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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

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

As many have said hes playing a system that doesn't suit the players at his disposal.

What we do have - Pacy, direct players such as Walker, Lennon, Chadli, Rose and Townsend

What we don't have - 'cute' intelligent ball players like Mata for example, nearest we have is Eriksen who's new to the league.

With this high pressing game AVB has us playing we win the ball back high up the pitch, leaving absolutely no space for our pacey direct players to exploit. The slow building possession game he's trying to play allows teams that are happy to come away with a point to 'park the bus' with ease. That combined with inverted wingers makes us completely toothless.

I don't understand how someone who is supposed to be such a footballing genius can't see this
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

SlumDilla said:
Ahh i see what you mean. I do firmly believe that instilling a free flowing style will actually be easier with this team, now all that's left is to find someone to show AVB how to do that.
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and thats what I mean by someone having a 'quiet' word to him in his ear. Everyone seems to have a mentor in football, most turned to Sir Alex etc. Not sure who AVB would turn to, normally id have thought it was Mourinho but obviously recent revelations revealed that he actually isnt on terms with him. Maybe thats an issue - Baldini could talk to him perhaps
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

DHSF said:
and thats what I mean by someone having a 'quiet' word to him in his ear. Everyone seems to have a mentor in football, most turned to Sir Alex etc. Not sure who AVB would turn to, normally id have thought it was Mourinho but obviously recent revelations revealed that he actually isnt on terms with him. Maybe thats an issue - Baldini could talk to him perhaps
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Maybe Pellegrini? He obviously doesn't view us as threats and can definitely give AVB a few pointers on said play. Thing is i really believe AVB's ego would not allow him to get outside help with this.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

BrainOfLevy said:
I think you are being too harsh on the guy there - his methods aren't ****e and got us record points last season.
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Dont you mean "Gareth Bale" got us record points last season. Without him, AVB's managing ability would have had us in mid table obscurity.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Millsy_Yiddo said:
As many have said hes playing a system that doesn't suit the players at his disposal.

What we do have - Pacy, direct players such as Walker, Lennon, Chadli, Rose and Townsend

What we don't have - 'cute' intelligent ball players like Mata for example, nearest we have is Eriksen who's new to the league.

With this high pressing game AVB has us playing we win the ball back high up the pitch, leaving absolutely no space for our pacey direct players to exploit. The slow building possession game he's trying to play allows teams that are happy to come away with a point to 'park the bus' with ease. That combined with inverted wingers makes us completely toothless.

I don't understand how someone who is supposed to be such a footballing genius can't see this
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That's my take too.

Also, playing Kaboul and Dawson together is just asking for trouble IMO. They both like to attack the ball and neither drop off. Both would have been more effective with Verts or Chich alongside them.

Can't understand AVB's seeming infatuation with Paulie. Lets get back to Sandro and Dembele.

Strange for someone who is supposed to be a tactical genius.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Pirate55 said:
Also, playing Kaboul and Dawson together is just asking for trouble IMO. They both like to attack the ball and neither drop off. Both would have been more effective with Verts or Chich alongside them.

Can't understand AVB's seeming infatuation with Paulie. Lets get back to Sandro and Dembele.
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A great centre half partnership needs one proactive and on reactive defender. Dawson and Kaboul are reactive and charge around after the ball, both usually go for the same ball as a result. Vertonghen is a proactive defender and drops off (although the last goal today looks like he drop off to sleep).
Spot on with Sandro and Dembele, as I said in the other thread if Paulino isn't scoring then he overs very little
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

2 up top can only work if the 2 central midfielders can read the game and can close down the space. Keep the 4-2-3-1 but have more creativity in midfield. The scum and Chelsea don't struggle to create goal scoring chances.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

He's having his awful season. Given the resources and players at his disposal, using that as a basis for judging managers he is doing the worst of all current ones in the Premier League. I am in shock that we are in a relatively good position, but that's down to us getting several lucky goals/penalties in games and our rivals dropping silly points. This won't go on all season, unfortunately.

His stubbornness has been well covered, but remains annoying as hell. He just doesn't seem to realise that this system he adopts is counter productive because the vast majority of our players suit playing a high-tempo, direct game, not slow tempo, short passing game which has zero penetration. We don't cross, we don't play killer through balls... all we do is shoot from distance. That was okay last year with Bale, because he's the best shooter of a ball from 25 yards on the planet. Sigurdsson, Townsend etc. are too inconsistent with their shooting for it to be a reliable tactic.

I'm not going to say I want him out yet, although I wouldn't be fussed if he did. He's in it for himself and that doesn't have a good effect on anyone at the club. We carry on playing this badly, we could conceivably finish 8th or 9th. I don't think we have a chance of finishing above Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Emirates Marketing Project or Man Utd this season. Everton and Southampton look far better and more fluid than us, and could finish above us. Saudi Sportswashing Machine don't always play well but grind out wins and are above us. I think we're certs to finish above them but you never know.

