***OMT Tottenham Hotspur v sunlun***

[Hemant]

Video of Poch interview here:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38727319

From the Beeb:

• Sunderland kept only their third kept clean sheet of the season, with all three clean sheets coming at the Stadium of Light.
• Meanwhile, Spurs failed to score for only the third time all season in the Premier League.
• The Black Cats had only three shots all match - their joint-lowest total in a home Premier League game this season (along with Arsenal in October).
• Mauricio Pochettino has drawn four of his five visits to the Stadium of Light in the Premier League (W1).
• Only Chelsea (13) have kept more clean sheets than Spurs (10) in the Premier League this season.
• Jack Rodwell is still yet to win a Premier League game he has started for Sunderland (D17 L20).

Roswell: forget about starting but certainly should have finished early today.
At the time I thought: a simple trip; not goal scoring opportunity; not leg breaker.
Then saw it on MOTD, it was knee high; cynical; and definitely dangerous.
Therefore, a clear red, now I don't understand how Mason with clear view let it go.

 

[alekaras]

Anyone feel that, if Borini had scored that chance we would have won the game? I get the feeling sometimes that we play better when our back is against the wall. We seem to have more urgency and be more direct.

 

[Robbo]

Roswell: forget about starting but certainly should have finished early today.
At the time I thought: a simple trip; not goal scoring opportunity; not leg breaker.
Then saw it on MOTD, it was knee high; cynical; and definitely dangerous.
Therefore, a clear red, now I don't understand how Mason with clear view let it go.

And only two minutes added - that's just about as much time their players wasted on an average throw in on the second half. Not that it would've mattered much, because we looked completely unable to score, but it's still extremely annoying and provoking.

 

[Mr_B]

If you're going to win a title, you have to win on those wet wednesday nights up north. I'm amazed Defoe didnt score against us. I would swap him for Janssen in a heartbeat. But we're a team best suited to playing on the counter of course, they packed the midfield and gave us no room, we were a little off today and I don't really begrudge them their point. The timing looks bad with chelsea dropping points but I would have bitten your hand off to be 2nd in february.

 

[billyiddo]

At 24, too early to dismiss his obvious talent. Walker and Rose were equally inconsistent a few years ago. He has something. But the fact he toying with a move back to Ger in the summer, means maybe he will move on. Hopefully he can mature with us. Ingredients are there for me - pace, finishing - but not always the best touch or mental attitude.

Of course, I'm not dismissing him at all just acknowledging he needs to improve his game if he is to be more than an impact player for us

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Anyone feel that, if Borini had scored that chance we would have won the game? I get the feeling sometimes that we play better when our back is against the wall. We seem to have more urgency and be more direct.

Maybe it would have injected some life into us

 

[DubaiSpur]

Anyone feel that, if Borini had scored that chance we would have won the game? I get the feeling sometimes that we play better when our back is against the wall. We seem to have more urgency and be more direct.

We were pretty direct, to be fair. In fact, I thought we got far *too* direct, just mindlessly crossing it into the box from about the 55th minute to the 70th, and then inaccurately hoofing it forward after that. That usually won't work against a team drilled in using that very tactic against other sides, and it proved to be the case today.

 

[glasgowspur]

This shows we have a very good team but not one that can challange at the moment and that we have a good but not yet great manager.I would argue that we were out tacticed by Moyes tonight.His plan worked perfectly and if Borini had any skill they would have scored.They didn't let us get behind them too much and we didn't really change our game plan when it became clear we needed to do something else.If anything they had the best chances .They defended in numbers and kept Kane and Alli quiet,they were more than happy for us to have possesion in non threatening parts of the field.Maybe we should have stuck with the 3 central defenders but i think Poch has lost a bit of confidence in Wimmer.The tackle should have been a red but Mason is quite a leinient ref that doesn't call every singe foul all the time and lets the game flow.No matter we should gave beaten them even with 11 on the pitch.

