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Omt - Tottenham vs Boro

So as Winks, Hojbjerg and Royal wouldn't get into another top 10 side, you'd start Rodon, Sanchez, Devine and Scarlett. :confused:
GHod no I was trying to make a point of how bad our squad has become. The thing is there are no quick fixes, we cant just get rid of half the squad, it is going to take multiple transfer windows to do it. But will Levy do it? I doubt it. The sick thing is the interlopers down the road who we were laughing at after the first few games of the season have actually stood by their manager who has gradually got rid of the dead wood in the last couple of years and they have backed him by getting in the players he wanted, and even more sickenly look like they actually have a good chance of making the top 4. A colleague at work who is a season ticket holder at the scum thinks they are only a couple of signings from properly challenging for the title. He even went as far as to say if they had Kane and Son they would be flying. The problem for us is that they have at least a couple of seasons head start on us now and are not hobbled by the stadium debt anymore
 
I have been wondering what to say for some hours now.

My conclusion is that Winks has to be dropped for good. He is so poor I have to give everyone around him (which is everyone given his position) some leeway.

I would even prefer to see Romero in the middle with PEH so long as we have a centre back to work with Dier.

And I would get Devine involved at times too whilst waiting for Bentancur and being very patient with Ollie Skipps recovery.

Nothing really matters know it’s time to experiment and freshen things up.
 
The players were clearly knackered and its hardly surprising when they have just played saturday, wednesday, saturday, tuesday plus extra time.

I warned of the consequences for tonight if we didnt make wholesale changes for the leeds game. Our squad is desperately weak and cannot cope with injuries for extended periods, especially in central midfield. Missing bentancur and skipp during this last period has especially killed us. Lucas too as an option off the bench.

Hopefully we can get a europa league place and then in the summer we need two new centre backs, two new right wing backs, another central midfielder, another wide forward and another striker.

AND of the right top quality so we need to be spending a total of around £200m on those players. Enic get the investment in or fudge off!

I disagreed with you on this before, but watching tonight you were 100% right.

even if we won, and we could have, we looked knackered — particularly Son, the midfield and Kane to an extent.
 
Right. I'm off to look at stair runners wif Missus Norf. Up the Berbers!

Well, how about that. Bailed out about 4 mins before Boro scored.

Home with three lovely strips of 23" wide carpet, about 20' worth in all. Real bargain for quality carpet to do stair runners. Enjoyed a tasty Mexican meal after - two Margaritas - and the generous affections of Mrs. Norf upon returning home.

Well worth missing the conclusion of that tedious exhibit with Mmmahhtnnn Tylrrrr droning away.
 
Along with everything else we’re shockingly bad at defending set-pieces. Boro should’ve scored with 2 free headers tonight, Mee did score last week and Leeds should’ve scored after about 3 minutes on Saturday - which might have made for a very different game. Not sure what’s going on there but something is very wrong.
3 of the 4 were where Romero lost his man or in Mee's case didn't read the flight of the ball.
 
We need to look past expecting players to win us the big games on their own - when you have strong teams with top quality players all over the pitch, that's when you win big games regularly and when you win trophies. When you only have 1 or 2 big players they are easily shut out against top opposition

Or even well coached sides like Chelsea, Wolves, Burnley and Middlesboro. Even Everton under the FSW shut us out. When Kane and/or Son are below par, we just don't function as a team. Both were well off it tonight - probably tiredness from lack of rotation. I said not buying a big CF in the window was a massive mistake - and so it is proving. We have absolutely no Plan B.
 
Or even well coached sides like Chelsea, Wolves, Burnley and Middlesboro. Even Everton under the FSW shut us out. When Kane and/or Son are below par, we just don't function as a team. Both were well off it tonight - probably tiredness from lack of rotation. I said not buying a big CF in the window was a massive mistake - and so it is proving. We have absolutely no Plan B.

Diaz. For what he does that was who we should’ve got that we could’ve got in Jan.
 
Agreed he would have improved us as he offers something different which is important when Kane/Son isn't working.

For me, the single biggest thing we’re lacking which could be fixed instantly is courage within the constraints of the systems Conte deploys. IF these automations are set, then presumably there is always someone covering someone else, thus why I cannot fathom why players with the pace and skill of Sess (for example) don’t go for it more and at least draw fouls/ask questions. I feel they are afraid to lose the ball within these automations as opposed to feeling invested enough in the system and their own abilities to go for it and push the match from time to time. We beat ourselves at Boro, and it isn’t the first time is it. But yes, I must stop waffling on about Diaz, but he is not just a top player, he is an invigorator and mood-changer, one of those players who likes to try and make things happen.
 
This to me is on Conte from team selection to the tactics used. You can predict what he will select.

You cant tell me the Spurs squad is weaker than Burnley and Middlesbrough. No way!! Conte has to be braver to use other players. If he had played the youth yesterday and we lost - that would most likely have been respected and applauded but to select the same side to me screams of tactical laziness and stubbornness.
 
For me, the single biggest thing we’re lacking which could be fixed instantly is courage within the constraints of the systems Conte deploys. IF these automations are set, then presumably there is always someone covering someone else, thus why I cannot fathom why players with the pace and skill of Sess (for example) don’t go for it more and at least draw fouls/ask questions. I feel they are afraid to lose the ball within these automations as opposed to feeling invested enough in the system and their own abilities to go for it and push the match from time to time. We beat ourselves at Boro, and it isn’t the first time is it. But yes, I must stop waffling on about Diaz, but he is not just a top player, he is an invigorator and mood-changer, one of those players who likes to try and make things happen.

