In search of Mourinho's successor.

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Winning just the League Cup won't save him, in my view.

He'd have to either somehow get top 4 or win the Europa League to keep his job. And even then, I think getting top 4 probably wouldn't save him.
Agree with this. I think things have gone too far both in results, personality clashes and overall fan support for things to be patched up. Only possibility for him to remain would be going on a very good run in the league, playing better football and maybe sneaking 5th whilst winning the Europa. If we finish around 7th/8th/9th they'll use that to get rid and if there are trophies both Levy and Mourinho will say they have been vindicated and give some bull about parting by mutual agreement.
 
John Thomas John Thomas

Brighton and Potter are where they are due to a lack of finishing.

Man United, who are sitting second, a whole 13 pts ahead of us, have conceded 32 goals this year, but have banged in 53.

Brighton, who sit 10 pts below us has conceded 33 goals and scored 26.

Man United has an xG of 1.81 (4th) to Brighton's 1.61 (7th).

My point? Brighton creates but can't finish. The defense is not their issue, it is putting the ball in the back of the net, and if they converted they would be battling for the top 6.

You can argue against stats, but then you have to go to the eye test. Being someone that literally has missed a cup game of theirs and one PL game this year, the stats speak to the performances. They shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly because they lack the quality.

I cream thinking of Kane, Son, Dele, Bale, Stephen, Moura, Ndombele, PEH, Skipp and so on playing in this system. It would be breathtaking.
 
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agree about the expectations. however the underlying numbers at Brighton are good. They create plenty of chances and are solid defensively. there's only so much a coach can do with players.

Poch had a far better team at Southampton I reckon (and IMO he's just a fantastic coach and it's going to be hard to get someone that good again). Collins and Maupay wouldn't even be average championship strikers IMO.

priority though is that Mourinho can't be allowed to carry on after this season. He just cannot.
I don’t think Poch had a better squad at all. He had Font & Lovren as CB’s, he made people talk about them as the best in the League!! He had Schniderlin a League 2 player playing out of his skin, getting a mega move to Man U, where he promptly looked like a League 2 player as did Lovren and Font.

Again, I think he’s a fantastic coach but Tottenham have moved on, we don’t need to take the risk on him now, he could go to Leicester, Everton, ( a level where we used to be) if he continues to do great things there we now have the muscle to move in and get him if we really wanted to.

For a parallel, that’s why (if press is to be believed) we are linked with Nagelsmann, one of Europe’s highest rated modern coaches.
 
John Thomas John Thomas

Brighton and Potter are where they are due to a lack of finishing.

Man United, who are sitting second, a whole 13 pts ahead of us, have conceded 32 goals this year, but have banged in 53.

Brighton, who sit 10 pts below us has conceded 33 goals and scored 26.

Man United has an xG of 1.81 (4th) to Brighton's 1.61 (7th).

My point? Brighton creates but can't finish. The defense is not their issue, it is putting the ball in the back of the net, and if they converted they would be battling for the top 6.

You can argue against stats, but then you have to go to the eye test. Being someone that literally has missed a cup game of theirs and one PL game this year, the stats speak to the performances. They shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly because they lack the quality.

I cream thinking of Kane, Son, Dele, Bale, Stephen, Moura, and so on playing in this system. It would be breathtaking.
People assume they play nice football but are naive. They really aren't, reasonably solid defensively.


I don't get the agenda against Potter to be honest. he's taken an unusual route in and wasn't handed a job because of an endorsement of someone with clout. he has the makings of a quality coach.

it's like someone rubbishing an F1 driver for failure to score regular podiums with a midfield car.
 
People assume they play nice football but are naive. They really aren't, reasonably solid defensively.


I don't get the agenda against Potter to be honest. he's taken an unusual route in and wasn't handed a job because of an endorsement of someone with clout. he has the makings of a quality coach.

it's like someone rubbishing an F1 driver for failure to score regular podiums with a midfield car.

People are probably tired of me because my hard-on is strong for Potter, but he has completely changed Brighton. People can argue the results don't show that, but the stats and the eye test do. He took a team that played in a shell and relied on Groß to create, to one of the most entertaining teams in the league that just can't finish.

Bissouma and maybe Dunk are the only players that get into the match day squad. Maybe Troussard? They are showing their quality.
 
I don’t think Poch had a better squad at all. He had Font & Lovren as CB’s, he made people talk about them as the best in the League!! He had Schniderlin a League 2 player playing out of his skin, getting a mega move to Man U, where he promptly looked like a League 2 player as did Lovren and Font.