Mason called every one we made, one of them he called back after 5 passes because there was no advantage.
The standard of refs is awful, I turned on the Chelsea Liverpool game after ours, Chelsea break 2 on 4, 30 yards from goal foul, it's now 1 v 4 and tge keeper and plays advantage, where's the advantage there?

 

[Pirate55]

Video of Poch interview here:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38727319

From the Beeb:

• Sunderland kept only their third kept clean sheet of the season, with all three clean sheets coming at the Stadium of Light.
• Meanwhile, Spurs failed to score for only the third time all season in the Premier League.
• The Black Cats had only three shots all match - their joint-lowest total in a home Premier League game this season (along with Arsenal in October).
• Mauricio Pochettino has drawn four of his five visits to the Stadium of Light in the Premier League (W1).
• Only Chelsea (13) have kept more clean sheets than Spurs (10) in the Premier League this season.
• Jack Rodwell is still yet to win a Premier League game he has started for Sunderland (D17 L20).

Just seen the Poch interview and was really disappointed he thought we played well and created chances! Admittedly, he rowed back from that initial statement saying we were poor in the first half and must in future learn to start " with more agressivity " from the start. However, this lesson has been provided to us in many earlier games and he/we have still not learnt it.

The stats from the game were truly shocking:

14 attempts, only three on target.

Mannone only made three (routine) saves and kept his first clean sheet in the League in 7 attempts.

12 corners and not a single threat from one of them. Diers mis-placed header the closest ( but has he scored from one yet in the PL this season?).

Free kicks - I understand we haven't scored one in the PL since Eriksen's double against Swansea in October 2015. Truly shocking - Chelsea have scored two in their last two games!

Our dead balls continue to be a real source of annoyance to me. Time for a radical re-think.

 

[Robspur12]

Roswell: forget about starting but certainly should have finished early today.
At the time I thought: a simple trip; not goal scoring opportunity; not leg breaker.
Then saw it on MOTD, it was knee high; cynical; and definitely dangerous.
Therefore, a clear red, now I don't understand how Mason with clear view let it go.

It's the sort of assault that should earn a retrospective ban. It will not because inexplicably the ref chose to only give a yellow. Refs have a very difficult job so I am loathe to criticize but it is the sort of "tackle" that they must clamp down on. I would say the same if it were one of our players who had committed it.

 

[Kandi1977]

One final thought. Why can't we keep our long range shots lower than row z?

Yes very irritating.

In the first half and beginning of the 2nd we had quite a few crosses into the box, but not enough bodies in the box. The last 20 minutes we often had 4-5-6 players in the box, and then resorted to shoot from 25 meters. Unbelievable!

 

[Abbeyspur]

Hugely missed opportunity last night. Over the last 3 games, including the FA Cup game, we have started very slowly which I can't believe is a deliberate tactic. I think if we look back over this season we will see that our best performances, i.e. Emirates Marketing Project home, Chelsea home, Stoke away, WBA home, have coincided with a fast high press start and surely Poch intends to do this every game.

It looks like the title is now gone and would be good if we could now prioritise winning one of the cups, which I feel would benefit us greatly long-term.

 

[diego_maradona]

As cliche as it sounds, we honestly need to approach it 1 game at a time. Forget the title. If we find ourselves anywhere near it come the end of the season then great. Simple task, take each game as it comes and win. Individually we are capable of winning any game from our remaining fixtures.

 

[Jurgen the German]

I'm not gonna get too down about it -- it's my fault for over-rating us. We are a less rich version of Arsenal; good in between the games that really matter, then bottle the chance to do anything significant. Whatever it is that it takes to get to that next level, we don't have it yet.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. Our first 11 is a match for pretty much any other team in the league. I honestly don't know how you go about changing the mentality of a club. Winning silverware might be start I guess. Then again, back to back FA cups hasn't changed Arsenal's bottling streak in the league so who knows?

