I can't see us losing or even drawing to Wolves. We were sort of functional vs Forest. At home we will surely just pick up some fucking points.
Newcastle and Woolwich beat us most times currently.
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Manager Ange Postecoglou
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I can't see us losing or even drawing to Wolves. We were sort of functional vs Forest. At home we will surely just pick up some fucking points.
Newcastle and Woolwich beat us most times currently.
You know what? I reckon that isn't far off what's happened here. There has been precious little Angeball played by Tottenham in the style of his previous teams, and that's even in the first 10 games. The squad and the manager are completely mis-matched. That's not to say the buck stops with him, of course it does, but especially after 18 months, its just not working for the team and the manager.
Wolves will have their tails up after the Vitor Pereira bounce and anyone who plays us right now smells blood.
If Ipswich can come and get a deserved win, this lot definitely can.
They'll stick three past us , bet you any money
its a bit of a different wolves now, won the last 2 and have a new lease of life. if we cant win that....surelyyyyyyy hes sacked later that night.
this is the last chance for them to salvage the season, games are running out, 5th will be too much if hes not gone soon.
its insanity keeping him, they must be working on iraola and silva behind the scenes.
Wolves looking good recently. Cunha is playing like a mad man.
The problem as I see it is that Postecoglou has painted himself into a corner. He has publically stated his belief in his sytem and he's also said publically if he deviates from it the players will lose belief.
In reality, at least one player ( kulu) has publically said the opposite-that the team should adjust to the circumstances.
If he simply said : "Right lads, we're in a difficult situation with injures/players missing/the minutes I'm asking of you. We retain our core belief of attacking and pressing possession-based football but we need to be more judicious in when we play our way and when sit back or play direct".
I belive the players would not only not lose faith but would respond positively.
Last edited:
I seriously doubt that.
Isn't that fair-minded and reasonable in the cirumstances? Yes the results are shit. But yes there are mitigating circumstances with players being unavailable. If he turns it around in the next few weeks we keep going. If not he's gone.
But why's now the time for the club to suddenly keep a close eye on the results? We've more or less been in this kind of form since March. Why's now the time to go "Ok, it was funny for the last 7 months. But now the next couple of weeks are the big ones". It just feels a strange pivot in two weeks from briefing the press that there is no pressure whatsoever, to now suddenly the club realises that results need improving.
Arse from elbow springs to mind in regards to the club.
Probably the same as they played anyways.
well if the club has anyone back there who half as an idea then they would be.
He is a perfect fit, after all he's a cock !!
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Postecoglou's principles are perpetually debated - but what if Spurs simply haven't signed the right players for him to be a success?
www.nytimes.com
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Tim SpiersIn the era of managerial principles, you would be hard pressed to find someone whose philosophies have been scrutinised harder than Ange Postecoglou.
Should he sacrifice his belief system to prioritise results over performances? Should he tone down the all-encompassing, uber-proactive attacking approach and do a bit of defending with a deeper defensive line? He loves being asked about all this stuff, too.
Let’s be honest, it’s not even a debate as to whether he will tone down or double down. If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, then when he suggested after the catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Brighton that he didn’t want to be “falsely rewarded”by making substitutions to try to see out the game, well, there’s your answer.
The principles won’t change but how about the players? Can they adapt to what Postecoglou wants? And if not, why don’t Spurs just buy better ones?
Tottenham’s latest defeat to Nottingham Forest, which left them in the bottom half of the table and a remarkable 11 points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed team, showcased contrasting styles between the two teams and two managers, both of which could have been forecast before kick-off.
Forest were incredibly physical, almost to the point of intimidation. They defended deep and in big numbers, they pounced gleefully on loose balls, countered at pace, and were generally vile to play against. These were traits Nuno also perfected in his time at Wolves (and never had time to at Spurs).