AVB needs to earn his corn, make some radical changes and turn it around. We have Man Utd and Liverpool visiting us shortly. We need to win one of those games and win against the two opposition sandwiched between them, or he's a goner.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I actually think Glenn Hoddle would do very well for us now, if he was appointed to replace AVB. I now await the backlash to that comment.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

shaney said:
Dont you mean "Gareth Bale" got us record points last season. Without him, AVB's managing ability would have had us in mid table obscurity.
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Exactly and it's sad some still to ignore this. There were countless games where we played utterly ****e but Bale saved our behinds and it wasn't like other teams who relied/rely on a special player either. Those teams still manage to look potent without their star player but us without Bale last season? jeez it would have been painful viewing (we couldn't even play well when he started...it's just he got the goals to save us).

This season we don't have that luxury so the tactics get exposed.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

El Guepardo said:
I actually think Glenn Hoddle would do very well for us now, if he was appointed to replace AVB. I now await the backlash to that comment.
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Maybe he is what we need right now. An ex-crowd favourite, might bring some feelgood back to the Lane, as well as getting some flair back into our play.
I will apologise though as my memories of his first time in charge are very cloudy, so I cant really remember was his major flaws were in his latter days in charge
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Kingdawson said:
Exactly and it's sad some still to ignore this. There were countless games where we played utterly ****e but Bale saved our behinds and it wasn't like other teams who relied/rely on a special player either. Those teams still manage to look potent without their star player but us without Bale last season? jeez it would have been painful viewing (we couldn't even play well when he started...it's just he got the goals to save us).

This season we don't have that luxury so the tactics get exposed.
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Was a reason why he scored a record number of goals from outside the box. With AVB's tactics/system we don't get the ball in the box
 
***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

El Guepardo said:
I actually think Glenn Hoddle would do very well for us now, if he was appointed to replace AVB. I now await the backlash to that comment.
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To be fair, they could appoint Glenn Hoddles wife, and we would improve on the dross we currently find ourself in. On a serious note, Glenn as caretaker till the end of the season is actually a better option then our current manager. THATS HOW BAD AVB IS !
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

shaney said:
To be fair, they could appoint Glenn Hoddles wife, and we would improve on the dross we currently find ourself in. On a serious note, Glenn as caretaker till the end of the season is actually a better option then our current manager. THATS HOW BAD AVB IS !
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I think he would be up for it too
 
***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Kingdawson said:
Exactly and it's sad some still to ignore this. There were countless games where we played utterly ****e but Bale saved our behinds and it wasn't like other teams who relied/rely on a special player either. Those teams still manage to look potent without their star player but us without Bale last season? jeez it would have been painful viewing (we couldn't even play well when he started...it's just he got the goals to save us).

This season we don't have that luxury so the tactics get exposed.
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Agreed ! I lost count of the amount of times last season where we played absolutely **** only for a Bale strike to paper over the cracks. I said time and time again that it was not a long term solution and it was masking huge problems with AVB's ability as a manager. Of course, I was shot down in flames by the "who cares, we won" phalanx.

As you say, Bale has gone so now there is no one for AVB to hide behind. I take no pleasure in seeing what I predicted last season, becoming reality this season. It hurts like hell, it brings tears to the eyes, its painful, and you feel it in the pit of your stomach when you witness what we saw today.
 
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Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

shaney said:
Agreed ! I lost count of the amount of times last season where we played absolutely **** only for a Bale strike to paper over the cracks. I said time and time again that it was not a long term solution and it was masking huge problems with AVB's ability as a manager. Of course, I was shot down in flames by the "who cares, we won" phalanx.

As you say, Bale has gone so now there is no one for AVB to hide behind. I take no pleasure in seeing what I predicted last season, becoming reality this season. It hurts like hell, it brings tears to the eyes, its painful, and you feel it in the pit of your stomach when you witness what we saw today.
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This exactly, we can't create against any teams not just the good ones.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Hoddle? :ross:

Believe me, we were pretty bad under him. It'd be a disaster.

Pochetino for me
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

paxtonwolf said:
I think he would be up for it too
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I know he would. Well, not know, but I'm very confident that he would. He talked about being at training and chatting with Baldini, so very suggestive that he's involved, at least emotionally, still with what's happening with our club.
 
Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Before today's game i knew we would lose heavily i said before the game but also think we'll win next week. Results imo this season have overshadowed our actually performances many times. I don't understand how AVB hasn't worked out that Sandro & Paulinho can't play together. Between them they don't offer enough. At least Dembele drives with it and moves it quickly.
The main thing i have to say about AVB is what has he actually done in management before spurs? In 3 season he's been at 3 different clubs. One season is not enough to completely change a team whereas at spurs he has made 15 signings(the bulk of a squad). My point being this is the first time he has properly put his own squad together and i haven't seen it click in the slightest yet. I know he's not the only person who chooses players to sign but i'm pretty sure he has a big say. AVB comes across as arrogant at times to me and i think one situation of this is Soldado he was his marquee signing and won't drop him even though he's scored 1 goal from open play in the league. I think this shows stubonness that his 'way' will coem right soon.

When he was appointed i said i'll give him two years 1 st year i though just qualify in europa 2nd should be qualifying for Champions league at the moment i can't same i am convinced he will work.
 
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