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Spurs boss discusses the best roles for Fryers and Eriksen

Gaz_Gammon

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Apr 16, 2005
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He said he's not good enough 'at the moment', ergo he wasn't deemed good enough for any of the games since Benfica. If our only fit defensive midfielder is not good enough for the team, then the manager has to change the defensive set up away from one which is heavily reliant on the midfield protecting the defence and pressurising the opposition. Ignoring the actual issue does not do you credit.

The whole defence was poor against West Brom, not just one individual. Unsurprisingly enough, just taking that one individual out did not all of a sudden make us defensively solid against Fulham. Neither does being flippant do you credit.


And again if you had listened to Sherwood's interview (newspaper i think) he clearly states that he thought Paulinho played very well in the role he asked him to carry out. Sandro isn't the be all and end all to our midfield. He has featured in a third of the PL games (fifteen in all) and scored one goal. Paulinho has played in eighteen and scored six. I know which one i prefer to be first on the team sheet. The myth that Sandro is absolute key to the Spurs midfield is as deceiving as his party tricks and karate kicks on YouTube.

And finally to suggest that he is our only "fit defensive midfielder" is plain stupid. Oh, and that's not ignoring the actual issue, which is that he to the best of my knowledge is the only Spurs player (in a team game) that has had to tell anyone that he is fit to play over social media. I would guess aside from the stated and known injuries, that all the other squad members are fit to play. Didn't read any Tweets over the weekend from any of them?

Sandro is a good player no doubt but he needs to keep both feet on the ground and show that he like Dawson has done is willing to fight for his place in the team and not just whine on social media like a five year old.
 
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nightgoat

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Sep 12, 2005
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And again if you had listened to Sherwood's interview (newspaper i think) he clearly states that he thought Paulinho played very well in the role he asked him to carry out. Sandro isn't the be all and end all to our midfield. He has featured in a third of the PL games (fifteen in all) and scored one goal. Paulinho has played in eighteen and scored six. I know which one i prefer to be first on the team sheet. The myth that Sandro is absolute key to the Spurs midfield is as deceiving as his party tricks and karate kicks on YouTube.

And finally to suggest that he is our only "fit defensive midfielder" is plain stupid. Oh, and that's not ignoring the actual issue, which is that he to the best of my knowledge is the only Spurs player (in a team game) that has had to tell anyone that he is fit to play over social media. I would guess aside from the stated and known injuries, that all the other squad members are fit to play. Didn't read any Tweets over the weekend from any of them?

Sandro is a good player no doubt but he needs to keep both feet on the ground and show that he like Dawson has done is willing to fight for his place in the team and not just whine on social media like a five year old.

Of course he's going to say he thought his team selection worked when he's being pressurised about leaving a particular player out. Opinions in the match thread were split on his performance. Playing a winger/forward and a midfielder who likes to get forward as a central pairing unsurprisingly was relatively easy for Fulham to get through, even without their most creative player available. Just watch Sidwell's goal again to remind yourself. That's Paulinho's lacklustre tackle he evades at first. Paulinho only jogs back, allowing Sidwell a free run at the defence.

We might be able to just about get away with it at home to the fifth lowest scorers in the league. Other teams, not so. I'm not sure why you're bringing goals into this, considering Sandro and Paulinho are completely different players. That's the whole crux of the matter.

To suggest that Sandro is our only fit defensive midfielder isn't stupid at all, it's stating the blindingly obvious. We have two defensive midfielders whose primary contribution to the team is performing defensive duties such as breaking up play, winning the ball back and protective the defence - whilst playing in midfield. The other one, Capoue, is currently injured.

The only member of our first team other than Sandro who wasn't in the squad on Saturday or officially injured is Gomes, who hasn't played for ages anyway. That'll be why no one else was tweeting anything - because they were all either playing or confirmed by the club as otherwise unavailable. Sandro was the only player we had no information on.
 

