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Lawro as informed as ever
"Tottenham have improved a lot of late but I am still not convinced that playing Jermain Defoe on his own up front will work out over the course of the season.
He has done well so far, but against the better teams like Chelsea, where his side will have less possession, he is not good enough at holding the ball up."
Guess we're totally fuc...oh wait there's that Adebayor fella too right?
"Tottenham have improved a lot of late but I am still not convinced that playing Jermain Defoe on his own up front will work out over the course of the season.
He has done well so far, but against the better teams like Chelsea, where his side will have less possession, he is not good enough at holding the ball up."
Guess we're totally fuc...oh wait there's that Adebayor fella too right?
To be honest, he may be a cunt, but I don't disagree with what he sai in your quote, nor does he say that Defoe is our only option. He's simply recognised that Jermain has been first choice under AVB - which he has been! I don't know what his predicted result is.
That said, I though Ade was very good when he came on against Villa and I'm hoping that's been spotted by AVB. Ade really needs to be starting games.
What Lawro ignores is that he did brilliant job at a much more difficult game for us up at Man U. His hold up play was outstanding in the first half, as well as briefly in the second when we countered for our goal.
Footballers rely heavily on confidence, and JD is probably the ultimate confidence player. Man U away will have worked wonders for him at this moment. Indeed it may not last a whole season, but we are reviewing the next game, not the next 30.
I also dont see Chelsea coming out of this game with more possession than us.
The only top 4 club they have played yet is Woolwich, in which the stats read:
Possession
51% Scum
49% Chelsea
Shots
14............. 10
On target
5................. 5
Corners
6.................5
They were fortunate to win that game with two soft goals, and it was hardly a domination (as you can see, they had less possession). I think we can devastate them on the counter, like we did to Utd. Both teams pose a serious threat going forward, but I believe we are better equiped at the back, and in central midfield, to more than dominate possession.
Their threatening players will have to work extremely hard to keep the ball away from Dembele, Sandro, Gallas and Vertonghen for 90 minutes, not to mention they are the away team, and will feel happier with the draw.
I dont see anyone in their back line who Defoe wouldnt get any change out of.
Fucking great news about Dembele not being injured!
John terry not playing can only be a good thing. The last few games we've played against these cunts he's been annoyingly good.
Bales going to have to be discipline at watching ivanovic running from deep. He's already scored a few that way and set up others.
Bales going to have to be discipline at watching ivanovic running from deep. He's already scored a few that way and set up others.
they have Juan main creative threat that Sandro needs to mark out of the game; without his Modric esque distribution, their other forwards won't really Mata as much.
Getting to the pub at 11, beers for the journey, WIN, then off into london after for a rip roaring time celebrating, finishing with the Kell Brook fight in the boxers bar. Well thats the plan anyway.
As a Putney resident I'll be riding the district line with a load of the cunts.
If we lose I'll be seeking an alternative route for fear of what the anger and hatred may make me do
If we lose I'll be seeking an alternative route for fear of what the anger and hatred may make me do
Love that movie.
"You.. You.... YOU.... YOOOOUUUUUU. NAAAH YOU!!! NAAAAAAAAAH YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUU!"
I'm seriously considering wearing a Spurs shirt to work tomorrow. But my real dilemma is which shirt to wear on Saturday morning.
I sorry. I make problem. I leave.
There's no way Adebayor and Lloris don't start. AVB is going to field his strongest XI. There's no way this isn't his second most important match of the year (first being the Chavs at Stamford Bridge).
(I hope)
(I hope)
AVB not thinking about revenge
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is refusing to treat Saturday's Premier League clash against Chelsea as a personal revenge mission.
Villas-Boas: Faces former side
The 35-year-old was sacked as Chelsea manager in March after less than nine months in charge and faces the Blues for the first time since replacing Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane.
But despite leaving Stamford Bridge under a cloud, Villas-Boas will not be treating the match any differently to any other league fixture.
He said: "In the end there is one thing which has been to a certain extent blown out of proportion in some ways - this is certainly not a personal matter.
"This game is not going to decide the future of both teams in the Premier League - after this game there will be 30 more games to play and both teams will have decisive matches in front of them. It counts as three points. It doesn't win us a trophy."
The former Porto manager did, however, suggest that his players may have revenge on their minds when they run out to play the European champions.
Chelsea's first ever European Cup success meant Spurs missed out on this season's Champions League despite finishing fourth in the league.
