Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[Johnny J]

We certainly used to do that, and our selling behaviour generally is absolutely the worst in the league aside from United, but that’s still just looking at more turnover being the answer.

We need to stop buying the wrong players all the time in the first place. Sometimes they’re the right player at the time but 18 months later we change manager and suddenly it’s impossible to get any success without completely revamping the entire squad again.

Oh absolutely. I wasn't suggesting otherwise.

I just feel we sometimes go for too many opportunity signings rather than the best fit.

Was Richi the best option for that money? In no way, shape or form. We took advantage of Everton's financial situation (and yet still somehow paid far too much).

Solomon was surely signed as free punt, not because he was the best player on our list. He's been unlucky with injuries, granted.

I'm not saying we shouldn't ever go for opportunities. But I have absolute confidence Richarlison will be here as an option for a few years. Taking up a squad place and not really making much of a difference. Not his fault, of course.

 

[chas vs dave]

I dont think we have serious issues in set pieces as implied. We are not the worst in the league - infact nowhere close to it. We do have few problems to iron out. Vicario has to be protected better so he isnt blocked. Otherwise a goal like today can happen time to time but it isnt a perennial issue

His team mates need to do better on that front.

 

[RuskyM]

Didn't we also say that in Jose's first window, and then Conte's as well? "Spurs won the transfer window" seems to be a familiar refrain!

I think, that whilst that's acknowledging that Newcastle is always a tough place to go and is especially difficult if you let them get a start, that against this injury-ravaged Newcastle side, with a full Spurs squad aside from Richy, and a manager who has made it clear he has a very particular style, when Anthony Gordon after the game says the specifically changed their tactics to beat us today, that questions need to be asked.

Not least we also saw the exact same performance a couple of weeks ago against Fulham.

Of course, but it's worth noting that Emery, who meticulously plans his teams based on the opponents and makes changes to counteract that, also got hammered by Newcastle this year. Twice.

 

[Trent Crimm]

I'm sure we are looking at some 17 year olds with potential

Nah. We gonna go full in on Werner. He ticks at least 2 boxes. He’s cheap and shit. So let’s give him a deal of say 3 years and then moan for the last 2 of em as he’s got worse not better.

COYS.

 

[Gilzeanking]

I dont think we have serious issues in set pieces as implied. We are not the worst in the league - infact nowhere close to it. We do have few problems to iron out. Vicario has to be protected better so he isnt blocked. Otherwise a goal like today can happen time to time but it isnt a perennial issue

Today Newcastle dominated at corners.

All corners seem to find a Newcastle head, stats say something like 80% did so. Difficult to feel so unconcerned.

 

[TOLBINY]

Who said so - quotes from Conte or Levy or players please - not speculation from other parties or "it was obvious" - because a few days before his last game he was asking for time and patience - so why do that if it is "obvious" you want out?

£15M per year - third highest paid manager and he didn't want to be here - if it is true that he did not want to be here then have you ever stopped and asked yourself why - or just swallowed the narrative?

Hi funkycoldmedina - glad I am still making you laugh with my posts - you thought it was funny back in November when I questioned Bissouma - how's he doing these days?

 

[whenstevewentup]

Most worrying aspect recently is lack of intensity with and without the ball , we don’t press , we can’t pass it out from the back anymore , we lose it within 2 passes . There is no ‘Ange's style of football “ anymore . Today was a performance of a team that has downed tools . I can take any loss if I see effort and a plan and today I saw neither .

 

[vAs]

We've won two domestic cups in 30 years and a domestic cup win next season is your bare minimum.. ?
Okay.

Well, we need to start from somewhere, if your bare minimum is more, then that is good news. Finally, Spurs fans start to raise their expectations beyond just settling for a top-four finish.

 

[skiba]

If the same weaknesses exist this time next season with no sign of improvement then it’s fair to criticise and worry.

Until then every single one of us needs to have some perspective and remember about being patient and grinding out a project/rebuild.

We are joint 4th in the table after 32 games and we lost Kane in the summer. We’re doing ok, we’ve had some bad games along the way.

Now we need to finish the season as well as we can and learn from this season. Improve in the transfer market and tweak our tactics for next season to become stronger.

Just try and remember how rubbish Scum looked for 2 seasons under Arteta finishing 8th! Or how open we were under Poch in 14/15 before we improved significantly the following season. Or how Klopp improved Pool after an initial 8th placed finish.

