Tottenham v Newcastle (Sunday 25 August 16.30)

  • The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

Yep, the teams that create space are the teams with players that make the quick run in the box and “attack”, or run to the pass, rather than maintaining the same path hoping the pass arrives before the defender. See the Mane and Moe show.


Both have the raw materials so why are they not doing so?
 
This might sound naïve, but I've always wondered why there aren't more set plays in open play "off the training ground" like you get in rugby or basketball. Obviously difficult to set up against an aggressive opponent, but matches like today, we had plenty of opportunities for an AM to set some up. E.g. Eriksen flashes a gang sign and Kane and Son make a double run with Lucas peeling off, Eriksen reads the defenders and either lobs, lays, or drives.

The beautiful game is free flowing, with instinctual creativity from gifted technical players, but when you're facing a bunkered defence, you get shit like today if you've not got a proper plan for unlocking it. We knew what they were gonna do, and yet we just passed it off, stood still, and hoped someone came up with some magic pass on the spot. Very little 1-2s, pass and move, driving, lay offs, etc.

There's a drill we see all the time where a player plays a ball to someone with back to goal on the edge of the box, he lays it off, and the initial passer runs up and blasts it. Try shit like that in the fucking game! Yes we'd lose possession quickly and more often, but surely against a bunkered team where we can win it back easier it's better than tapping it sideways for 3 minutes.
Hated this at the time but love the move. Always wondered why other teams don't try variations on it...

 
Gotta say it's hard to take you seriously as anything but a WUM when your first post is saying get rid of "Potch" (sic). Before taking controversial positions it is usually a decent plan to establish your bona fides as an actual supporter lest folks view you with a jaundiced eye.

I can understand why you might think that.

I've just seen this exact same carbon copy performance too many times now, he gets the selection wrong, we start slow, he waits until the 60th minute to change it, we end up losing or drawing.
And as I said we lost far too many games last season which was papered over by the CL run.

All will be forgiven if we beat that lot at the Death Star next week.

But I have some lingering doubts
 
I really don't like the way we set up for games, our formation, our approach. There, I said it. Haven't liked it for a while. Not all the time, don't get me wrong, but I feel like we hold ourselves back so often and I don't understand why we have no movement, we are so damn static, it feels a bit paint-by-numbers at times. We like to grind teams down with patient build up and relying on our superior quality to win the day, when I think we have the talent to dominate teams instead, to blow them away with fire, but Poch doesn't allow it. I'm starting to find it really frustrating.

We will get better this season, have a good run or two and things will click and all will be forgotten, I suppose, but I do wish Poch would evolve a bit quicker sometimes.
 
I really don't like the way we set up for games, our formation, our approach. There, I said it. Haven't liked it for a while. Not all the time, don't get me wrong, but I feel like we hold ourselves back so often and I don't understand why we have no movement, we are so damn static, it feels a bit paint-by-numbers at times. We like to grind teams down with patient build up and relying on our superior quality to win the day, when I think we have the talent to dominate teams instead, to blow them away with fire, but Poch doesn't allow it. I'm starting to find it really frustrating.

We will get better this season, have a good run or two and things will click and all will be forgotten, I suppose, but I do wish Poch would evolve a bit quicker sometimes.

For 6 months now everything has been sideways. Its not good to watch
 
Lo Celso's half hour was pretty disappointing, I was hoping him and Eriksen were going to be the keys to unlocking their defence. He looked like he didn't understand what he was supposed to be doing or where he was supposed to be.

Just have to hope it comes in time with work in training

Got to disagree here BM, I thought he played the cleverest pass of that game, the only one that got one of players in behind the defence in the area - apart from Eriksen's to Sissoko) which Kane should have made more of, but was also a bit unlucky not to get a pen.

I actually thought we looked a quantum deal better when Lo Celso and Eriksen came on, it was still a fucking struggle against a bus park getting deeper and deeper, but all of a sudden we had two players who at least were getting their heads up and looking for some movement ahead of them, instead of Sissoko, Lamela, Son and Moura bumbling around with their heads down.
 
Some rants -

- I don’t want to see Sissoko play in the PL against any team that will sit back. Much rather have Skipp there.
- I really don’t like Lucas against teams that sit back.
- Eriksen should start every single game when available.
- I’d like to see Davies get some games.
- I’m excited to see Ndombele, Winks, Eriksen, and Lo Celso all on the pitch together to break down teams
 
There was always something that bothered me about Lucas despite the great energy he gives. I realized today that he seems to run around a lot but doesn't really seem to have a purpose to his running. It's almost like he runs into people's way.
 
The way we approach home games against lesser opposition who sit deep is so predictably woeful and toothless, and it needs to change.
I can't remember the last time we really went at such a side from the outset and tried to blitz em. Poch always talks about "aggresivity" but I rarely see it in the first 20 mins so what the fuck happens on the training pitch all week?
 
