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Mmmm.... Today was very telling. Says we are sick, we are in trouble - even me who has said continually we have progressed would have to declare we have gone backwards.
 
It really does come down to the quality of the players at the end of the day and our squad is no way near as good as the other sides in the top 4.

Southampton have had a great season under koeman but they will finish more or less where they did last year because that's about the level of the players there. Same with us. Same with Liverpool without Suarez.
 
Aaaah, so this particular result was my predicted Poch out outing. A game that means fuck all in a season that in essence means fuck all.

LETS GET OUR 13th MANAGER IN 10 YEARS BOYS!

That'll sort it. Give him time for fuck sake. For once in our shitty existence can we, Spurs fans, show some fucking patience.
 
The dire past few weeks can probably be traced back to the lack of transfer activity (again) in a January transfer window. In January we we're competing on all 4 fronts-as in past seasons. Tiredness can set in even with extremely tuned athletes. The lack of depth in the squad & lack of real options as replacements/ competition for places has hurt us again. The Bale money was to all intents & purpose squandered. It's really becoming rinse & repeat every year. It wouldn't surprise me if Levy pulled the trigger on Poch due to a disappointing season & we start all over again. But isn't the bottom line here Levy himself? Sacks manager, employs new manager, doesn't back him mid season (the only substantial investment & squad overhaul I remember in a January window in recent years was Redknapp's first season)
Our season then disintegrates after the window closes, we pick up injuries, form & fitness falters & the fans become disenchanted. What does Danny boy do?? Rinse & repeat.
 
You can't have it both ways, all the '6th is where we should be brigade' are the same mob that always say there's no way we should park the bus against the top 4-5 teams and try to play to not get beaten rather than walk into the many pastings we get....in itself is a losers attitude with occasional masochisitic tendencies.

The fact is, we are not good enough to be in the top 4 this year but if you don't think it's possible then why fucking bother and/or why not absolute fury that our Chairman and Manager pretend it is? If it's so impossible but they're so public about it being their aim, then they are either lying and taking the fucking piss out of us or they're total failures. Neither of these should make any of us happy or content to just be 6th because that's where we should be.

We're not 6th because we haven't beaten Man Utd, City or Liverpool, we're there because OUR DEFENCE IS FUCKING SHIT AND HAS SHOWN NO IMPROVEMENT ALL SEASON.

If Poch hasn't got 'his' players then he should be adapting to what he has got far better. Such a good coach (if he is one) should not preside over such a dog wank goals against column. Imagine if we didn't have one of the top 5 keepers in the world....we would be totally fucked. Wasn't he an international defender?

This is not knee-jerk, this is a whole season. It is not the billionaires we've lost to that have cost us most points or positions, it is Stoke x2, Palace x2, Newcastle, Villa, WBA, West Ham at home and Burnley and Sunderland away.

Ooooo progress.
 
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Aaaah, so this particular result was my predicted Poch out outing. A game that means fuck all in a season that in essence means fuck all.

LETS GET OUR 13th MANAGER IN 10 YEARS BOYS!

That'll sort it. Give him time for fuck sake. For once in our shitty existence can we, Spurs fans, show some fucking patience.

Today shows he needs more time, we should give that I agree as changing the manager again is just gonna fuck us up probably even more, but some of the decisions are completely mind boggling. Hope he learns from the (ever increasing, unfortunately) mistakes that are going on in these recent weeks.
 
Poch has (without saying names) had to deal with good players, poor players, players signed for him, players taking the pi55 and average journey men. What a sham!!
Hopefully next season , get rid of the shite and might and play the best of the rest.
No one person is bigger than the club but Poch deserves another season lets stick with him.

What like AVB and Tim did?
 
I can understand the stick that Poch had to take today. We all don't know why Paulinho didn't make the bench today after good performances and the starting line-up was questionable. But firing the manager... again? Come on.

After all, these are professional football players. The manager is a big part of the football club, but he can't do shit if Dier decides to tackle Lloris to the ground, conceding the second goal. All our fullbacks are out injured, except Yedlin, who isn't experienced enough yet. Chiriches has to play and fucks it up completely. Chadli was non-existent once again. Eriksen is inconsistent.

I mean, we had a new back four playing today. I just don't get it, how these four couldn't organize themselves. Poch can give instructions as to defend deep, press or keep a high line. But on the pitch, during the game, Vertonghen or Fazio, one of those has to stand up and be a leader. That's not the job of the coach.

Most of these players have had 3 managers at this club now. And yet, it's still Poch's fault?
 
