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Jose Mourinho - SACKED

At United, Real and Chelsea (his second run), I perceive that his job description wasn't to build a team, it was to win trophies. I do not know what job description has given him. I suspect it is slightly different and Levy does like success built on sustainable foundations.

However I think you are being unrealistic if you think the current squad is capable of mounting a challenge in the way you wish. You are using the lens of 5 to 6 years ago to judge the Premier League. Back then it was clear from squad quality that we were capable of being up there with the best.

There are key positions where the quality is low especially compared to other teams.

Goal keeper - Lloris is capable of being the best on his day but the deputies - dear Lord. I still get nightmares when I remember Gazzaniga Vs Chelsea last season. Has anyone finally understood why he made that challenge?

RB - Aurier is top 6 quality. Doherty may become one. Needs more investment. Key position in a Jose team.

CB - In a key position, the quality is poor. When we have had problems in this position, we have hardly ever done well. There are players with potential but that requires time. I don't think we are top 8 here. There are quite a number of teams with better defensive partnerships at CB. Key position in a Jose team. Look at Jorge Costa, Terry, Walter Samuel, Lucio, Ramos etc

LB - I think we are top 6 here with Reguilon and Davies. We have been unlucky with injuries here. Key position in a Jose team. Think back to Ashley Cole, Chivu, Nuno Valente, Marcelo etc.

DM - We look good and are top 8 here. Hojberg and Sissoko do a job shielding. Passing however is another thing altogether. However I am not sure if we can be effective if someone presses us. This was also a problem under Pochettino. I remember the first game vs. Klopp's Liverpool. Very few of the players except Vertonghen and Eriksen could handle the counter press. Could any of the current touch Esteban Cambiasso? Another key position in a Jose team.

CM - Our quality here is improving. Aside from Ndombele, I don't see anyone top 6 here. Winks is potential but I am not sure if he will achieve it anymore. Is Skipp the answer? No. We need more quality here. This position is very key in a Mourinho team. Lo Celso can also play here though so perhaps that is his thinking but investment may be needed for squad depth.

AM - Quality here can be top 6. Lo Celso, Dele and Lamela can fill in here. However the high rating here for me is due to Lo Celso. We have been unlucky with injuries. Dele can't handle a high press and likes time on the ball. Lamela is injury prone and arguably inconsistent. Important position in a Jose team. Think back to Ozil, Sneijder, Lampard, etc

RW - Not top 6. Being a winger is far more than pace and dribbling ability. Decision making is critical. I don't see it with Bale or Bergwijn or Lucas Moura. Each of them has a particular weakness. Bergwijn has potential but will need time to develop.

LW - Ditto above. Son, Bergwijn can play here as well. I like Son's finishing and ability to cross but is he a creative winger? In my opinion, no. Is he dangerous yes in his own way. He can 'dribble', shoot and links up with Kane. However he is exhausted at the moment and this position like the RW needs investment.

ST - Kane. We are arguably top 6 based on a singular player but that player has well documented weaknesses which is standard for a world class player who is studied in depth by opposition managers. The worry is the amount of game time, and depth. Also I think Kane should focus on being a striker. There are times Spurs is attacking and there is no players (RW or LW) in the opposition box. Very puzzling. This started under Pochettino. Vinicius is on loan and to me will need more time. Key position - Jose has had Benny, Drogba, Benzema, Milito, Eto'o, Ibrahimovic. Funny enough I don't think Zlatan had a problem with Jose and he has more ego than most.

Youth teams - I have watched for a while and I recognize that Levy's investment will need time to bear fruit. I am not convinced that our youth development is up to scratch especially when we compare versus our rivals in the league.

Short summary - The team will require investment far more than we have now to make a challenge.

I think you have made a good summing up of where we are at the moment even if i do not agree with all your points.
 
He has us at the giddy height of 9th. He’s a winner. He’s got a winning mentality. He will raise the toughness of our team. He will cut out the silly mistakes through his sheer force of personality (I read a stat that 87% of goals we have let in are from mistakes and set pieces).
HE HAS US AT 9th. Simply not good enough.
 
He has us at the giddy height of 9th. He’s a winner. He’s got a winning meteorology. He will raise the toughness of our team. He will cut out the silly mistakes through his sheer force of personality (I read a stat that 87% of goals we have let in are from mistakes and set pieces).
HE HAS US AT 9th. Simply not good enough.
It's 9th with no sign of it getting better is my worry. No discernible plan in our play, shifting from 11 men behind the ball backs to the wall defending to being far too open. He record tells us he is better than this but he needs to improve us quickly.
 
Would be surprised at the timing, don’t think City away is a game to be disappointed about or expecting more from?

