Actually, apart from his irrational obsession with championship-level Scottish footballers, I quite often do. But not his assertion that our players “downed tools” yesterday. I think that’s insulting. Away from the ball-following TV cameras you could see how gutted they were. They didn’t play well, to be sure, but they did try. Anyone who “downed tools” would never get in Poch’s squad.
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Actually, apart from his irrational obsession with championship-level Scottish footballers, I quite often do. But not his assertion that our players “downed tools” yesterday. I think that’s insulting. Away from the ball-following TV cameras you could see how gutted they were. They didn’t play well, to be sure, but they did try. Anyone who “downed tools” would never get in Poch’s squad.
Well, it’s based only on what you write, obviously.
Apologies, Rutty, I thought when you wrote this:
that you were in a smutty yet euphemistic mood after a little too much brandy butter.
Ok, upon reflection, I rescind my ‘downed tools’ comment on the basis of your first person testimony to the contrary.
Totally disagree. Would they stop performing at that level? Quite possibly. But that's not even the point. When Poch came they were early in their careers. Poch has helped them to become the players they now are. You honestly think that if Sherwood or AVB had stayed our manager for all that time, Kane would have won the golden boot etc? Rose and Walker were pretty shit, Dele was no more than a promising kid playing for MK Dons, Kane was slow, overweight and couldn't get in our team, Dembele was nowhere near as good under AVB than at his peak under Poch (IMO), Vertonghen did well at first but then was a shadow of himself under Sherwood, Lamela was shit, Eriksen was very promising but was scared of tackling, didn't work half as hard as he does now, wasn't half the player he is now. If you read Poch's book all the players say that he was absolutely influential in their becoming who they now are.
If we had signed someone like Bale or Modric at their peak, like Real Madrid do, and that player has continued playing at the same level, I would say that the manager hasn't influenced their development. But he has taken young players with promise (of whom there are many, most of whom fail to make it at the top level) and now a lot of them are world class players.
You must agree with me that 99% of Spurs fans think we are very lucky to have Poch, right? So that you means you think they're all wrong and you're right.
Well done for picking up the batten. There comes a point however that you will get more sense talking to a spoon and lose the will to live.
This is how I imagine The Hood in everyday life.....
I still believe if we win the next 56 games we will win the league twice
I believe we could compete financially with them if we acted like they do. As are a big club that generates obscene amounts of money. But Liverpool's owners understand sport, that winning is good for business..and they are bloody yanks, but somehow they have more of a grasp on football than our owners......hhhhhmmmmmmm very weird don't you think!!
I don't think anyone who is rational would question Pochettino's ability as a coach. The evidence speaks for itself and him being courted by the biggest clubs in the world merely adds to that belief.
And we have been on a superb run, with the Woolwich game being the one blot up until the Wolves match. It is also fair to say the team may have been fatigued, but then the lack of changes? Or change to a back 3 to protect?
I am not sure results like Saturday can't just happen and only Liverpool this season have avoided such a loss but it's that enduring worry.
Some say depth of squad and some say tactical nous. I think it's fine margins but knowing how to win silverware and having the feeling of winning silverware adds an edge of belief. To be angry at the team for losing can feel uneasy but how else can we translate the pain? How else do we say not again or what can we do to help?
Liverpool have the City game to navigate to be Champions. Not 100% certain but in the high 70s plus. Klopp will know anything that avoids a loss maintains the momentum. They have been astonishing whatever anyone thinks.
Klopp, like Ranieri and Conte has found the perfect blend and been so far pretty lucky with injuries. It nearly always has to be the combination of factors but they have also had lots of games (league cup aside). What is not going to happen is that we will be Champions. Whatever that need is we still don't have it.
So I have no idea how this plays out and am not sure what the answer is but either we lack an overt leader on the pitch or we lack physical arrogance at times. We also and for whatever reason always fall just short and yet player for player it's hard to see why Liverpool for example are 9 points ahead of us.
For sure though, losing games is worse than drawing games and I would much rather we had 1 point less but only 2 losses. It talks of a team with greater resolve if people can understand that.
And we have been on a superb run, with the Woolwich game being the one blot up until the Wolves match. It is also fair to say the team may have been fatigued, but then the lack of changes? Or change to a back 3 to protect?
I am not sure results like Saturday can't just happen and only Liverpool this season have avoided such a loss but it's that enduring worry.
Some say depth of squad and some say tactical nous. I think it's fine margins but knowing how to win silverware and having the feeling of winning silverware adds an edge of belief. To be angry at the team for losing can feel uneasy but how else can we translate the pain? How else do we say not again or what can we do to help?
Liverpool have the City game to navigate to be Champions. Not 100% certain but in the high 70s plus. Klopp will know anything that avoids a loss maintains the momentum. They have been astonishing whatever anyone thinks.