Looked like the only guy organising in the first half was Bentaleb. Noticed him giving orders to Fazio and Vertonghen a number of times, which is a positive in a funny kind of way. Also, we defended better after the red card, can't be a coincidence.
 
I fear for the managers ( Coach ) future. If he's not gone by June. He will be by October. I've seen this all before. It's Hoddle, it's Ramos, it's Gross. The players are not playing for him. Simple. One or two might be onside, but there is a dressing room of players who I'd bet are not and performances are showing this CLEARLY in my view. As players lost form the coaching team should have been using the full squad. But when half the squad are Internationals but have been dumped by the coach Your options are simply limited to having to keep on playing those who are letting you down.

No fear of being dropped creates the apathy in performances we are now seeing....these boys are not getting dropped no matter what they do & that is a nonsense.

How can Yedlin not be picked as he's inexperienced. He plays in the World Cup finals, the highest level of the game, yet somehow is not good enough to play at Stoke ? It is an utterly ridiculous situation to be in and to play Dier @ right back is insulting people.

I am no fan of Poch, not sure I ever have been really but I wanted him to work out. However, I beleive he's had enough time already to shape some basics, but anyone who can't get a defence sorted after 50 + games is clearly doing something badly wrong. Add in a midfield with limited creativity & no depth up front & your going to be handed your arse by Stoke & rightly question what this set of coaches are bringing to the party....

Giving a coaching team time is fine if you could see something working, but from 50 odd games...maybe 4 or so times the performane have been good / very good. The rest of the games have created more questions than answers & the positives are really, in reality, now just excuses when broken down.

Poch is no doubt a decent human being and for that I am sorry he's being made to look a fool by these players & of course the Board, but he's not helped himself by his selections and tactics either. I can't imagine he would not be doing anything less than his very best all the time, but it's not working and his best is proving to be worse than anyone expected & if he's not working now there is little reason to expect it to be working in Aug/Sep/Oct...especially given ENIC have already decided they won't spend on new players. The storm clouds are gathering.

And by work I don't mean I expect any higher than 6th.....I simply don't expect to be paying to watch a Spurs team that manage 6 shots on Target in 180 + minutes v Stoke in a whole season or fail to beat Palace at least once....struggle horribly away to Sheffield United, get dumped out of the FA Cup at home to Leicester etc etc etc....

The owners of the club should also do the decent thing & jog on along with Poch. They don't help themselves with their scape gloa approach & the end of Season statement better be a good one this May 24th as we have fuck all else to enjoy this summer, except Hugo in a United Top & Vorm being give the #1 and Brad the #13. It's pretty obvious our best player is going United, yet again we sell what should be kept !


Baldini got it wrong in appointing Poch. No doubt he's a good Coach, but he's at the wrong club. Baldini can't scout players, so why is he given a pass on appointing Poch ? We needed a coach who would get the best out of the expensive players we already had, Now 11 months on we have a coach who does not want the players we have, he wants new ones....what a fucking joke that actually is when the reality sinks in !

Benjimam Stambouli is living proof something frightening is going on in our scouting. If he was Poch's choice, which he must have been, what does that say about the black box and Mitchell ( yes he was not there but did he scout him for Southampton ???)

As a Spurs fan since I can remember & a 25 year Season ticket holder i don't expect to win the league, but I do want a 25 yard screamer from open play, I do want a flying winger, i do want to see a flick, a trick, an 80 yard pass.....a super star in white & something that makes me think, on days like this, that it's ok as we have X.....

For example, just been done at home to Villa...but fucking hell Waddle was amazing....shit game at Barnsley but wow Ginola was special again....did'nt make the Top 6, but Klinsman's goal v Southampton was amazing....etc etc....where as modem Spurs is "got absolutely raped by a limited Stoke and Ryan Mason is not anywhere near as good as Charlie Adam, but we did manage two shots on target in 93 minutes today...."

And that's what we have become under ENIC and it won't change while they are here. Till they have gone & someone who dares to dream comes in.......Danny Bkachflower was a romantic, he loved Spurs because we were a romantic team, where things.....most things....were possible...where's the romance in this current set up ? It seems to be excel spreadsheets coaching, profit margins, contracts and Spin in the board room and Donna Cullen....under the current regime this is not Tottenham Hotspur
 
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I'm sick of all this 'we shouldn't expect much this season' shite. Why the fuck not, did we get discounts on tickets, shirts, membership, merchandise? A good coach can make something more of the players we have more often than he has in my opinion.

