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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

it's not policy to discuss these things in the open.

but just so everyone is clear - he (Rossi) received a 24 hour ban for trolling, which im sure anyone who is familiar with his posting style over the years will be able to understand.

anyone who wishes to discuss the actions of the moderators of this board are more than welcome to do so via PM with one of the team :

Scaramanga
Bankrupt
Billyiddo
Crawley
diego_maradona
Ginolius
Jordinho
milo
nw7 yid
Papercut
thfcsteff

any further posts on the subject will be deleted.


cheers
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Lol. I don't think any manager will ever have it all entirely their way, that is what will seperate a good manager from a mediocre one
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

..and Steff if you were AVB in January with £75 m to spend, who would you buy?

Possibly a left back me thinks and another punt at a playmaker. Striker out/striker in maybe. Actually I don't see a dire need for any new additions. Quality players are always welcome of course but I'd be happier if our new guys settled rather than loads of new faces.

Although there is incessant moaning on GG about our players and form I can't remember our squad being this strong overall. What we have is some players performing below par and not clicking. If we get our **** together we could go on a great run with the players we currently have.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I started a long winded point and gave up...bottom line is I think he is building something great if people can be patient. We have a better foundation than we've had for a long time. I hope AVB stats to see it through, but who knows, maybe someone else will come in and bring the project home...regardless, this relentless ****ging is getting drearier and drearier...

If we were scoring goals and still not winning games I would understand.
If avb was setting up his team to win games and go for it I would understand.
If we passed accurately, quickly and moved off the ball i would understand.

I think this is what we are lacking and why we have stopped scoring goals. Avb is causing all this - i hope he changes something and quickly as I have had enough of listening to people say that we are close to something great. I've been hearing this for several years now and it never happens.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

"we've been very very consistent offensively".....:lol:

If we've been very consistent offensively and defensively why have we been working on a 4-4-2 formation for the last 2 weeks?
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

..and Steff if you were AVB in January with £75 m to spend, who would you buy?

I think the only way I could answer that properly mate, is to ask who's available? I would absolutely sign Leighton Baines if we had a half a chance. Dream signing remains Thomas Muller LOL…I did say 'dream'…I think he'd be an excellent buy for us.

In fact just to play dream team, how would this look February 1?



Lloris

Walker
Dawson
Verts
Baines

Sandro

Townsend
Paulinho
Lamela

Muller

Soldado

subs: Goalie, Capoue, Defoe, Sigurdsson, Chiriches, Lennon, Kaboul


When attacking, I would love to see those FBs sent rampaging forwards with Townsend and Lamela tucking in to supply/create space, Muller playing off Soldado could be frightening as he is exceptional at bursting through from deeper positions and I think he and Soldado would have a lot of fun playing together. The bench is pretty damn strong too (I suppose you could argue Eriksen for Lennon 'maybe') and I think this side would be both hard working and creative. Personally, if we were in with a shout of getting someone like Muller (again 'tis fantasy I know) then I would sell Dembele if anyone was interested as I think Paulinho (long-term) is a player far more suited to what we need. It's a shame with Moussa, but he's lost his way somewhat (not necessarily because of him, it's as much to do with what he's being asked to do) but I do think that these instructions have come about simply because he doesn't show enough offensively. He has a great shot on him but absolutely hardly ever uses it!!!! Very frustrating!

Anyway, back to the real world...
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Personally, if we were in with a shout of getting someone like Muller (again 'tis fantasy I know) then I would sell Dembele if anyone was interested as I think Paulinho (long-term) is a player far more suited to what we need. It's a shame with Moussa, but he's lost his way somewhat (not necessarily because of him, it's as much to do with what he's being asked to do) but I do think that these instructions have come about simply because he doesn't show enough offensively. He has a great shot on him but absolutely hardly ever uses it!!!!

Honestly I don't think there has much difference in Dembeles performances this year and last. It's just because we're not scoring he's been made a spacegoat with a lot of fans. We need someone to blame
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Honestly I don't think there has much difference in Dembeles performances this year and last. It's just because we're not scoring he's been made a spacegoat with a lot of fans. We need someone to blame

I agree. I think that it a mixture of this and people wanting to see a ball player there which he isn't.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I know you will forever not believe me, but until the middle of the summer, the manager was getting to KEEP Bale for one more season and add a few players (aka the Lewis loan)…

I'm not crying him a river, but I genuinely think that anyone who believe he has had it EXACTLY as he wanted is kidding themselves. I'll spare you and others the details of what I mean as I have posted it a few times before, but if requested, would be happy to post it again. Again, probably the most important thing is that HE himself does not complain. It's a good thing. That would be showing weakness IMO.


