Looked like we were playing with one for most of the first half... :kanewtf:Perhaps because we didn't play with wingers?
...what he was continually doing there is anyone's guess!
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Looked like we were playing with one for most of the first half... :kanewtf:Perhaps because we didn't play with wingers?
It's what the game is about nowadays and we have none! It's the managers choice to have it like this so best we get used to it for another season of boring football.Just watched Leicester vs Sunderland. Vardy showed what we are missing atm - speed. I'm saying Vardy for THFc just saying pace on the wing was very effective.
Just watched Leicester vs Sunderland. Vardy showed what we are missing atm - speed. I'm saying Vardy for THFc just saying pace on the wing was very effective.
It's what the game is about nowadays and we have none! It's the managers choice to have it like this so best we get used to it for another season of boring football.
Careful pal, they'll be calling the common sense police on you soonNobody has finished their business yet, bar Liverpool & Watford.
Remember the PL kicked of a week earlier this year, but the transfer window didn't.
We have sold 7 players and brought in 3 since July 1st. Name me one club who has had to sell 7 players?
We still plan on selling at least 2 more imo and the window has 3 weeks left.
If this would have been a regular season there would still be a week to kick off.
Can you not understand that we need money with what's going on and won't be spending much. If we make money so what? As long as it is invested into the club.
I don't think Lewis and Co are living a life of luxury on the profits of us mate.
Have a read; http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26365955
Liverpool spent more money than us last season, didn't finish above us. So did near enough everyone below us.
We are not on a par with the spending of the 4 above us mate. So, don't bring them into the equation Can you not understand that.
Woolwich did fairly well without spending too much since 2000. Why cannot we?
We have never been massive spenders, and we ain't going to spend money we have not got. Especially now. We have to pay our way, unlike Spam.
Anyway, we didn't wait until the last mutes in 13/14 or last year really. Fazio and Stambouli came in late because Saints would not let MS go, our Is choice CB Moreno broke his leg and the back up Mussachio had third party ownership problems.
It never stopped Spam, but it was a no no for us.
Agree about it being a bit like Fulham on a large scale. It never fails to surprise me the amount of fans they have at home games that are from London, Asia etc. Performance wise I think it showed that we have moved on from our last game up there, though felt we should have brought on Alli earlier and taken more risks in the second half of the second half.Back from Manchester after a round trip of 10 hours that should have been around half that... felt very weird that it was already the start of the football season again. OT always impresses me, even though I've been a few times recently. They're fans were actually quite good and made a decent noise for what must have been at least... 5 minutes? Then they were pretty quiet except for maybe 3-4 happy clapper moments throughout the whole game. Our support seemed pretty decent and genuinely played a part in lifting the team, especially in the second half when we were looking utterly clueless and exhausted. It was nice to get a decent acknowledgment from the players afterwards. OT is a friendly place to go nowadays. It's a bit like Fulham but on a much larger scale.
Overall, we had enough chances to score at least once, and they were lucky to win. Neither side impressed much (both looked tired and rusty) but we should take some confidence for more than matching them at their place. But it does piss me off that we are, as ever, far from 'ready' at the start of a season. Our squad remains light, the players were knackered, certain individuals (e.g. Bentaleb - poor guy had a 'mare) were so far off being sharp enough for competitive matches that it shows our pre-season circus to be just that. If we have another sh*t August that shafts us at the end of the season, well, I guess that's the way now. Maybe they should make all matches in August half price for fans... given that no teams seem properly ready yet?
Oh, and our home kit looks shit even in matches. Too much blue and red. We're not Crystal Palace...
Haven't really read through this thread, but I can expect some off you have already slagged off Bentaleb. Yes, he was shit today. But have some patience, for god's sake. A good amount of fans voted him as the player of the season. The dude is 20 and had to work hard, offensively and defensively, as Eriksen and Chadli are both to lazy to work back. I've seriously want to see Pritch and N'Jie instead of them both.
Apart from that, this game wasn't unimportant. It doesn't matter if this would have been the first or the fifth match of the season. You can lose to the top teams away - aslong as we don't fuck up against Brom, Newcastle or Stoke at home. Those are the games we HAVE to win.
Wait a minute. None of those matches were during the transfer window though so that can't be the reason we didn't get Champions League football. All I've heard the past few weeks is that we miss out on Champions League football because we start slow in the league and don't get our business done early.Quite agree. Had we beaten Stoke, Villa and West Brom at home we would have finished 4th. It is these games that constantly cost us Money League qualification.
I've watched it over and over again.
You can't expect our central midfielders not to have their passes intercepted occasionally especially as Pochettino wants them to play high tempo. Bentaleb wouldn't have attempted that pass under AVB keep possession at all cost boringness. The pass looked worse on TV too with Davies off screen. It looked at first that Bentaleb was passing it to no one.
But should one bad pass cost a goal?
Unfortunately that's the danger when both full backs are under orders to push up when we are in possession and when Pochettino has the centre half's pushed up wide offering options.
Vertonghen couldn't stay with Ashley Young's pace. A better defender would have fouled him straight away but we never buy those type of cynical centre halfs.
Alderweireld made a decision to come across and leave Rooney ensuring the goal was inevitable. Walker could do nothing.
Ultimately this goal is inevitable playing the way we do under Pochettino. We are gonna concede like this occasionally when we are pressed regardless of who we have in central midfield. It's up to Pochettino to set up the defence differently when we are in possession if he wants to stop it.
Alderweireld Coming across is what the CB must do when the full back is up field or out of position. He did nothing wrong and you're right, the way we set up we will get exposed a little sometimes but the pass wasn't necessary and I think that's why people are disappointed. Early days and time to improve (squad as well).
We can't afford to give away possession in midfield like Bentaleb did. We can't afford to have players falling so far out of postion, giving Rooney 5 yards of space in front of goal and then making a last ditch effort that ends up as an own goals like Walker did.
Martinez commented about the topic on his post match interview after a recent game - if a team is scoring from the first chance they get or is waking through a defence it's not a lack of skill but rather a lack of concentration and allowing the 'occasion' of a game get to you.