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Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

Except for maybe starting Bale at LB and in hindsight starting Sig which he rightly substituted at half time, AvB didn't do much wrong IMHO. We should give QPR credit for great pressing, they were really up for it in the first half, forcing mistakes. We sorely miss someone who can effectively switch play and initiate attacks when we regain possession, Dembele is too fond of the ball and lacks the required vision to be effective in that role. But I think much of the disappointment with how we play stems from us being thorougly and utterly spoiled having had one of the best playmakers in the world dictating our midfield play. "Give the ball to Modric, he'll do something smart". He will be instrumental for RM in the future and will eventually get the trophies he deserves and that we couldn't provide for.

Without him, we are not that quick on the break anymore which were our main threat under Redknapp, and as such not so pleasing to the eye looking better than we really were. What Modric did so brilliantly was getting an instant overview over players in good positions, and then opening up space for to pass in. Now it seems to me that we try to play the same way, but end up relying on difficult passes and "bombing forward", leaving us all-or-nothing too easily. Admittedly, we look quite directionless on the pitch at present, but I think that has more to do with players adjusting, our point of reference and level of expectation than AvB being clueless. Add to that we have always struggled against so called lesser teams, even with Modric we were generally poor at keeping possession for prolonged periods, building up play and breaking teams down.

Anyway we should either seek to bring in a "Modric-esque" player no later than in the January window, or overhaul the entire system to fit the player material we have. This takes time, sometimes a lot of time, and probably won't look pretty in the process. And even more, we cannot expect players to be something they're not. Dembele is no Modric, Sig is no VdV, Bale is no Ronaldo and they never will be. Like Carrick and Berbatov before him, the fee recouped for Modric doesn't in any way compensate for the immediate loss in team structure (blatantly disregarding their inexcuseable desire to leave us of course).

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied given the circumstances and have adjusted my expectations accordingly, and seek positives where they are. Having two great keepers for once, Verthongen and so on. Now make something out of Harry Kane.
 
SubZero said:
Except for maybe starting Bale at LB and in hindsight starting Sig which he rightly substituted at half time, AvB didn't do much wrong IMHO. We should give QPR credit for great pressing, they were really up for it in the first half, forcing mistakes. We sorely miss someone who can effectively switch play and initiate attacks when we regain possession, Dembele is too fond of the ball and lacks the required vision to be effective in that role. But I think much of the disappointment with how we play stems from us being thorougly and utterly spoiled having had one of the best playmakers in the world dictating our midfield play. "Give the ball to Modric, he'll do something smart". He will be instrumental for RM in the future and will eventually get the trophies he deserves and that we couldn't provide for.

Without him, we are not that quick on the break anymore which were our main threat under Redknapp, and as such not so pleasing to the eye looking better than we really were. What Modric did so brilliantly was getting an instant overview over players in good positions, and then opening up space for to pass in. Now it seems to me that we try to play the same way, but end up relying on difficult passes and "bombing forward", leaving us all-or-nothing too easily. Admittedly, we look quite directionless on the pitch at present, but I think that has more to do with players adjusting, our point of reference and level of expectation than AvB being clueless. Add to that we have always struggled against so called lesser teams, even with Modric we were generally poor at keeping possession for prolonged periods, building up play and breaking teams down.

Anyway we should either seek to bring in a "Modric-esque" player no later than in the January window, or overhaul the entire system to fit the player material we have. This takes time, sometimes a lot of time, and probably won't look pretty in the process. And even more, we cannot expect players to be something they're not. Dembele is no Modric, Sig is no VdV, Bale is no Ronaldo and they never will be. Like Carrick and Berbatov before him, the fee recouped for Modric doesn't in any way compensate for the immediate loss in team structure (blatantly disregarding their inexcuseable desire to leave us of course).

All in all, I'm pretty satisfied given the circumstances and have adjusted my expectations accordingly, and seek positives where they are. Having two great keepers for once, Verthongen and so on. Now make something out of Harry Kane.
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1) Playing 4-5-1. AVB just stop it please. 4-4-x from now on.
2) Dempey as a winger. Really? No, just no.

