The Style v Substance discussion

[Atomic knob]

After there are cups in the cabinet we can talk about style.

 

[Gmspurs]

To be honest, we have done so in the last 3 games because it was what we could do. I fear the players we have in the back are not 100% the quality we need. If you want to play expansive footy then you need defenders who don’t kick it out to row Z and can pick a pass 8 out of 10. Eric Dier loses the ball every single game, literally. Toby is better but he has struggled in the last 3 games. Then you have Aurier - enough said. Our defenders have been making schoolboy mistakes since last season and we seemed to improve for a while, until now.

We have defenders who need to be baby sat to do the basics of defending, never mind spraying passes about and picking out midfielders, attackers. Our midfielders are overwhelmed trying to help out the back four that they don’t do enough attacking. Our attackers are requested to drop to cover the gaps the midfielders have left and that leaves us looking like we have looked the last 3 games.

The issue we have is in our defense. Improve that and our midfield improves as all our midfielders won’t be required to be quasi defenders all game.

But it's the same players?

12 points from Man U, Man City, Woolwich and Chelsea.

1 point from Palace, Liverpool and Leicester.

WTF???

 

[Smogz]

But how do Southhampton make it work? Do they have a better squad than us?

Better Coach

 

[Don Giovanni]

Few months back someone here wrote about Mourinho having a PR team of 10+ people and being very concerned how the public and media always perceive him, it wouldn't surprise me if this halothagod cunt is Jose bot

 

[Andersen]

Few months back someone here wrote about Mourinho having a PR team of 10+ people and being very concerned how the public and media always perceive him, it wouldn't surprise me if this halothagod cunt is Jose bot

Even 20+ pr team can't explain away what you see on the pitch. Last match was one of those.

 

[halothagod]

We should really exclude the EL games as the opposition is sub-par at this stage. Even Rangers qualified!

On the rest....

I agree we were excellent against Utd, Newcastle and City.

We certainly weren’t against West Ham, watch the game again

We’ve also been poor against Everton, Burnley, WBA, Brighton, Palace and Leicester. Our league form has been at best patchy.

What is quite frustrating is that you are illustrating in your post above that it is possible to play well and with a balance between defence and attack. The reason many of us are frustrated is that those occasions have been too infrequent thus far this season.

That’s because we are dealing with fitness issues and players not being as consistent as we’d like. What we are looking for will come. I have seen enough signs to make me believe.

My problem, and I apologize again to anyone that feels hard done by my remarks, is that I feel fans are buying the rhetoric Utd fans and Chelsea fans are putting out there about the manager. Maybe some of the low block stuff isn’t the best and could be better, but we aren’t all the way bad as people are making it seem. You’d think we have been scraping 1-0 all season!

 

[halothagod]

But it's the same players?

12 points from Man U, Man City, Woolwich and Chelsea.

1 point from Palace, Liverpool and Leicester.

WTF???

Yes, the same players. Inconsistent. I’ve said it.

Aurier vs Liverpool compared to Aurier vs Leicester for example.

 

[halothagod]

Few months back someone here wrote about Mourinho having a PR team of 10+ people and being very concerned how the public and media always perceive him, it wouldn't surprise me if this halothagod cunt is Jose bot

Christ on a bike! Calling me a cunt is not on first of all. Second, what have I said to you to warrant your abuse?

 

[Andersen]

Not at all writing Mourinho off, but i sometimes question his thinking. And no doubt his thinking affects the players. And some liverpool fan down the pub on saturday asked me; Do you agree with Mourinho?
What about Mourinho? Well according to him we were the best team at the Liverpool match.
As much i wanted to say yes. My answer was You always agree with the boss. I bet alot of our players feel that same way.

 

[GDG]

Make

That’s because we are dealing with fitness issues and players not being as consistent as we’d like. What we are looking for will come. I have seen enough signs to make me believe.

My problem, and I apologize again to anyone that feels hard done by my remarks, is that I feel fans are buying the rhetoric Utd fans and Chelsea fans are putting out there about the manager. Maybe some of the low block stuff isn’t the best and could be better, but we aren’t all the way bad as people are making it seem. You’d think we have been scraping 1-0 all season!

I couldn’t give 2 fucks about what fans of any other club think.

It’s just incredibly frustrating to have seen these results coming during the victories over Burnley and WBA and not address the issues.

Let’s hope Jose can learn from what’s happened this week and come back stronger.

 

[Bow Lockes]

3 points by any means at the moment, but by Christ it’s getting difficult to watch.
Keep saying to my old man that just let us win something this year by any means necessary, he hates watching us at the moment.

 

[halothagod]

Make

I couldn’t give 2 fucks about what fans of any other club think.

It’s just incredibly frustrating to have seen these results coming during the victories over Burnley and WBA and not address the issues.

Let’s hope Jose can learn from what’s happened this week and come back stronger.

OK. You are exaggerating mate. This is all I have been pointing out and asking people to be calm.

You just said issues at WBA weren’t addressed. We literally went and won our next game against City 2-0. So what are you saying?

