Calm down mate. Fuck me.
-
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...
Ex-Spurs Player Kyle Walker
- Thread starter SadlerTHFC
- Start date
Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports
I read the interview again and it really does come across as 'poor little me', he really does want and expect it all. He's a dick mate, epitomises everything I dislike about the modern day footballer.
Fuck him.
Meh, I've never liked it.
Especially when the full backs we were using in rotation were Kieran Trippier and Ben fucking Davies.
I don't mind them playing against the likes of Colchester and Aston Villa in the cups - but I don't want to see Davies getting skinned alive by Europes elite in the Champions League for example. Always wanted us to play our strongest teams in the league and Champions League.
Poch just seems to do it for the sake of it now though. I genuinely have no idea what full backs will be starting this afternoon. That's just silly in my view. He'd ALWAYS pick Walker and Rose when they were fit in the Premier League.
The uncertainty around our FB's I think is that we are having to play a different system to accommodate them (him - Tripps). WIth Walker and Rose we could go to a 3ATB and 4ATB at will, even during matches. It was fluid and also fucked with the oppo, and that worked both ways be that us under pressure and us having to react to the oppo being good or us being good and staying ahead of the oppo by responding to them trying to get back into a game by them making a tactical change.
Combine this with a weakened Central Midfield hampered with injuries to Dembele, Winks and Wanyama we are really struggling to maintain our control and dominance we used to have. If we play Tripps in a 4 man defence we look absolutely shocking. We are better when he is in a three but what we are unable to do is make this tactical switch during a game, well we try to do it but it doesn't have a massive difference and usually means a significant shuffle of the pack to do so. Everything is forced and awkward and is usually us reacting to the oppo exploiting us, rather than us being on the front foot.
Poch this week has defffended not taking Tripps to Italy, and broken down the number of minutes played etc, and it makes complete sense to me too.
“We provided more time to recover after the international break to be sure he could play in a very good way against Liverpool,” Pochettino said.
“We didn’t train too much because we prioritised the rest and recovery and of course when he played and it was a tough game against Liverpool 90 minutes, to play again three days after again a big level team, again a very good player in front it wasn’t the best and the risk was massive.
“It is not because we punish players or we are going to take risks or we are gamblers.
“It is about not risking injury and we provide him a very good week of training to be ready again.
“I go back to Manchester United, remember in the second half after 70 minutes the two full-backs Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier ask to leave the pitch and they were ready again to play one week after.
“Because they were tired. It is difficult to cope in a high-level game working hard. When you see all that happened it’s an easy answer.
“But I don’t want to explain every single press conference my decisions and say, ‘No, it’s like this’.
“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh problems, oh punishment because we lose’. It’s different circumstances.
“When we assess the team we always try to find the right decision to win.”
He is a dick, has the loyalty of a snail!
Totally agree.
When he was the best right back in the league we are supposed to believe his story that Poch suddenly told him that he wasn't in his plans. It is Putin levels of ridiculous.
Seriously...I'm confused. You're gonna have to explain this one. I couldn't even find anything on google.
Wallander
Five
I'm just tagging you guys in because I think we were all having this conversion a few days ago, and I think you and
Guido 🇺🇦
all pretty much doubted this version of events (to be fair to you guys, I think most people assumed it was the case) that Walker himself has now backed up once and for all.He didn't get dropped because he asked to leave, he asked to leave because Poch started favouring Trippier in the rotation.
The only thing I don't get is that this is also pretty much what Poch said in his book (which is what I have said), so why Walker feels the need to re-state it, I'm not sure.
It's absolutely NOT "backed up once and for all" mate.
I'm just tagging you guys in because I think we were all having this conversion a few days ago, and I think you and
He didn't get dropped because he asked to leave, he asked to leave because Poch started favouring Trippier in the rotation.
The only thing I don't get is that this is also pretty much what Poch said in his book (which is what I have said), so why Walker feels the need to re-state it, I'm not sure.
We now have two versions of the event. Walkers and Poch's.
No, they are pretty much the same. Have you read Poch's book ? What Walker has just come out and said, is what I said to you a few days ago, Poch said in his book. To summarise, He started rotating, Walker got he hump (as he'd always been number one), then eventually asked to leave.
Either way, Walker himself has now said the same, that losing his regular starting place came before deciding he wanted to move.
Even before Walker asked to leave, Poch said in an interview (pre or post match I can't remember) that him and Walker had disagreed over his rotation.
Last edited:
He didn't say "he wasn't in his plans" he just said he was no longer the pure first choice. You literally have Walker himself telling you how it was, and you're still like "no way is that how it was".
It is a direct quote from Walker!
"He told me I wasn't in his plans." It is near the bottom of the linked article.
Walker 'hurt' by Pochettino's criticism of him over Tottenham exit
Like I say, there are two sides to every story: We clearly have two sides to this story. There is nothing to it other than this.
From the moment Tripps arrived at the club, he rotated with Walker. It was clear that Walker was the "preferred" option given the games he was given. There are endless interviews with both fullbacks discussing how each is pushing the other on (exactly the same with the other FB's on the left side). The rotation of the FB's became a feature of Tottenham and Poch, the media could not stop praising this and the benefits it brought to the side, keeping a pair of dynamic FB's fit and in peak condition for games.
