Amid all the mistaken chitter chatter doing the rounds of Mourinho being some mediocre bus parker, Tottenham are top of the table, free scoring and defensively sound. It’s a lot to swallow for the uninitiated, so no wonder there are some dark corners of the Spurs fanbase, still pawing at invention.
Harry Kane’s evolution under Mourinho has been frankly spectacular. That’s how it’s panned out, folks. Facts is facts. Unconvinced? Harry Kane has scored 7 Premier League goals, 6 European goals under the Portuguese; and here are some assists. Tell me you don’t just adore the assists?!
Cobblers. You’re suggesting that being defensive is the only way to win stuff in other words. If you aren’t, then surely you can’t complain if I’d prefer us to win playing differently. More ‘cult of Jose’ claptrap…
So where does this notion that winning defensively and pragmatically is the way to win stuff come from exactly? Liverpool and Bayern have dominated playing in a way that is the polar opposite.
So there is a clear choice one has the right to make as a preference. Winning football is not achieved one way, as we see year after year.
This is where your kind of reasoning falls flat on its face…
Rodon did well and should get even better. Only highlight in a bore fest, but I’m getting used to it now. I just need to try and find a way to stay awake for 90+ mins! 😂
I don’t care about that, Liverpool dominated last season playing the opposite way. It’s not ‘dewey eyed’ it’s a proven reality.
It’s you and others like you, that have suddenly picked up this dated idea that suddenly the only way to win big stuff is by playing in a pragmatic and more defensive fashion. If you don’t sacrifice style you become weak and fluffy and lose stuff.
As the example of Liverpool, Bayern etc etc show, that notion is complete and utter nonsense.
I want to win in style and there is no reason to favour boring football in the name of ‘winning’ so this is where your reasoning falls flat on its face…
Go Ballistic indeed, I was at Aintree when it was the infamous Grand National that was abandoned due to a bomb scare just before the off in 97, I had just put my tenner on the said horse when we were told to leave immediately. Hell of a day and unforgettable weekend as I had to return on the Sunday to extract my car from the course, which they eventually let me and everyone else do. In the meantime I found a working men’s club and spent the afternoon in the company of racing people and BBC presenters, so wasn’t all bad , never got me tenner though haha !
EM I hope you had a flutter on Nortons Coin!!.Packed Cheltenham Gold Cup day is a lively atmosphere. Don’t do corporate but mull about Tattershalls enclosures. Occasionally you can be lucky with a sunny day but unlike Ascot the weather is generally nippy and overcast when after the the Gold Cup is over you are tempted to return to your coach!! Last race around 5.15pm.
Best little flutter to date £2 or £3 e/w I put on a horse in the GC was Go Bollistic which finished 3rd at odds of 66-1!!
All very much a lottery when on one day Ruby Walsh had no winners, the following day he rode 4 winners.
It’s a fantastic venue, the last time I attended was 1990 when a certain Nortons Coin won the Gold Cup at 100/1.
I am an avid horse racing fan and love both codes , I attend Aintree Ladies Day with great enthusiasm annually, I don’t do the restaurants, I might miss something not being amongst the crowds.
Poch did for himself. Saying things like I might quit if we win the CL isn’t doing you any favours. Playing an unfit Harry Kane in said final didn’t help either. The 14th in the table scenario was the cherry on the top of ending his own career.
Note….. He’s still out of work
Word… 👍
You can’t help me.I don’t need help thanks. But sadly you’re beyond help as are those fans who have this dewy eyed vision of how football should be played.
Always remember this… History books only show what you won/ win. They don’t show or say you won it playing good or bad football. Nor do they say you spent millions winning stuff as fans often say when Chelsea or City win stuff.
Until recently being an annual attender of an enjoyable day out at March Cheltenham Gold Cup [breakfast, lunch and eve meal all part of the package with a coach party] preferring jump racing to flat racing I kind of lost interest when A P McCoy retired. I was at Cheltenham race course surrounded by a wonderful backdrop of the Cotsworld Cleeve Hills when he won his first Gold Cup on Mr Mulligan.
One of the best horses I saw at Cheltenham was the majestic classy Best Mate and there when the horse won 3 successive Gold Cups. Owned by Jim Lewis (Villa fan),trained by Henrietta Knight and ridden byJim Culloty.
The great retired Ruby Walsh was a prolific winner on this track.
His sister also a jockey.
