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Thomas Frank - Head Coach

Finney Is Back said:
We might want one or two, maybe even 3 of Sunderland’s players but they’d want 8 to 10 of ours. If Frank needs a specific type of player to make his unambitious system work then he should’ve ensured the club spent some of the considerable transfer budget it spent in the summer on that player…. How much did Xaka cost Sunderland for example?
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Oh I agree, we are poor at the transfer game but you already know that. It's the same old story season after season after season.

We rarely ever address the key holes in the first 11.
 
Mabspurs said:
Ohhhh - I see now.....

When our best players are available and we get good results.... it is because of the players; not the coach

When our best players are not available and we get poor results.... it is not because we are missing the players; but solely because of the coach.

And having the best away record, at least until last week, doesn't say much.... because obviously TF can do no right.

Got it!! Thanks -
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You’re getting me wrong mate. I’m not someone saying Frank can do no right. I’m simply saying that playing more defensive and the having a lower xGA while still not yet getting the results doesn’t say much. Especially when our best defenders are fit. When they were fit last season the underlying numbers defensively were also strong.
 
Muttley said:
For me, GD says so much about a season, that is if you want to win trophies. As Spurs fans we just dismiss xGA as non-important. It's up there with our biggest weakness as a fan base narrative.

I'm not gonna pretend that we've got our balance right at the moment. but the bias against Frank for daring to build a team from the back and do the hard yards in that way is quite naive (in my opinion). Having our 2 main defenders available for more games this season is not the reason our xGA is better. It is actually the manager's setup of the team that is making the biggest difference.

We just conceded over 60 goals per season for 3 consecutive seasons. That is actually unprecedented amongst the big clubs. It is the elephant in the room at our club. I'm so happy Frank is taking this flailing gauge head on.
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I don’t disagree that Frank’s set up is contributing to the xGA. That was kind of my point. You’d expect it, right? I think you also have to include the fact of the best defenders being fit as a contributor to it too, but it’s all things you would expect. I don’t know that it says much one way or the other.
 
Mabspurs said:
So let us look at this...

These are last season's EPL statistics when either, both or none of Romero and Micky played:

View attachment 21305

You would expect that our best defensive performance would be when both played, followed by when one and worst with none. It does not follow that pattern. The only statistically significant difference is between the games when both played vs when only one of them played. Most interestingly, there is no statistical difference between games when both played (which only included two games against top 6 opposition) as opposed to when neither played.

Not saying that having Romero and/or Micky in the team is not important; but the perception that this season's much better xGA is because at least one of the two was always available is not borne by science... it is much more logically plausible that the improvement is down to the coach; even though some will never give him that....
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Well yeah I agree that Frank’s set up is contributing to the low xGA. My point is that it doesn’t say much. You would expect to have a low xGA if you play more defensively for the majority of the match right?
 
billyiddo said:
You need to see both sides of the coin of course but walking in to a job without having the opportunity to put things in place with your strongest players is a tough gig - can't think of a manager appointment of ours who had to deal with missing so many influential players straight off the bat.

I'd argue that you're in a better position to deal with player absences once you've had a period of time putting things in place with a stronger team.
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I agree there are two sides to look at. But honestly, if I could see what TF was trying to implement then it's a lot easier to accept the crap we are watching at the moment. I genuinely loved what he did at Brentford, but I really thought he was the wrong person for the job just because the philisophy didn't match.

I would love it to all if a sudden start playing and it's more consistent. I'd accept the current results because then we can see progress. What is frustrating me is when it's crap, it's the players, when it's good, it's the manager. Our last 5 managers have all been wrong, Inc TF for me. We need balanced managers who want the ball from the beginning.
 
Mabspurs said:
But the Frank out crowd is not asking for "decent football"... they are expecting WINS through attractive expansive football and at the same time keeping a solidity at the back...
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Can't say I've seen that as an expectation, or explanation for wanting him out much at all. But hey, those people probably exist. If that argument is made by someone maybe we can disagree with them together?

Until such a time is decent football too much to ask for? Is that expecting too much of Frank? Are we playing decent football this season overall in your opinion?
 
We have to stop relying on crossing into the 6yd box. You just need to camp in there and play the odds defending against us
 
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