I think you are right on the automaton system. We look far too formulaic. He seems content to have 8 robots and then let Kane and Son do their thing. If that isn't working we have so little on offer elsewhere - no pace, no trickery, no height, no strength, no hold up play and critically , very few goals from elsewhere in the team.

Our set plays have been woeful for a number of years. I know I bang in about corners, but we really haven't scored nearly enough from them.
 
Ohhhh, Daniel Levy...I wanna knooow, why you're such a c*nt....... ;)


Chin up, lads. One way or another, the club will get better. We lose Conte, we lose Kane, but if we lose ENIC, it all balances out and we can dream of things again. :)

You are blaming the man who released 75m to Conte and got rid of the players Conte wanted rid of. Who else in the Premier League spent such monies in January? Levy is not to blame for this loss. Unless you are suggesting he is to blame for firing Jose before a final (then I agree on that). Apart from that - nah.
 
I think you are right on the automaton system. We look far too formulaic. He seems content to have 8 robots and then let Kane and Son do their thing. If that isn't working we have so little on offer elsewhere - no pace, no trickery, no height, no strength, no hold up play and critically , very few goals from elsewhere in the team.

Our set plays have been woeful for a number of years. I know I bang in about corners, but we really haven't scored nearly enough from them.

3-5-2 has been our best system under him, and even with injuries to two of our CMs, I think I’d rather one of the kids stepped in (White) and was coached as part of a 3-5-2 than not deploying that shape.
 
Kane will be looking around him and thinking about moving again. There will have to be some serious backing of Conte in the Summer....if he is still around

You can’t blame the guy either. He’s been a terrific servant for this club for years and has nothing to show for it.

Every year same story. Whats he going to gloat with when he’s retired? Premier league top scorer? Best goal duo in prem? Most goals (if he beats Shearers record)?

He must be looking at Kyle Walker and thinking why the F am i still here? I could have had some trophies under my belt.

As much as i would love him to stay and retire with us, i do understand his predicament. If Conte is still here and builds a proper team then he may stay for another year but the way we are going we will probably divert the fans attention all summer on trying to keep Kane and do F all in the transfer market. End up get a few mediocre deals close to deadline day and act like we’ve done good business.

I have still not calmed down from last night. A cup tie is a cup tie. We could have even been knocked out by Boreham Wood on the night but showing no fight, no desire, no nothing. We can blame the manager but you don’t need to motivate players for a cup tie. They themselves should be motivated. Also we are not finishing top 4 for a fact. We will be 7th and count ourselves lucky if wolves and soton don’t overtake us in the final few weeks
 
3-5-2 has been our best system under him, and even with injuries to two of our CMs, I think I’d rather one of the kids stepped in (White) and was coached as part of a 3-5-2 than not deploying that shape.

For that reason and just for having fresher legs and more options on the bench.

If White and Devine couldn't even be used as subs in a 120 minute game yesterday when we've had two for midfielders playing everything recently in a packed fixture list... Well, obviously seen as not good enough by Conte. He may be right, but I would have liked to see them given the chance.
 
I think you are right on the automaton system. We look far too formulaic. He seems content to have 8 robots and then let Kane and Son do their thing. If that isn't working we have so little on offer elsewhere - no pace, no trickery, no height, no strength, no hold up play and critically , very few goals from elsewhere in the team.

Sounds a lot like our time under Mourinho.
 
The one positive for me from that otherwise mediocre performance was that in the first half Sessegnon actually looked quite good. I know his assist against Leeds was good play, but this was the first time I have seen why we bought him. Any other positives anyone, other than that "now we can concentrate on the league"??
 
Sadly the squad is as we all know is too thin.
Harry was knackered and Son was little better and the midfield was paper thin.
 
Yesterday was difficult to watch, as it felt like a loss from the start.
We didn't manage to put them under any significant pressure in the first half, and allowed them to build confidence.

Lots of credit to the Riverside-crowd, the place was buzzing (at least on the tv). Now they should focus on doing their team the same favour for the rest of the season, not return to their usual "no-show".
With the string of results Chris Wilder has been putting together, and the players they now have, they should be in for a very exiting spring.

As for us, I'm more disappointed in Conte than anyone else. His stubbornness is almost beyond belief at times. Now, don't get me wrong, I think his 3-4-3 will come good, but right now, with the current squad and injury-situation, you MUST adapt the system to the reality, not try to bend reality into your vision. There is enough stupid people trying to do that at the moment, particularly one fellow discussed over in randomination.

So untill we have the midfield players who can consistently and reliably play 2 in the middle, we must adapt the system! If that means 3-5-2 or any variation of that, so be it! Winks and Højbjerg will not stand up to any midfield who swamps them, and must be used with support, or not at all. It is like trying to dragrace a Liebherr T 284 against a regular car and complain that it doesn't go fast enough, because it has all the horsepower it needs. It is the wrong machine for the job! Use it to move dirt, and you're fine. Race it, and you'll lose!

I agree that he should have shaken things up from the start yesterday. I was hoping to see some youngsters, with a strong bench. That way, we could have had fresh legs, enthusiasm, and true, they would probably run into some problems. But then we could have changed up in quality, not down, made tactical adjustments, not yesterdays mindless changes from 3-4-3 to 4-2-3-1 only to go back to 3-4-3 and eventually throw everything forward. My main problem with it is that it nearly worked, meaning that Conte probably thinks he did it right. Doherty, Son and Kane could have scored.

Winks and Højbjerg didn't have their best games yesterday, but neither did anyone else in particular. Dier was probably our only decent performer, but he will not take any satisfaction from that, rather to the contrary.

At least we now have untill monday to recover, improve and go again. Unless of course, the madman in the beforementioned randomination-thread throws all his toys out of the pram and ruins the week for everyone.
 
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