Spurs v Stoke - Official match thread

[King of Norway]

Didn't think we were as bad as some of you are saying...

String of individual mistakes letting us down. Long ball, we're in complete control, but Chadli loses a header with himself and heads through the Stoke player who crosses it to an area where we're in control, but Vertonghen heads it into a danger area where Adam scored. Second goal, more of the same, control of the situation from a rather hopeful lofted ball. Dier can do one of two things, leave it or clear it. Getting a poor touch into Lloris is just bad.

Other end we weren't good enough, but got the ball into good areas, just failed to make it count.

Then of course Chiriches with the red when we looked capable of turning it around... Just terrible.

One of those days... One of those days that come around a lot more often when your back 4 is two centre backs by trade playing as full backs, your 4th choice "already-gone-in-the-summer" centre back and a goalkeeper strangely short on confidence by the looks of things.

Thought the players responded fairly well to going a man down. Most of them put a real shift in, but we also tried to attack and were a bit open at the back.

Lamela and Kane (second half) our best players, Dier and Vlad the worst.

Feel sorry for Pochettino. Can't wait for the summer, we need to do something about this squad.

Pretty sure it was Bentaleb with the backward header, not Chadli, if it matters.

And I think Lloris was more at fault for the second goal than Dier. Dier actually had the situation under control, and Lloris should have stayed out of the situation.

I think we were that bad. The first half anyway. The second was a write-off after the red card. Poor defending individually and collectively. Pediestrian, narrow and uninventive going forward.

 

[DTA]

Like I said, Dier, Fazio and Verts are literally the only reliable CBs we have. Shunting Dier out to RB means bringing in one of Kaboul or Chiriches, a terrible risk that people were aware of even in January (although Chiriches had a mini-renaissance after that, before reverting to form), and for what? Shifting out an RB for a marginal sum, an RB we could have done with (Naughton wasn't THAT bad, come on).

No one's suggesting that Naughton was a solution at RB. But he was better than the alternatives, which the last few games should have amply demonstrated to everyone.

Naughton was probably the best back up right back we could possibly get and keep happy..... People are just making ridiculous excuses for a fudge up.

 

[DTA]

All of this talk of dead rubber is flimflam, excuses, when does wengers, SAFs Jose teams have dead rubber games?

For those that manage people, when does your employees have dead rubber periods?

 

[Baleforce]

All of this talk of dead rubber is hogwash, excuses, when does wengers, SAFs Jose teams have dead rubber games?

For those that manage people, when does your employees have dead rubber periods?

between projects, it's inportant to let people recharge a bit

 

[Jordinho]

All of this talk of dead rubber is hogwash, excuses, when does wengers, SAFs Jose teams have dead rubber games?

For those that manage people, when does your employees have dead rubber periods?

That's assuming footballers are just like ordinary people. Even Bayern lost today.

 

[Rorschach]

I'd take any other defender in the premier league over him. he must be the worst defender in the league by a big margin. possibly the worst player overall.

And what is really sad is that this is not an exaggeration. I think I would play any other player we have on the books instead of him at right back. Yes even Paulinho.
.
Why was Rose on the bench? Another rather stupid decision if he wasn't fit to play

 

[Hoddledro]

That's assuming footballers are just like ordinary people. Even Bayern lost today.

It's allowed when you've won the league

 

[Raziel]

And what is really sad is that this is not an exaggeration. I think I would play any other player we have on the books instead of him at right back. Yes even Paulinho.
.
Why was Rose on the bench? Another rather stupid decision if he wasn't fit to play

claimed he wasn't fully fit (Rose)

 

[scaramanga]

The question is though have we improved from last season? The answer is no, we haven't!

A more relevant question is "What kind of fan would expect significant progression in less than a season?"

 

[Gilzeantoscore]

A couple of observations.

1. How weak are Spurs in the air defensively? Not one, but two assists from Bentaleb and Vertonghen for the first goal.

2. We have zero pace. I'm shocked at how slow most of our players are.

3. What happened to the pressing game?

4. Thought Chirches was fouled, but how weak was he on the ball?

5. Poch, looks clueless. Don't think he is the answer and I can see him gone, sooner, rather than later.

 

[Baleforce]

A more relevant question is "What kind of fan would expect significant progression in less than a season?"

... with such little investment

 

[Rorschach]

claimed he wasn't fully fit (Rose)

If he is not fit to participate when we need a left back because the one playing is braindead and got sent off then why is he on the bench? That is just wasting a bench spot for no reason.

 

[DubaiSpur]

A more relevant question is "What kind of fan would expect significant progression in less than a season?"

If 'significant progression' is defined as 'doing better than Tim bloody Sherwood', then we're probably on course to fail at even that this season. Will we go down by 2 or by 3 against Hull and Everton? These are not questions you should be asking of a team that have given it all and shown at least some improvement from the last season, but that's the way it looks like it's going to be. They have miserably crashed and burned, which even Tim managed to avoid doing, with an ill-motivated team who mostly hated him and whom he himself excoriated at every possible opportunity.

