A dose of reality

[sammyspurs]

our only losses (3) have come away to top sides.

Its a good point. We are complaining about our away form against the big boys.

What a step forward that is though. Lost away to Chelsea, Pool and Utd. Thats it all season.
Now look at the teams Liverpool have lost to all season.

We have a lot less to work on than we might think. The table is so tight now from 2nd to 6th, but our biggest problem is not just away form. We waste too many chances generally.

Too many draws where we dominated teams, had 26 shots but drew. Imagine if in two of those games, out of the combined 50 odd shots, two had gone in. Not so way beyond the realms of reality is it.
We'd be sitting here on 54 points.

Now, I KNOW you cant go back and judge a season and say "if we won every game we be champions"......and thats not what Im saying.

But lacking two or three goals over 25 games is not cause to start questioning the entire phylosophy of the club, and all the signings, and every transfer window etc etc etc.

If those things are all such massive issues, then they were issues when we beat Chelsea. They were issues when we won 6 on the spin.

But everyone was just talking titles wasnt they........

 

[Joe Clash]

I read that we've had 211 shots from outside the box (the most) scoring just once (the least). This is an area Poch should definitely look at imho.

 

[sammyspurs]

I honestly think that some on here genuinely expect us to win every game. It's Utd under Ferguson levels of expectation, and they couldn't do it - not even close.

Mate, when we are on a role, its all about how we are unbeaten in 9 games or whatever......then we lose, and its that game in isolation to the rest of the season.
It was the same after Utd.....people talking about finishing 13th etc. 5 weeks later, they were all over our title bid.

Now we're shite, our transfers are shite, our away form is shite, our tactics are shite, in two weeks we'll be 6th, we'll be lucky to finish 6th.

I dont get it.....people thinking all these things, yet expecting a title.

 

[1882]

Wow... this is fast becoming the THREAD OF LONG REPLIES!!!

 

[Boltonspur]

We will finish above woolwich this year. Said it & will stick to it. Also think we will finish above the Dippers & Manu. Chelsea have it in the bag barring a monumental collapse, and Citeh are looking strong now.

I'm putting yesterday out of my thoughts now, & looking forward to 3rd place (above Woolwich) & a cup final. Oh- & to stay unbeaten in our last season at the Lane.

That would be a fantastic season in my opinion.

And it's perfectly achievable with a bit of luck with these fucking injuries.

 

[CJJ]

Chelsea drop points

:avbfacepalm:

Bet Jinxed




I'd rather look at it like they only gained a point on us, though.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

I was surprised to see in your post that Woolwich have only 5pts against the top 6 & most of the others struggled too.
As you say, you would expect away to the top 6 to be hard & to end up with quite a few dropped points.
I guess poch will probably be more hurt by the draws with the teams outside the top 6.
That is probably the area we can fix more easily. Although I am sure we can improve a bit away to the top 6 too.

Every team can improve, unless you win every game (which has never been done in the history of the game).

Who do you think has the most improving to do (behind Chelsea).
Spurs - who's only loses have been against 3 established top 6 and 2 perennial title contenders away from home
Woolwich - who's losses have been against Hull at home plus 4 top 6 side's including home loss
Liverpool - Who have lost to Swansea home and away, Burnley, Bournemouth, Hull
City - Who were outplayed by us, lost Chelsea and Liverpool too then get spanked by Leicester and Everton.
Utd - Who were spanked by Watford, spanked by Chelsea and lost to City. And who have had more draws than us.

Who has had the worst defeats, by that I guess I mean most unpredicted. At the start of the season were you expecting us to beat Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea away from home?

 

[Tomo]

Yeah I think both our goals were a disgrace.

Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur Highlights

We are hight up the pitch, but the first goal is seven against 3. Watch Wanyama and Toby when the ball is loose on the halfway line. Shocking.

Second goal is a hoof up in the air from Milner. If Dier heads that, its not a goal. If Dier traps that, no goal.

It wasnt just the speed of Liverpools attack that bewitched us, it was our diabolical dwelling on the ball and mis-control, poor touch and half hearted challenges.

In my opinion, that was bourne out of a reluctance to get forward quickly despite the line being fairly high up.

Agree, but getting forward quickly as a unit and getting back as a unit was something we did well under Redknapp and made it difficult for pressing teams, I know we are better than under Redknapp but he could be great at counterattacking football.

For some reason our system struggles against any team capable of hard pressing, even city under Pep changed up completely after the Everton game and opted for a hard press against us.

I just think this is not a player issue but something our management team needs to deal with, we have to learn how to deal with a hard press just as sometimes our press hurts others.

 

[scott]

I like questions like this and yes in answer but only if you don't understand football.

Every top team needs that blend of pace, aggression, concentration and work ethic, to go with a clinical edge. If it also has sublime talent it is just a winning combination. The luck side is avoiding injuries and the hard part maintaining form.

We have a lot of all that and the last 20 months have shown us that but we are not quite there yet.

On Saturday our manager went with an attacking team who forgot some of the principles I stated above and who did not match a side who played better on the day. In some regards he did not show Liverpool respect. Not rocket science and not a real dose of reality if you are a realist. Disappointing for sure however.

It is our reaction that will tell us how much damage has been caused.

For me and I only see it from a distance is that up top we lack pace. Janssen can provide the aggression and I believe some goals eventually, Kane the subtlety and finesse but we lack an ability to stretch teams in my opinion. I have said this very thing for so long and to me it is obvious. We also need an additional creator and a n other defender as I see it.

On Saturday we missed for the first time, what Lamela gives that Son doesn't and that is defensive nous and huge work ethic. I would have actually played Sissoko but all done now.