there are very few managers that get exactly what they want.....Wenger lost a best player almost on a yearly basis but he just got on with it. Other managers never had the opportunity to spend 150 mill in two years. Others lose a top player due to injury for a significant part of the season

sh!t happens, its how you deal with it that counts. I like that AVB doesnt moan or use as an excuse the fact that Bale has gone, or Modric last summer. He gets on with it to his credit.

ok, he lost a couple of top players, but he has been given a fantastic opportunity to buy a shedload of quality and now its up to him to put the pieces together. Nothing to cry about at all.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Honestly I don't think there has much difference in Dembeles performances this year and last. It's just because we're not scoring he's been made a spacegoat with a lot of fans. We need someone to blame

Exactly, he's not been that bad.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/9034794/finishing-school

Finishing school

Twenty points from 11 games leaves Tottenham in the mix at the top of the table but it's their tally of nine goals that has supporters worried. Adam Bate explores the issues of creativity and finishing that are causing such problems for Andre Villas-Boas and his side...

"I am a realist and I know that, on the pitch, I am not happy with everything," Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado admitted to the club's supporters this week. "I am not combining with my team-mates how I would like but I know I am very close. I'm striving to get to top form and play at 100 per cent. I am convinced that I am almost there."

'Almost there' seems to be the story of Tottenham's season. Just five points off the lead and having conceded only six goals from their 11 Premier League matches, there are plenty of positives. It's the miserable tally of nine goals that is threatening to scupper their ambitions. Only the bottom two have found the net on fewer occasions.

The problem is that opinion is divided as to why. Is it poor finishing or a lack of creativity? Here the matter becomes more complicated. "A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma," Winston Churchill might have mused, were he alive today and - equally bafflingly - more concerned with north London football than eastern European politics.

Spurs are the only team in the Premier League with more than 200 shots this season. Around Europe's top leagues only Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Paris St Germain and Real Madrid can match that feat. Evidently, Andre Villas-Boas and his players are doing something right. The quantity is there. But the poor goal return raises questions about the quality of these shots.

The shot locations might elucidate the reason for this problem. Tottenham are the only team among the Premier League's top eight to attempt more than half their shots from outside the box. Long-range howitzers might make the headlines but they seldom find the net with quite the regularity of efforts from inside the area. It is indicative of a style of play that is proving ineffective.

Inverted wingers have become a source of frustration at White Hart Lane. With Andros Townsend preferred on the right, Aaron Lennon has been deployed on the left flank in recent matches against Hull and Everton to no great effect. One goal between the pair - and that a misdirected Townsend cross - represents an alarming return from over 18 hours of Premier League football.

Curiosity

It is a particular curiosity given that Townsend has emerged as the darling of English football following a series of impressive performances for the national team. But the nature of his eye-catching efforts in an England shirt hints at the difficulties the 22-year-old winger might endure when playing for his club.

Townsend has been at his best when using his dribbling skills to carry the ball forward at pace and give England a foothold in the attacking third. Once there, weaknesses in his game have been exposed. Decision-making remains a work in progress, while the vision and technical ability to pick a clever pass through a pack defence is lacking. In essence, Townsend's strengths appear ill-suited to a team that is committed to a patient build-up.

Christian Eriksen is a player capable of finding that pass to unlock a defence. The talented Dane has that creative spark, the imagination to produce a killer through-ball rather than a speculative effort on goal. Interestingly, between them Townsend, Paulinho and Soldado are missing the target more often than they're hitting it this season (39 of 79 shots on target), while Eriksen has troubled the goalkeeper with six of his seven shots so far.

But it's the key passes metric that really highlights Eriksen's worth. His performance against Saudi Sportswashing Machine divided opinion, but in creating nine chances for his team, the 21-year-old showcased his talent for making things happen. An average of 3.8 key passes per 90 minutes puts him well ahead of his team-mates in the creativity stakes and - given he is set to miss the next month of action through injury - highlights a key weakness among his colleagues.

Without a No.10, Villas-Boas' system doesn't seem to make sense. Strikers who thrive on service and wingers with end-product issues leave Tottenham reliant on goals and assists from the attacking midfield zone that have not been forthcoming. Perhaps this is where Erik Lamela, a young man with 15 Serie A goals to his name last season, could emerge as a player of substance for Spurs in the coming games.

And yet, it is worth noting that complaints of a lack of service are problematic. While the quality of Tottenham's shooting opportunities can be questioned, even when the goal has been gaping chances have come along and they've been wasted. Only Sunday's opponents Emirates Marketing Project - the division's top scorers with 28 goals - have missed more of what Opta defines as 'big chances'.

While Soldado is among the top 10 culprits in the Premier League in this regard, the worst offender has been Paulinho. The Brazilian midfielder came with a reputation as a goal-getter from deep but only Sergio Aguero has wasted more clear-cut chances than the summer signing from Corinthians. The difference being that Aguero also happens to be the country's top goalscorer. Paulinho has a solitary goal to his name despite playing every minute of the Premier League season so far.

It hasn't stopped him trying his luck. As a consequence, of the 11 Premier League players to have 22 shots or more so far this season, Paulinho's conversion rate is dramatically worse than all but one of the other 10. The identity of that man? Andros Townsend. It's a damning statistic that, when coupled with the evidence that Spurs do create quality chances, suggests that execution is every bit as much of a concern as creation.

Both will need to improve if Tottenham are to fulfil their potential this season and one would expect some regression to the mean here: Townsend and Paulinho, for example, surely cannot continue to post such numbers, while goalkeeping performances such as the one Tim Krul produced for Saudi Sportswashing Machine last time out are unlikely to be encountered every week. An upturn in fortunes can be expected. And a trip to Emirates Marketing Project would be a good place to start.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

there are very few managers that get exactly what they want.....Wenger lost a best player almost on a yearly basis but he just got on with it. Other managers never had the opportunity to spend 150 mill in two years. Others lose a top player due to injury for a significant part of the season

sh!t happens, its how you deal with it that counts. I like that AVB doesnt moan or use as an excuse the fact that Bale has gone, or Modric last summer. He gets on with it to his credit.

ok, he lost a couple of top players, but he has been given a fantastic opportunity to buy a shedload of quality and now its up to him to put the pieces together. Nothing to cry about at all.

Wenger's had to suffer all kinds of abuse from impatient fans who have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. Ultimately, he gets the blame when Arsenal fail, no matter how unrealistic some fans' expectations are.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I think the only way I could answer that properly mate, is to ask who's available? I would absolutely sign Leighton Baines if we had a half a chance. Dream signing remains Thomas Muller LOL…I did say 'dream'…I think he'd be an excellent buy for us.

In fact just to play dream team, how would this look February 1?


Lloris

Walker
Dawson
Verts
Baines

Sandro

Townsend
Paulinho
Lamela

Muller

Soldado

subs: Goalie, Capoue, Defoe, Sigurdsson, Chiriches, Lennon, Kaboul


When attacking, I would love to see those FBs sent rampaging forwards with Townsend and Lamela tucking in to supply/create space, Muller playing off Soldado could be frightening as he is exceptional at bursting through from deeper positions and I think he and Soldado would have a lot of fun playing together. The bench is pretty damn strong too (I suppose you could argue Eriksen for Lennon 'maybe') and I think this side would be both hard working and creative. Personally, if we were in with a shout of getting someone like Muller (again 'tis fantasy I know) then I would sell Dembele if anyone was interested as I think Paulinho (long-term) is a player far more suited to what we need. It's a shame with Moussa, but he's lost his way somewhat (not necessarily because of him, it's as much to do with what he's being asked to do) but I do think that these instructions have come about simply because he doesn't show enough offensively. He has a great shot on him but absolutely hardly ever uses it!!!! Very frustrating!

Anyway, back to the real world...

Interesting. I too would love Baines. Ain't going to happen though ( he wants Utd and they want him). Ditto Muller.

I think we need a marauding left back too. However, with Ade patently out of favour, I think we are light up top and would be inclined to spunk most of the budget on a top striker. Where have I heard myself say that before? Only the last three January windows!
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Have no idea to put this so put it in here lol

[video=youtube;jFG5vdsZj80]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFG5vdsZj80[/video]
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Lamela loves a bit of post and in. Holtby on ****ing fire, wouldnt mind him starting tomorrow if he pulls a few of them out.

Dembele too!
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

It was a bit of a weak exercise wasn't it? Time to trap the ball and wait for 2 seconds and pick your spot. That will never happen in a game.

Would be more useful to have a defender or two pushing off the line to try and close you down, much more like a game situation.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Wenger's had to suffer all kinds of abuse from impatient fans who have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. Ultimately, he gets the blame when Arsenal fail, no matter how unrealistic some fans' expectations are.

The board at Woolwich have come in for a lot of stick too, It's just Wenger takes the fall for them, but the Woolwich fans see through it.

Wenger is still a very good manager, whether he's a great one anymore is another debate, don't see how you can go 8 years without winning anything and still be considered a top manager.
 
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