Fear of speaking your mind

[Dinghy]

This statement highlights some of the issue, apparently people can't accept that tactical genius can go hand in hand with good football and success.

IMO the problem seems to be that people think that tactical genius means boring football.

 

[dontcallme]

IMO the problem seems to be that people think that tactical genius means boring football.

I think there's a lot of truth in that. We often hear praise for the manager who sets his team up well to win 1-0 in a closely fought match but rarely for a comfortable victory. It's almost like the comfortable victory just happened to be their day rather than he manager getting it right.

 

[Kingstheman]

The secret is to keep posting your views and take the abuse.

Then when you've been proved right they look like total idiots.

Or, perhaps one can take a more measured view...

 

[Jaispurs]

If you can't cope with a bit e-abuse how the hell do you cope with daily life

I live with a wife and 2 young kids and have a stressful job. That is enough for me. Don't need to be grilled every time I disagree win the masses.

 

[Jaispurs]

Every fan has opinion and this is the internet.
Saying go support chelski, then your no better than the posters your moaning about

Not really. Spurs is about glory, failing with echoes of glory. Trying to entertain with flair and passion.

My point is that is what our club is about. Not 60% possession going backwards and sideways.

 

[theShiznit]

You're right, i fear actually saying i liked the possession football. (well up to a point)

 

[Kingstheman]

Not really. Spurs is about glory, failing with echoes of glory.

Failing - nah, I'm out.

Glory by all means but a bit less of the failure, thank you...

I joke...

 

[Jaispurs]

I think there's a balance that can be found. Look at teams like Bayern, Dortmund, Ajax and Juve who play within a tactical system yet produce exciting displays of football. I think we went from one extreme to another, and possibly back again.

'Arry told players to be free and express themselves, hence the "run abaaht a bit" comments. We were fun to watch and played exciting, counter-attacking football. AVB then decided to make us a possession team in the hope of turning us into a "thinking man's team". He stripped away the expression and freedom and quite probably micro-managed players' movements and decisions on the pitch. It was like he was playing a game of Football Manager. To an extent it made us well organised and hard to break down, but it also made us predictable, boring and easy to defend/counter against. Once teams learned how we operated we became undone, and AVB refused to go with a plan B. Plus this apparent isolation of players/staff didn't help the guy either.

The jury is still out on whether Timmy has some tactical nouse in that noggin of his, but he appears to be going back to the Redknapp way of attacking football. I can see why he didn't get on with Hoddle if his philosophy is to play gung-ho football. I'm not at all saying it's a bad thing, but I do worry that after the honeymoon period we may find ourselves wanting for a bit of stability.

Formations like 4-2-3-1 could easily work, a lot of the best teams who play good football use it. AVB just made it way too rigid. Now Tim is playing an old fashion 4-4-2 which is great for some games and can only truly work when we have a player like Adebayor, when he's got his good work ethic boots on, partnering the number 9. However, I wonder whether, unlike AVB, Tim'll have a plan B in case it doesn't work. If he doesn't then eventually we'll get found out and exposed at the back. If he does then hats off to him, he may make it work after all.

I wish I could write as methodically as you. You are right in every aspect.
Ade is playing well because his manager believes in him. He said so himself.
Lets see what happens but I am now excited to go to WHL against palace, Everton, man City etc. i was so bored before

COYS

 

[Jaispurs]

Might be about to mug myself off but who dis?

Dis?

 

[KILLA_SIN]

I live with a wife and 2 young kids and have a stressful job. That is enough for me. Don't need to be grilled every time I disagree win the masses.

Can you ever agree with the masses

 

[Lufti]

IMO the problem seems to be that people think that tactical genius means boring football.

Yup, I think our performance against United was more tactically laid out - that wasn't just a case of go and run around a bit, but it was still an enjoyable, if not potentially damaging for the nervous system. I think a balance is important, but I think AVB was obsessed with trying to out maneuver his opposite number meaning every game we played had a strict tactical lay out, whereas sometimes against the lower sides it's best to just throw out an attacking line up and let them do their thing. For the big games though, you have to know your opposition and have an idea of how you're going to beat them, cause you'd better believe they'll be doing that over on their end.

 

[theShiznit]

Can you ever agree with the masses

The masses are great.

I'm pretty sure they'll agree

 

[KILLA_SIN]

Yup, I think our performance against United was more tactically laid out - that wasn't just a case of go and run around a bit, but it was still an enjoyable, if not potentially damaging for the nervous system. I think a balance is important, but I think AVB was obsessed with trying to out maneuver his opposite number meaning every game we played had a strict tactical lay out, whereas sometimes against the lower sides it's best to just throw out an attacking line up and let them do their thing. For the big games though, you have to know your opposition and have an idea of how you're going to beat them, cause you'd better believe they'll be doing that over on their end.

All are games against the top sides last year were very good, arsenal and city at home were tactical and entertaining.

 

[Gbspurs]

Dis?

Not down with the kids eh?

Who's Petersen?

 

[tototoner]

Not down with the kids eh?

Who's Petersen?

Think he meant Kevin Pietersen

 

[Gbspurs]

Think he meant Kevin Pietersen

Ah ok. Thought it was some spurs player I had forgotten about given the rest of the names mentioned.

Move along .

 

[tototoner]

Ah ok. Thought it was some spurs player I had forgotten about given the rest of the names mentioned.

Move along .

Indeed, except for Boycott, he was rubbish

 

[Ironskullll]

Yes they were tactical genius' when the game was about glory not money

So what. At the time, Spurs were the best supported team in the land. The most powerful and the richest, even when they were in div 2.... they made glory and money bedfellows.... hmmmm I'm genuinely struggling to see the point here... suspect we might be agreeing about something too, but my point is simply that tactical nous doesn't absolutely have to result in negativity.

ps any comment that lets me mention Arthur Rowe, however obliquely has to be a good one

 

[EJWTartanSpur]

I think there's a balance that can be found. Look at teams like Bayern, Dortmund, Ajax and Juve who play within a tactical system yet produce exciting displays of football. I think we went from one extreme to another, and possibly back again.

'Arry told players to be free and express themselves, hence the "run abaaht a bit" comments. We were fun to watch and played exciting, counter-attacking football. AVB then decided to make us a possession team in the hope of turning us into a "thinking man's team". He stripped away the expression and freedom and quite probably micro-managed players' movements and decisions on the pitch. It was like he was playing a game of Football Manager. To an extent it made us well organised and hard to break down, but it also made us predictable, boring and easy to defend/counter against. Once teams learned how we operated we became undone, and AVB refused to go with a plan B. Plus this apparent isolation of players/staff didn't help the guy either.

The jury is still out on whether Timmy has some tactical nouse in that noggin of his, but he appears to be going back to the Redknapp way of attacking football. I can see why he didn't get on with Hoddle if his philosophy is to play gung-ho football. I'm not at all saying it's a bad thing, but I do worry that after the honeymoon period we may find ourselves wanting for a bit of stability.

Formations like 4-2-3-1 could easily work, a lot of the best teams who play good football use it. AVB just made it way too rigid. Now Tim is playing an old fashion 4-4-2 which is great for some games and can only truly work when we have a player like Adebayor, when he's got his good work ethic boots on, partnering the number 9. However, I wonder whether, unlike AVB, Tim'll have a plan B in case it doesn't work. If he doesn't then eventually we'll get found out and exposed at the back. If he does then hats off to him, he may make it work after all.

I think this is an excellent post.

Only thing id add is that I'm not sure we are really playing a 4-4-2. Who tells tv channels how to line up our little player icons on the screen ? Does our manager simply hand in a list of players or does he hand in a picture of a pitch with small uniforms set out in a 4-4-2 ?

The average position that our players are adopting during games under Sherwood would suggest that a lot of talk about formations where we decree such and such is setting out a team as a 4-4-2 or whatever, cannot be so rigid and pigeon-holed.

In truth things are a lot more organic than that.

I'm on my phone so can't post pics but I think Windy has put up maps with average positions for each game

 

[spursandbarca]

"Football is about glory and entertaining the supporters not boring the opposition to death" any spurs manager should remember dannys views on football....