Lets remember we are still punching above the money we have spent on players but if you are a proper fan you forget that when you want to believe your team is the best.

It hurt like mad on Saturday, a bit less yesterday and not so much now. A fan's life.

I don't think poch values pace as much as some other managers do.
I love pace too & miss it. But we probably should get used to us playing another way.
He didn't give njie & now george much game time.
Which is fair enough if poch feels pace isn't as important to his style of play.
& we have achieved a lot without it.
I would like more pace too though.

 

[sammyspurs]

The simple fact is, Kane is slower than the best forwards around. He is lost when there is ground to cover. At WHL the way we play and dare I say it, the pitch size, benifits him. Away to Liverpool, City etc.. he is lost. Its not fitness, its not attitude, its simple - he is slow. On Saturday Son was the pace, combine Son and Kane we would have another Bale. Kane is a great squad player but not sure if we can inprove when he is our only option?

Much more than a good squad player, he´s one of our most prolific strikers in the history of the club.

Which is why need to play to HIS strengths and not Son´s.
Kane also has to find a way to play without pace.

See VDV, also slow, and with a big history of injuries.......judge play, anticipate better, get stuck in and cause havoc around the box. Be greedy, take long shots and try to get on the end of crosses more.

Kane needs to start being a threat from corners with his head if he cant out run defenders.....I mean, surely he could have given Lucas a tougher game.

 

[Fattynomates]

If Son's one chance of the game had fallen onto his stronger foot then he probably would have put it away with ease. Son is two footed, Mane is one footed. If Mane had Son's chance I expect it would have went either over or out for a goal kick since he isn't nearly as competent as Son is with his left.

 

[SausageVince]

endee at least make some fucking posts before you start dishing out disagrees......... and future reference when someone puts a funny face it's normally a joke.....

This is no time for the voyeurs to stick their timid oars in

 

[SausageVince]

No, I meant lets not discuss the "he said she said" stuff & the forum etiquette.
Stick to 100% spurs stuff, not about other posters etc.
It was ultimately about what posters can & can't say on here & then how others react.
It wasn't aimed or meant for you.
I am sure you get better stuff to do anyway
Anyway, lets leave it at that.

Be a man, scott . If you want a cunt off wi him then step up and Fucken have it

Fucken minge queen

 

[Joe Clash]

Widdershinism:
Similar to what myself and my mates used to do when we got bored on night fishing trips in the early 80s. Instead of throwing stones at farm animals, we used to throw stones and take potshots at passing motorists with air guns. I know, I know, looking back it was a terrible thing to do, but it was fuckin funny at the time. As a result no fish were harmed, as we were pissed and didn't give a fuck about the fishing. As a side note, I can't remember if we hid behind hedges or fences, but we definatly hid behind something.
Does that make me a Widdershin ?

No, your hooliganism seems to be quite upfront. A Widdershin would never do this, and certainly wouldn't engage with another person. Someone shot the flake out my 99 once. I hope it wasn't you.

P.S. I'm glad no fish were harmed. Too many fishermen are into wound and release.

 

[Yid7]

No, your hooliganism seems to be quite upfront. A Widdershin would never do this, and certainly wouldn't engage with another person. Someone shot the flake out my 99 once. I hope it wasn't you.

P.S. I'm glad no fish were harmed. Too many fishermen are into wound and release.

Not me Joe.
Nothing against flakes.
Don't get me fuckin started on ripples though, all they are, is flakes with a coat on.
Fuckin Pussies.

 

[ArcspacE]

This point from the media is fairly useless.

All it means is that once we improve against the other top 6, we will be comfortably champions. Hardly a major criticism considering we spend a fraction of what they do, and are building a stadium and have a squad laced with academy product, which we actually use as a policy.

If we are so crap compared to the others, why are we above three of them, and only two points behind one. Everyone is miles off Chelsea, so no point in using them either in this.

Or have I missed something? Do you get more points for winning away against the "big boys"?

We have weaker squads compared to all 4 bar Woolwich and generally Liverpool who still have better attacking options and much more pace going forward (this is where the continuous exclusion of Nkoudou and Sissoko is truly baffling).

However we play better than the sum of our parts thanks to Poch's great work and that is our main strong point, imv

 

[CJJ]

Yeah thats true, but when you have those sides losing to Watford, Swansea, Hull etc, when we arent, its swing n roundabouts

True, it's just disheartening when you notice Liverpool and City going through horrific form, then it seems like we lose one game and they're both back above us/level.

 

[mouse]

Never underestimate the skewed perspective caused by fabricated media narrative.

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

It will probably be a tag we have for many years now, even if we just lost once or twice next season against the top 6.

Sure. As I posted somewhere else, TalkSport allowing pundits to spin out the narrative of 3 point lane ahead of their visit to us, ignoring the fact that they have taken 3 points from their away travels to the Lane ONCE in 10 fucking years. It wouldn't bother me half as much if our own fans didn't believe it, but they do. They actually believe it to be true then get all shitty about it. I do have some sympathy with them to a degree, but the biggest issue is it's used by the "I hate everything about my club" brigade, you know the #out possy.

 

[CJJ]

Thinking about this and possibly making excuses for our poor performance .
Liverpool plan was to fight from the off-not caring of the physical fall out. Their next game is 27th February, plenty time to rest and heal their players -We, on the other hand, have three games before we play on the 26th. Maybe this, was on our minds-somehow effected us mentally. Two cups that we are close to taking serious. For them-The mighty Liverpool, only have the PL top 4 to chase.

Perhaps - it just doesn't explain the sheer dumbfuckery that Dier was doing. It was akin to Vertonghen's LB show against Chelsea a few season ago