Those for me were the two biggest mistakes he made today. I suspect that he'll keep making mistake number 1 for some time.
 
AVB's voice?

In the first few interviews after he arrived this summer they blamed his groggy voice to him being ill. After hearing the post-match interview tonight he sounds like he's been on a two-month whisky binge smoking infinite amounts of cigarettes.

Is it ever gonna sound normal again? Or is this the way it actually sounds?
 
The Moonlit Knight said:
1) Playing 4-5-1. AVB just stop it please. 4-4-x from now on.
2) Dempey as a winger. Really? No, just no.

Those for me were the two biggest mistakes he made today. I suspect that he'll keep making mistake number 1 for some time.
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Do we have the players available to go 4-4-x? I thought Sig had the advanced role, but it seemed to me that we struggled to even get the ball into the final third during the first half. Also for me, the difference between 4-5-1 and 4-4-1-1 to me is negligible, especially being hassled out of possession as much as we were. And wasn't one of Dempsey's qualities being able to play all over the midfield? I won't blame the fact that he hasn't fit in yet on AvB. Or that I've never been particulary impressed with Dempsey in the first place. We could have gone with Townsend though, I guess.
 
It was Defoe and Lennon being found out.
Lennon needs someone behind him to support his runs.
Defoe... Well he ain't no lone striker!
 
He is a big head. All managers are big heads. What annoyed me about today was that the changes should have been earlier.
 
El Guepardo said:
You know what, I've been in a new job for a month and I get flak if I make mistakes and yet, according to some on here AVB should be under no criticism as it's early days? If I get flak for my mistakes in my job and it's lower profile, why should AVB get away with mistakes that affect me and other Spurs' fans? I don't say sack him now but come on, we can't pretend it's all candy floss and sweeties, there are some bitter moments and it's how he deals with these over time which will dictate how successful he will be as our manager and how long his tenure is.
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I can guarantee you AVB doesn't give a brick what anyone thinks of him outside the club.

As for the first bit in boldface, I'd suggest that you boss is actually an arsehole if you get flak for mistakes early in your job providing you're doing your very best, showing a progressive curve and don't repeat the mistakes. You would expect to be corrected, but only someone without a scooby would immediately dump negative pressure on a manager from within.

The second bolded bit? No. It isn't all 'candy floss and sweeties' but neither is it all 'prams and toys' so I'd wager that some of those tossing their toys from the pram because they've watched a few uncomfortable halves of football should get a grip. Let's re-visit this in 6 months. Maybe then a bit of dummy-throwing will be easier to understand, but from where I'm sitting, the bloke has lost ONE match (unluckily) seen us throw away 4 points (nervously) and in patches shown us that there is great hope, all the while re-training a side who relied on Luka Modric how to keep the ball moving as it needs to. I absolutely accept that the Modric comment will fire some people up and invites rebuttal. All I can say is 'have at it' because frankly, some people so vastly under-estimated him these past few years it was laughable. Now, I'm not looking to sing coombaya for AVB or wash his feet with holy water, but the fact is that most of the people slagging him are doing so without any proper context (IMO)...

The last bolded bit? Yes. That is a fact. Of course, there's always the unspoken truth that if enough people jump on someone's back and repeatedly slag them, a departure is created where one needn't have existed.
 
Changes made earlier? So before half-time, that doesnt happen very often so I dont see that making the change at half-time being an issue. I think that it far safer to change a whole system at half-time rather than after 30 mins or so.

AVB's plan A of (4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 as some people seem to call it) has not worked at home with Defoe upfront. Thats because we have played 3 teams that have sat back, let us have the ball and played counter-attack. I think at home against these teams we need to use the width, if that means 4-4-2 then so be it, but Bale & Lennon both need to be out wide.
In our 3 home games, with the plan A, our attacking players have all struggled to find any space to do anything. Whether that could change with Adebayor up top instead of Defoe im not sure but it may be the same story.

Our 2 away games, I think plan A has worked well because the teams did not sit back, so there was space for our attacking players to exploit.

I would like to see;

Home - 4-4-2 with 2 wingers
Away - Current system of 4-2-3-1
 
Re: AVB's voice?