Spurs were the complete opposite defensively, leaving gaps for Forest to exploit. At the other end, they attempted to pick locks, having to forge and twist and scythe to create any opening through the red wall with combinations and brisk movement, via 70 per cent possession. With Dejan Kulusevski doubled-up on, it rarely worked. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson just didn’t have it in them.
This all made the first goal so important… and in turn made the manner in which their soft centre melted to allow Morgan Gibbs-White space and time to venture forward and pick the pass that teed up Anthony Elanga’s winning goal all the more unforgivable. Kulusevski could only dream of such luxuries.
Forest are a team and a club having the time of their lives right now, with a buoyancy you can touch and feel (like the one Postecoglou generated at Spurs 15 months ago). It was no disgrace to lose here, especially given Spurs’ current absentee list, but watching them attempt to pry their way though Forest’s midfield, let alone their defence, you couldn’t help but ask: ‘Is this the best Spurs have got?’
This wasn’t a defeat centred on principles or even tactics. After falling behind, Spurs had 60 minutes to try to score a goal in an attack-vs-defence training drill and they didn’t really generate a great chance, let alone equalise. Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was not unduly stretched in the second half.
With so many attacking players on the pitch, was that down to the instructions Postecoglou had given them or were the players just not up to it?
Son and Johnson were unable to create much of note, Kulusevski was crowded out and full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence weren’t too impactful in the final third. The bench couldn’t lift them either, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall not making much of a difference to a one-paced midfield, and Timo Werner thrown on in the closing minutes because he was the only attacker to choose from.
Spurs may at some point decide their manager isn’t for them and that they need to go through another cycle of purgatory, but if, as a club, they are short of players good enough to take them to the top end of the table — and short of the squad depth required to cope with the style and amount of football they are playing — then the cycle will only repeat itself.
Pragmatism, idealism, defence-first, attack-first; whatever the approach, the results haven’t consistently improved for some time now. And the only consistency in that time comes from above.
“I think the most important department in the club is the scouting department,” Pep Guardiola said in 2019. “Much more than managers and players. When they choose well, 80 per cent of the job is done.
“When we don’t choose well or they don’t choose the players we need for the way we want to play or the quality they have, you spend a lot of time and energy and sometimes you don’t have enough time, with the number of fixtures, to improve.”
Spending time and energy trying to improve and sometimes you don’t have enough time? Sounds pretty familiar.
Tottenham are paying for mistakes they made in the summer: mistakes like signing just one senior player in Dominic Solanke and spending more than half the budget on three youngsters.
Archie Gray may have showed yet again here why Spurs were so keen to spend big on him as one for the future with an accomplished display out of position at centre-back, but there is no doubt that Spurs needed a back-up goalkeeper, some back-up senior defenders, and another ready-made forward player or two with end product. None of those happened, despite the horrendous injury problems they suffered last season and despite having more fixtures to contend with this season.
“We’re asking a lot of this group of players,” Postecoglou said. “A lot of these guys are playing every three days. It’s only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest but they are trying and that’s all I can ask if them.”
They are trying. And they are playing for Postecoglou but the squad isn’t big enough, and the problems they are having were foreseeable.
With Spence now missing Tottenham’s game against Wolves on Sunday after being booked twice against Forest and Radu Dragusin potentially facing time out having suffered an ankle injury, their problems will be compounded even further.
Spurs have won two league games from eight since early November: both against two of the league’s out-of-form teams in Manchester City and Southampton. They are miles off the top four and hope is dwindling of having a decent season.
In the circle of blame, there is a sizeable portion that can be attributed to Postecoglou but recruitment, at the root of any team’s success, deserves the biggest scrutiny of all.
Should he sacrifice his belief system to prioritise results over performances? Should he tone down the all-encompassing, uber-proactive attacking approach and do a bit of defending with a deeper defensive line? He loves being asked about all this stuff, too.