Has Harry been spoken to in the same confident, inspiring manner before, I doubt it, but it’s exactly the kind of character and personality Mourinho has, that Harry needs to push him on, and it has. You could say the same about others too, Dier, Sissoko, Aurier are further examples of players who have improved and doing things they weren’t under Poch.
I thought Berg’s chance should have done better instead of over the bar from close range. I also noticed the pace of Joe, although Sanchez is quick too, he seems to be lost lately.
Hollie Doyle has done very well, I’m not convinced she is any better than many other jockeys out there, but credit to her. Bryony Frost though is on another planet.
Ta
Anywhere in the middle. Attacking or a holding role. He could play on either wing too.. Grealish would thrive in Maureens set up. He would do his defensive duties and be key with linking to attack. He has it all now.
They did well to keep Kane quiet I thought. Son had the ball and half chances but he was off form again. Bergs a threat on his day but didn’t take his half chances.. Reguilion came close with a nice shot.. But the guy who came closest to scoring was Aurier with a stinging shot on target forcing a good save.. Its not just our attacking threat thats strong now we are a much more balanced team.. Reguilion and Hojberg are both young hungry and going to be great for us…. And everyone is sleeping on Joe Roden. A fantastic debut. And the lad has pace. We needed a centre back with pace for options.
Er, think I’ll disagree, thanks & without any respect.
Anyone that says they’d rather “draw 3-3 than win 1-0” isn’t compos mentis & deserves to be called far worse.
Amen to that!
More common sense!
Hooray!
Yeah and checking fouls and any replays. They are swift at deciding everything and get it right…. No dim wit ref jogging slowly across the pitch to stare at a screen to watch repeated replays from an angle where he can’t really see it. Sometimes up to 7 or 8 times 🤦♀️
This is the problem along with wrong key decisions… It needs to be quick so it doesn’t interrupt the flow, and it needs to be used for clear and obvious errors. And they need to get decisions right.. At the minute it’s a mess, a joke. Too much time wasted its ruining the flow for sure.. Rugby union is a fine pointer to how to do it all right. Pretty sure all their stuff was tried and tested before use. The FA are trial and testing on the premier league.. Other countries and the champions league are seemingly doing better jobs.. Perhaps Var isn’t the problem, the problem being incompetent people, the refs and ‘assistants’ being numptys, taking too long to look at it, only to go on and make the wrong decision.
Kane has the record amount of goals and assists combined for a single player at this stage of the season. Premier league era anyway. Only 10 games in but thats highly impressive. Record breaking already. His passing is Stevie G esq at times its rather astonishing… What amazes me now, with everything he has in his locker, he still can’t take a free kick to save his life! He can’t even hit the target! What is that all about?
I seriously dislike some things about Daniel Levy, but I’ve said enough. I won’t bore people with it. I do recognise that he built a world-class training ground and stadium… which will be great once the debt is paid.
Poch steered the club into more consistent European play, and did it during a very challenging period in the Club’s history. I will always remember him very fondly in his time at the club.
That being said, bringing Jose Mourinho in was a very necessary evolution for the club. I don’t like the way it was done. But it was a necessary evolution.
Poch had no experience with high-profile transfers, and thus had no trust from his chairman. Spurs eventually had to hire a manager with the experience and the pedigree to gain the Chairman’s full chest trust and support.
That’s really it. I have no problem personally balancing it.
I don’t have to like Daniel Levy at all.
I can remember Pochettino warmly.
And I can fully support Jose Mourinho and appreciate what he brings to the club.
Why so rude ?
I don’t know exactly what his lifetime achievement goals are, but I can tell you that he has made the statement that he still has a few.
All of the signs look to me to be a short stay. We shall see.
Sorry guys, I’m only trying to prepare you. Jose is all about the short stay, and onto another lifetime achievement goal. And to me, there’s nothing wrong with that.
I would keep an eye on Jody Allen and her three kids. They’re worth over 20 billion, they own the Seahawks of the NFL, the Trailblazers of the NBA, and minor ownership of the Seattle Sounders, with one of the three kids on the board. They are active sports fans, heavy philanthropists, well connected in business, and reportedly looking for another sports enterprise for one of the kids to run.
I wouldn’t careless if poch took the arsenal job. He’d probably fail there too
“bigger opportunities? You’re chatting $h!t
Big up Daniel levy. Fck poch
What $h!t you chatting now? My club just needs to start winning stuff you fkin moron! Who gives a fck how right about now. Do you know how long it’s been you fkin idiot? Does anybody give a $h!t how we won our last cup?