I think his post-game voice is due to how vocal he is on the sidelines. That's my theory at least.
 
Re: AVB's voice?

My theory is that it's a put-on to disguise his relative youth. He probably thinks the players'll respect him more if he sounds like he swallowed a .30 caliber bullet, no doubt at some particularly ill-tempered League Managers' Association meeting.
 
mason said:
Changes made earlier? So before half-time, that doesnt happen very often so I dont see that making the change at half-time being an issue. I think that it far safer to change a whole system at half-time rather than after 30 mins or so.

AVB's plan A of (4-2-3-1 or 4-5-1 as some people seem to call it) has not worked at home with Defoe upfront. Thats because we have played 3 teams that have sat back, let us have the ball and played counter-attack. I think at home against these teams we need to use the width, if that means 4-4-2 then so be it, but Bale & Lennon both need to be out wide.
In our 3 home games, with the plan A, our attacking players have all struggled to find any space to do anything. Whether that could change with Adebayor up top instead of Defoe im not sure but it may be the same story.

Our 2 away games, I think plan A has worked well because the teams did not sit back, so there was space for our attacking players to exploit.

I would like to see;

Home - 4-4-2 with 2 wingers
Away - Current system of 4-2-3-1
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Dont agree with the highloighted bit; i think that QPR certainly came to play today, as did Norwich last time out at home. Teams know that the best way to play us is to come at us and put us under pressure. Reading tried sitting in and conceding room and it didn't work at all. We hammered them. We've struggled against teams (average ones) who have come out and taken us on.
 
Bale will never be played left back again under AVB. Instead we will see Vertonghen used there and maybe at times when BAE is actually fit. I think that will be the lesson learned from yesterday.
 
the problem for our squad with 4-4-2 is that playing two of Dembele, Sandro and Parker in the middle lacks creativity, so its all well and good having Bale and Lennon on left and right but the central two needs something more. Ultimately, I don't believe in having a single, default system. Different matches and opponents call for different set ups.
there'll be games when 4-4-2 works. there'll be time when 4-1-3-2 or 4-2-3-1 is required. Horses, courses, etc.
 
after five games we have only lost once and sit in 8th position. not actually too bad a start. if we had won one of the other home games it would be looking like a bad start. i think what is worrying everyone though is we are struggling to control games (reading aside). the ultimate test is coming up away at old trafford. normally a guaranteed defeat but if AVB is the great tactician some claim perhaps we can come away with a draw. unlikely i agree.
 
spursworm said:
after five games we have only lost once and sit in 8th position. not actually too bad a start. if we had won one of the other home games it would be looking like a bad start. i think what is worrying everyone though is we are struggling to control games (reading aside). the ultimate test is coming up away at old trafford. normally a guaranteed defeat but if AVB is the great tactician some claim perhaps we can come away with a draw. unlikely i agree.
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I have great faith that we will come away with something next weekend.
 
spursworm said:
after five games we have only lost once and sit in 8th position. not actually too bad a start. if we had won one of the other home games it would be looking like a bad start. i think what is worrying everyone though is we are struggling to control games (reading aside). the ultimate test is coming up away at old trafford. normally a guaranteed defeat but if AVB is the great tactician some claim perhaps we can come away with a draw. unlikely i agree.
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It's all about context. Hypothetical situation. 5 matches in a row, at home against the 5 weakest teams in the Premiership. W2 D2 L1 is a terrible run of form. 5 matches in a row away from home against the best 5 clubs in the Premiership W1 D1 L3 is a good run of form.

I never sunk to the depths of despair that many did post X-mas last year because I could see on paper it was a fudging tough run of matches. Likewise I didn't get carried away thinking we were genuine title contenders because we had that amazing run of 10 or 11 matches....because it was obvious the games weren't so tough.

Same applies to this season. On paper W2 D2 L1 isn't bad and would equate to 60/61pts over the course of a season (a solid 7th place finish last year) but I am not going to start getting ahead of myself because on paper I believe that, Saudi Sportswashing Machine aside, we've had a very comfortable run of fixtures and we have dropped points. This can, however, be offset by other results as the season progresses. E.g. beating Norwich and WBA at their place will offset those draws nicely.
 
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