OMT Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea, WHL, Sat 28 Sept

[suffolkspur]

I'm very dissapointed...we here this year in year out...a lot to be positve from!....

Was Erikson too knackerd to continue...and why did we pay 30mill for Lemela???????

Did Eriksen see the ball at all 2nd half? What good would it have done to have a non-existent playmaker for the rest of the game? It didn't help that we lost initiative the 2nd half but there was nothing wrong with that change especially given how Holtby has been doing recently.

I'm pretty sure that Lamela is going to be an important player for us by the end of the year and have already said i was suprised by the Chadli sub. I don't know whether bringing Lamela on would have changed the dynamics of the game. We will never know.

I don't know what to say regarding the positivity comment. We are top of the league have only lost one game this year and have just drawn against a team who many before the season were saying they were one of the top contenders for the league which they are. I'm not expecting us to win the title this year, i'm expecting us to challenge for top for and are more confident with our depth this year that we will get it. I think there is a lot to be positive about albeit a shame we couldn't make a statement with a win this time.

 

[seaside spur]

Come on mate, Mourinho has won titles in every country he has managed in. I like AVB and Mourinho is a **** but to claim there are equals (not saying you are) is ridiculous.

Not saying they are equals but Since Porto (AVB showed that it is not that difficult to succeed there with the talent pool they have and all the Brazilian imports they have), Mourhino has had huge budgets to work with as well.
The Chelsea job first time round was easier than it is now. ( there was no City, cash richer Goons or an improved Spurs to contend with)
However, there is no denying Mourhino is a very good manager, especially for what he did at Inter.

I do agree that AVB got the subs wrong today, (Chadli sub and no Sandro was strange) but maybe he got the starting eleven right and Jose didn't. There was two halves to the game you know.

 

[THFC6061]

****ing hell. did we lose this 3-0 or something, **** me.

Yes, I really think given the money Spurs spent during the summer we really ought to be much higher than the first place in the table we currently occupy.

Levy out!

 

[Jurgen the German]

****ing hell. did we lose this 3-0 or something, **** me.

I agree a point against Chelsea is a good result, but I also get why people are frustrated. Chelsea were always going to have periods in the game where they dominated, but the entire 2nd half until Torres got sent off was one way traffic. On the balance of chances, a point was fair.

 

[Jurgen the German]

Not saying they are equals but Since Porto (AVB showed that it is not that difficult to succeed there with the talent pool they have and all the Brazilian imports they have), Mourhino has had huge budgets to work with as well.
The Chelsea job first time round was easier than it is now. ( there was no City, cash richer Goons or an improved Spurs to contend with)
However, there is no denying Mourhino is a very good manager, especially for what he did at Inter.

I do agree that AVB got the subs wrong today, (Chadli sub and no Sandro was strange) but maybe he got the starting eleven right and Jose didn't. There was two halves to the game you know.

But until AVB proves himself somewhere outside of Portugal i.e. in England now, then Mourinho is always going to have the upper hand. It's silly to compare them at this stage anyway as Mourinho has been managing for more than a decade and AVB is just starting out.

 

[Jurgen the German]

You can see the reasoning behind all 3 of these though. THey're not baffling like Redknapps.

Sandro never came on because he didnt want us to be too defensive. We needed to keep possession better at that time.
Chadli came on because he wanted a more physical player to help us win back the ball higher up the pitch.
Lamela didnt come on because he's way too new to English football for a game like this, and we werent getting the ball at the point anyway, lamela wasnt gonna help us get possession back off chelsea.

I'm sorry, today's subs were strange at best. I know I will get hammered for saying this but Redknapp would have been slaughtered if he had made 3 similar subs like today's.

Sandro for Paulinho would have been more logical. Sandro's strength is winning the ball back and protecting the back four which they needed in the 2nd half.

I don't get why you make Eriksen the creative figurehead of the team and then take him off. It's not like he had a shocker.

Lamela has more quality than Chadli so if anyone was going to come on for Townsend (who shouldn't have been subbed in the first place), it should have been Lamela.

 

[Mumorn]

if that was Arsenal vs. Chelsea at the Emirates and Arsenal played the exact same way as us, youd all say that was a great point for Arsenal.

 

[Modric THFC]

I'm sorry, today's subs were strange at best. I know I will get hammered for saying this but Redknapp would have been slaughtered if he had made 3 similar subs like today's.