Let’s be honest, it’s not even a debate as to whether he will tone down or double down. If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, then when he suggested after the catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Brighton that he didn’t want to be “falsely rewarded”by making substitutions to try to see out the game, well, there’s your answer.
The principles won’t change but how about the players? Can they adapt to what Postecoglou wants? And if not, why don’t Spurs just buy better ones?
Tottenham’s latest defeat to Nottingham Forest, which left them in the bottom half of the table and a remarkable 11 points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed team, showcased contrasting styles between the two teams and two managers, both of which could have been forecast before kick-off.
Forest were incredibly physical, almost to the point of intimidation. They defended deep and in big numbers, they pounced gleefully on loose balls, countered at pace, and were generally vile to play against. These were traits Nuno also perfected in his time at Wolves (and never had time to at Spurs).
Spurs were the complete opposite defensively, leaving gaps for Forest to exploit. At the other end, they attempted to pick locks, having to forge and twist and scythe to create any opening through the red wall with combinations and brisk movement, via 70 per cent possession. With Dejan Kulusevski doubled-up on, it rarely worked. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson just didn’t have it in them.
This all made the first goal so important… and in turn made the manner in which their soft centre melted to allow Morgan Gibbs-White space and time to venture forward and pick the pass that teed up Anthony Elanga’s winning goal all the more unforgivable. Kulusevski could only dream of such luxuries.
Forest are a team and a club having the time of their lives right now, with a buoyancy you can touch and feel (like the one Postecoglou generated at Spurs 15 months ago). It was no disgrace to lose here, especially given Spurs’ current absentee list, but watching them attempt to pry their way though Forest’s midfield, let alone their defence, you couldn’t help but ask: ‘Is this the best Spurs have got?’
This wasn’t a defeat centred on principles or even tactics. After falling behind, Spurs had 60 minutes to try to score a goal in an attack-vs-defence training drill and they didn’t really generate a great chance, let alone equalise. Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was not unduly stretched in the second half.
With so many attacking players on the pitch, was that down to the instructions Postecoglou had given them or were the players just not up to it?
Son and Johnson were unable to create much of note, Kulusevski was crowded out and full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence weren’t too impactful in the final third. The bench couldn’t lift them either, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall not making much of a difference to a one-paced midfield, and Timo Werner thrown on in the closing minutes because he was the only attacker to choose from.
Spurs may at some point decide their manager isn’t for them and that they need to go through another cycle of purgatory, but if, as a club, they are short of players good enough to take them to the top end of the table — and short of the squad depth required to cope with the style and amount of football they are playing — then the cycle will only repeat itself.
Pragmatism, idealism, defence-first, attack-first; whatever the approach, the results haven’t consistently improved for some time now. And the only consistency in that time comes from above.
“I think the most important department in the club is the scouting department,” Pep Guardiola said in 2019. “Much more than managers and players. When they choose well, 80 per cent of the job is done.
“When we don’t choose well or they don’t choose the players we need for the way we want to play or the quality they have, you spend a lot of time and energy and sometimes you don’t have enough time, with the number of fixtures, to improve.”
Spending time and energy trying to improve and sometimes you don’t have enough time? Sounds pretty familiar.
Tottenham are paying for mistakes they made in the summer: mistakes like signing just one senior player in Dominic Solanke and spending more than half the budget on three youngsters.
Archie Gray may have showed yet again here why Spurs were so keen to spend big on him as one for the future with an accomplished display out of position at centre-back, but there is no doubt that Spurs needed a back-up goalkeeper, some back-up senior defenders, and another ready-made forward player or two with end product. None of those happened, despite the horrendous injury problems they suffered last season and despite having more fixtures to contend with this season.
“We’re asking a lot of this group of players,” Postecoglou said. “A lot of these guys are playing every three days. It’s only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest but they are trying and that’s all I can ask if them.”
They are trying. And they are playing for Postecoglou but the squad isn’t big enough, and the problems they are having were foreseeable.
