Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[Kingdawson]

Re: Huddlestone

Oh and i'd rather have an emotionless manager that gets us positive results and 4th place finishes than an active manager that can do 100 cartwheel celebrations in 15 seconds who ultimately doesn't match the results on the pitch. Not to say AVB won't match the results but we shall see.

 

[ArcspacE]

Re: Huddlestone

It's a proof he loves his job and is enjoying it as much as the fans are - to me that speaks volumes. Whether he'll spend the rest of his career with us - I'm really not sure - but here and now he's happy to be with us and I think that is both imprtant and encouraging. He certainly doesn't look to be faking it.

 

[NaijaSpurs]

Re: Huddlestone

and then there's the over-reactors....

Why would you suggest that my comment was overreacting

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

Oh and i'd rather have an emotionless manager that gets us positive results and 4th place finishes than an active manager that can do 100 cartwheel celebrations in 15 seconds who ultimately doesn't match the results on the pitch. Not to say AVB won't match the results but we shall see.

This isn't specific to AVB, but it has always bugged me somewhat when players / managers celebrate goals. You score a goal, great. Get on with it. Celebrate at the end of the match. I always cringe looking at MOTD afterwards when we have thrown away a lead and you see our players celebrating before we see the lead thrown away!

 

[colin fishwick]

Re: Huddlestone

lets just agree Hudd has a great shot, he has scored bucket loads for us , his last two shots went in, he is a 15 goals a season man, and is a weapon from a free kick, which he strikes beautifully, other teams are scared when he lines up to take a free kick, because they are worried it is [8 years since the last one went in, so he is due one].

He also hits a pass like no other player and sometimes gets two or three assists [a season] I mean game .

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: Huddlestone

People are so so desperate to give AVB praise on here. it was his tactics that made Lennon make the same damn run he's made in previous years, it was his tactics that has made Defoe improve as a footballer (forgetting the fact that he's been poor in half the games he's played for us this season and him always being able to demolish average/poor teams for us over the years). Now AVB will work his magic on huddlestone.....he'll score one long ranger and i guarantee someone will give credit to AVB's tactics for it (despite his previous 7 long range goals over the years). i read a comment a few days ago saying AVB's celebration shows "how much he loves spurs" and nearly chocked on a biscuit, unreal.

I think you're probably right in my case, a little over-enthusiastic in trying to give him support, but as I raised in another thread with Joey 55 (fine discussion I think) nobody has mentioned the fact that he is managing to get us to play possession-football without Modric, VdV or even parker, three midfielders who have been the absolute mainstay of possession in their relative Tottenham tenures the past few seasons. So I'd counter by saying that some recognition of just that fact alone would be fair...

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

I think you're probably right in my case, a little over-enthusiastic in trying to give him support, but as I raised in another thread with Joey 55 (fine discussion I think) nobody has mentioned the fact that he is managing to get us to play possession-football without Modric, VdV or even parker, three midfielders who have been the absolute mainstay of possession in their relative Tottenham tenures the past few seasons. So I'd counter by saying that some recognition of just that fact alone would be fair...

He still has quality players in Sandro and Dembele in terms of passing. It's not as if he has taken poor players and made them world beaters. Fulham were a passing team last season and we've got two of their key players.

That said, we've only had one game where we've really done well at passing. And even that was just one half against Reading. QPR I'd expect us to dominate. We'll see how good we are when we play one of the big boys and we seriously need to pick up some unlikely points against them to offset the poor start we've had. When you look at WBA, Norwich and QPR at home and Reading away on paper it was a dream start for us. Should have had 10pts minimum against that lot.

 

[ArcspacE]

Re: Huddlestone

That said, we've only had one game where we've really done well at passing. And even that was just one half against Reading. QPR I'd expect us to dominate. We'll see how good we are when we play one of the big boys and we seriously need to pick up some unlikely points against them to offset the poor start we've had. When you look at WBA, Norwich and QPR at home and Reading away on paper it was a dream start for us. Should have had 10pts minimum against that lot.

Que?

So Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half, and WBA 85 mins never happened?

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: Huddlestone

He still has quality players in Sandro and Dembele in terms of passing. It's not as if he has taken poor players and made them world beaters. Fulham were a passing team last season and we've got two of their key players.

That said, we've only had one game where we've really done well at passing. And even that was just one half against Reading. QPR I'd expect us to dominate. We'll see how good we are when we play one of the big boys and we seriously need to pick up some unlikely points against them to offset the poor start we've had. When you look at WBA, Norwich and QPR at home and Reading away on paper it was a dream start for us. Should have had 10pts minimum against that lot.

Agreed, Dembele at $15 mill is neither cheap or no-good...he's a bargain and very very good. The mighty Sandro? Agreed. He didn't get his number one man though, the one he'd sounded off about since day 1, but he seems able to deal without him and so he should be frankly given the two players you've highlighted.
Further agree that we will see how this all shapes up against the big boys/further in the season...cannot really argue with your assertion of those early games (with regards to points versus expectation - I think we played well in all bar Norwich which was brick, and last 20 of WBA), all excuses/reasons aside. I will by admission, cut AVB slack for a variety of reasons BUT yes, those are games that a top 4 club needs to dominate, bad luck or not. Let's hope he can make it up in unlikely places. I think we'd both agree that early doors is too early to really judge...

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

Agreed, Dembele at $15 mill is neither cheap or no-good...he's a bargain and very very good. The mighty Sandro? Agreed. He didn't get his number one man though, the one he'd sounded off about since day 1, but he seems able to deal without him and so he should be frankly given the two players you've highlighted.
Further agree that we will see how this all shapes up against the big boys/further in the season...cannot really argue with your assertion of those early games, all excuses/reasons aside. I will by admission, cut AVB slack for a variety of reasons BUT yes, those are games that a top 4 club needs to dominate, bad luck or not. Let's hope he can make it up in unlikely places. I think we'd both agree that early doors is too early to really judge...