Gaz_Gammon

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2005
16,047
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Of course he's going to say he thought his team selection worked when he's being pressurised about leaving a particular player out. Opinions in the match thread were split on his performance. Playing a winger/forward and a midfielder who likes to get forward as a central pairing unsurprisingly was relatively easy for Fulham to get through, even without their most creative player available. Just watch Sidwell's goal again to remind yourself. That's Paulinho's lacklustre tackle he evades at first. Paulinho only jogs back, allowing Sidwell a free run at the defence.

We might be able to just about get away with it at home to the fifth lowest scorers in the league. Other teams, not so. I'm not sure why you're bringing goals into this, considering Sandro and Paulinho are completely different players. That's the whole crux of the matter.

To suggest that Sandro is our only fit defensive midfielder isn't stupid at all, it's stating the blindingly obvious. We have two defensive midfielders whose primary contribution to the team is performing defensive duties such as breaking up play, winning the ball back and protective the defence - whilst playing in midfield. The other one, Capoue, is currently injured.

The only member of our first team other than Sandro who wasn't in the squad on Saturday or officially injured is Gomes, who hasn't played for ages anyway. That'll be why no one else was tweeting anything - because they were all either playing or confirmed by the club as otherwise unavailable. Sandro was the only player we had no information on.


A couple of things i'd say before i'm done with this.

If your looking to blame anyone for a great goal scored by Fulham look at where Naughton was. He's supposed to be the last line of defence before Lloris.

Bentaleb, Sandro and Paulinho (who was asked to do this on Saturday by Sherwood) all can play a defensive midfield role. I'd refer you to davmatz's excellent post on this.

I reaffirm that no Spurs Club squad player was whining like a child on Twitter for not being selected. Not one.

This whole thing would have been a non story and no one would have asked anything about Sandro had he not Tweeted. All the talk would have been about another good performance, three goals scored, the remarkable run young Kane is on, the impact that Fryers made, and the icon that is Eriksen.

Instead we have blubbering fans on here whining as bad as Sandro himself, stamping their feet demanding retribution and in general just looking to hate that little bit more a manager who in his first half season in charge might, just might take the club to where it finished last season.

I take the view that the glass is half full, rather than half empty, and that Sandro that karate expert, and general Tweeting pioneer for all things football should fight like a man for his place in the team and stop whining. Dawson is a fine example of a professional footballer and though not the best center back by a long shot led by example, fought for the shirt and got back into contention and then Captaincy.

When i read Sandro's Tweet i saw no Captain, or leader.
 

Mullers

Unknown member
Jan 4, 2006
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A couple of things i'd say before i'm done with this.

If your looking to blame anyone for a great goal scored by Fulham look at where Naughton was. He's supposed to be the last line of defence before Lloris.

Bentaleb, Sandro and Paulinho (who was asked to do this on Saturday by Sherwood) all can play a defensive midfield role. I'd refer you to davmatz's excellent post on this.

I reaffirm that no Spurs Club squad player was whining like a child on Twitter for not being selected. Not one.

This whole thing would have been a non story and no one would have asked anything about Sandro had he not Tweeted. All the talk would have been about another good performance, three goals scored, the remarkable run young Kane is on, the impact that Fryers made, and the icon that is Eriksen.

Instead we have blubbering fans on here whining as bad as Sandro himself, stamping their feet demanding retribution and in general just looking to hate that little bit more a manager who in his first half season in charge might, just might take the club to where it finished last season.

I take the view that the glass is half full, rather than half empty, and that Sandro that karate expert, and general Tweeting pioneer for all things football should fight like a man for his place in the team and stop whining. Dawson is a fine example of a professional footballer and though not the best center back by a long shot led by example, fought for the shirt and got back into contention and then Captaincy.

When i read Sandro's Tweet i saw no Captain, or leader.
All he said was he wasn't inured.
 

