03 Nov 2012 17:20:09
When we chose AVB, over blanc, I was delighted.
I wanted him from end of last season and thought he was never given a fare crack at the chavs but, and it's a big but, I have now watched his football for a 1/4 of a season. He is the most negative manager we have had in years. I don't want to jump on a band wagon of 'avb out' and such, but, I looked at our fixtures, when released in July, and expected us to be where we are. How he has got us where we are is,
Well, beyond belief. A win away to man utd had glossed over a passage of terrible football.
We started well against the geordies and have had the odd very good half but not a full game. His team selection, is terrible. His substitutions are terrible. Ade will not score starting on the bench. Lloris will want off very soon. Friedel is now not a prem starter. Why does Dempsey start every match. I know I'm a biased fan who can see 'everything' but come on. Also, I don't think levy has the balls to change things during this season, if things fell away even worse I mean.

I've always got something to say but couldn't put it better my self mate
Mr g

I agree Ade should never be used as an impact striker, but let's be honest he's recovering from injury so he won't start for a while and we have Kaboul, BAE, Parker, and Dembele out as well.

Do you think we would have lost today if we had a full strength team? It's easy to blame the manager when things go wrong, but there's more to it than that I think.

I will also add, as the original poster, that why do spurs always have the ability to throw in such terrible performances.
I ave been a spurs fan for 30 years and have never seen a team that is consistent.
We never have a guaranteed 3 points, unlike arsenal, Chelsea, man utd have had over the years. No matter what manager is in charge, I will always say being a spurs fan is like watching England. We are always liable to get beaten, easily, by pure dross.
I'm not saying Wigan are dross by the way. Spurs a dross at the moment. Surely t can't be just the modric vdv and dembele factor.
I hate to say it but we miss parkers enthusiasm.

Sorry mate but I think an injury list is also an excuse.
Do you think we would have lost today if....
Lloris over friedel....
Ade over dempsey...
442 not 451 ....at home to Wigan I must add...
Falque and Carroll as subs if things not going our way.
Yeah I agree we are suffering with injuries but u also believe AVB is not using, correctly, what we have available.

You say that an injury list is just an excuse, and then you go on to list two players you think should have been playing instead. So obviously having players out IS a big factor.

Dembele over Huddlestone? Kaboul over Gallas? Parker on to substitute Sandro when he went off injured after 23 minutes? We are missing our injured first team players it's as simple as that.

You can't seriously be blaming the goalkeeper for that match?

No.....you obviously didn't read the post properly.
It states that AVB, in my opinion, is not using the players available correctly.
That means I'm discounting injured players and yes I can blame the keeper for defeat if he makes a mistake

On the one hand, we are two or three signing away from being a very, very good side - but, and it's a big but, we all know we won't get thos 2 or 3 players in January, despite loads of speculation and blabber - we won't won't buy a decent striker and a top class midfielder. Meaning these (if we are lucky, will come in the summer) hopefully not on deadline day as ususal - but Bale will go next year, & yes we'll get 40m for him but half of that will be used on his replacement, as every club that has a decent left sided player will double to price to us as they will know that we have the money. However, if you look deeper, Lennon achieves nothing most games, I have huge reservations about Defoe (particularly as a sole striker) - he too good to sell to someone else, but not quite good enough for us - I feel. Ade & Dempsey are not the best either - so when you throw in Bentley, Dawson, Huddlestone, Gomes (who all need to be sold) plus two other aging goalkeepers and even Parkers & Gallas' best days are behind them - sadly, I feel there is alot of work for AVB to do. Hopefully given the time, he can, but these things take years, time a manger is rarely given and even if he is given that time, the best personel that we have ie Sandro, Bale, LLoris & Walker will probably be off to pastures new. Don't shoot the mesenger, it's just my opinion, but like most of you, I am a devoted supporter who has seen many false dawns! Zac

Zac , agree with a lot of that especially about us not buying the players needed . When Arry left I thought that we would stop buying the stop gap players that he liked , I thought that there might be decent investment especially as AVB was joining and wouldnt have joined if he wasnt promised some funds , but tight arse LEVY struck again , taking over Arrys mantle . We still have a lot of Arrys dross , and the oldies , and these will need a lot of replacing . Dont see why we should have to as fans , but perhaps a top six finish is the best to expect ? If you go through the team , which good youngish players would have any chance of getting into another top 6 premiership team :
Lloris - Walker - Naughton - Vert - Kaboul - Caulker - Bale - Sandro - Dembele - maybe Lennon
So not only have we not got a decent first team , our back ups arent that good really .
Why didnt we clear out the clutter in the transfer window for what ever price we could get ?
Why spend £5 mill on Ade , £8 mill on siggy , £6 mill on Dempsey , when we could have spent that £20 mill on a decent player ?
Why once again hold on to Modders until the last minute , so then we cant spend the money on a decent replacement ?
Why is Levy such a tight arse ? Doesnt he realise yet , that if you spend peanuts you get monkeys ? Doesnt he realise to reach the CL and win trophys , you have to speculate , and then the rewards come to you ?
God , there is so many whys .
Davo

But why are you discounting injured players when that's obviously such a big issue?

A team must be able to win matches even when some of their best players are injured. Man U are missing almost their full back four (Smalling, Jones and Vidic) and they are top.How many of the Wigan team would have made our starting eleven ? I would say none and yet they beat us on our own pitch! Correct me if I am wrong but I think Wigan have won two and drawn one of their last three premeriership visits to the lane. If injuries are an excuse for losing (and playing badly) at home to the bottom clubs, then we are in trouble as injuries are a part of the game. That is what a squad is for.
Our win away to United has masked a very poor first quarter ( do not start shouting we are fourth until after the next two games):-
Out of 5 home games we have 8 points and four of the teams are realistically bottom half teams. Also we were extremely lucky to beat QPR. we were 2 - 1 up against Chelsea at home with a half hour to go and managed to concede 3 goals. This should not happen to a top club. We do not have a clue how to close out a game.
I have posted here on numerous occasions that a good defence is the foundation of a good team. We have played 15 games this season (and some against very poor teams) and all except Villa and Reading have scored against us. The year we qualified for the Champions League, there was only five teams in the premiership who conceded more goals then us ? Why is this? On paper we have a very good defence but yet we leak goals. Can someone explain to me why this is?
Finally, AVB is earning a huge salary so he needs to deliver and quickly. With the exception of the United win (by the skin of our teeth) we have done nothing exciting and have dropped 7 points at home against poor teams.

The Don

BAE XI = out
Kaboul XI = out * it will be hard to bench caulker but it will be a must to have Verts and kaboom together*
Walker * with some of his performances may as well be injured *
Hudd has been out for a very long tjme and been called in with below standard fitness and match fitness expecting to fill in for
1. Modric * as thats what we are still expecting and 2. Dembele
Sandro has been added to the injured list
Livermore is on the list who would have at least been a ball winner in the middle as much as you all dislike him
No Parker to even come on for sandro as he's out
And Adebayor has been off and on injury list all season
Add to all this a new system
A new manager with new tactics
And style and you all seem to expect fireworks straight away with this massive injury list ?
This would mess up anyone's season
Add to that we have Siggs Dempsey
Trying to make up for VdV
And Dembele making us kinda forget mods
And we are not as bad as everyone thinks
Well this is all my view anyway i just feel everyone is being too critical

However my one qualm is AvB trying to shut up shop with a one goal lead ...
That rubbish needs to stop pronto

Bear yid

Totally agree with Bear yid.

Adam