I’m enjoying winning MiT that’s the long and short of it. Without the winning, there’s nothing here to see.
I agree with all of what you say, how can any sane person not fully have sussed Baldy out after all these years?
I don’t have anything against Jose as a man, but I have never liked his brand of football despite the success he has had with it. I’m certainly not particularly enjoying watching my team play like it either.
However I agree that at this moment in time we are in a very good place in terms of points and being tough to beat. However this whole thing still has to play out, I hope with a League title. Play out though it must…
I don’t, I watch the highlights.
I’m happy with winning, I would prefer that objective was achieved in a different way. If we don’t win playing like this then I can’t see the point. So far so good though, we are winning….
Ta
I had visions of the New England Patriots owner, Mr Kraft one day making a taking over bid for Spurs. MiT do you see any mileage in this from Mr Kraft or any other owners?
Have a good night, DD.
What ‘bigger opportunities’??? He is already at one of the top 10 biggest clubs in the world, with frankly a lot less pressure than the other three top 10 clubs he has also managed, namely Real Madrid, Man Utd and Chelsea.
He wanted to stay in London and Spurs were the ideal opportunity for him. Willing to pay him 15 million a year, world class facilities, a chairman who is a devoted fanboy, willing to back him and an excellent group of coachable players.
Mourinho loves the spotlight, he’s box office and Spurs is a great fit for him and right now he is top of the table, on 15 mill a year, in the highest profile league in the world. So kindly enlighten us as to these ‘bigger opportunities’ you are convinced that he will leave us for?!
Bon Nuit.
Adios amigos.
In Rugby Union it’s worked well for checking tries scored or not.
I think so. On the goal-line technology. That’s completely objective, and thus, immediate.
To me, it’s not worth ruining the very idea of a flowing game.
Agreed it spoils enjoyment but if it leads to greater certainty surely thats beneficial like the Ref and his assistants missing a shirt pull / foul on a player on the run up to a goal. Perhaps we should have just allocated it solely for goal line technology checking if the whole ball crossed the white line or not and left it at that!
Agreed it spoils enjoyment but if it leads to greater certainty surely thats beneficial like the Ref and his assistants missing a shirt pull / foul on a player on the run up to a goal. Perhaps we should have just allocated it solely for goal line technology checking if the whole ball crossed the white line or not and left it at that!
Whilst you make a good point whether you are for or against VAR it’s here to stay. When it works it works well and since it’s inception on the whole it has been successful. When it works badly it’s farcical!
If the Association suddenly has to subjectively redefine what constitutes offside. Then it should not be used for offside.
If the Association suddenly has to subjectively redefine what constitutes a handball, then it should not be used for handball.
For over 200 years, arguing over the week’s humanly decided calls was common talk around the water cooler and in the pub.
It was never broken. Did not require repair or alteration.
I can speak for tennis. The reason that it works well in tennis is that it does not challenge subjective definition. It is used completely objectively, and in an immediate fashion.
I honestly always felt like it was misplaced / ham-fisted into what has always been a beautiful, flowing game that otherwise does not stop.
I’ve seen what it’s done to the NFL over in the states. It turns many games and sports into a mutated version of what they once were.
I was vehemently against it from the beginning.
I was truly shocked at the time. However, Jose has said and done all of the right things.
I believe Spurs are well set up to win things in the short-term. This season.
Jose might surprise me by staying for a while, but I truly believe that this was always a short-term marriage for him. Tailor-made for a confident man who still has one or two lifetime goals.
I have lost faith with VAR which we benefitted from on Sunday and on previous occasions. Swings and roundabouts. When it was invented my impression is that it was designed to eliminate big errors (ball crossing the goal line even that can be miniscule if the whole ball has not gone over the line) not crazy daft miniscule offsides as Watkins discovered against West Ham. Change it quick or scrap it completely. It works well in Tennis, Rugby Union and cricket but not football yet but could do if common sense and sanity prevailed!
So it’s not Mike Dean then!!!!!!!
Being a broad church everybody in this genial forum, whether you agree with their observations or not ought not be belittled by being called “idiots” and “fools”. Thats the boorish undignified Trump approach. Disagree fine, but just respect.
Martin Atkinson named as ref for Sunday’s game with the gooners,and Maines game might have to be played in a different stadium due to covid social distancing rules if they get their go ahead for 2000 fans in tier two zone.
Wish he would!
Moans more than a $50 hooker! (So I’m told)
Good assessment. Seemingly having staked his credibility on the Mourinho appointment one suspects the current harmonious marriage is the last chance saloon for both Levy and Jose to win some elusive silverware under the existing regime!
Where are the others that are moaning Minnie’s then?
Simple choice – if you don’t like it, don’t watch it!
Damned fool!
(Not you obviously)
Damned fool!
(Not you obviously)
Don’t f***ing watch it then!
PS. HH can’t you ban this constant negative bitching?? PLEASE!
Arsenal and Barca are the 2 jobs I sincerely believe Pochettino would not take.
I would not blame him for being very angry with Daniel Levy.
Yet I believe that Poch is very capable of being honest with himself and learning from a situation.
Poch hopefully realises by now that moving to Mourinho – a manager long experienced with high-profile transfers (unlike Poch) that Levy actually trusts enough to support – was a necessary evolution for Spurs.
I hope Poch can see that in a self-honest light. He needs to in order to grow and move on. Levy was a complete coward in how he portrayed both himself and Pochettino through that ordeal. But I am glad to see Mourinho at the club and well trusted.
Poch has to ask himself honestly… is he ready for a high-profile job with high-profile transfers ? If he can answer himself honestly and has learned enough, then I will be very curious to see how he performs in one.
All of that being said, I do not believe he would take an Arsenal job.
I sense he’s on an astronomical bonus to do so.
& it’ll be a double handed, sticking two fingers up to his haters!
Exactly!
More common sense!
Exactly!
Common sense prevails!
Neill accomplished nothing me thinks but Graham won the league cup.
If he does he is not the first manager to cross the divide namely George Graham and Terry Neill respectively!!
I Hope not,but I never thought Jose would end up at Spurs!! Is any fans getting in to the NLD?
Accepting Jose as manager, and learning to enjoy and appreciate a new set of playing guidelines does not mean that you are ‘giving in’ to what Levy did to Pochettino.
You and I both know that what Levy did to Poch in that Amazon Doc was a cowardly act of an itchy little man. And I will not forget it.
That itchy little freak actually painted himself in a sympathetic light in that documentary. Coward. He painted Poch as a complete dolt, showing Poch as saying “I think it is normal” with no context whatsoever, save for a view of 14th on the Table.
The priority, for several years, was that Stadium. For players to lose heart and to lose the plot after two straight years with almost no reinforcement, no support, and a CL final loss * IS * pretty normal.
Levy actually whined about the fans who felt that he was not ambitious and didn’t care. Yet he did not take the responsibility for what happened. Any of it. He made Poch look like a dolt and a scapegoat.
But then, this is the same itchy little freak who begins all of the Spurs TV videos with a 13-second pretty little insert about how we should “give with feeling”… ” it’s the season for giving.” … just before plying us with store merchandise.
I said enough. You know where I stand. But that has no bearing on whether I choose to appreciate what Mourinho brings to the squad and to the club.
I hope you start to find some enjoyment in it soon, because Spurs are on a very good path.
Nice one! making me chuckle.
Would Poch take the Arsenal job??
Ollie Watkins is still the leading PL goalscorer at the Emirates Stadium,he’s scored the same as Aubameyang,Lacazette,Pepe and Willian combined. David Platt has been asked about taking over as manager if they lose to Spurs,but has said he wants to carry on in Coronation Street.
Yes some players like Messrs Alli and Eriksen sit on the periphery waiting to be fed but often drift into anonymity. Energetic throughout high octane Grealish is the wily orchestrator searching for openings, inviting fouls, setting up others and prepared to pull the trigger when required.
Winning 5.4 would be great every week,more entertaining but I know what you mean. A win is a win three points and move on.
Careful with that long term stuff. Mourinho is very honest and open with his thoughts. One of his most adhered to beliefs is to leave on his own terms. “The train only stops once.”
I believe he will lead Spurs to win things in the short-term.
And I believe he will leave for bigger opportunities when those opportunities come calling. They will.
He’s charismatic. He says all the right things. But he will absolutely leave for a bigger opportunity, and the ones who do not expect it will have their feelings hurt. Unnecessarily, because he tells fans to expect it.
Netflix. The Playbook. Episode 3. Pay very close attention to it, because he outlines exactly what to expect from him in a lot of instances.
My sincerest apologies if I sound preachy. That’s not my intent. My intent is to state in no uncertain terms that Jose Mourinho and Spurs will not be a long-term marriage. Nor does it need to be.
Agree with you. Grealish is a great 8, or a great 10. He finds the spots where he can be helpful.
Once upon a time, I questioned his work rate, and his life off the pitch.