For the record, we should not sack him, we really cannot sack him. Hopefully he will be backed by Levy, translate his philosophy to the pitch more often than about 5 out of 55 games and learn some new tricks or, just not to be stubborn and inflexible all the time.

Fingers crossed but this really is just being hopeful, he really hasn't got that much of s track record to say this is any more than a 50/50 chance. Please for once let it go our way!!
 
The flexibility thing is beginning to bug me a bit. We always line up in the same formation regardless of who we are playing and try to play the same way, far too predictable and easy to play against. The subs are often of limited impact and too late. We react to shit happening rather than be pro-active (yeah alright, sometimes that is impossible) but from watching in the stands it seems like the obvious is missed time and time again. That or he's a stubborn bugger (or both, then we are screwed).

Today for example, he should have got hold of Lamela or Chadli and just told them to stick themselves out on the wing when we get the ball rather than crowd out the middle. That way, at least Eriksen can spread the play a bit and create space in front / behind the defence. I think a part of the reason he's been in bad form is the lack of movement and options around him and I do feel a bit sorry for him as he is probably our most creative asset currently.
 
I fear for the managers ( Coach ) future. If he's not gone by June. He will be by October. I've seen this all before. It's Hoddle, it's Ramos, it's Gross. The players are not playing for him. Simple. One or two might be onside, but there is a dressing room of players who I'd bet are not. And performances are showing this CLEARLY in my view. As players lost form he should have been using the squad. But when half the squad are Internationals but have been dumped by the coach. Your options are simply. Keep on playing those who are letting you down. And that creates the apathy in performances we are now seeing....these boys are not getting dropped no matter what & that's a nonsense. How can Yedlin not be picked as he's inexperienced. Yet plays in the World Cup finals yet somehow is not good enough to play at Stoke ? It's utterly ridiculous to play Dier @ right back.

I am no fan of Poch, not sure I ever have been really but I wanted him to work out. But I beleive he's had enough time already to shape some basics, but anyone who can't get a defence sorted after 50 + games is clearly doing something badly wrong, add in a midfield with limited creativity & no depth up front & your going to be handed your arse by Stoke & rightly question what this set of coaches are bringing to the party.

Giving a coach time is fine if you could see something working, but from 50 odd games...maybe 4 or so times the performane have been good / very good. The rest of the games have created more questions than answers & the positives are really in reality now just excuses when broken down.

Poch is no doubt a decent human being and for that I am sorry he's being made to look a fool by these players & the Board. I can't imagine he would be doing nothing less than his very best all the time, but it's not working & if it's not working now there is little reason to expect it to be working in Aug/Sep/Oct

and by work I don't mean I expect any higher than 6th. But I don't expect to be paying to watch teams that manage 6 shots on Target in 180 + minutes v Stoke in a season or fail to beat Palace at least once....struggle horribly away to Sheffield United, get dumped out of the FA Cup at home to Leicester etc etc etc....

The owners of the club should also do the decent thing & jog on. They don't help themselves & the end of Season statement better be a good one this May 24th as we have fuck all else to enjoy this summer, except Hugo in a United Top & Vorm being give the #1 and Brad the #13. Baldini got it wrong in appointing Poch. No doubt a Good Coach, but he's at the wrong club. Baldini can't scout players, so why is he given a pass on appointing Poch ? We needed a coach who would get the best out of the expensive players we had, Now 11 months on we have a coach who does not want the players we have, he wants new ones....what a fucking joke that actually is when the reality sinks in. Benjimam Stambouli is living proof something frightening is going on in scouting. If he was Poch's choice. What does that say about the black box and Mitchell ( yes he was not there but did he scout him for Southampton ???)

As a Spurs fan since I can remember & a 25 year Season ticket holder I'd say i don't expect to win the league, but I do want a 25 yard screamer from open play, I do want a flying winger, i do want to see a flick, a trick, an 80 yard pass.....a super star in White & something that makes me think, on days like this, that it's ok as we have X.

For example, just been done at home to Villa...but fucking hell Waddle was amazing....shit game at Barnsley but wow Ginola was special again....did'nt make the Top 6, but Klinsman's goal v Southampton was amazing....etc etc....where as modem Spurs is "got absolutely raped by a limited Stoke and Ryan Mason is not anywhere near as good as Charlie Adam, but we did manage two shots on target in 93 minutes today...."