Sandro for Paulinho would have been more logical. Sandro's strength is winning the ball back and protecting the back four which they needed in the 2nd half.

I don't get why you make Eriksen the creative figurehead of the team and then take him off. It's not like he had a shocker.

Lamela has more quality than Chadli so if anyone was going to come on for Townsend (who shouldn't have been subbed in the first place), it should have been Lamela.

Chadli was brought on to win back possession (stats show made an interception and a tackle, townsend completed neither) and then retain possession (Chadli always gets higher successful passing percentages than townsend or lamela).

I agree with everyone about Sandro but I can see the logic of leaving a better passer on.

 

[iggyfog]

I was at the game today and as everyone said it was very much a game of two halves. Yes it was frustrating not to win, but we could have so easily lost that. Chelsea are an effcient and experienced machine. Mourinho an excellent coach, they were always going to get back into it.

In regards to the subs they were fair enough. Chadli was way more physical and able to win headers. Eriksen had drifted out of the game completely.

Onwards and upwards. It is going to be a tight season. We have an exciting yet inexperienced squad in playing premier league football.

 

[thfcsteff]

Thought we played well. Difference between the two teams in the 2nd half was just the depths they were willing to stoop to.

Finally a voice of sanity.

Mourinho had Oscar, Hazard, Mata and Ramires on the pitch for the second-half. That's an incredible array of talent. He detailed Ramires on Eriksen to deny the latter space to operate first and foremost, he saw that Torres would have some fun coming in off Naughton and they pressed us to make sure that Dawson saw more of the ball than most second-half. It was a full-court press from a manager who's best player on the day is one he doesn't want to play because he was signed by AVB (my theory). Oh yeah, then they threw Schurrie on for good measure.

We are still a left-back short and finding our feet. Let's be honest, had we taken our chances first-half the game is done. As for anyone who thinks the sending off wasn't deserved, I would say that Chelski were very lucky to have not seen Torres get his marching papers 110-20 minutes earlier (different game then!)...

I thought Townsend had a great first-half and continued to prove tome and others that he can absolutely be a vital member of our squad, yet his dive was both silly and poor, plus second-half he simply did not have the energy to track back. I personally would not have put Chadli on, but saw what AVB was trying to do. It didn't work. It doesn't always.

No, this was a good performance against a side who know how to turn a football match into a fight; we stood tall and duked it out with them. Like e heavyweight championship match from the 70s...

 

[thfcsteff]

Very disappointing. Especially the lack of urgency or guile in the last 10 minutes. Demonstrates that we currently do lack that something special that title winning teams have.

However, it is very early days in the league and we haven't gelled yet and it's good that we are not losing whilst we are gelling the team together.

Mourinho certainly gave AVB a small lesson. Is it a coincidence that the oncoming subs were the ones that played well/scored during the week against Villa? Was it simply in AVB's mind to give those three players a run out today regardless of how the game was going?

:-k...really?

...most notably that he still has more expensive toys.

 

[kanoute16]

Personally think that had we scored when paulinho hit the post it would have been 3 points today!

What disappointed me was how we responded to the pressure we were put under in the second half. It was as though it was only the team who had not realised they would come out pumped and ready to fight.

Would have had Defoe I after 60 minutes and sandro instead of Chadli.

 

[thfcsteff]

Yes, I really think given the money Spurs spent during the summer we really ought to be much higher than the first place in the table we currently occupy.

Levy out!

=D>

 

[thfcsteff]

I'm sorry, today's subs were strange at best. I know I will get hammered for saying this but Redknapp would have been slaughtered if he had made 3 similar subs like today's.

Sandro for Paulinho would have been more logical. Sandro's strength is winning the ball back and protecting the back four which they needed in the 2nd half.

I don't get why you make Eriksen the creative figurehead of the team and then take him off. It's not like he had a shocker.

Lamela has more quality than Chadli so if anyone was going to come on for Townsend (who shouldn't have been subbed in the first place), it should have been Lamela.

No, you won't get hammered, I just wonder why you would bother to raise such a point?

 

[Jurgen the German]

Finally a voice of sanity.

Mourinho had Oscar, Hazard, Mata and Ramires on the pitch for the second-half. That's an incredible array of talent. He detailed Ramires on Eriksen to deny the latter space to operate first and foremost, he saw that Torres would have some fun coming in off Naughton and they pressed us to make sure that Dawson saw more of the ball than most second-half. It was a full-court press from a manager who's best player on the day is one he doesn't want to play because he was signed by AVB (my theory). Oh yeah, then they threw Schurrie on for good measure.

We are still a left-back short and finding our feet. Let's be honest, had we taken our chances first-half the game is done. As for anyone who thinks the sending off wasn't deserved, I would say that Chelski were very lucky to have not seen Torres get his marching papers 110-20 minutes earlier (different game then!)...

I thought Townsend had a great first-half and continued to prove tome and others that he can absolutely be a vital member of our squad, yet his dive was both silly and poor, plus second-half he simply did not have the energy to track back. I personally would not have put Chadli on, but saw what AVB was trying to do. It didn't work. It doesn't always.

No, this was a good performance against a side who know how to turn a football match into a fight; we stood tall and duked it out with them. Like e heavyweight championship match from the 70s...

110 minutes earlier? Dunno about that :lol:

I do agree Torres was lucky to be on the pitch as long as he was however, didn't agree with the 2nd yellow though.

I think Mourinho is always thinking of ways to get more attention, what better way to do that than mugging off the squad's best player? Surely now he will realise he can't keep not playing him as he was a big difference when he came on. He still plays Ramires who was also an AVB signing so I don't think it's as simple as he doesn't want to play Mata for this reason.

 

[Jurgen the German]

No, you won't get hammered, I just wonder why you would bother to raise such a point?

Because he would have and you know it. AVB deserves the same criticism for mistakes as any other former Spurs manager. The subs today were poor there's no two ways about it. Still to do this day some of us are too protective of the manager that's my view.

 

[braineclipse]

Because he would have and you know it. AVB deserves the same criticism for mistakes as any other former Spurs manager. The subs today were poor there's no two ways about it. Still to do this day some of us are too protective of the manager that's my view.

And quite a few would have defended him. I remember doing so myself on quite a few occasions. And quite a few are currently critical of AVB right now. If there's a difference in the frequency between posters that are putting out critical posts compared to under Redknapp that might be a bias. It might also be because AVB has done better with his subs in general?

Substitutions will always be judged on the outcome in isolation it seems. Had AVB put on Sandro and Chelsea had kept pressing us back and scored an equalizer I think someone would have found it in them to criticize AVB for being negative with his substitution, at least if he had put him on for one of the attacking 3 (like I wanted at the time).

Had he kept Townsend on and Townsend as a youngster in a derby on a yellow had made a mistake and been sent off then AVB would have been criticized for not taking him off by some.

Some are saying that Sig should have been taken off instead of Townsend, had Sig's screamer gone in and given us the win then that criticism probably wouldn't have been heard.

And so on and so on...

I can see valid reasons for all the changes he made today.

 

[braineclipse]

Yes, I really think given the money Spurs spent during the summer we really ought to be much higher than the first place in the table we currently occupy.

Levy out!

=D>

It's like people expect us to just go out and dominate and win easily against a top team these days. Most games between top teams end up being relatively close affairs imo. Yes, sometimes a team dominates, but which team is the dominant one also changes from game to game within a season imo.

We made it a close game, could have gone either way. And we're still integrating a bunch of new players.

 

[thfcsteff]

110 minutes earlier? Dunno about that :lol:

I do agree Torres was lucky to be on the pitch as long as he was however, didn't agree with the 2nd yellow though.

I think Mourinho is always thinking of ways to get more attention, what better way to do that than mugging off the squad's best player? Surely now he will realise he can't keep not playing him as he was a big difference when he came on. He still plays Ramires who was also an AVB signing so I don't think it's as simple as he doesn't want to play Mata for this reason.

Oops!


Agree, it was very very harsh but I think Torres had been playing on the bubble for sometime at that point and he gave Dean a decision to make. Was probably the wrong one on that occasion.

A good point...I suppose then, in fairness, he really does have a screw loose as Mata in that make-up is imperative if they want to keep s****ing points at their rivals!! ;-)

 

[thfcsteff]

Because he would have and you know it. AVB deserves the same criticism for mistakes as any other former Spurs manager. The subs today were poor there's no two ways about it. Still to do this day some of us are too protective of the manager that's my view.

Absolutely, if warranted (and today he made a curious one in Chadli for sure)...just not sure why you keep on bringing up that specific past?