Again, I think he’s a fantastic coach but Tottenham have moved on, we don’t need to take the risk on him now, he could go to Leicester, Everton, ( a level where we used to be) if he continues to do great things there we now have the muscle to move in and get him if we really wanted to.

For a parallel, that’s why (if press is to be believed) we are linked with Nagelsmann, one of Europe’s highest rated modern coaches.

Pochettino definitely had a better squad at Southampton than Potter has at Brighton. No questions about it.

I can't think of a single Brighton player who gets in their line up - perhaps Bissouma and Lamptey. And even then, Clyne was excellent under Pochettino. Him and Shaw were two of the best performing full backs in the country.

Yes, we can look back in hindsight and say Lovren and Schneiderlin are both poor and were made to look better in his system - but it still worked. And both still forged Premier League careers beyond that Southamton team at far bigger clubs.

Potter for me would be a similar risk to Pochettino in 2014.

BUT

We are a much bigger club now than we were in 2014 - so Nagelsman would have to be the choice. I don't think we can really afford to take a risk with a manager in the second half of the Premier League table when we're trying to get onto the next level.

Even if I do feel Potter would do great things here.
 
Thought they may be the Jamie Vardy team - but perhaps the James Maddison team.
I think there is a bit more to them than that, though I didn't see their game during the week.

I like watching Leicester, but I think that is possibly more to do with the fact that they have some very good players, as opposed to Rodgers being a miracle worker who does not have prehistoric tendencies.

Don't know why they blew up last season, but it is very worrying. I think Ndidi and Perreira were crocked, and that was an enormous factor. Ndidi is able to compensate for the defensive flakiness of a number of Leicester players-Maddison and Tielemans, to name two examples. But is that a good enough excuse? If it had happened at Tottenham, I'd have had to sign myself in.

I know this is kind of a shitty thing to say, but Maddison is a bit of a MOTD player. He is racking up the goals and assists, but over 90 minutes, his failure to really grab hold of a game bothers me.

I see Harvey Barnes started the game during the week on the bench. If Leicester have a game-changer, it might just be him. His impact on Leicester reminds me of Rashford at Utd. Guido 🇺🇦 Guido 🇺🇦 probably won't like that comparison, but let's hear what he has to say about it.

One of the biggest reservations I have about Rodgers' Leicester is that they are at their best when counter-attacking. Of course it could just be a personnel issue.
 
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I think there is a bit more to them than that, though I didn't see their game during the week.

I like watching Leicester, but I think that is possibly more to do with the fact that they have some very good players, as opposed to Rodgers being a miracle worker who does not have prehistoric tendencies.

Don't know why they blew up last season, but it is very worrying. I think Ndidi and Perreira were crocked, and that was an enormous factor. Ndidi is able to compensate for the defensive flakiness of a number of Leicester players-Maddison and Tielemans, to name two examples. But is that a good enough excuse? If it had happened at Tottenham, I'd have had to sign myself in.

I know this is kind of a shitty thing to say, but Maddison is a bit of a MOTD player. He is racking up the goals and assists, but over 90 minutes, his failure to really grab hold of a game bothers me.

I see Harvey White started the game during the week on the bench. If Leicester have a game-changer, it might just be him. His impact on Leicester reminds me of Rashford at Utd. Guido 🇺🇦 Guido 🇺🇦 probably won't like that comparison, but let's hear what he has to say about it.

One of the biggest reservations I have about Rodgers' Leicester is that they are at their best when counter-attacking. Of course it could just be a personnel issue.
I agree with everything you've said there.

FWIW I think Rodgers biggest flaw is that his fringe players really weaken his team when called upon. I'm not talking about when there are several players out, that's a bit of a pass, but when he brings in just one or maybe two fringe players they don't appear to be in-sync with the team.

I'm assuming mean are referring to Harvey Barnes, agree with what you say but I'd go stronger, he's better than Rashford, positionally his superb, I think he's got a superior touch and is technically more gifted than Rashford. I think Rodgers uses him very well, which might be why I rate him higher at the moment, Rodgers has him as Vardy's supplier, as with any young forward the hardest thing is to control the rush of blood to the head at the final ball. So Rodgers predominantly had him suppling rather than risk wasting a chance on goal, Ole has Rashford set-up the opposite to this.
 
Honestly I'd rather Gerrard over Rodgers.

