The Tottenham Way

[Astro]

We've been forever known as a team with a history of flair and stylish play (with little backbone at times - unable to go away to difficult teams and dig out a result).
And even a lack of belief that we can win a game against the top teams when we go ahead early on. Remember that Man U game when we went 2-0 up? Most of the guys I know were like, "it's too soon in the game, this aint good" lol. And lo and behold the final result!

The criticism AVB often received for the lack of goals, the style of play brings to mind what happened between 2 other clubs.... The scum gooner game.

Wenger has more often than not demonstrated an inability to adapt tactics to the opponent. Insisting that their style of play should win out.
Mourinho demonstrates a willingness to adapt, to park the bus, to play ugly when needed just to get the result. And by all accounts their fans seem happy with this.

In my mind it's why Wenger has such a bad record against him... he doesn't adapt enough.

So are our expectations unrealistic (especially given our financial clout)?
Should we be happy with a bad performance that scrapes a win?

I'm as guilty as anyone of expectations. Our recent game against Everton is a classic example of this. We won, but I wasn't happy. Felt we didn't deserve the 3 points.

Just wondering what you're thoughts are?
What do we actually want?
If our manager uses tactics not pleasing to the eye, but gets results will you be happy?

 

[CJJ]

I had a thread about this on SC. Didn't go down too well. Spoke about on here previously too.

Prepare for many many replies about how some sections of support would rather we play in the Skrill than win ugly, Sammy avocates such things.

After all, if people were happy with just winning and scraping results then AVB would be held in a higher regard. Everyone who hates him mostly seems to do so because he didn't win less games in a prettier way.

 

[Tucker]

I don't see why we can't play football the right way, but with a ruthless streak.

 

[Astro]

I had a thread about this on SC. Didn't go down too well. Spoke about on here previously too.

Prepare for many many replies about how some sections of support would rather we play in the Skrill than win ugly, Sammy avocates such things.

After all, if people were happy with just winning and scraping results then AVB would be held in a higher regard. Everyone who hates him mostly seems to do so because he didn't win less games in a prettier way.

Yeah you're right. I myself have posted on here saying I'd be happy if we just played well for a change and still lost.
But I guess that has been born out of a long period of poor performances. Desperate to see some cohesion and a visible style of play.

But there's also 2 types of scraping results - being bloody awful and lucky or having a visible style of play that is sound at the back with the aim to nick a goal (when needed).
So there's is a difference.

We keep changing managers and it's hard to have a style of play with the constant change. We don't have the clout or the players like Real Madrid (that I would say should be justified in expecting a lot of flair). Maybe we need to change a bit?
Maybe - even at home against the top teams to have some savy.....hell, even play defensive/counter attack football but play it well with spirit.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

I've always thought "The Tottenham Way" was a bit of a nonsense. It's all based around the famous Danny Blanchflower quote about not waiting for the other lot to die of boredom. But I think it's a comment that's long been taken out of context. The comment wasn't just about playing in style, it was about winning in style. But in the years since it's been used to pass off draws and losses as great football, played in the swashbuckling "Tottenham Way". I'm not so sure that's what Blanchflower, or0, for that matter, Bill Nick, intended for us ever to think.

Also, if you think about it, who doesn't like to watch entertaining football? The debate in recent years has always been about how wins are achieved, with the idea that if you don't mind a boring win every so often it somehow makes you a Gooner in disguise. But I've always felt that if we have a few wins like that here and there that ultimately resulted in a trophy people would very quickly forget about "The Tottenham Way" and instead go on about the glory of winning a competition. So, for me, "The Tottenham Way" has been perverted from it's original meaning into this dogmatic, holier-than-thou idea that we always do it more attractively than anybody win, lose or draw. It's become the fans' way of making up for lack of trophies and always being the nearly men.

What's more, the reality is that we've never really done it more attractively than anybody else. We've always had slow games, and we've always had entertaining ones (save for perhaps this season). But so has everyone else and this idea that other teams never have entertaining games is utter nonsense. I think most fans, if they sucked in their pride for a second, would reluctantly admit this. If it had been us that demolished the scum yesterday instead of Chelsea we'd be lauding it as a famous victory played in "the Tottenham Way". Because it's Chelsea, such a result gets blanked out of the Spurs fan consciousness in favour of the next time Mourinho parks the bus because they don't play "the Tottenham Way" and we do. This whole idea of other teams playing boring football seems to come almost entirely from the George Graham scum team of years ago and it's defensive style of play.

What it boils down to for me is, would I prefer us to win with style and entertainment in "the Tottenham way"? Absolutely no question. But I would also prefer us to win boringly from time to time instead of lose? Yes, I think I would. I like us to win things as well, just like Danny Blanchflower did.

 

[sammyspurs]

What do we actually want?
If our manager uses tactics not pleasing to the eye, but gets results will you be happy?

Happy to win ugly, and grind out results sometimes, but it cant be the norm.

If we set up every game to park the bus, snatch a goal, then strangle the life out the game until the ref blows up, then we can just as well shove the silverwear as far as Im concerned.

 

[Smoked Salmon]

Happy to win ugly, and grind out results sometimes, but it cant be the norm.

If we set up every game to park the bus, snatch a goal, then strangle the life out the game until the ref blows up, then we can just as well shove the silverwear as far as Im concerned.

How many of our teams have every done that though? The only season I can remember us coming close is this season, and that would be to judge not one, but two managers on half a season's showing each.

So have we ever come close to the George Graham "nick a goal" style of play that has been guilt up and ingrained into the side? I'm not sure we ever have. That style of play was built up over years, not a few months.

 

[sammyspurs]

I never said we had, I was answering the points I quoted

 

[sammyspurs]

I don't see why we can't play football the right way, but with a ruthless streak.

Agreed. For me the right way isnt about tapping it around to get a high possession statistic.

For me, its moving the ball forward, and being prepared to take a risk (and a shot, which we never do). If you have some space to run into, sometimes, take the man on, instead of always playing safe in order to retain the ball, and passing backwards.....so what should have been a cross, ends up being passed around between the CBs......who then hoof it up and lose the ball anyway.

We need steel and muscle, to fight for the ball. My biggest problem with Sandro right now is that he doesnt do that.

Id love to have a Mackay, or even a Scott Parker in the team right now.

 

[Mrs Perryman]

there are certain games that I don't care how we win, as long as we win - you know the ones I mean!!! I want to see spirit and a never-say-die attitude and know that they've given their all in every game. Of course, I love to see free flowing, exciting football with lots of great goals, but accept its not going to happen every game .... now and again would be nice, though.

 

[JDK]

You can play attacking football and still have the steel and strength to be able to grind out results when necessary.

I was perfectly happy with the way AVB went out and set up against top teams but the frustrating thing was that to me it never seemed like we adapted to play lower quality teams, especially at home. It felt like we weren't even trying to attack against teams that would sit back and were just content passing the ball in front of the backline and trying speculative shots from distance. We should attack shit teams at home, period.

Overall, a Tottenham manager should be committed to playing attacking and free flowing football but that doesn't preclude them switching it up and attempting to grind out a pragmatic result. You have to be adaptable in the modern game, but we should still be playing attacking football 85% of the time.