Not going to read through this thread because I’d end up slitting my throat so apologies for any repetition but we have been playing this shite for months and it is fucking awful to watch - really beginning to think poch has past his peak and has been found out - team seems a disorganised mess that is the worst performance I can remember in a long time - Kane is going to lose his undropable tag if he keeps playing like he did today
Don’t think we will be near top 4 this season and dreading next week
 
How much of today’s game involved Spurs playing the ball very slowly from one side of the pitch to the other around 25 yards from the Newcastle goal, five yard passes until the ball was played into their box to be met by a Newcastle head or boot, cleared then retrieved, rinse and repeat.
To be fair, they defended quite well but sadly only because Spurs failed to test them enough.
The non penalty at the end would have salvaged a point had it been awarded and converted but it was a pretty disappointing performance overall against a poor team.
 
How much of today’s game involved Spurs playing the ball from one side of the pitch to the other around 25 yards from the Newcastle goal, five yard passes until the ball was played into their box to be met by a Newcastle head or boot, cleared then retrieved, rinse and repeat.
To be fair, they defended quite well but sadly only because Spurs failed to test them enough.
The non penalty at the end would have salvaged a point had it been awarded and converted but it was a pretty disappointing performance overall against a poor team.

Nailed it
 
Got to disagree here BM, I thought he played the cleverest pass of that game, the only one that got one of players in behind the defence in the area - apart from Eriksen's to Sissoko) which Kane should have made more of, but was also a bit unlucky not to get a pen.
I think you are forgetting about another great move and pass to get in behind. It was a more complex play as well. It's on the tip of my tongue but perhaps you will remember it first.
 
“We cannot lose stupid points at home as we did last season”. Lucas Moura Saturday 24/8.

Losing happens. Losing to absolute rubbish happens. Losing to absolute rubbish with 2 ( woeful ) efforts on goal, at home....should never happen.

The league is the bread and butter and the facts are that 4 wins from 15 games is horrendous. And those performances generally don’t deserve the full 12 points gained ! Yep that’s how bad it’s become.

A claimed 1 billion pound stadium has served up utter shit against Waste Ham and today was even worse than that. We could have saved the money and played over our historic home on the Marshes and not played worse than we did. Stadiums don’t win games. Players do.

I am going to be childish below and reactionary as it’s late and I am still pissed off, which is insane as what the hell can any of us do ?

Aurier wants out after 18 months and if Kyle Walker Peters is the answer then I’m truly scared. How many times in one game can an attacking full back receive the ball facing his own goal in the last third, take one touch too many and pass it sideways. It’s ridiculous that this guy is starting games at this level. No responsibility shown.

Davison Sanchez. Oh my god. What an absolute cunt of a display. AGAIN. He will always be the man who got bullied by Rondon. He’ll never learn now.

Winks. What’s the point of becoming a professional footballer and copying Ray Wilkins? it only leads to ruin and Talksport.

RIP butch. Winks plays in tribute to you each week. I have a lot of time for Winks, but someone is giving him duff advice and he keeps listening to it.

Sissoko. Cult hero’s are for shit mid table sides, think Freund in the 90’s. Ta ta mate. Do one. Harsh as there is a lot to love about the guy but I can’t see how 2 DM were needed at home to the tossing bar codes and he’s simply lacking too much too often.

Rose would not get a game for Watford on current form. You don’t want to be here but you do want the wedge. Your a prostitute son. Fuck you and fuck off up north, go Rotherham or somewhere. I hear that’s a nicer place than Cuffley. Sick of his pricking about. Just go.

Le Celso. Fuck me. A loan fee looks expensive based on today and he’s not even fit to start. Anyone here get away with that type of excuse on Tuesday when going to work ? Too early to judge his ability I accept that, but not being fit ! Jesus Christ. It’s your job to be fit.

Eriksen. He’s a “Professional footballer” so his job is the play and play to the best of his ability - but the manager says no. What the fuck is that all about ? Why is he and Jan dropped but Toby is not ? Either make a stand on all of them or don’t make a stand on anyone and pick the best players for the game ahead. Utterly nonsensical behaviour.

Son / Kane - 2017. Did not work. 2018. Did not work. 2019. Does not work. How fucking hard is it Poch ?

Lamela. I’ve defended him. I’ve cheered him and loved his spite. But I don’t want to ever see him in a Spurs shirt ever again. And I do mean ever. Creative football is not always easy, but is it that fucking hard ?

I’d be completely comfortable with giving Ben Davies Man of the Match for us today.

My frustration and sarcasm aside, I feel like we all do tonight. Pissed off and angry and desperate for this run of tripe to end. The team looks in bits already and the summer looks to have delivered a lot less than necessary.

Beyond all this I am starting to honestly question Pochettino’s attitude to the club and players. A lot of these problems he’s paid to keep in check. He really does not have that much coin to avoid a few hard truths coming his way. And his post match finger pointing is not helping.

And why exactly, despite everything, do so many players want to leave and why do so many not appear to be trying ? Is that ENIC and deadly Dan or something non sinister ?

State of the art stadium / training ground and players who can’t wait to escape. Like having a hamster wheel and no hamster.

At least we tend to do well at Woolwich and can recover those 3 points easy as anything.

Oh no wait a minute......
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom