Bar codes vs the wankers

[Hampshire Spur]

Hands up who has a ticket for Norwich

Jammy git. Fair play mate.

 

[bunburyist]

Trainline call centre will be getting rinsed tonight

 

[Wellsey]

If we can't hammer Norwich, a team rock bottom of the league with the worst goals for and against, we arguably don't deserve 4th.

We managed to lose to a poor Newcastle team 5-1 a few years ago!

 

[kcspurs]

Did they ever look like scoring? Saka had a tame attempt in the first half. Barcodes could have scored 4-5 if they'd even taken the easy ones.

Can't even turn up with the season on the line?

 

[Spurs_1987]

I guess they're not done crying (or making up conspiracies yet...)

 

[Beech]

If we throw this away now and don't beat an already relegated extremely shit side we simply don't deserve Champions League football.

 

[tommyboyspurs]

thanks eddie always liked you

 

[sudoku]

What a terrible interview from Xhaka.

When I say terrible, I mean hilarious!

I didn't see it but another little pleasure I will take later..

 

[kcspurs]

"Media darling Spurs" is gonna be on repeat all summer lol

I am here for it!

 

[Steve73]

Arteta actually reminds me of Howe. Both managers who seem to espouse or who are lauded as having a proactive ethos but neither really seems to have the ability to coach or apply a clear tactical ethos.

I don't think I've watched one Woolwich game in the last two seasons and seen a clear identity, a clear collective ethos, even in single games they rarely manage to play out a cohesive 90 minutes.

Would you put Rodgers in that bracket too? I think they all have ideas of systems and personal and how they want to play but are poor defensive coaches and I think teams should be built on tactical defensive solidity before anything else. Working hard off the ball, making the right defensive choices at the right time (when to press, when to drop off and be compact), who to pick up, great communication, taking responsibility etc.

I think he's an ok 'with the ball coach'*, but like the other two, isn't a great 'without the ball coach'. I also think none of them are great managers (in terms of managing people) which is the hardest part of the job and can't really be taught - it takes big presence and an almost crazy intensity and drive that Pep, Klopp, Conte and Tuchel have.

I thought Newcastle played with great intensity tonight and really didn't take their foot off the gas and Arse couldn't live with it. I'm glad we didn't have to play them.

*I'm not convinced Pep is a great without the ball manager either outside of the press, but he has fantastic players who keep possession so well that they rarely get exposed. We've beaten them too many times when they had the superior team and he never seems to learn from it.

 

[bus-conductor]

Would you put Rodgers in that bracket too? I think they all have ideas of systems and personal and how they want to play but are poor defensive coaches and I think teams should be built on tactical defensive solidity before anything else. Working hard off the ball, making the right defensive choices at the right time (when to press, when to drop off and be compact), who to pick up, great communication, taking responsibility etc.

I think he's an ok 'with the ball coach'*, but like the other two, isn't a great 'without the ball coach'. I also think none of them are great managers (in terms of managing people) which is the hardest part of the job and can't really be taught - it takes big presence and an almost crazy intensity and drive that Pep, Klopp, Conte and Tuchel have.

I thought Newcastle played with great intensity tonight and really didn't take their foot off the gas and Arse couldn't live with it. I'm glad we didn't have to play them.

*I'm not convinced Pep is a great without the ball manager either outside of the press, but he has fantastic players who keep possession so well that they rarely get exposed. We've beaten them too many times when they had the superior team and he never seems to learn from it.

I would say, based purely on his Swansea and Liverpool second season side, Rodgers possibly has a bit more about him than Howe and Arteta, but I don't think any of them are even particularly good "with the ball" coaches, just coaches who want their teams to be "good on the ball" but aren't sure how to coach it into an endemic identity.(And some think he inherited a Swansea already drilled into that ethos, I'm not so sure as they were in thei2nd season with him when promoted and doing it in the PL).

It's one thing to be a decent "with the ball" coach, but struggle with the back door stuff - people like AVB or recently Bosz come to mind - but I'm not sure Rodgers, Arteta and Howe are any good at either really - and that's why their teams rarely play consistent 90 minutes, control 90 minutes, and are invariably streaky teams.

From what I've read, Howe is actually quite a good man manager, I've certainly read a few of his players talk highly of him and how he prepares them. But I get the impression he's maybe a bit too nice?

I actually think Pep is one of the best defensive coaches. He just does it in a completely different way to most, by dominating ball, obviously, and by generally stopping attacks about 50 yards higher than other coaches. He makes it incredibly hard for teams to construct regular patterns against his team. The defensive records of his teams is generally phenomenal, no? And I don't think this City side is better than Liverpool man for man either, especially defensively.

 

[LukeyRix]

Do you know.... As soon as I wrote it, I remembered that!

OK, next accusation, did he celebrate, or did he do a 'Denis Law' face when he scored for City against Utd?

Think we were losing at the time, it was a rebound off almunia, so it was a kind of grab the ball out the net and run towards the centre spot. He did blow a kiss to the fans though in all fairness.

 

[Steve73]

I honestly do not think this current City side individually is as good as Liverpool's and I really don't think he's got any CB's anywhere near as good as VVD or Matip, and he's been playing without a LB all season. I think Diaz was and is massively over rated.

I don't think Guardiola is necessarily a great man manager - I could be wrong - I think his strength is coaching - and coaching a specific, obsessive methodology.

Klopp is probably a better man manager, who's also a bloody great coach too. I also think he's had two jobs which have serendipitously benefitted from outstandingly smart recruitment (Dortmund/Liverpool) this Liverpool recruitment apparatus under Edwards over the last 5-6 years is possibly the best recruitment run I've seen any team have ever. Hit after fucking hit. Unbelievable value.


I really don't know if Guardiola wanted Grealish (or Mahrez, or Rodri etc) but I can't imagine Txiki Begiristain brings anyone in without Guardiola's nod, so I would imagine Guardiola either did want Grealish or at least was happy for him to come. But I don't think his/Begiristain's judgement is always sound and I don't think their recruitment has been close to Liverpool's.

Not sure I put Matip in the same bracket as VVD and above Diaz and Laporte but agree they need a LB.

Think I agree regarding Pep and man management, not sure he's in the Klopp bracket, he's pretty mardy to be fair, he gets massive respect from players though based on his rep I think.

The Liverpool recruitment is what we need to emulate. I think Liverpool are more dynamic than City and City are more intelligent in terms of player type, certainly going forward. The teams certainly reflect the managers.

I think Pep approved the Jack transfer and I don't think it was either/or with Kane, I just think we refused point blank to deal with City from the off and so negotiations never really got very far. Maybe Pep thinks he can get players like him and Mahrez working harder than they did at their old clubs?

Where does Conte rank in all this? He's more pragmatic in style, is equally intense and looks like a very good man manager. He's possibly the best manager we've had since Bill Nic?