Opinion of AVB in hindsight?

[Mullers]

AVB wanted Adebayor in the first place!

I used to wonder if Harry would have signed him permanently. He specialised in getting another lease of life from troubled players as he knew what made them tick.
I think he knew Adebayor on loan and keen to prove a point would be good value, and indeed he so nearly helped get us CL footy again. But I don't think he would have risked making him permanent.

Adebayor created havoc with far more experienced managers than AVB, but he was certainly naive and a bit arrogant to think he could tame him.

It was Harry who bought him and it took a whole summer of negotiation.

 

[TwanYid]

I remember falling asleep during games at more than one occasion. Not strictly his fault, though, as I was unbelieavably hungover.

How many times have you been hungover on gameday this season? And how many of those times did you fall asleep?

I rest my case.






















You've got a drinking problem.

 

[The Scarecrow]

How many times have you been hungover on gameday this season? And how many of those times did you fall asleep?

I rest my case.






















You've got a drinking problem.

I did fall asleep during the game when we lost 1-0 to Sherwood's Villa (what an embarrasment that was), but that's the only time it has happened during Pochettino's reign.

 

[GeneralBurk]

What you may or may not have done has absolutely nothing to do with the AVB situation. AVB walked. He resigned. He wasn't sacked and wasn't going to be sacked at that moment.

You must believe in fairies as well.

News report at the time and recording the Spurs statement.

The Spurs chairman, Daniel Levy, and the technical director Franco Baldini had spoken briefly with Villas-Boas in the aftermath of the harrowing 5-0 defeat, with Villas-Boas emerging to insist he would not resign. There were further talks on Monday, before the club issued a statement confirming his departure was "by mutual consent and in the interests of all parties".

That's the polite word for he's taken his weeks money and been told to not come back. The polite but form word is he leaves but you let him leave with a bit of pride/ego.

 

[GeneralBurk]

You think we're too good for that competition?

I think a fair few teams in the Prem can walk to the QF. Problem for us was we were chasing 4th and forced to prioritise. We chose the EPL over Europa. Priorities might have been different with an ECL place for the winner.

United have identified Europa as a very real opportunity to qualify and gain silverware.

 

[GeneralBurk]

In his second or third game we played Norwich at home, who were clearly going to stick ten men behind the ball and play for the draw, and he started a 4-5-1 with Sandro and Livermore as two defensive midfielders hoofing long balls up to Defoe who was playing on his own up front and being marked by the entire Norwich team. From that moment on I had major doubts about him.

The one thing he did VERY well was get the best out of Bale. But otherwise he was atrocious. We've had some dreadful tacticians running our club at times and he was arguably the worst of all. He kept picking his "system" regardless of who was fit and available and whether they were suitable to play in it. We'd go 1-0 up and be dominating a game and then he'd sub off all our best attacking players for defensive ones and shut up shop, hand the momentum back to the opposition who would score and then he'd sit there gormlessly wondering why the defensive players couldn't get a goal back. Our players stopped making off the ball runs, they just stood there and passed it sideways across the pitch amongst each other before eventually someone got bored and tried a long shot from 30 yards. Bale aside, the rest of the players left over from the Redknapp era badly regressed under him. It wasn't his fault that he lost Modric, VdV and Bale, but it was his fault to get rid of Kranjcar and Huddlestone as well and to replace them all with slow players that couldn't play pass and move football instead of anyone with any real creative flair.

From all of the other managers that Levy has sacked, I felt a tinge of regret for all of them except Sherwood who was clearly only meant to be a temporary fix so I felt nothing, and Graham, even though I thought he should have seen off the cup semi-final first. I punched the air when I heard AVB had been sacked. Christian Gross has won a lot of trophies in tinpot leagues too, I wonder if anyone can argue why if he'd had AVB's squad whilst AVB had had to rely on Vega, Sinton, Wilson, Calderwood, Fox, Walker and co, they'd have faired any differently?

Sinton, Dozzell and Dustbin Edinburgh. 3 of my least favourite players.

 

[whitesocks]

It was Harry who bought him and it took a whole summer of negotiation.

He only took him on loan as I remember.

 

[Eric_s]

Honestly any manager that didn't rely on Bale would have been a complete incompetent human being. To me a bigger indication of his true time at the club was the total capitulation and cowardly display the majority of the time that we played one of the big boys. I was left embarassed by the club so many times during his time, and he acted like a spineless prat who never wanted to take responsibility for his and the teams shortcomings.

I only enjoyed 2 games during his entire spell, 3-2 at West Ham and 2-1 Arsenal at the Lane. He brought me very little pleasure, but I hold no grudge against him as the whole club was at fault during this period. What does bother me are the revisionists who try to tell me that this time wasnt as shitty as what it was, which is complete bollocks.

We beat man u at old trafford under AVB. We were not as bad under him as being made up.

 

[Eric_s]

Those slating AVB only throw out statements like "dull and uninspired football" and whatever bullshite or the couple of games where we got thrashed, forgetting conveniently we got thrashed under many other managers before. When stats show that we did rather well under AVB, they will credit everything to Bale.
Why bother? Saying AVB was a bad manger for us is simply wrong and stupid no matter how much you dislike the man. Putting aside the few bad results and his team was a big improvement from the redknapp team because we look much more consistent and more controlled in games. I remembered how I do not fear us losing leads or fall apart when going behind under AVB because his team look much tougher and consistent after he corrected their mentally 15 games into his first season with us.