There are still two sides to this. Nothing has been proved either way other than there was clearly a falling out.
All circumspect evidence points to Walker leaving the club having been tapped up by City in any case, as links to this started to appear way before any negative talk of rotation. I am as sure as I can be that 'we' know when our players are being or have been tapped up and hold appropriate conversations as a result.
I’d say Walkers agent was contacted by City, Walker seen the big cash and a much better chance of trophies and wanted to leave. I don’t really blame him TBH, I doubt many would turn it down no matter what we tell ourselves.
He gives himself away with this final sentence
Like I say, there are two sides to every story: We clearly have two sides to this story. There is nothing to it other than this.
From the moment Tripps arrived at the club, he rotated with Walker. It was clear that Walker was the "preferred" option given the games he was given. There are endless interviews with both fullbacks discussing how each is pushing the other on (exactly the same with the other FB's on the left side). The rotation of the FB's became a feature of Tottenham and Poch, the media could not stop praising this and the benefits it brought to the side, keeping a pair of dynamic FB's fit and in peak condition for games.
There are still two sides to this. Nothing has been proved either way other than there was clearly a falling out.
All circumspect evidence points to Walker leaving the club having been tapped up by City in any case, as links to this started to appear way before any negative talk of rotation. I am as sure as I can be that 'we' know when our players are being or have been tapped up and hold appropriate conversations as a result.
Let’s put this into the right context. That passage is after this passage:
Then subsequently, a while after, when it became apparent that Trippier was now getting preferential rotation (where previously that had always been Walker), you get the passage you quote.
I believe Walker knew ManC and probably ManU we’re interested in him already. But that goes for most of our players. But I don’t think he’d have thrown his little tantrum and gone about it like he did, if his nose hadn’t been put out of joint by Poch deciding to give Trippier more games.
I’ve never said it’s black and white, but it’s clear that Walker marching in and saying he wants to leave was definitely after Poch had started to play Trippier more, and for the weekend games, not just as “number 2 back up”. Whereas many seem to think it was the other way round. Now even Walker has pretty much corroborated this version of events.
I don’t blame Walker at all, in his situation I’d have done the same. Be rotation on less money or be first choice on more money at City? But I don’t think he’d have jumped - especially in the “toys out of pram” way that he did, or been allowed to go (as we had him on a long deal and blocked others like Dier and Rose) if Trippier hadn’t established himself as Poch’s first choice or at least equal choice.
Again, you don't know this. No one knows anything apart from those involved.Let’s put this into the right context. That passage is after this passage:
Then subsequently, a while after, when it became apparent that Trippier was now getting preferential rotation (where previously that had always been Walker), you get the passage you quote.
I believe Walker knew ManC and probably ManU we’re interested in him already. But that goes for most of our players. But I don’t think he’d have thrown his little tantrum and gone about it like he did, if his nose hadn’t been put out of joint by Poch deciding to give Trippier more games.
I’ve never said it’s black and white, but it’s clear that Walker marching in and saying he wants to leave was definitely after Poch had started to play Trippier more, and for the weekend games, not just as “number 2 back up”. Whereas many seem to think it was the other way round. Now even Walker has pretty much corroborated this version of events.
I don’t blame Walker at all, in his situation I’d have done the same. Be rotation on less money or be first choice on more money at City? But I don’t think he’d have jumped - especially in the “toys out of pram” way that he did, or been allowed to go (as we had him on a long deal and blocked others like Dier and Rose) if Trippier hadn’t established himself as Poch’s first choice or at least equal choice.
There are two sides to the story, but all evidence supports the fact Walker wanted out before any breakdown. The links with City pre-date a rift and he has always been rotated since Tripps arrival, there was no problem with this at the time, in fact, he signed a new deal with us whilst being rotated with Tripps.
History also supports the possibility that Poch's version may hold more water, the likes of Townsend and Ade have both lost his trust but both were man enough to appreciate the professional manner in which they were treated by him, the open and honesty he approached their situation. They were not valued but dealt with respect by him.
I'm a fan of Walker and I think Tripps is shite, but I don't let that colour how I read the sequence of events and given this sequence, which is the only element of fact to go on, I also think Poch and the club were right to sell him, as much as it pains me to say that. As much as I think the main contributory reason for our new look vulnerabilities are a direct result of not having Walker and playing Tripps instead. The sequence/timeline at least can't be miss-interpreted, whilst everything else in between can.
You are definitely letting your bias influence your interpretation. To say Trippier is shite shows this.
The sequence is pretty clear because both Poch and now Walker are saying he requested the move after the balance of rotation changed.
To say they were rotated evenly beforehand is bollocks and you know it. Walker got all the big games, Trippier played a third of the league minutes Walker did in 16/17 and most of them came after January.
I don’t think either are shite, I don’t think either are fantastic. I think Walker is stronger defensively, but still does stupid things and Trippier much better offensively/midfield. On balance I’d take Trippier, because I prefer my footballers to have a brain.
Poch:
And I think it’s telling that both Poch and Southgate have ended up preferring Trippier.
If Poch was desperate to keep Walker he could have, by assuring him he’s number 1 and even getting him a raise, as he did with TA. As we also saw with Dier and initially Rose. Both also pursued by Manchester clubs.
I still look forward to KWP being given more game time, because I think he could be better than all of them.