18Klinsmann

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2005
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494
I guess that you didn't see Vlad play at WBA? he was the one in the middle of our defence getting left stranded when WBA put in any sort of attack and was subbed at half time.

Yes I saw the game, Gaz, and yes Vlad was poor, but the rest of the defence was just as bad with Kaboul setting up their third goal and Rose and Eriksen mainly at fault for the two first. Vlad should be a better centre back than Fryers at this point, but my point was merely that Tim decided to play a new CB pairing against Fulham, and wasn't forced into it - so it was no excuse for another Keystone Kops session at the back.

Being demolished by the top teams ( i guess you mean by that Liverpool, Man Citeh, Chelsea and Arsenal (two one-nil losses) is new? I mean like we have beaten them all how many times since the PL was formed? .

I mean exactly what I wrote; that we have been completely demolished by the top three this season. Being humiliated on a regular basis is NOT something that has happened to us for a long while. Like Tim you say we never beat those teams, but the fact is that we have been better egainst the top sides in recent years and collected 11 points against the top four last season compared to a SINGLE point this season.

The gulf has indeed widened and so has the countless hundreds of millions spent by Chel$ea and Man Citeh. Perhaps though you overlooked that little fact. That is something we really shouldn't worry about because we are in no position to do anything about that. We are a club currently in the next tier. The almost have's. Almost good enough , but not quite.

You are right. We have been punching slightly above our weight, but the gulf has not widened because they have spent more, but because we have disintegrated this season. It's not like we didn't spend last summer, remember?
We are exactly where I thought we might be with points and league position. It was always going to be a difficult season with all the new players brought in. My problem with TS is that we appear to have lost our shape completely under him and I therefore don't trust him to take us forward.


I can remember when we were the nearly ones. We nearly got relegated, and believe me that wasn't that long ago that we were almost in that perilous position again recently. Be thankful for what you have in this Club which is a profitable top six or seven side. To think we are any better is just not realistic at this moment in time, as we just do not have the finances to compete.

I too remember the dark ages. We have, however, succesfully emerged from those troubled years in much better shape, sporting wise and financially. I am happy with where we have been the last 7-8 years, but we still have a chance to move forward, and it would be foolish not to be ambitious on behalf of what is basically a very well run club with proud traditions and a huge following. So don't make me into a happy TS clapper. I will cheer on and support his team for as long as he is here, but I remain deeply critical of his approach and dream of a new brilliant manager and a big beautiful stadium for the future.
 

nightgoat

Well-Known Member
Sep 12, 2005
24,604
21,898
A couple of things i'd say before i'm done with this.

If your looking to blame anyone for a great goal scored by Fulham look at where Naughton was. He's supposed to be the last line of defence before Lloris.

Bentaleb, Sandro and Paulinho (who was asked to do this on Saturday by Sherwood) all can play a defensive midfield role. I'd refer you to davmatz's excellent post on this.

I reaffirm that no Spurs Club squad player was whining like a child on Twitter for not being selected. Not one.

This whole thing would have been a non story and no one would have asked anything about Sandro had he not Tweeted. All the talk would have been about another good performance, three goals scored, the remarkable run young Kane is on, the impact that Fryers made, and the icon that is Eriksen.

Instead we have blubbering fans on here whining as bad as Sandro himself, stamping their feet demanding retribution and in general just looking to hate that little bit more a manager who in his first half season in charge might, just might take the club to where it finished last season.

I take the view that the glass is half full, rather than half empty, and that Sandro that karate expert, and general Tweeting pioneer for all things football should fight like a man for his place in the team and stop whining. Dawson is a fine example of a professional footballer and though not the best center back by a long shot led by example, fought for the shirt and got back into contention and then Captaincy.

When i read Sandro's Tweet i saw no Captain, or leader.