 

[Eric_s]

U watch the second half of the United game, we played like some limited relegation fodder that was holding onto dear life. It was awesome to win, but that game alone almost gave me an ulcer. I don't get much joy over beating west ham, unless it was in spectacular fashion. If not there just like any other mid table side. Liverpool was a scrappy 2-1 not a performance a real dominance. Man city would make it three games of enjoyment, so I guess that's a big difference.
Let me ask u this, did you like losing to chelsea 2-4 at the lane, the 2nd 5-2 arsenal result, the multiple beatings we took from pool and city? I'm not one to judge but by all accounts if you enjoyed avbs time good for you, but to me it will be mostly remembered for embarrassing results, boring football, and bale having the best individual season I've ever seen from a spurs player.

That is one stinking load of bull. Tell me a time before that game where we played man u at old trafford and dominate them for the whole 90 minutes. You don't like AVB no problem but please stop posting make out story like they were facts. We had to dig in yes, but holding on to dear life like they hit the post 50 times, missed 100 sitters.... words fail me.

 

[allpaths]

That is one stinking load of bull. Tell me a time before that game where we played man u at old trafford and dominate them for the whole 90 minutes. You don't like AVB no problem but please stop posting make out story like they were facts. We had to dig in yes, but holding on to dear life like they hit the post 50 times, missed 100 sitters.... words fail me.

I'm not looking for dominance, but I would look for some form of control, like we had against Southampton. Against United we rode our luck. We also won at old Trafford under Sherwood so he must have been a big hit too.
My point is we've had good times under worse managers, and we've had worse or comparable days under better managers. But that still doesn't change the fact we were a toxic, fractured club that played boring uninspiring football, and wasn't showing any signs of improving or growth. He was stubborn man who was in it solely for himself, he disrespected the fans, blamed players and didn't understand the club.
If you apologists want to defend the guy go ahead but having an alternative view isn't "bullshite".

 

[Mullers]

He only took him on loan as I remember.

Ok Iooked it up. He took him on loan, at the end of the season he said he wanted to keep him but he left in June changed.AVB started in July and Adebayor was signed in August. We tried to get Damiao but failed if we had got him perhaps the outcome of the Adebayor transfer may have changed.

 

[scat1620]

Putting aside the few bad results and his team was a big improvement from the redknapp team because we look much more consistent and more controlled in games.

Now THIS is a load of BS. Both of our two fourth place finishes under Redknapp were objectively, measurably a better achievement than a 5th-place-with-72-points finish under AVB.

Places trump points every day of the week.

 

[GeneralBurk]

Now THIS is a load of BS. Both of our two fourth place finishes under Redknapp were objectively, measurably a better achievement than a 5th-place-with-72-points finish under AVB.

Places trump points every day of the week.

72 points and 5th simply means that the rest of the league were comparatively weaker than other seasons.

In 2012-13 WBA finished 8th 23 points behind 5th. They were closer to being relegated than matching us for 5th.

Liverpool finished 8th last season 6 points behind Yoonited in 5th. An extra 23 points wins LFC the title.

 

[GeneralBurk]

Those slating AVB only throw out statements like "dull and uninspired football" and whatever bullshite or the couple of games where we got thrashed, forgetting conveniently we got thrashed under many other managers before. When stats show that we did rather well under AVB, they will credit everything to Bale.
Why bother? Saying AVB was a bad manger for us is simply wrong and stupid no matter how much you dislike the man. Putting aside the few bad results and his team was a big improvement from the redknapp team because we look much more consistent and more controlled in games. I remembered how I do not fear us losing leads or fall apart when going behind under AVB because his team look much tougher and consistent after he corrected their mentally 15 games into his first season with us.

Finishing 5th is better than two 4th place finishes? I've heard it all now.

 

[mano-obe]

I'm surprised everyone is getting irate about AVB. I bet Andre is at home sitting at his desk with his Nescafe Gold Blend and a packet of Lockets viewing this thread, running his fingers through his beard and saying in a husky voice "what a load of old bollocks"

 

[Shadydan]

So according to the AVB apologists

AVB's team was a big improvement over Redknapp's
He got us to a Europa League quarter final which is an achievement
He wasn't sacked, he walked from the job.

Right...

 

[GeneralBurk]

So according to the AVB apologists

AVB's team was a big improvement over Redknapp's
He got us to a Europa League quarter final which is an achievement
He wasn't sacked, he walked from the job.

Right...

And 5th is the new 4th.

 

[The Scarecrow]

To be fair, I think AVB should get some of the credit for Bale becoming the world's most expensive footballer. They clearly had a good relationship. It's obvious that a player with Bale's ability would eventually have that breakthrough season, but AVB gave him the platform to succeed (although partly because the football was shit and we needed a match winner).

 

[SandroClegane]

That crazy fucker actually did it...

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-to-take-part-in-dakar-rally?CMP=share_btn_tw