He's actually taken the time to learn his craft in the Liverpool youth and he's improved Rangers immeasurably, last 16 of Europa and ending Celtic's domestic dominance in such emphatic fashion can't be overlooked.

Rodgers took an dominant Celtic and made them even more dominant, but failed badly in Europe, something their board really wanted.
Agree, think he will be a success. It’s a gamble, but isn’t every appointment? If you only look at experience and trophies, Jose should be a stellar manager but he’s not.

I would take Gerrard too
 
Pochettino definitely had a better squad at Southampton than Potter has at Brighton. No questions about it.

I can't think of a single Brighton player who gets in their line up - perhaps Bissouma and Lamptey. And even then, Clyne was excellent under Pochettino. Him and Shaw were two of the best performing full backs in the country.

Yes, we can look back in hindsight and say Lovren and Schneiderlin are both poor and were made to look better in his system - but it still worked. And both still forged Premier League careers beyond that Southamton team at far bigger clubs.

Potter for me would be a similar risk to Pochettino in 2014.

BUT

We are a much bigger club now than we were in 2014 - so Nagelsman would have to be the choice. I don't think we can really afford to take a risk with a manager in the second half of the Premier League table when we're trying to get onto the next level.

Even if I do feel Potter would do great things here.
They ALL flopped when they left Southampton, probably the only exception was Lallana but he didn't exactly set the world alight at Liverpool, admittedly this was largely down to injury. Yet all of them under Poch was rated, sort after and linked to every top club in the country, when that move came they were shit and mostly ridiculed.
 
Honestly I'd rather Gerrard over Rodgers.

He's actually taken the time to learn his craft in the Liverpool youth and he's improved Rangers immeasurably, last 16 of Europa and ending Celtic's domestic dominance in such emphatic fashion can't be overlooked.

Rodgers took an dominant Celtic and made them even more dominant, but failed badly in Europe, something their board really wanted.
Gerrard is an interesting name. Obviously we have to take into account that Celtic decided to stop being a football club this season and be a professional circus instead. But only conceding 3 goals in domestic competitions this season is an insane stat and his performances should be applauded.

Still a question mark over if he could easily step into a PL job or if there would be growing pains. But all appointments would be gambles either way.
 
last season was the Best Southampton league performance since 2014-16 where they finished 6th and 7th.

In that period they had Mane, Van Dijk, Tadic, Pelle, Schneiderlin, Wanyama. Alderwireld etc.

Southampton have haemorrhaged an awful lot of talent.

He's done well overall and the 9-0's are an aberration to me. Early red cards in both games and everything that could go wrong did.
Getting an early red card is not an excuse to concede 9 goals twice.

Once is bad enough, twice is inexcusable imo
 
Does conceding 9 goals and losing earn you less points than conceding 1 goal and losing?

Losing is losing, making so much about two results because somehow they hurt your delicate sensibilities about how much teams can or can't lose by is stupid.
 
Does conceding 9 goals and losing earn you less points than conceding 1 goal and losing?

Losing is losing, making so much about two results because somehow they hurt your delicate sensibilities about how much teams can or can't lose by is stupid.
Does winning 1-0 earn you any less point than winning 5-4? Yet you frown on the former and crown the latter. Last I checked, GD still counts in the PL, and losing 9-0 is not doing you any favors.

Losing 9-0 shows that your team fell to pieces and doing it twice shows their is something fundamentally wrong with your teams defending and mentality. No credible manager should have the dubious honor of being on two of the only 3 worst defeats in almopst 30yrs of PL history.

Cant imagine winning the first tie of a CL 8-0 and still being worried that we might get knocked out. WTF
 
Does winning 1-0 earn you any less point than winning 5-4? Yet you frown on the former and crown the latter. Last I checked, GD still counts in the PL, and losing 9-0 is not doing you any favors.

Losing 9-0 shows that your team fell to pieces and doing it twice shows their is something fundamentally wrong with your teams defending and mentality. No credible manager should have the dubious honor of being on two of the only 3 worst defeats in almopst 30yrs of PL history.

Cant imagine winning the first tie of a CL 8-0 and still being worried that we might get knocked out. WTF

I don't frown winning 1-0. I frown on losing 1-0. If given the option I would always prefer to watch a 5-4 win over a 1-0 win, not sure many would chose the 1-0 win.

Losing 9-0 shows you had a bad day and let the game get away from taking big takeaways from two results while ignoring the much larger overall games that he has managed is a very stupid way to judge a manager.

What does the last line have to do with anything?
 
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