No more. Grealish is a very intelligent, resourceful, and industrious player. Just about any squad would love to be able to plug him in.
Stop the primary 2 scorers on any squad, and that squad will struggle to find other consistent scorers.
Chelsea matched up well due to pace across their squad. That was a cagey match played between two managers who know each other very well.
You fools can bang on about failure poch till the cows come home as long as he keeps away from my club
Oh shut up. Fkin idiot
Fool
Oh shut up you fkin mug
A shortlist of six contenders has been announced for the 2020 BBC Sports
Personality of the Year award.
The nominees are cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Hollie Doyle, boxer Tyson Fury, Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton, footballer Jordan Henderson and snooker star Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Save the suspense by awarding it to Lewis Hamilton now!!
1. Lewis Hamilton
2. Tyson Fury
3. Hollie Doyle (She probably deserves second slot and has some way to go to overtake the total of winners accumulated by the imperious all time racing legend, A P McCoy (winner of SPOTY in his illustrious racing career – 4,000 plus me thinks. Winning the jockey championship something like 20 yrs on the trot at a cost of breaking virtually every bone in his body. A remarkable sportsman. Arsenal fan]
[Hollie Doyle broke her own record for the number of winners ridden by a British woman in a year, rode a historic double on British Champions Day, became the first woman to ride five winners on the same card and claimed her first victory at Royal Ascot. Doyle was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.]
[BBC Sport]
Fair point but roaming the pitch as he does always hunting for the ball IMO Grealish would be adaptable in any position.
Kane’s new role means grealish struggles same as Dele can’t get in as there is no position for him anymore if Kane is playing
In theory winning any first trophy under Jose ought then be a springboard for success!
Jose has a long term job. Jose is talking evolution, Liverpool taking 5 seasons. Add levy is a Jose wide eyed fanboy, all he needs is top four and a final this year ( though I think he’ll get a pot)
Fair point but moi not greedy, if it’s the PL title magnifque
but deprived of silverware since 2008 [ironically league cup under Romos], any psychological boost of ending the long barren spell of winning a trophy will do at this stage, just bloomen win a trophy!
That’s because it was good to watch and we are Spurs. If you hadn’t worked out that is important to more than a fair share of our fans then I can’t help you.
Do you honestly expect everyone to be signed up to this as Spurs fans? Really? That’s weird…
Which is exactly where the signing of conductor conduit Grealish would have made the difference coming into the equation. Purely academic of course but you get my drift!!
The highly acclaimed League Cup will not save him from my wrath. He needs to win big stuff if he’s gonna make me sit through this dirge for a whole season! 😂
‘Free scoring’ Kane and Son “never got a sniff” according to Lampard.
And you have to admit, isolate those two in Jose’s set up and you are wondering where the goals might come from. I hope that doesn’t become a theme of “stop those two and you stop Spurs” because everyone will inevitably start trying to do it.
Hardly surprising when everyone including the pundits can only think of two players when describing our attacking threat…
A reminder of the the Carabao Cup Quarter-Final draw is as follows:
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
Likely semi finalists
Spurs
Newcastle
Man City
Man Utd
You do sense that Jose needs to win a trophy this pivotal season!
Considering up to the point he appointed Poch Levy had sacked 10 managers in 13 years what stabilising Poch achieved was pretty sensational!
Yes the widely respected manager in the world!
The boss knows how to win stuff. He’s got a ton of medals. Top of the charts and feeling high.
Whilst Poch won nought, working on on a tight budget during his tenure he should be applauded for a reviving a sleeping giant punching above it’s weight operating on a tight budget with grace and humility knowing it was all over when Spurs failed to collect the CL trophy he should have quit then.
My thoughts entirely…
Poch who?
It’s those who continually pine for Poch that wind me up. There’s a few fan pages where he continues to pop up. They seem to manifest more if we do badly but oddly also when we do well ! It’s as if we’re to be reminded he was once out manager and also got good results too.
I dare to dream this season. Unfortunately gut instinct tells me Centre Back will be our undoing, even with the defensive issues our rivals have. I hope I’m wrong. I hope.
Unfortunately, you’ll always have the sad, disgruntled, whingeing few who refuse to see the bigger picture & won’t accept the facts of winning whilst conceding few & scoring plenty as it isn’t pretty enough for them.
Whilst every great manager would tell them, successful teams are built from the back, they’d still abandon the winning mentality & hanker for recklessness & the “you score 4, we’ll score 5” (fingers crossed) style of play.