***OMT Tottenham Hotspur v Saudi Sportswashing Machine, Saturday August 29th, 5.30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium***

[billyiddo]

Offering zero threat in attack while leaking goals is not a good place to be in.

We may turn it around but we'll be in another relegation scrap before we know it

 

[Zavod 311]

Oh Dear

 

[billyiddo]

Oh Dear
View attachment 23271

Forest away next

 

[Baleforce]

I said it when we were fighting relegation last season. If you can't defend you are in trouble in this league with so many tight games. I thought RDZ would realise that but instead went out to buy ball playing defenders instead of ones who could actually defend. We got caught defensively for both goals and got caught one on one several times. Oh and plus we are looking to get rid of our best defensive defender. Early days but there is no way RDZ succeeds here without building a solid defensive base.

In the PL, clean sheets are everything.

 

[Yiddo]

Offering zero threat in attack while leaking goals is not a good place to be in.

We may turn it around but we'll be in another relegation scrap before we know it

Talk about being a drama queen, we made 2 very good chances to score and a fair few half chances so its hardly zero threat in attack.

 

[clownfoot]

For me there were positives to take from today, especially the first half. The attack out there today will not be the first choice when everyone’s fit, and most likely never be picked again. We get the penalty early in the 2nd half and it’s a different game

 

[billyiddo]

Talk about being a drama queen, we made 2 very good chances to score and a fair few half chances so its hardly zero threat in attack.

Let me moan

 

[robp135]

They were not the regulars.. That was Vic, Porro Van der Ven and Romero. When Danso and Kinsky came in we were more solid and even more so with Spence next to Danso on the right.

Spence started 35 games last season. Danso started 28 games last season.

 

[robp135]

You spend the money we spent on players and at the very least you expect their quality and personal responsibility to their performance show through. The level.of copium on "work in progress" only does so much heavily lifting.

Im not writing any player of but im expecting alot more than seeing from those on and off the pitch.

Waiting longer than HS2 as a work in progress, when managers have a billion quids worth of players, regardless of fan bias on who they are, it should be better

Tonali is the only one I can see that directed towards. He had a stinker. Fernandes was our best player. Van Hecke, Robertson, Marmoush were average but don’t think you can place the blame on us losing on them more than anyone else.

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

The technical side has gone up a lot
But for some of the technical players to excel you need others who aren’t as good
If the manager wants a side that’s technical great but has no physical presence we will get beaten by any organised side that’s technical that can over power us

You also don't get away with the idea that just because some players are not yours that you get a pass on with the work in progress. You have to work with the hand you are dealt, if you play the line of "well we can only do what we do with the strongest side available" then you are on the fast track to a bad place. Solanke was a 60m striker, we may of over paid for him but at one point he was a player who got goals in wins, he might not be a long term hope but you have to use him and players like it to get points and wins on the board.

There will be a point come the window closed where with injuries RDZ will be left with players we all think are not up to it, that doesn't mean we all just throw our hands up and give everyone a pass for not being better.

There are worse sides than us doing alot better with what they have, the idea I keep seeing peddled that we spent 400m but because those 400m in total are not all available means we accept this...........thats frankly bollox. We took 10 points from 5 games at the start of the season last year which a much worse side, we need to expect better

 

[Bedfordspurs]

You also don't get away with the idea that just because some players are not yours that you get a pass on with the work in progress. You have to work with the hand you are dealt, if you play the line of "well we can only do what we do with the strongest side available" then you are on the fast track to a bad place. Solanke was a 60m striker, we may of over paid for him but at one point he was a player who got goals in wins, he might not be a long term hope but you have to use him and players like it to get points and wins on the board.

There will be a point come the window closed where with injuries RDZ will be left with players we all think are not up to it, that doesn't mean we all just throw our hands up and give everyone a pass for not being better.

There are worse sides than us doing alot better with what they have, the idea I keep seeing peddled that we spent 400m but because those 400m in total are not all available means we accept this...........thats frankly bollox. We took 10 points from 5 games at the start of the season last year which a much worse side, we need to expect better

With the players we have signed id still be starting Danso with VDV at CB
2 CMs and I’d play Marmoush behind Solanke through the middle
Wide is an issue because of fitness big next week we could have Savio and Kudus there
That to me has balance across the line up
Players like Danso and Solanke are there to fix issues with the other players

 

[demotw]

It’s pointless buying players with Kudus, Maddison and Possibly Kulu so close, we did get one in Savio but people need to wait. I said at the start we would not win this one, but we needed improvement and we got that. Next game I want even more, but it will take a few games for this team, not players, team to play together well

 

[Robspur12]

Spence started 35 games last season. Danso started 28 games last season.