Klopp, like Ranieri and Conte has found the perfect blend and been so far pretty lucky with injuries. It nearly always has to be the combination of factors but they have also had lots of games (league cup aside). What is not going to happen is that we will be Champions. Whatever that need is we still don't have it.
So I have no idea how this plays out and am not sure what the answer is but either we lack an overt leader on the pitch or we lack physical arrogance at times. We also and for whatever reason always fall just short and yet player for player it's hard to see why Liverpool for example are 9 points ahead of us.
For sure though, losing games is worse than drawing games and I would much rather we had 1 point less but only 2 losses. It talks of a team with greater resolve if people can understand that.
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No worries Sausage - all good
Have a good new year, Rutty. Awra best
Can we delete this fucking thread.
It’s more of a jinx than “The Line” thread that used to do the rounds
It’s more of a jinx than “The Line” thread that used to do the rounds
More interesting debates in here than a lot of threads.
People that don’t like the thread, maybe run along to the transfer thread where you can read tweets about German teenagers who like Harry Kane etc
Or look at Bergers heat map...
People that don’t like the thread, maybe run along to the transfer thread where you can read tweets about German teenagers who like Harry Kane etc
Or look at Bergers heat map...
People are struggling with this.
For me the really pertinent question is why are we not good enough? Why could Leicester have that collective season of a lifetime? Why were Chelsea able to find that certain something. City we can accept because they had all the tools. But Liverpool this season?
I mean player for player, would we really say they are that much better, if at all? Leicester had who (Vardy and Mahrez but 2 they are 2 players), Chelsea and Liverpool had and have bought who? Liverpool's front 3 yes and Van Dijk of course and Chelsea got a brilliant season from Hazard (what's new) and Luiz/Kante but any central defender been better than Vertonghen has been in that time? Any striker really been better than Kane over the last 4 seasons? Has anyone strode way above Eriksen?
So it's really hard to put a finger on it. Really hard to know what more could be done or if it is just buying players that makes the difference, because it seems too simplistic to this writer although important without doubt.
We are a strange strange club but you finish 3rd (when 2nd was ours, 2nd, 3rd and sitting 3rd again, but with different winners and you think why are we not bridging the gap and how is it that other teams jump so far ahead in 3 or 4 months?
Really conceptually quite a challenge in my mind.
Losing to Wolves was a by product.
For me the really pertinent question is why are we not good enough? Why could Leicester have that collective season of a lifetime? Why were Chelsea able to find that certain something. City we can accept because they had all the tools. But Liverpool this season?
I mean player for player, would we really say they are that much better, if at all? Leicester had who (Vardy and Mahrez but 2 they are 2 players), Chelsea and Liverpool had and have bought who? Liverpool's front 3 yes and Van Dijk of course and Chelsea got a brilliant season from Hazard (what's new) and Luiz/Kante but any central defender been better than Vertonghen has been in that time? Any striker really been better than Kane over the last 4 seasons? Has anyone strode way above Eriksen?
So it's really hard to put a finger on it. Really hard to know what more could be done or if it is just buying players that makes the difference, because it seems too simplistic to this writer although important without doubt.
We are a strange strange club but you finish 3rd (when 2nd was ours, 2nd, 3rd and sitting 3rd again, but with different winners and you think why are we not bridging the gap and how is it that other teams jump so far ahead in 3 or 4 months?
Really conceptually quite a challenge in my mind.
Losing to Wolves was a by product.
The points tell the story. Leicester won it at a canter with 81 points. Just a random fluke season where all the moneyed clubs were in chaos and/or rebuilding. Chelsea got to 93, but didn't have any European campaign to stretch or tire their excellent but thin squad. City got an unthinkable 100, and Liverpool are actually ahead of that pace.
We were young and inexperienced the Leicester year. We've been better than that Leicester team every season since, but it doesn't matter when the bar flies up into the stratosphere. Leicester's 81 might not make top four this year.
Who knows if it's gonna take 100+ point seasons to win titles for the foreseeable future. These things can ebb and flow. But so long as that's the case, a very healthy dose of luck, on top of everything else is going to be a necessary component of a title challenge.
It's just crazy how good the top sides are now.
aulinhobored:
The financial gaps continue to widen, and it will ruin the league. The EPL is well on it's way to becoming just another La Liga or Serie A where its 2/3 financial behemoths that win every year whilst everyone else makes up the numbers. The TV money helped raise some ships, but at the end of the day it made the top clubs that much richer and so it wasn't the help to smaller clubs it was made out to be...did keep some from going bust, at least.
It's free market capitalism at its worst. The rich, by the nature of the market, will have a greater opportunity at success. That success will result in larger financial gains meaning they start next season with an even greater advantage. Rinse, repeat. The EPL needs a spending cap (and one that isn't tied to revenue, as all that will do is set in stone the spending advantage of top clubs). The problem being that instituting one will simply be the catalyst to the formation of a European Superleague
Mentality. That intangible bastard.