 

[Spur of the moment]

Just seen the Poch interview and was really disappointed he thought we played well and created chances! Admittedly, he rowed back from that initial statement saying we were poor in the first half and must in future learn to start " with more agressivity " from the start. However, this lesson has been provided to us in many earlier games and he/we have still not learnt it.

The stats from the game were truly shocking:

14 attempts, only three on target.

Mannone only made three (routine) saves and kept his first clean sheet in the League in 7 attempts.

12 corners and not a single threat from one of them. Diers mis-placed header the closest ( but has he scored from one yet in the PL this season?).

Free kicks - I understand we haven't scored one in the PL since Eriksen's double against Swansea in October 2015. Truly shocking - Chelsea have scored two in their last two games!

Our dead balls continue to be a real source of annoyance to me. Time for a radical re-think.

Agree. For a start we should share our FKs around much more if only because there is sometimes an element of beginner's luck - not to mention surprise - about them. It''s true Eriksen has in the past been our best dead-ball striker but he seems to have completely lost his mojo so what's to lose by ringing the changes? How often when nothing is happening in cricket does the captain turn to his part-time bowler just to try something different only for him to take a wicket first ball?

At least we've started mixing up our corners a bit more, either taking them short or occasionally trying a Sheringham, but even this produced diddly-squat yesterday. One option I wish we'd try more is to swing the ball right over beyond the far post for someone like Dier to head back into the middle. For some reason we very rarely try this yet it has to be at least as good an option as going for the near post, which almost never works nowadays.

It sometimes feels like Poch is like a gambler who when he's on a losing streak sticks to the same old trick in the belief his luck is due a change. Sooner or later you have to cut your losses, so come on Poch, now would be as good a time as any.

 

[Abbeyspur]

Agree. For a start we should share our FKs around much more if only because there is sometimes an element of beginner's luck - not to mention surprise - about them. It''s true Eriksen has in the past been our best dead-ball striker but he seems to have completely lost his mojo so what's to lose by ringing the changes? How often when nothing is happening in cricket does the captain turn to his part-time bowler just to try something different only for him to take a wicket first ball?

At least we've started mixing up our corners a bit more, either taking them short or occasionally trying a Sheringham, but even this produced diddly-squat yesterday. One option I wish we'd try more is to swing the ball right over beyond the far post for someone like Dier to head back into the middle. For some reason we very rarely try this yet it has to be at least as good an option as going for the near post, which almost never works nowadays.

It sometimes feels like Poch is like a gambler who when he's on a losing streak sticks to the same old trick in the belief his luck is due a change. Sooner or later you have to cut your losses, so come on Poch, now would be as good a time as any.

Totally agree.

My particular gripe is why doesn't Dier take more free kicks. I can't remember him taking any free kicks for us last season yet he scored with his first free kick for England in the Euros and then hit the bar with his first free kick for us in one of the Champions League matches at Wembley. I only remember him taking 1 or 2 free kicks for us since.

Also I remember Walker scoring from a free kick from a long way out 3-4 years ago and believe that Toby has taken free kicks at previous clubs.

As you say why not mix it up if it is not working for Eriksen.

 

[Gazzasrightboot]

Agree. For a start we should share our FKs around much more if only because there is sometimes an element of beginner's luck - not to mention surprise - about them. It''s true Eriksen has in the past been our best dead-ball striker but he seems to have completely lost his mojo so what's to lose by ringing the changes? How often when nothing is happening in cricket does the captain turn to his part-time bowler just to try something different only for him to take a wicket first ball?

At least we've started mixing up our corners a bit more, either taking them short or occasionally trying a Sheringham, but even this produced diddly-squat yesterday. One option I wish we'd try more is to swing the ball right over beyond the far post for someone like Dier to head back into the middle. For some reason we very rarely try this yet it has to be at least as good an option as going for the near post, which almost never works nowadays.