Spence was mainly used as a left back and we conceded fewer goals in matches where Danso started than when both VDV and Romero started.

 

[Bishop]

You spend the money we spent on players and at the very least you expect their quality and personal responsibility to their performance show through. The level.of copium on "work in progress" only does so much heavily lifting.

Im not writing any player of but im expecting alot more than seeing from those on and off the pitch.

Waiting longer than HS2 as a work in progress, when managers have a billion quids worth of players, regardless of fan bias on who they are, it should be better

See I don't really see it as copium of work in progress. I see it as a realistic look at what we have. We seriously almost went down last year and it would have been a true representation of what we were. So yes we've spent oodles this summer but what have we really bought and where does that place us? For it's just to now a reasonable level where I would not expect a relegation struggle, but does that mean I think we are now good food to beat Saudi Sportswashing Machine easily? Id say no.

We had chances and opportunities today that maybe if they had fallen to a different player we may have gotten the first goal and the momentum shifts. Despite the loss I don't think we got battered or even outplayed. It was a fairly 50/50 game where Saudi Sportswashing Machine were much more decisive when their chances actually came. Add a bit of that decisiveness to us and the result likely flips.

I don't think you can just say we spent a lot so it should automatically be better than it was today. How much you spend on the players doesn't change their qualities or lack of. Especially when in our context we are over spending now because we had spent so poorly in the last decade. It's not a quick fix, it's going to take some time and every signing isn't going to work.

 

[Bishop]

I couldn’t see the system
was it a 4-6-0
A 4-5-1
Couldn’t really tell
Looked like square pegs in round holes I agree because the system wasn’t there

It was square pegs because were playing a specific system but had unsuited or incapable players in the the main roles. That's not a lack of system, that's just a poor implementation of a system.

Being able to see a system shouldn't just be for when we are playing well. A system is something you can see win or lose and our system was fairly obvious today and worked to some extent but also failed to some some extent.

 

[BrentwoodSpur]

I know the word transition is rolled out almost on a loop in our case, but we really are in transition right now. I firmly believe in 4-5 matches (barring injury) we’ll be seeing the fruits of the summer window. I just can’t buy into the panic that I’m seeing online and hearing on the radio (Talkbrick I know) I think a lot of people need to stop and take a breath

 

[Mrs Vert]

Can't get much worse tbf

It can!!

 

[Benny_Lad]

Tonali is the only one I can see that directed towards. He had a stinker. Fernandes was our best player. Van Hecke, Robertson, Marmoush were average but don’t think you can place the blame on us losing on them more than anyone else.

I saw it a bit differently. I thought Tonali did ok and showed some signs of a high quality player. Not having any competent players ahead apart from Marmoush won’t help.

Marmoush showed lots of positive bits, driving away from players on multiple occasions. Again - not helped by the crap around him.

 

[Bishop]

Its rare that sides have bad starts and heat up, usually the other way. I just hope we buck a load of trends and quick

See I'm not necessarily expecting us to heat up as such. But I think with good wingers and an actual 10 I would expect the system to look a little bit more cohesive than what we've seen so far.

I disagree though that teams rarely improve over the course of a season. It happens pretty much every year.

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

See I don't really see it as copium of work in progress. I see it as a realistic look at what we have. We seriously almost went down last year and it would have been a true representation of what we were. So yes we've spent oodles this summer but what have we really bought and where does that place us? For it's just to now a reasonable level where I would not expect a relegation struggle, but does that mean I think we are now good food to beat Saudi Sportswashing Machine easily? Id say no.

We had chances and opportunities today that maybe if they had fallen to a different player we may have gotten the first goal and the momentum shifts. Despite the loss I don't think we got battered or even outplayed. It was a fairly 50/50 game where Saudi Sportswashing Machine were much more decisive when their chances actually came. Add a bit of that decisiveness to us and the result likely flips.

I don't think you can just say we spent a lot so it should automatically be better than it was today. How much you spend on the players doesn't change their qualities or lack of. Especially when in our context we are over spending now because we had spent so poorly in the last decade. It's not a quick fix, it's going to take some time and every signing isn't going to work.

There are alot of players available from that squad today that could and should produce more. Having to play Tel and Gray shouldn't be an issue as others make it.

BTW this isn't me not giving him time, its not me giving up, its me just expecting even the slightest smidgen more.

Two games, 5 goals agaisnt, none for, it needs to improve