With Spence now missing Tottenham’s game against Wolves on Sunday after being booked twice against Forest and Radu Dragusin potentially facing time out having suffered an ankle injury, their problems will be compounded even further.
Spurs have won two league games from eight since early November: both against two of the league’s out-of-form teams in Manchester City and Southampton. They are miles off the top four and hope is dwindling of having a decent season.
In the circle of blame, there is a sizeable portion that can be attributed to Postecoglou but recruitment, at the root of any team’s success, deserves the biggest scrutiny of all.
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Postecoglou's principles are perpetually debated - but what if Spurs simply haven't signed the right players for him to be a success?
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Tim Spiers
In the era of managerial principles, you would be hard pressed to find someone whose philosophies have been scrutinised harder than Ange Postecoglou.
Should he sacrifice his belief system to prioritise results over performances? Should he tone down the all-encompassing, uber-proactive attacking approach and do a bit of defending with a deeper defensive line? He loves being asked about all this stuff, too.
Let’s be honest, it’s not even a debate as to whether he will tone down or double down. If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, then when he suggested after the catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Brighton that he didn’t want to be “falsely rewarded”by making substitutions to try to see out the game, well, there’s your answer.
The principles won’t change but how about the players? Can they adapt to what Postecoglou wants? And if not, why don’t Spurs just buy better ones?
Tottenham’s latest defeat to Nottingham Forest, which left them in the bottom half of the table and a remarkable 11 points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed team, showcased contrasting styles between the two teams and two managers, both of which could have been forecast before kick-off.
Forest were incredibly physical, almost to the point of intimidation. They defended deep and in big numbers, they pounced gleefully on loose balls, countered at pace, and were generally vile to play against. These were traits Nuno also perfected in his time at Wolves (and never had time to at Spurs).
Spurs were the complete opposite defensively, leaving gaps for Forest to exploit. At the other end, they attempted to pick locks, having to forge and twist and scythe to create any opening through the red wall with combinations and brisk movement, via 70 per cent possession. With Dejan Kulusevski doubled-up on, it rarely worked. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson just didn’t have it in them.
This all made the first goal so important… and in turn made the manner in which their soft centre melted to allow Morgan Gibbs-White space and time to venture forward and pick the pass that teed up Anthony Elanga’s winning goal all the more unforgivable. Kulusevski could only dream of such luxuries.
Forest are a team and a club having the time of their lives right now, with a buoyancy you can touch and feel (like the one Postecoglou generated at Spurs 15 months ago). It was no disgrace to lose here, especially given Spurs’ current absentee list, but watching them attempt to pry their way though Forest’s midfield, let alone their defence, you couldn’t help but ask: ‘Is this the best Spurs have got?’
This wasn’t a defeat centred on principles or even tactics. After falling behind, Spurs had 60 minutes to try to score a goal in an attack-vs-defence training drill and they didn’t really generate a great chance, let alone equalise. Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was not unduly stretched in the second half.
With so many attacking players on the pitch, was that down to the instructions Postecoglou had given them or were the players just not up to it?
Son and Johnson were unable to create much of note, Kulusevski was crowded out and full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence weren’t too impactful in the final third. The bench couldn’t lift them either, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall not making much of a difference to a one-paced midfield, and Timo Werner thrown on in the closing minutes because he was the only attacker to choose from.
Spurs may at some point decide their manager isn’t for them and that they need to go through another cycle of purgatory, but if, as a club, they are short of players good enough to take them to the top end of the table — and short of the squad depth required to cope with the style and amount of football they are playing — then the cycle will only repeat itself.
Pragmatism, idealism, defence-first, attack-first; whatever the approach, the results haven’t consistently improved for some time now. And the only consistency in that time comes from above.
“I think the most important department in the club is the scouting department,” Pep Guardiola said in 2019. “Much more than managers and players. When they choose well, 80 per cent of the job is done.
