going to be a really tough few games coming up with the lengthy absence list and just enjoy the games for what they are. There isn’t a manager in the world that could continue battering good sides with the absences we have.

Moreover, none of the world’s great managers right now would flex their tactics because of injuries in the way some are asking Ange to.

Pep came 3rd in his first season here, I remember many people calling him naive and unable to adapt to the PL at the end of that season. You know what happened? The league adapted to him ultimately not the other was around.

Arteta came 8th in his first 2 seasons whilst trying to implement his football. Klopp 8th, 4th and 4th in his first 3. Yet after 6 months of the best football we’ve seen in donkeys years here you’re trotting out quotes like that. It’s embarrassing.

Fans moan about trophies and success and then moan about the process the manager is implementing to get us that.

Shameful. Bring that same energy when we’re flying with a fully fit team mate. If you can’t see what Ange is trying to do and trying to build here you don’t deserve the success it’ll bring. You have to be fucking blind to not see the fantastic direction we’re travelling in.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Awesome post!

Ariana Grande Singing GIF by The Voice
 
Kaz Hirai said:
Johnson sub 40 mins too late Ange, he's been rubbish
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I’m sorry but this guy has come in for nearly £50M bcos Ange wanted him but exactly what is his primary skill set? There are tons of players out there better than him. The Pedro Brighton looks much better tbh. Ok give BJ a chance but his been here 4 months had a full pre season with NF so should be fit enough. I don’t give a monies about whether his has an Ange pre season. MVD didn’t and he came from another league and is just as young. We could have gone for Gibbs White from NF instead of Johnson.
 
skywalker68 said:
Yes indeed it has been coming for a while, I mentioned this during the game.
We seem to start games quite well, then even if we are winning, then start to fall away alarmingly.
It looks as if, Ange thinks he can outscore the opposition every time, that might have worked in Scotland, but it won't work here.
Once teams press or push up against us, the team just seem to fall apart and give up too many chances.
I know there has been injuries, but we are not going to be scoring 6 or 7 every game to have to win, the team is so wide open it's embarrassing at times.
With another CL spot up for grabs, unless this keystone cop way of playing stops, we could miss out, especially now with clubs like West ham breathing down our neck.
Johnson brings nothing to the team, son always disappears when the going gets tough and Richarlsion isn't going to make it here.
When he returns from AFCON , Bissouma needs to find the player that started the season, then went off the rails.
Quite a few problems for the manager to resolve.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We won’t need to score 6 or 7 to win every game though , play with a decent pair of Centre backs and the oppo team aren’t just going to knock it long all game as we will just mop it up and build up our play again!
Even 1 centre back next to Davies and we are looking a lot more solid at the back. The forwards also need to take their chances in front of goal - if we had Kane fit in this team we would already be wondering which team is going to be giving us the guard of honour when we win the league!
I still think regardless of the injuries and losing our top goal scorer and getting a new manager in we are still looking good for Top 4 this season and starting to show we can play good attractive football again - I would have taken that before the season started , we just need to be patient and hope Levy gets Ange some reinforcements in
 
Hairy Cane said:
IMO………

Ange ball can only work if we can cash in on our goal chances. The balls out strategy is going to naturally end up with opposition goals, (unless the defense is flawless) so out scoring them is essential.
We were terrible up front today. Not clinical enough, not even close.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yep. And it’s not naive to expect that should happen more often than not.
I’m a late bloomer on this forum, and I thought maybe there was a bit much on the conspiracy chat, but fuck me, clear red not seen and not reviewed- what the fuck! That just fucks the whole sport for me when it’s so blatantly obvious. And it’s a fucking theme ffs
 
Legacy Lilywhite said:
Watched back the highlights this morning. I know it’s been said a lot on here, but that tackle by Dunk is pure evil. 4-0 up and you can see he is aggressively trying to damage Kulu. He’s seething as he makes the tackle. Disgusting that it’s just being ignored. Can’t help feeling that he’s getting off lightly as he’s such a “nice hometown local boy captaining his boyhood club” bollocks. We should get someone to target him in the rematch.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Somebody on here with a better memory than this old fart (me, not you LL!) ought to compile a wee list of all the criminals that have purposely gone in to hurt our players this season...and escaped without punishment.

So Dunk last night and obviously we all know of that thundercunt Matty Cash, but who were the others?
 
Legacy Lilywhite said:
Watched back the highlights this morning. I know it’s been said a lot on here, but that tackle by Dunk is pure evil. 4-0 up and you can see he is aggressively trying to damage Kulu. He’s seething as he makes the tackle. Disgusting that it’s just being ignored. Can’t help feeling that he’s getting off lightly as he’s such a “nice hometown local boy captaining his boyhood club” bollocks. We should get someone to target him in the rematch.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
and get sent off……good idea
 
GDG said:
No it isn’t and we haven’t been worked out, it’s complete hyperbole on the back of a poor result and TBH I hope you stick to what you’re saying and don’t change your tune when we’re back spanking teams.

The manager has been here 6 months and has dealt with possibly the worst injury crisis in modern club history. In spite of that we’re 5th, 6 points off top and 4 off 2nd place (remembering that pre-season expectations seemed to be in the 6th - 8th range).

In the 10 games prior to our horrific injury list we went unbeaten and conceded 9 goals and had 4 clean sheets. In nearly every game during that run we dominated the opposition and completely controlled the game.

Now you’re pulling out quotes like “might have worked in Scotland but it won’t work here” and “once teams press up against us we fall apart”.

Of course we’re open at the back and passing pretty poorly, we have our only 2 competent CBs injured and the whole CM in front of them out too! The lack of appreciation for the situation the manager is in is fucking astounding.

Everyone on this forum needs to appreciate it’s going to be a really tough few games coming up with the lengthy absence list and just enjoy the games for what they are. There isn’t a manager in the world that could continue battering good sides with the absences we have.

Moreover, none of the world’s great managers right now would flex their tactics because of injuries in the way some are asking Ange to.

Pep came 3rd in his first season here, I remember many people calling him naive and unable to adapt to the PL at the end of that season. You know what happened? The league adapted to him ultimately not the other was around.

Arteta came 8th in his first 2 seasons whilst trying to implement his football. Klopp 8th, 4th and 4th in his first 3. Yet after 6 months of the best football we’ve seen in donkeys years here you’re trotting out quotes like that. It’s embarrassing.

Fans moan about trophies and success and then moan about the process the manager is implementing to get us that.

Shameful. Bring that same energy when we’re flying with a fully fit team mate. If you can’t see what Ange is trying to do and trying to build here you don’t deserve the success it’ll bring. You have to be fucking blind to not see the fantastic direction we’re travelling in.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Top post mate! Bravo!
 
Legacy Lilywhite said:
Watched back the highlights this morning. I know it’s been said a lot on here, but that tackle by Dunk is pure evil. 4-0 up and you can see he is aggressively trying to damage Kulu. He’s seething as he makes the tackle. Disgusting that it’s just being ignored. Can’t help feeling that he’s getting off lightly as he’s such a “nice hometown local boy captaining his boyhood club” bollocks. We should get someone to target him in the rematch.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
share jericho GIF



Added with Cash.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top