 

[halothagod]

Lads, I am getting insulted for preaching calm and pointing out people’s exaggerations. I never said we are Brazil 70. But for some people to dismiss all the games the lads and coaches won with huge score lines, playing some slick stuff, saying we only park the bus is not cool. That’s all.

 

[GDG]

OK. You are exaggerating mate. This is all I have been pointing out and asking people to be calm.

You just said issues at WBA weren’t addressed. We literally went and won our next game against City 2-0. So what are you saying?

. They’re completely different games!

The low block counter is perfect for City because of their tactical setup and the quality of their players. Jose got it right.

It was obvious, however, from the WBA game that we have zero idea how to dominate a game. We beat WBA, Burnley and Brighton solely because of the superior quality of our players, not because of our tactics.

It was all too predictable that if we continued to play so poorly against sides outside the big 6, we would come unstuck.

I don’t understand why you think it’s so anti-Spurs to say he got it wrong against Palace and Leicester? You called for objectivity a few post back - I’m literally doing that by discussing where he performed well and where he has failed this season.

You seem to be unable to criticise Jose though, so perhaps you are lacking some objectivity?

I love Harry Kane - would let him have a go on my wife if he asked nicely. But when he plays shit I’ll call him out on it. Why would I not to the same on our manager?!

The cultism surrounding Jose is disturbing.

 

[halothagod]

. They’re completely different games!

The low block counter is perfect for City because of their tactical setup and the quality of their players. Jose got it right.

It was obvious, however, from the WBA game that we have zero idea how to dominate a game. We beat WBA, Burnley and Brighton solely because of the superior quality of our players, not because of our tactics.

It was all too predictable that if we continued to play so poorly against sides outside the big 6, we would come unstuck.

I don’t understand why you think it’s so anti-Spurs to say he got it wrong against Palace and Leicester? You called for objectivity a few post back - I’m literally doing that by discussing where he performed well and where he has failed this season.

You seem to be unable to criticise Jose though, so perhaps you are lacking some objectivity?

I love Harry Kane - would let him have a go on my wife if he asked nicely. But when he plays shit I’ll call him out on it. Why would I not to the same on our manager?!

The cultism surrounding Jose is disturbing.

You are frothing at the mouth for nothing mate. I understand the point you are trying to make. You are saying something along the lines of we don’t dominate teams and so on.

Well, I am asking for calm, and saying I have seen us do so this season, a few times, and believe we will see more of it as the team gets better at not shitting the bed in the back with schoolboy errors.

I don’t know what about that means I am a member of a cult. If you want me to cunt off a manager after a few losses, when he’s had us top of the league for weeks then you’ll wait a while because I won’t. If that means you will be at odds with me then so be it. I do not mind.

 

[GDG]

You are frothing at the mouth for nothing mate. I understand the point you are trying to make. You are saying something along the lines of we don’t dominate teams and so on.

Well, I am asking for calm, and saying I have seen us do so this season, a few times, and believe we will see more of it as the team gets better at not shitting the bed in the back with schoolboy errors.

I don’t know what about that means I am a member of a cult. If you want me to cunt off a manager after a few losses, when he’s had us top of the league for weeks then you’ll wait a while because I won’t. If that means you will be at odds with me then so be it. I do not mind.

So you won’t criticise a manager when he gets stuff wrong? Understood......

 

[halothagod]

So you won’t criticise a manager when he gets stuff wrong? Understand.......

I never said that. I have my own vitriol for our last 3 results but it’s nowhere like many on here. Does that mean either of us is wrong? Yes. Ye.

 

[deadleyledley]

What's wrong with a bit of both.

I don't mind playing deep and counter in some games.

Then mixing it with more possession based play in other games.

I hate that managers these days have a 'philosophy'. Fucken hate that word. They have to play every game to that philosophy.

Why not show some tactical flexibility.

 

[Maureen]

We were top fir a few weeks I think by a point or GD when it was so tight points wise. As seen since we were top going into pool game we are now 5th and could 7/8 after Chelsea and city and villa play their game in hand. Ffs some people think just cause we were too after 10-12 games that we’d win the league and JM I cannot be criticised. Throughout a season you get many teams who can go top. Everton were top for quite a few games as well. It really doesn’t mean anything at this stage it’s not a badge of honour. Add in the fact that when we’re top we didn’t really play with an attitude of being top.

 

[halothagod]

What's wrong with a bit of both.

I don't mind playing deep and counter in some games.

Then mixing it with more possession based play in other games.

I hate that managers these days have a 'philosophy'. Fucken hate that word. They have to play every game to that philosophy.

Why not show some tactical flexibility.

This is what I favor as well. I don’t like being predictable. I think we have mixed it up a bit this season if we’re honest.

The last 6 games were right battles but we played proper stuff (including Europa) as well.

Most of us will prefer the swashbuckling style to a low block counter attacking style, but I feel we are a top CB, Skipp, a player like Modric/Sneider/prime Eriksen away from being able to keep possession and dominate teams.

So until then I don’t mind winning ugly until we get those players in.