And let us not forget it was AVB who was happy to let VDV go. Modric there is nothing he could do. But Parker (who I don't believe AVB will play that much anyway, it at all) and VDV were very much our players for this year if AVB wanted them.

I back AVB. I didn't want VDV to go but I also appreciate that in the Premiership VDV cannot function in a 4-5-1 midfield variation. He is not a central midfielder making runs from deep or a wide man. He is a deep lying forward and has to play alongside another forward. But I am not going to be making excuses for AVB either as he still has a very strong squad and first team. I don't think the first team is as good as last season, and therefore my expectations are that we won't finish top four, but I do believe it's a good enough team to be challenging for 4th and finish inside the top six.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Huddlestone

Que?

So Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half, and WBA 85 mins never happened?

No that didn't happen. WBA 45 minutes happened but 85 mins? nope never happened.

 

[milo]

Re: Huddlestone

I back AVB. I didn't want VDV to go but I also appreciate that in the Premiership VDV cannot function in a 4-5-1 midfield variation. He is not a central midfielder making runs from deep or a wide man. He is a deep lying forward and has to play alongside another forward. But I am not going to be making excuses for AVB either as he still has a very strong squad and first team. I don't think the first team is as good as last season, and therefore my expectations are that we won't finish top four, but I do believe it's a good enough team to be challenging for 4th and finish inside the top six.

I think that VdV went because we got a £10m offer for a 29 year old player who wanted to go back to Germany for family reasons and we had a quality player lined up for half the price.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

I think that VdV went because we got a £10m offer for a 29 year old player who wanted to go back to Germany for family reasons and we had a quality player lined up for half the price.

I think VDV went because he was surplus to requirements under the new regime. I understand that AVB wants to implement a new system, and I appreciate that players (no matter how good) who don't fit into that system are surplus to requirements and have to go. Dawson & Huddlestone (despite recent game time) are two more I expect to be sold in the next 12 months, and I don't see a future for Parker either.

 

[ArcspacE]

Re: Huddlestone

No that didn't happen. WBA 45 minutes happened but 85 mins? nope never happened.

We battered Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half. I don't recall Brad making more than 1-2 saves all game

WBA we dominated except for a brief period when Lukaku came on and bullied Gallas

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Huddlestone

We battered Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half. I don't recall Brad making more than 1-2 saves all game

WBA we dominated except for a brief period when Lukaku came on and bullied Gallas

Yeh we dominated Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half i agree and we did pretty well first half against WBA but we didn't actually create much and i don't think Foster(was he the GK that day?) had a save to make. Second half we played like utter brick and they were well worth the point. So one good game and 2 good halfs is about right.

 

[Kingdawson]

Re: Huddlestone

I think VDV went because he was surplus to requirements under the new regime. I understand that AVB wants to implement a new system, and I appreciate that players (no matter how good) who don't fit into that system are surplus to requirements and have to go. Dawson & Huddlestone (despite recent game time) are two more I expect to be sold in the next 12 months, and I don't see a future for Parker either.

It's like people simply want to ignore what AVB himself said in a press conference. Without being asked a leading question AVB said if VDV leaves it's because he (AVB) made the decision and nobody else. He made it as clear as day he was calling the shots regarding vdv and nobody else.

Of course getting £10m for a player approaching 30 was something Levy was more than happy about but there's no way in hell he was calling the shots regarding VDV's departure. AVB said he's not needed so Levy sold..simple.

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

Yeh we dominated Saudi Sportswashing Machine first half i agree and we did pretty well first half against WBA but we didn't actually create much and i don't think Foster(was he the GK that day?) had a save to make. Second half we played like utter brick and they were well worth the point. So one good game and 2 good halfs is about right.

Maybe it's because I've been spoilt the last three seasons but I expect us to do well against WBA and Norwich at home. If those two performances had been away from home, they would have been acceptable IMO. But at WHL they weren't. WBA is only the second time in my memory where I have actually been bored watching a game of football at WHL. And that was after 20 mins! The other time was in the 90's against Southampton at home in what was truly an awful match......

 

[milo]

Re: Huddlestone

Maybe it's because I've been spoilt the last three seasons but I expect us to do well against WBA and Norwich at home. If those two performances had been away from home, they would have been acceptable IMO. But at WHL they weren't. WBA is only the second time in my memory where I have actually been bored watching a game of football at WHL. And that was after 20 mins! The other time was in the 90's against Southampton at home in what was truly an awful match......

How do you think we would have done under Redknapp in these games if he had Livermore and Sandro in central midfield?

 

[The Moonlit Knight]

Re: Huddlestone

How do you think we would have done under Redknapp in these games if he had Livermore and Sandro in central midfield?

Who knows? Redknapp is gone. We'd have played a different formation, had different personnel playing etc. But if we had played as poorly in both games and got a point a match? I'd be as unhappy as I am now about it. I was furious at Redknapp last season over the Norwich home defeat which I firmly laid the blame on Redknapp's door.

 

[milo]

Re: Huddlestone

Who knows? Redknapp is gone. We'd have played a different formation, had different personnel playing etc. But if we had played as poorly in both games and got a point a match? I'd be as unhappy as I am now about it. I was furious at Redknapp last season over the Norwich home defeat which I firmly laid the blame on Redknapp's door.

I don't think that washes, you were saying that you expect us to win those games but the results were not that different from the corresponding fixtures last season (1 point difference I think). And I think that any difference in results or performance can easily be explained by having an unbalanced side and the team getting used to a new manager. I think that we cannot really draw too many conclusions about how the team are playing or getting used to changes that AVB has made until November.