Looking around the various forums and social media this morning it’s evident that a good number of fans believe Pochettino played a big part in our downfall against Ajax.
The only crime the gaffer is guilty of, is being complicit with the owners. It’s a big crime, I grant you – one he took £9million per annum for his part in.
Perhaps the most succinct criticism against Poch came from Glenn Hoddle who was working for BT Sport last night.
‘I was shocked that they went in with a three [at the back],
‘There’s no need. Of all the team’s they’ve played against, you’ve got Tadic who’s not really and out-and-out centre-forward anyway.”
Glenn may have point, but this is dancing on the head of a pin stuff.
Poch would have been aware of Tadic and the decision was probably made in order to push more bodies into the otherwise deserted midfield.
There are two issues inextricably fundamental to the defeat.
One is the ‘reality’ (as Poch himself would phrase it) is that after two transfer windows of sitting on their hands, the club is left with a squad quite simply running on fumes.
The second is that the belief amongst the players has all but evaporated. Mental fatigue doesn’t just effect the brain. It seeps down throughout the body, right down to the tips of the toes. It’s the most evil of the two because it can’t be treated just by resting.
A harrowing example of where the football club are at right now was the medical staff being prepared to let Jan Vertonghen continue playing, when it was clear to anyone – before he began vomiting – that he was completely finished.
There’s an undercurrent of desperation at Spurs.
FAST FREE UK DELIVERY
On Poch’s complicity with Baldy, I’d simply ask, ‘what did you expect him to do?’ Danny Rose is great example of paying the price of breaking rank in football.
What Poch has managed to do in his time at Spurs is remarkable given the ridiculous constraints.
Note the precise use of language here, ‘do’, not achieve. He’s achieved nothing because he’s won nothing. I didn’t make the metric, I’m simply enforcing it without fear or favour.
For those still mindlessly cooing over us having reached a European semi final – know this – had we faced a proper heavyweight side last night, we’d be on the wrong end of an Air Hockey score.
Ajax were a bit mediocre, and Tottenham were unrecognisable. That’s your headline.
Only then can one start to address what needs to be done.
Can anything be done? Sure, all we have to do is give the inept control freak and personality transplant.
Easy peasy.
It’s very noble of Poch to hold his hand up and take responsibility but we all know the real reason for last night’s shit-show. The chronic lack of investment and general squad malaise came home to roost last night. Spurs stank the place out of it with their long-ball puke football. No adequate Kane back-up, no adequate replacement for Dembele or the busted flush that is Wanyama and what you are left with is lumping the ball up to a 6 ‘4 cardboard cut-out of a footballer and praying to the saint of lost causes for the return to fitness of Moussa bloody Sissoko. It’s very difficult to switch from a team who likes to play it on the deck to being long ball merchants overnight. That tactic may well have worked for Mourinho against Ajax but he had his man U team fine tuned in the art of lumping it long. That’s not how we play.
We look like a team that’s dead on its feet. Surely Foyth is a better option than Trippier at this stage. He has a willingness to take his man on and appears to be one of the few players who can find a team-mate with a cross. Trippier wasn’t England’s first choice RB for nothing and I think he just needs a summer of recharging the batteries and regaining his confidence. Wanyama was a beast 2 seasons ago but he’s a shadow of his former self. Brought in to break up play, Ajax just played around him and he was all over the shop, swiping at balls as early as the 12th minute. There’s a strong case now for Skipp to come in. At least he might get hold of the ball and string a few passes together. Hell if Ajax can do it with youngsters why can’t we!
Who is coaching Dele Ali? What position is he supposed to be playing, is he been given clear instructions before going out onto the pitch because he looks like a fella playing flicks and volleys with his mates in the back field. He cost 5 mil and he’s still only worth 5 mil. He’s a law unto himself.
Poor Lucas Moura. He’s like a gamey park footballer with small man syndrome who runs all day beats 5 players but either gets swatted off the ball or ends up back where he started. He looks too lightweight to have balls fizzed into him and he needs to change his footwear as he looked more concussed than Jan at times. Rose was not much better, full of endeavour, no end product. Eriksen the former golden boy of the Ajax production line was supposed to show these Ajax whipper snappers how far they still had to go. He didn’t step up but it was difficult with no midfield to provide the platform.
Tobey and Sanchez bore the brunt of our disjointed football in front of them leading to Tobey making rash decisions at times. They were just fire fighting for the evening.
Where there is hope there is a way but I think it will take more than Sissy and Son coming back into the team to get us out of this one.
Fuck you Daniel. Fuck you very much.
Don’t get annoyed – get educated instead.
It’s very noble of Poch to hold his hand up and take responsibility but we all know the real reason for last night’s shit-show. The chronic lack of investment and general squad malaise came home to roost last night. Spurs stank the place out of it with their long-ball puke football. No adequate Kane back-up, no adequate replacement for Dembele or the busted flush that is Wanyama and what you are left with is lumping the ball up to a 6 ‘4 cardboard cut-out of a footballer and praying to the saint of lost causes for the return to fitness of Moussa bloody Sissoko. It’s very difficult to switch from a team who likes to play it on the deck to being long ball merchants overnight. That tactic may well have worked for Mourinho against Ajax but he had his man U team fine tuned in the art of lumping it long. That’s not how we play.
We look like a team that’s dead on its feet. Surely Foyth is a better option than Trippier at this stage. He has a willingness to take his man on and appears to be one of the few players who can find a team-mate with a cross. Trippier wasn’t England’s first choice RB for nothing and I think he just needs a summer of recharging the batteries and regaining his confidence. Wanyama was a beast 2 seasons ago but he’s a shadow of his former self. Brought in to break up play, Ajax just played around him and he was all over the shop, swiping at balls as early as the 12th minute. There’s a strong case now for Skipp to come in. At least he might get hold of the ball and string a few passes together. Hell if Ajax can do it with youngsters why can’t we!
Who is coaching Dele Ali? What position is he supposed to be playing, is he been given clear instructions before going out onto the pitch because he looks like a fella playing flicks and volleys with his mates in the back field. He cost 5 mil and he’s still only worth 5 mil. He’s a law unto himself.
Poor Lucas Moura. He’s like a gamey park footballer with small man syndrome who runs all day beats 5 players but either gets swatted off the ball or ends up back where he started. He looks too lightweight to have balls fizzed into him and he needs to change his footwear as he looked more concussed than Jan at times. Rose was not much better, full of endeavour, no end product. Eriksen the former golden boy of the Ajax production line was supposed to show these Ajax whipper snappers how far they still had to go. He didn’t step up but it was difficult with no midfield to provide the platform.
Tobey and Sanchez bore the brunt of our disjointed football in front of them leading to Tobey making rash decisions at times. They were just fire fighting for the evening.
Where there is hope there is a way but I think it will take more than Sissy and Son coming back into the team to get us out of this one.
Fuck you Daniel. Fuck you very much.
By repeating it endlessly, to stupid people like you.
It’s very noble of Poch to hold his hand up and take responsibility but we all know the real reason for last night’s shit-show. The chronic lack of investment and general squad malaise came home to roost last night. Spurs stank the place out of it with their long-ball puke football. No adequate Kane back-up, no adequate replacement for Dembele or the busted flush that is Wanyama and what you are left with is lumping the ball up to a 6 ‘4 cardboard cut-out of a footballer and praying to the saint of lost causes for the return to fitness of Moussa bloody Sissoko. It’s very difficult to switch from a team who likes to play it on the deck to being long ball merchants overnight. That tactic may well have worked for Mourinho against Ajax but he had his man U team fine tuned in the art of lumping it long. That’s not how we play.
We look like a team that’s dead on its feet. Surely Foyth is a better option than Trippier at this stage. He has a willingness to take his man on and appears to be one of the few players who can find a team-mate with a cross. Trippier wasn’t England’s first choice RB for nothing and I think he just needs a summer of recharging the batteries and regaining his confidence. Wanyama was a beast 2 seasons ago but he’s a shadow of his former self. Brought in to break up play, Ajax just played around him and he was all over the shop, swiping at balls as early as the 12th minute. There’s a strong case now for Skipp to come in. At least he might get hold of the ball and string a few passes together. Hell if Ajax can do it with youngsters why can’t we!
Who is coaching Dele Ali? What position is he supposed to be playing, is he been given clear instructions before going out onto the pitch because he looks like a fella playing flicks and volleys with his mates in the back field. He cost 5 mil and he’s still only worth 5 mil. He’s a law unto himself.
Poor Lucas Moura. He’s like a gamey park footballer with small man syndrome who runs all day beats 5 players but either gets swatted off the ball or ends up back where he started. He looks too lightweight to have balls fizzed into him and he needs to change his footwear as he looked more concussed than Jan at times. Rose was not much better, full of endeavour, no end product. Eriksen the former golden boy of the Ajax production line was supposed to show these Ajax whipper snappers how far they still had to go. He didn’t step up but it was difficult with no midfield to provide the platform.
Tobey and Sanchez bore the brunt of our disjointed football in front of them leading to Tobey making rash decisions at times. They were just fire fighting for the evening.
Where there is hope there is a way but I think it will take more than Sissy and Son coming back into the team to get us out of this one.
Fuck you Daniel. Fuck you very much.
HK
Tobes
Jan
Sonny
Foyth
Dele
Sanchez
Sissy
Rose
Winks
Only players i’m interested in keeping, everyone else for various reasons can do one.
How do you enforce the metric?
Gobbledegook
I really want to see Foyth in midfield; he has the defensive attributes, can pick a pass and often has a nice first touch and skills to get around immediate oppo players and he clearly likes to go forward. Also, any brainfarts he has are less likely to damage us being in midfield rather than in defence. I think he’s a smart and ambitious kid with genuine skills and he would relish the increased involvement. Also, how could it in any way be worse than including Viktor ‘No Knees’ Wanyama?