Jose Mourinho

Trees said:

1 question that no one seems to have asked. Can we financially afford to sack him ?

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rez9000 said:

But half the issue is that they've, allegedly, been pissing and moaning about the style of play, prompting him to try and build bridges, undermining his own authority for a bunch of players one can only describe as utterly pathetic. So, they don't play when he gives them instruction and then they don't play properly when he, seemingly, gives them no instruction either.

What's he supposed to do? Instruct them or not?

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Vinny_Sammways_left_peg said:

We're back to the mentality thing, but that's on him now as well is it?

Fuck it. Some of you just don't like the guy, but to think you'll defend players that were the butt of all Pochs problems to shell the current manager speaks volumes for the shit mindset that is ingrained in this clubs support in some areas.

Jokers.

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Oh Teddy Teddy said:

Can’t it be both?

That there are players in there – Sissoko, Dier – who should be nowhere near our starting 11 at any cost married with the fact that Jose is not doing a good job and has already started having a detrimental effect on the squad.

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walworthyid said:

Yes, but the way we are set up makes it difficult to keep the ball. We are constantly under pressure in areas of the pitch that are compressed. If you look at the average position of our players, it is inevitable that when we get the ball it is going to be difficult to keep it. These things have to be coached and practiced. So often you look and there is nowhere for players to go.

Of course some of the players are to blame, but he wants to have 2 destroyers in the middle who have limited technical ability yet he is expecting them to receive the ball under pressure with limited options. When sissoko gets the ball where is he going other than sideways or backwards? Or Davies?

There were so many games under poch where we dominated the pitch but struggled to break teams down. It was side to side, slow recycling of the ball. But that is something you can work on. You have a position of strength. A tweak here or there can win a game. But this low block, passive nonsense is hopeless. You are constantly under pressure. You constantly hand the initiative to the opposition. The players can't play their way into having some confidence because they never get the bloody ball!

Yes the players have to take some responsibility, but ultimately the manager sets the team up. For me his tactics are outdated and negative.

He has got to go.

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Oh Teddy Teddy said:

Can’t it be both?

That there are players in there – Sissoko, Dier – who should be nowhere near our starting 11 at any cost married with the fact that Jose is not doing a good job and has already started having a detrimental effect on the squad.

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dudu said:

Jenas literally showed in a clip on BT sport at HT that there were plenty of passes on during the first half yesterday if they bothered to show for the ball. No way in hell have the players forgotten the basics of moving into space to receive ball. Close down with intent.

I don't believe Jose has trained us not to do these things that they seemed all of a sudden capable of doing a bit better in the second half.

I also don't think Jose 'wants' to have 2 destroyers in the CM, he has tried not having that and having that. We simply do not have the personnel to man our midfield with what he requires because the players we have in those positions bar PEH arent what he requires.

Yes, he takes responsibility and if he can't motivate this lot then he has to go, but I seem to recall most of these players magically remembered how to play like they give a shit after Poch left pretty damn quickly.

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Oh Teddy Teddy said:

Can’t it be both?

That there are players in there – Sissoko, Dier – who should be nowhere near our starting 11 at any cost married with the fact that Jose is not doing a good job and has already started having a detrimental effect on the squad.

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-Afri-Coy- said:

I don't think anyone is absolving Mourinho of blame, but it largely falls on the players when you can consistently pick out the same culprits with the same mistakes under two managers.

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Gingernut said:

You know for a fact that's what he's telling them?

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rez9000 said:

You'd be right, if it wasn't for the fact that we've been completely limp (outside of a small period) for nearly three years.

I think Poch inadvertently contributed to an issue that had already taken hold and for which the players themselves aren't actually responsible for bringing about, but which they do have the power to alter and mitigate.

I said it in the lack desire thread - all the blows to the confidence that they've taken has led them to have a brittle, fragile mentality. You then mix that with the general modern footballer's entitled attitude and that leads to a bunch of players who are not willing to put themselves on the line. There are exceptions - Kane being the most cogent example, but it's still widespread.

Look at the players that still show commitment, or at least some commitment on the pitch: PEH, Stevie B, Reggie. With the exception of Kane and maybe Sonny, all the others are heavily inclined to phone it in when their heads drop and they all belong to the pre-Mourinho cohort. The only ones who are pre-Mourinho but who don't have that propensity are Ndombele and Lo Celso. The players who came to the club after the CL loss and all the other semi-final and final losses that had gone before.

We have had a soft underbelly as a club for longer than that, but as we began turning it around, we then suffered body blow after body blow and it came back with a vengeance.

But there comes a time when you have to be professional. They are being paid lavish amounts to do not do very much work compared to some other professions. What's the old expression? 'A man who does what he loves for a living, never works a day in his life.' They are doing what they love for a living. They should, at the very least, understand that there are people who invest a lot of emotion in what they do and that, purely on a human level, not being entirely happy about the way you're being asked to do your job isn't enough of a reason to shirk the duties you're being paid to perform.

I don't believe that Mourinho can turn this around, but not because I think he is fundamentally incapable. I believe it's because these players don't want to change themselves, hence all the hoo-ha about the style of play.

I tell you what - you pay me £50, 100, or 200k a week and I'll do whatever job you want me to do exactly as you want me to. But that's not enough for some of our delicate little flowers apparently.

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ilikeost said:

At that point you can't even blame the players. It's not their fault that they are not good enough. The fault lies with the people in charge of the club.

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spurs mental said:

There's no point anymore.

The football purists on here find him solely to blame and won't change their opinion.

We could bring Pep in and we still couldn't play good football because of the players at his disposal. I'd love to see what they'd say then.

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-Afri-Coy- said:

This last bit is pure gold. Well said. The same happened yesterday in the second half even though it only lasted 10 minutes.

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Beni said:

If the writing is on the wall so to speak, if I was Mourinho, I would go in the dressing room before the next game, tell Lloris to speak with the players and decide for themselves, on their own tactics formation, style of play etc. Mourinho then should tell press in the pre-match game interview, that the players will play how they want to.
The players are hiding behind the narrative the media stir up. Mourinho has nothing to lose, take off the mask and reveal to everyone, that it is more than just tactics or style of play that is the issue here.

I bet Dier, Davies, Sissoko, Aurier and co. cannot believe their luck, that they can make mistake after mistake, lack any motivation, yet everytie they are saved from the firing line by headlines being about somebody else.

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walworthyid said:

But they've played good football? We've seen good football played with this group of players. Many times.

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E17yid said:

I’d be up for this. We’d probably see an improvement. I doubt we’d be any worse.

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riggi said:

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