It sometimes feels like Poch is like a gambler who when he's on a losing streak sticks to the same old trick in the belief his luck is due a change. Sooner or later you have to cut your losses, so come on Poch, now would be as good a time as any.

I couldn't disagree more with your final point, but respect your opinion. Having a set method is exactly what we need as a club so that it is second nature. Just remember Beckham against Greece. He delivered brick free kick after free kick, but form is temporary and class is permanent. I'm pretty sure that Poch and the team know who are the best deadball specialists are in the team. Indeed when Lamela is in the team, there's a bit more sharing done.

What you are advocating, in an extreme case, is Kane taking corners because there may be a bit of beginners luck. Each of our players has a role to play, and they are drilled on it. The fact is that our team played within themselves and drew an entirely winnable game. That's not the fault of whoever is taking the deadball duties.

 

[parklane1]

Disappointing result and we could/should have nicked it at the end. However, I will say this. We are second in the league in January. We are also on another pretty substantial unbeaten streak and we are on more points that this time last season.

Son didn't have the best of games, but for me, he is a definite keeper and again a player that I think will only get better.

Thank GHod for some realistic summing up, we are STILL growing as a team and there are bound to be games when we fail to impress ( and last nights was one of them). It was a bad day at the office but we are still in there competing for a top four place ( anyone who REALLY thinks we are good enough to win the Prem is fooling themselves.

One last thing making 9 chances for the Cup game really gave us a advantage last night

 

[Spur of the moment]

I couldn't disagree more with your final point, but respect your opinion. Having a set method is exactly what we need as a club so that it is second nature. Just remember Beckham against Greece. He delivered brick free kick after free kick, but form is temporary and class is permanent. I'm pretty sure that Poch and the team know who are the best deadball specialists are in the team. Indeed when Lamela is in the team, there's a bit more sharing done.

What you are advocating, in an extreme case, is Kane taking corners because there may be a bit of beginners luck. Each of our players has a role to play, and they are drilled on it. The fact is that our team played within themselves and drew an entirely winnable game. That's not the fault of whoever is taking the deadball duties.

Steady on, I certainly do not advocate Kane taking corners, that would indeed be taking my argument to the extreme.

Of course I can see the importance of drilling teams so that everyone knows exactly what's expected of them and of course Poch knows who his best dead ball specialist is - I did acknowledged it was Eriksen. But when over such a long time our FKs consistently fail to produce results surely that's the time to take stock and consider a Plan B? Especially as Poch was not TOO bothered whether it was Son or Lamela who took our penalty a while back! So you'd have thought he'd also be a little flexible about who takes our free kicks? I ask again, where's the harm in occasionally letting someone like Kane or Dier have a crack?

Going back to our largely unproductive corners to the near post, they have become SO predictable the opposition knows exactly how to deal with them, so that surely has to come into the equation? Fortunately on that particular front it would appear that Poch has at last seen the light and decided to mix them up a bit. So with respect I suggest even Poch disagrees with your assertion that you never change tactics.

 

[PLT]

I got back home at 2.45am...at the time pretty annoyed but time brings perspective.

There was just a lack of sharpness throughout the team, silly mistakes and decisions being made, first touch missing from the entire team but even though nothing really came off the team kept trying, it was just an off day.

These things happen and will continue to happen we just need to ensure they are few and far between - happens to all teams.

We all remember the days (not all that long ago) when we'd go away, play badly and just give up with little to no effort and end up on the back of a spanking.

We didn't work them enough although Rodwell should have been sent off...I can understand a cynical, take one for the team challenge but this was that along with reckless and dangerous...I saw that from up in the clouds so how the ref standing right there only deemed it fit enough for a yellow is ridiculous. Down to 10 and it's a different game.

Results went for us so can either look at it as a chance wasted or we weren't punished for a poor performance and result.

My only real concern is that unless Son is on the bench we don't particularly have any options that can change a game! The two 2nd half subs (perhaps a bit late) made no difference....I can't even remember Jansson touching the ball!