“When we don’t choose well or they don’t choose the players we need for the way we want to play or the quality they have, you spend a lot of time and energy and sometimes you don’t have enough time, with the number of fixtures, to improve.”
Spending time and energy trying to improve and sometimes you don’t have enough time? Sounds pretty familiar.
Tottenham are paying for mistakes they made in the summer: mistakes like signing just one senior player in Dominic Solanke and spending more than half the budget on three youngsters.
Archie Gray may have showed yet again here why Spurs were so keen to spend big on him as one for the future with an accomplished display out of position at centre-back, but there is no doubt that Spurs needed a back-up goalkeeper, some back-up senior defenders, and another ready-made forward player or two with end product. None of those happened, despite the horrendous injury problems they suffered last season and despite having more fixtures to contend with this season.
“We’re asking a lot of this group of players,” Postecoglou said. “A lot of these guys are playing every three days. It’s only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest but they are trying and that’s all I can ask if them.”
They are trying. And they are playing for Postecoglou but the squad isn’t big enough, and the problems they are having were foreseeable.
With Spence now missing Tottenham’s game against Wolves on Sunday after being booked twice against Forest and Radu Dragusin potentially facing time out having suffered an ankle injury, their problems will be compounded even further.
Spurs have won two league games from eight since early November: both against two of the league’s out-of-form teams in Manchester City and Southampton. They are miles off the top four and hope is dwindling of having a decent season.
In the circle of blame, there is a sizeable portion that can be attributed to Postecoglou but recruitment, at the root of any team’s success, deserves the biggest scrutiny of all.
Tim Piers is the most nothing journalist we've had covering Tottenham for a while, seems gutted to have been moved on from covering Wolves & his articles are like a copy and paste with no editing from a shit AI
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Postecoglou's principles are perpetually debated - but what if Spurs simply haven't signed the right players for him to be a success?
If Ange Postecoglou deserves criticism, what about Tottenham Hotspur’s recruitment?
Tim Spiers
In the era of managerial principles, you would be hard pressed to find someone whose philosophies have been scrutinised harder than Ange Postecoglou.
Should he sacrifice his belief system to prioritise results over performances? Should he tone down the all-encompassing, uber-proactive attacking approach and do a bit of defending with a deeper defensive line? He loves being asked about all this stuff, too.
Let’s be honest, it’s not even a debate as to whether he will tone down or double down. If that wasn’t already abundantly clear, then when he suggested after the catastrophic 3-2 defeat at Brighton that he didn’t want to be “falsely rewarded”by making substitutions to try to see out the game, well, there’s your answer.
The principles won’t change but how about the players? Can they adapt to what Postecoglou wants? And if not, why don’t Spurs just buy better ones?
Tottenham’s latest defeat to Nottingham Forest, which left them in the bottom half of the table and a remarkable 11 points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed team, showcased contrasting styles between the two teams and two managers, both of which could have been forecast before kick-off.
Forest were incredibly physical, almost to the point of intimidation. They defended deep and in big numbers, they pounced gleefully on loose balls, countered at pace, and were generally vile to play against. These were traits Nuno also perfected in his time at Wolves (and never had time to at Spurs).
Spurs were the complete opposite defensively, leaving gaps for Forest to exploit. At the other end, they attempted to pick locks, having to forge and twist and scythe to create any opening through the red wall with combinations and brisk movement, via 70 per cent possession. With Dejan Kulusevski doubled-up on, it rarely worked. Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson just didn’t have it in them.
This all made the first goal so important… and in turn made the manner in which their soft centre melted to allow Morgan Gibbs-White space and time to venture forward and pick the pass that teed up Anthony Elanga’s winning goal all the more unforgivable. Kulusevski could only dream of such luxuries.
Forest are a team and a club having the time of their lives right now, with a buoyancy you can touch and feel (like the one Postecoglou generated at Spurs 15 months ago). It was no disgrace to lose here, especially given Spurs’ current absentee list, but watching them attempt to pry their way though Forest’s midfield, let alone their defence, you couldn’t help but ask: ‘Is this the best Spurs have got?’