Spurs were also beaten 5-1 by their London rivals in the semi-final of last year's FA Cup and Villas-Boas feels his squad could be looking to get their own back on Saturday.
He said: "It is the team who took this club out of the Champions League, this is the team who prevented this team from playing in FA Cup final last year.
"So in the end we certainly have ingredients for it to be a spectacular match, hopefully.
"We never know how the game can develop. But certainly, a good game might hopefully give us a chance to go nearer the top, which is what we want."
Chelsea will be without skipper John Terry, who accepted his fine and ban after being found guilty by an independent Football Association panel of racially abusing the QPR defender during a game at Loftus Road on October 23, 2011.
Terry worked closely with Villas-Boas during their time together at Chelsea and, although the Portuguese believes the former England captain will be missed, he knows there are a number of able deputies waiting to grab their opportunity.
"Obviously you have to make sure to take into account that this is an extremely good player, an experienced player and Chelsea's captain," he said. "A player of this dimension always is surely missed.
"In the end, I've worked with those players in the past. And the reality was that in that precise sector we never had problems. Other centre-backs are tremendously good too.
"Gary Cahill had a solid start to his Chelsea season when we brought him in January, this season also. And David Luiz, Ivanovic - another option. So the amount of options is so good."
Villas-Boas does not believe there is a lot of difference in managing the two clubs but still feels Spurs have to bridge the gap between themselves and the top sides in England, while accepting Chelsea are already amongst the country's elite.
"Obviously (the two clubs have) different traditions and different culture, have different kinds of supporters," he said.
"(We have a) new training ground, I am enjoying it from now towards the future. Chelsea moved a bit earlier, they have an enormous amount of titles recently.
"You can say they have joined that elite, and Tottenham wants to be in that position in the future. Certainly there is a gap there to be filled, the club can raise its level towards the future."
Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is refusing to treat Saturday's Premier League clash against Chelsea as a personal revenge mission.
Villas-Boas: Faces former side
The 35-year-old was sacked as Chelsea manager in March after less than nine months in charge and faces the Blues for the first time since replacing Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane.
But despite leaving Stamford Bridge under a cloud, Villas-Boas will not be treating the match any differently to any other league fixture.
He said: "In the end there is one thing which has been to a certain extent blown out of proportion in some ways - this is certainly not a personal matter.
"This game is not going to decide the future of both teams in the Premier League - after this game there will be 30 more games to play and both teams will have decisive matches in front of them. It counts as three points. It doesn't win us a trophy."
The former Porto manager did, however, suggest that his players may have revenge on their minds when they run out to play the European champions.
Chelsea's first ever European Cup success meant Spurs missed out on this season's Champions League despite finishing fourth in the league.
Spurs were also beaten 5-1 by their London rivals in the semi-final of last year's FA Cup and Villas-Boas feels his squad could be looking to get their own back on Saturday.
He said: "It is the team who took this club out of the Champions League, this is the team who prevented this team from playing in FA Cup final last year.
"So in the end we certainly have ingredients for it to be a spectacular match, hopefully.
"We never know how the game can develop. But certainly, a good game might hopefully give us a chance to go nearer the top, which is what we want."
Chelsea will be without skipper John Terry, who accepted his fine and ban after being found guilty by an independent Football Association panel of racially abusing the QPR defender during a game at Loftus Road on October 23, 2011.
Terry worked closely with Villas-Boas during their time together at Chelsea and, although the Portuguese believes the former England captain will be missed, he knows there are a number of able deputies waiting to grab their opportunity.
"Obviously you have to make sure to take into account that this is an extremely good player, an experienced player and Chelsea's captain," he said. "A player of this dimension always is surely missed.
"In the end, I've worked with those players in the past. And the reality was that in that precise sector we never had problems. Other centre-backs are tremendously good too.
"Gary Cahill had a solid start to his Chelsea season when we brought him in January, this season also. And David Luiz, Ivanovic - another option. So the amount of options is so good."
Villas-Boas does not believe there is a lot of difference in managing the two clubs but still feels Spurs have to bridge the gap between themselves and the top sides in England, while accepting Chelsea are already amongst the country's elite.
"Obviously (the two clubs have) different traditions and different culture, have different kinds of supporters," he said.
"(We have a) new training ground, I am enjoying it from now towards the future. Chelsea moved a bit earlier, they have an enormous amount of titles recently.
"You can say they have joined that elite, and Tottenham wants to be in that position in the future. Certainly there is a gap there to be filled, the club can raise its level towards the future."