 

[thfcsteff]

Very pedestrian today, but it is clear that Poch is making sure summer business is done fast. Some of those players know they won't be regulars (or even here) next season and it shows. Regarding our lack of pace, without Rose and Walker it simply disappears. I think half the squad is in the manager's last chance saloon, and frankly, it won't be enough to aave half of them! Thought Clattenberg was crap!!!!! Poor decision re: red card.

 

[DubaiSpur]

Very pedestrian today, but it is clear that Poch is making sure summer business is done fast. Some of those players know they won't be regulars (or even here) next season and it shows. Regarding our lack of pace, without Rose and Walker it simply disappears. I think half the squad is in the manager's last chance saloon, and frankly, it won't be enough to aave half of them! Thought Clattenberg was crap!!!!! Poor decision re: red card.

Eh? You mean putting these players in the shop window? There have been no confirmed incomings, and no confirmed outgoings. Poch says 'I have the final say on transfers', but he's a fool if he believes that. I'd love to see some proactive transfer activity, but where is the evidence of this so far?

 

[wiziwig]

I'm pretty sure that last season at the Britannia , Rose was constantly targeted with aerial balls by the Stokies. He lost his composure and was substituted by Sherwood, to save himself being sent off. I can only imagine, Poch viewed the DVD of that game and decided it's best to give our most in form player a rest for this one.

As for the game, well what can we say ? We can at least say that we were Stoke City's opponents, the day their fans sang out their first ever olés

 

[glorygloryeze]

Very pedestrian today, but it is clear that Poch is making sure summer business is done fast. Some of those players know they won't be regulars (or even here) next season and it shows. Regarding our lack of pace, without Rose and Walker it simply disappears. I think half the squad is in the manager's last chance saloon, and frankly, it won't be enough to aave half of them! Thought Clattenberg was crap!!!!! Poor decision re: red card.

Sorry Steff, but unless you can back this up with some solid ITK and list the players, this just sounds like a cheap excuse..CHEAP excuse

 

[Baleforce]

Eh? You mean putting these players in the shop window? There have been no confirmed incomings, and no confirmed outgoings. Poch says 'I have the final say on transfers', but he's a fool if he believes that. I'd love to see some proactive transfer activity, but where is the evidence of this so far?

I have no idea if anything is going or not, but if it is, I should be the last person to hear about it, we'll never sign anyone decent if it's not done secretly

 

[braineclipse]

Pretty sure it was Bentaleb with the backward header, not Chadli, if it matters.

And I think Lloris was more at fault for the second goal than Dier. Dier actually had the situation under control, and Lloris should have stayed out of the situation.

I think we were that bad. The first half anyway. The second was a write-off after the red card. Poor defending individually and collectively. Pediestrian, narrow and uninventive going forward.

Doesn't matter who it was. Was an awful defensive header.

Agree that Lloris could have stayed out of that situation, but getting off his line early is also kinda what Lloris does... Either way it's a huge defensive mixup from individual mistakes, not a organizational issue (imo).

If he is not fit to participate when we need a left back because the one playing is braindead and got sent off then why is he on the bench? That is just wasting a bench spot for no reason.

Could have picked up his injury after traveling and we didn't bring any youngsters to have on the bench because of youth games?

Could have been fit enough to be used as an impact player towards the end if we wanted to. But Pochettino might not have thought it worth the risk at 2-0 down with 10 men against Charlie Adam and Stoke?

 

[braineclipse]

A couple of observations.

1. How weak are Spurs in the air defensively? Not one, but two assists from Bentaleb and Vertonghen for the first goal.

2. We have zero pace. I'm shocked at how slow most of our players are.

3. What happened to the pressing game?

4. Thought Chirches was fouled, but how weak was he on the ball?

5. Poch, looks clueless. Don't think he is the answer and I can see him gone, sooner, rather than later.

1. Agreed.

2. Yeah. Particularly with Walker and Rose out we're a fairly slow team.

3. Pressing was fine. We forced Stoke to play quite a lot of under pressure long balls and got some nice turnovers in decent positions. Our defensive problem today was individual mistakes.

4. Yeah. Difficult to see how he's not already gone in the summer.

5. Disagree.

Sorry Steff, but unless you can back this up with some solid ITK and list the players, this just sounds like a cheap excuse..CHEAP excuse

Why? What makes it a cheap excuse?

Pochettino has said he wants to get some transfer business done early. We have a large amount of players that we'll probably actively look to sell or are at the very least very happy to listen to offers for. Getting transfer business done early is something most fans want too.

How are we going to get transfer business done early without players picking up on it at this stage of the season?