This wasn’t a defeat centred on principles or even tactics. After falling behind, Spurs had 60 minutes to try to score a goal in an attack-vs-defence training drill and they didn’t really generate a great chance, let alone equalise. Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels was not unduly stretched in the second half.
With so many attacking players on the pitch, was that down to the instructions Postecoglou had given them or were the players just not up to it?
Son and Johnson were unable to create much of note, Kulusevski was crowded out and full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence weren’t too impactful in the final third. The bench couldn’t lift them either, with James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall not making much of a difference to a one-paced midfield, and Timo Werner thrown on in the closing minutes because he was the only attacker to choose from.
Spurs may at some point decide their manager isn’t for them and that they need to go through another cycle of purgatory, but if, as a club, they are short of players good enough to take them to the top end of the table — and short of the squad depth required to cope with the style and amount of football they are playing — then the cycle will only repeat itself.
Pragmatism, idealism, defence-first, attack-first; whatever the approach, the results haven’t consistently improved for some time now. And the only consistency in that time comes from above.
“I think the most important department in the club is the scouting department,” Pep Guardiola said in 2019. “Much more than managers and players. When they choose well, 80 per cent of the job is done.
“When we don’t choose well or they don’t choose the players we need for the way we want to play or the quality they have, you spend a lot of time and energy and sometimes you don’t have enough time, with the number of fixtures, to improve.”
Spending time and energy trying to improve and sometimes you don’t have enough time? Sounds pretty familiar.
Tottenham are paying for mistakes they made in the summer: mistakes like signing just one senior player in Dominic Solanke and spending more than half the budget on three youngsters.
Archie Gray may have showed yet again here why Spurs were so keen to spend big on him as one for the future with an accomplished display out of position at centre-back, but there is no doubt that Spurs needed a back-up goalkeeper, some back-up senior defenders, and another ready-made forward player or two with end product. None of those happened, despite the horrendous injury problems they suffered last season and despite having more fixtures to contend with this season.
“We’re asking a lot of this group of players,” Postecoglou said. “A lot of these guys are playing every three days. It’s only logical they are not going to be at their sharpest but they are trying and that’s all I can ask if them.”
They are trying. And they are playing for Postecoglou but the squad isn’t big enough, and the problems they are having were foreseeable.
With Spence now missing Tottenham’s game against Wolves on Sunday after being booked twice against Forest and Radu Dragusin potentially facing time out having suffered an ankle injury, their problems will be compounded even further.
Spurs have won two league games from eight since early November: both against two of the league’s out-of-form teams in Manchester City and Southampton. They are miles off the top four and hope is dwindling of having a decent season.
In the circle of blame, there is a sizeable portion that can be attributed to Postecoglou but recruitment, at the root of any team’s success, deserves the biggest scrutiny of all.
Some quotes from Ange:
Source: https://www.echo-news.co.uk/sport/n...ails-positive-window-tottenham-rule-signings/
Expecting anyone to "turn things around" with their keeper and all CB's missing - on top of the other squad issues - is asking for nothing short of a miracle.
Either they support him until he gets his team back or they acknowledge that results PRIOR to the injury crisis were not good enough anyway and sack him accordingly.
Now... I'm one of the vanishingly few posters on this board who are "deluded" enough to believe he should be backed until he gets his team back BUT 3 games under these circumstances is quite frankly ridiculous dithering and those who are Ange Out (and have been for some time) have every right to be irritated by it.
You reckon Australia would accept an American coaching their cricket team?
Complete fish out of water
Complete fish out of water
Antonio Conte happy with Tottenham signings but plays down title chances
Antonio Conte has insisted his side need time to gel and ‘reduce the gap’ to Manchester City and Liverpool
amp.theguardian.com