Whilst I think its something we need to do in order to progress and get some direction back, I do agree with you, unless the wording of that tweet about losing the dressing room is the main driver (as opposed to results given as you say, West Brom and Emirates Marketing Project results werent anything to read much in to)
 
Have some people gone so deep into a nostalgia hole during lockdown that they are comforted by the familiar warm blanket of Mourinho's 90s Tottenham?

George Graham's playing style. Sit back and wait for our one special player to perform a miracle.

And Gerry Francis' results. Taking over in November after a club legend has us in the wrong end of the table. Finished 7th thanks to a world class strike partnership.
Next season have a decent run at one point smashing United 4-1 and then fall away to 8th place. Francis currently has more points after 23 games(41) than Mourinho(36).
 
Just ignore me then, rather than feeling the need to reply to each and every post I make on any thread. Taking pot shots at people just ruins this sort of place. GG is generally a good site without too many trolls and abuse/arguments - better to keep it that way so that it carries on 'working'

I agree with you. @bedford, the truth is what you're saying could apply to several people who post regularly.
 
Have some people gone so deep into a nostalgia hole during lockdown that they are comforted by the familiar warm blanket of Mourinho's 90s Tottenham?

George Graham's playing style. Sit back and wait for our one special player to perform a miracle.

And Gerry Francis' results. Taking over in November after a club legend has us in the wrong end of the table. Finished 7th thanks to a world class strike partnership.
Next season have a decent run at one point smashing United 4-1 and then fall away to 8th place. Francis currently has more points after 23 games(41) than Mourinho(36).

Funny you mention these names, we were debating whether he was in Badger of Raincoat territory. I felt Badger but Milo rightfully said he was closer to Raincoatland given overall picture. In terms of results and flow it genuinely feels like the Badger's last season to me.
 
I agree with you. @bedford, the truth is what you're saying could apply to several people who post regularly.
Yep
The problem is if you literally repeat the same thing it doenst really change anything, but I do agree it is a forum.
The classic the is I was behind him when he joined and gave him a chance but not now...
I was bored last night and looked through the original posts in this thread. Some people have stuck to what they said an some are actually a bit hypocritical TBF. By the way I didn’t see anything from AdamB in the earlier threads to comment on.
 
Yep
The problem is if you non-figuratively repeat the same thing it doenst really change anything, but I do agree it is a forum.
The classic the is I was behind him when he joined and gave him a chance but not now...
I was bored last night and looked through the original posts in this thread. Some people have stuck to what they said an some are actually a bit hypocritical TBF. By the way I didn’t see anything from AdamB in the earlier threads to comment on.

I think hypocrisy is part of being a supporter TBH. Anyone who says they're never hypocritical as a supporter doesn't care about their time blindly enough! In general, anyone who tells me they're not a hypocrite loses a degree of my personal trust as they're already fibbing to themselves on some level, however small. Obviously we strive not to be hypocrites, but life will serve it up on occasion, if only as a matter of consequence not choice.
 
Poor run of form
Lack of improvement in performances during his tenure
Strange excuses....’nose penalties’
I assume he was heavily involved in a big transfer misfire in bringing Bale to the club
Well supported in the summer transfer window. Yet the results and performances have regressed since rather than improved.

I’d think that he’s on borrowed time now. Only reason he’s not walking I think is the cost of the payout. People can argue about our squad being weak with poor centre backs but this should have been addressed in the summer, it’s not a new issue.
 
I was vocally anti-Mourinho in the extreme after the Liverpool, Brighton and Chelsea games. But despite one win in three since, I’m actually feeling much more positive, as he’s shown me he’s not totally dogmatically committed to the ultra defensive approach of those three games. Even against City I thought we were more positive, playing higher up the pitch and sometimes trying to pass it out from the back (particularly in the first half).

Saying that, there are still some things I’m not a fan of - bringing Sissoko on at HT when we’re losing. His constant chopping and changing defensively. And his management of Alli and Bale (though I appreciate that’s contentious, and none of us have any idea what’s going on behind the scenes).

But the players don’t look to me like they’ve lost all motivation under him, and as others have said he hasn’t gone into total ‘bitter dingdonghead’ mode yet. So I’m feeling on board with him as our manager for now - just hope he sticks to a first choice back four and finds a way of helping them minimise mistakes, and keeps up the more attacking approach of recent games.
 
A lot still being made of poor player performances and don't get me wrong, there's a tonne of those, and Sanchez obviously shown he can't handle the pace of PL now.

But, how much chopping and changing is there recently?

Different RB, different CB pairing, different combinations in midfield paired and then substitutions occur mid-game to then alter that too on literally a game by game basis? There's absolutely no consistency. If you have a different defence every game, it's hardly surprising we can't keep a clean sheet.
 
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