Why is Naughton the last line of defence for a move which started around the halfway line on our right and consisted of one player running through our team directly towards goal? By the time Naughton becomes involved having come across to cover Sidwell's run because both Kaboul and Fryers are occupied by the same player the ball is in the box. Sidwell does well to evade Naughton's challenge and score.

Paulinho has had a tendency to pull out of tackles or be very weak in a challenge - remember Remy's goal as a prime example of this. Like I said, against a team like Fulham we can just about get away with him and Chadli as a midfield two. But against better teams we won't. I suspect that Paulinho himself would say he'd rather not be used as a defensive midfielder as it's not his best position.

You reaffirm that Gomes didn't need to remind people that he hasn't been picked since 2011. Every other first team player was either in the matchday squad or confirmed by the club as injured.

Perhaps the media wouldn't have picked up on it, although to be fair the whole thing blew over pretty quickly. There'd still have been plenty of fans questioning why Sandro was again left out of the matchday squad when he isn't injured even if he hadn't have Tweeted anything. Especially if some fans are looking for any reason to hate as you suggest.

Interesting you should mention Dawson, who got his chance back in the first team last season as a result of injuries to other players rather than forcing his way back in. I suspect had Dawson done similar and confirmed to fans, most likely asking if he was injured, that he wasn't there wouldn't be anywhere near the overreaction there has been.
 

Main Man

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Apr 11, 2013
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Whether Fryers is playing centre back or left back, I just hope it is not for Spurs - nowhere near good enough in my opinion.

What I don't understand with Sherwood's comments regarding Eriksen is if he wants him to play centrally, why isn't he?

I personally think he is more than fine playing out left and drifting inside, but you then have a huge reliance on your left back, and therein lies the real problem.

We must buy a left back this summer. And a centre back we can rely on, something which we haven't had since Sol Campbell (until he fucked off of course).
 

18Klinsmann

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Aug 31, 2005
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494
Whether Fryers is playing centre back or left back, I just hope it is not for Spurs - nowhere near good enough in my opinion.

What I don't understand with Sherwood's comments regarding Eriksen is if he wants him to play centrally, why isn't he?

I personally think he is more than fine playing out left and drifting inside, but you then have a huge reliance on your left back, and therein lies the real problem.

We must buy a left back this summer. And a centre back we can rely on, something which we haven't had since Sol Campbell (until he fucked off of course).

I agree that Fryers has a long way to go, but wouldn't discard him yet. We definitely need another left back. Rose has potential as an attacking fullback, but has looked awful of late (but so has most of our backline). BAE would be an improvement, so I hope he returns to the Lane and have wondered why he didn't in January.
I also agree that we need another classy centreback. It was a mistake to sell Caulker I think - the prospect of him on the end of Eriksen's delivery would be very promising. Sol Who? Don't ever forget that we had Ledley at the back! ;)
 

Main Man

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2013
2,314
1,699
I agree that Fryers has a long way to go, but wouldn't discard him yet. We definitely need another left back. Rose has potential as an attacking fullback, but has looked awful of late (but so has most of our backline). BAE would be an improvement, so I hope he returns to the Lane and have wondered why he didn't in January.
I also agree that we need another classy centreback. It was a mistake to sell Caulker I think - the prospect of him on the end of Eriksen's delivery would be very promising. Sol Who? Don't ever forget that we had Ledley at the back! ;)

I can never forget our Ledley, but unfortunately he wasn't available anywhere near enough.

Selling Caulker was a huge mistake, especially as he is fit and available every week without fail. But maybe that was all part of Levy's master plan... buy him back in the summer for half the price?
 
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18Klinsmann

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Aug 31, 2005
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494
I can never forget our Ledley, but unfortunately he wasn't available anywhere near enough.

Selling Caulker was a huge mistake, especially as he is fit and available every week without fail. But maybe that was a ll part of Levy's master plan... buy him back in the summer for half the price?
I wouldn't be surprised ;)
I'd take him back at full price, but If Cardiff go down they may well be ready for another piece of bad business.
 
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