And that's what we have become under ENIC and it won't change. Till they have gone & someone who dares to dream comes in. Danny Bkachflower was a romantic, he loved Spurs because we were a romantic team, where things were possible...where's the romance in this current set up ?
I don't agree that we should sack Poch but fuck me there's a lot of truth in there and it hurts to read
 
The flexibility thing is beginning to bug me a bit. We always line up in the same formation regardless of who we are playing and try to play the same way, far too predictable and easy to play against. The subs are often of limited impact and too late. We react to shit happening rather than be pro-active (yeah alright, sometimes that is impossible) but from watching in the stands it seems like the obvious is missed time and time again. That or he's a stubborn bugger (or both, then we are screwed).

Today for example, he should have got hold of Lamela or Chadli and just told them to stick themselves out on the wing when we get the ball rather than crowd out the middle. That way, at least Eriksen can spread the play a bit and create space in front / behind the defence. I think a part of the reason he's been in bad form is the lack of movement and options around him and I do feel a bit sorry for him as he is probably our most creative asset currently.

That's the problem with our formation I say it time and time again it only works when full backs get forward

Rose and a decent walker make formation work as then we have attacking options, with full backs who can't go over half way line we become impotent going forward, like today, was terrible

We need 2 full backs both sides who can do the right job plus a proper defensive mid who in this formation would slide across to cover when a full back attacks

Danny does the full back role perfectly in this formation and should be the blue print

So we need this all in place for next season or it won't work again over sustained period
 
That's the problem with our formation I say it time and time again it only works when full backs get forward

Rose and a decent walker make formation work as then we have attacking options, with full backs who can't go over half way line we become impotent going forward, like today, was terrible

We need 2 full backs both sides who can do the right job plus a proper defensive mid who in this formation would slide across to cover when a full back attacks

Danny does the full back role perfectly in this formation and should be the blue print

So we need this all in place for next season or it won't work again over sustained period
I think the main thing we need is a defensive midfielder because Bentaleb and especially Mason are not defensively minded enough. Serious questions need to be asked either of Capoue, of our scouting team or of Poch as to why this player isn't Etienne Capoue because the side is crying out for the player he should be.

Sometimes I simply wonder 'why was Stambouli signed?'. I mean why? Who asked for him?
 
I think the main thing we need is a defensive midfielder because Bentaleb and especially Mason are not defensively minded enough. Serious questions need to be asked either of Capoue, of our scouting team or of Poch as to why this player isn't Etienne Capoue because the side is crying out for the player he should be.

Sometimes I simply wonder 'why was Stambouli signed?'. I mean why? Who asked for him?

Agree we need a strict defensive one in the two and neither of those are it to cover the full back, Bentaleb probably could play anywhere but he isn't the type of player, I have no idea why Capoue not playing but none of the managers he has worked under have rated him. Stambouli - total mystery, all i know is Baldini has correlated with bad signings, perhaps we should have played him more, god knows though?
 
Agree we need a strict defensive one in the two and neither of those are it to cover the full back, Bentaleb probably could play anywhere but he isn't the type of player, I have no idea why Capoue not playing but none of the managers he has worked under have rated him. Stambouli - total mystery, all i know is Baldini has correlated with bad signings, perhaps we should have played him more, god knows though?
As much as I think it's great that Poch isn't prepared to take any bullshit from his players by not playing them through shitty behaviour, but it's worrying the number of players who have been alienated. I guess I trust him that they're all being cunts, but still.
 
As much as I think it's great that Poch isn't prepared to take any bullshit from his players by not playing them through shitty behaviour, but it's worrying the number of players who have been alienated. I guess I trust him that they're all being cunts, but still.

I really don't think Stambouli is any more of a cunt than Rose, I think Poch genuinely does it based on ability, but has been found to randomly chop and change things around and bring people in at the wrong time. Perhaps he likes very few of what he sees and is just mixing it up until we get a summer, I hope Mitchell is the second part of the puzzle and can identify the key targets.
 
I really don't think Stambouli is any more of a cunt than Rose, I think Poch genuinely does it based on ability, but has been found to randomly chop and change things around and bring people in at the wrong time. Perhaps he likes very few of what he sees and is just mixing it up until we get a summer, I hope Mitchell is the second part of the puzzle and can identify the key targets.
Yeah Stambouli I don't feel is being ostracised for attitude reasons, but Capoue I do. I honestly thing we'd be 10x the team if we had Schneiderlin in place of Mason
 
i only know that this club makes me depressed almost every weekend now. Happy that the season is close to an end. We need more than buy, we need to sell the clowns in our squad. Chirices, Kaboul, Capoue, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor and Soldado all need to go ASAP
 
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