We have the play style of a top team. We dominate the ball, we play on the front foot and our mentality is to control games. That’s the hardest part and that style of play is what winning teams do. If we were playing negative football on the back foot I’d know it’s going nowhere as it’s not how top teams play.

Now Ange has to fix the glaring weaknesses:

- Rest defence isn’t good enough, needs to improve. Need to add a defensive beast at 6 and tweak our shape at times to a 3-2 rest defence.
- Defending set pieces needs to improve massively.
- Our attack and midfield have to retain the ball better in tight passing sequences.

Add to that coaching and natural player development and let’s see where we are in 12 months time. Then and only then should we have serious question marks.

Otherwise we’re just proving we don’t have the courage or patience to build an actual team, which takes time and has dips along the way.

Fantastic post

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Hi funkycoldmedina - glad I am still making you laugh with my posts - you thought it was funny back in November when I questioned Bissouma - how's he doing these days?

I find your need to prove that Conte wasn't the problem laughable, it's a bizarre hill to die on. He was never right for position and proved it.
For the record I think Bissouma with a strong DM could be a success for an Ange team. I also find your almost joy at being currently proved right a bit weird.

 

[Liamyid28]

Love Ange have been his biggest fan but if he doesn’t find another way of playing he won’t last long next season we are so easy to play against and look like conceding 3 or 4 goals every single game.

 

[TOLBINY]

I find your need to prove that Conte wasn't the problem laughable, it's a bizarre hill to die on. He was never right for position and proved it.
For the record I think Bissouma with a strong DM could be a success for an Ange team. I also find your almost joy at being currently proved right a bit weird.

Serious question - why do you think "he was never right for (the) position"?

 

[Johnny J]

Serious question - why do you think "he was never right for (the) position"?

This is meant in the nicest, most constructive way possible:

There's absolutely zero merit, use or enjoyment to be found in raking over the Conte coals in the Postecoglou thread.

Let sleeping wigs lie.

 

[spurs mental]

Serious question - why do you think "he was never right for (the) position"?

People believe he felt like he was "doing us a favour" and never really wanted to be here.

People believe he needs ready made class players and doesn't coach, and that he never would have gotten them from Levy. I don't believe that, I believe he needs a certain style of footballer. Like our current manager does too, as many are now at pains to point out in defence of him.

But we play nice football and dominate possession playing on the front foot, which many said they would be happy about win lose or draw.

 

[funkycoldmedina]

Serious question - why do you think "he was never right for (the) position"?

We needed a project manager, who was prepared to gut the squad, be prepared to go backwards before going forward and not sign lots of players in their late 20's on top wages. I also think his style of football is past it for the Premier League, he suits Serie A, with a relatively big budget for the league.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

We needed a project manager, who was prepared to gut the squad, be prepared to go backwards before going forward and not sign lots of players in their late 20's on top wages. I also think his style of football is past it for the Premier League, he suits Serie A, with a relatively big budget for the league.

We finished 4th in his first season and we're 4th when he left.

We're now saying that 5th will be an incredible achievement for Ange.

Im struggling to see how that says his football is "past it for the premier league".

 

[funkycoldmedina]

We finished 4th in his first season and we're 4th when he left.

We're now saying that 5th will be an incredible achievement for Ange.

Im struggling to see how that says his football is "past it for the premier league".

The above poster is right, we shouldn't be going over this again, it's done and everything has been said a million times. I'm glad we've moved on from Jose and Conte and I think we're on a much better trajectory.

 

[JSpurs1]

He’s not giving kids opportunities like I had hoped. They’re shit but Utd have given decent minutes to Kambwala, Forson, Mainoo this season. Liverpool have played quite a lot of their kids. Donley should be getting more opportunities I think.

 

[npearl4spurs]

It's only worthwhile comparing to the other managers to make a point about shifting to a different style of football with different coaching from the manager and a different environment being put into place.

The point stands that you're going to have some wobbly moments in the first season. We've had highs and we've had lows. We already knew that was going to happen this season. We've had higher highs, I believe, than we thought possible this season (I'm thinking 4-1 home to Newcastle, 0-4 away to Villa, winning 2-1 at home 2nd match against United, winning 2-1 at home to Liverpool, 3-3 draw at the Etihad, 2-2 draw at Arsenal). I'm not sure it can be argued we have had lower lows than expected.

The bad results hurt as much as they did with previous managers but the football that is being taught and painfully not perfected yet is altogether different - anyone can see that. But, and I know this is hard for all of us and especially the younger and super knee-jerky reactionary ones, when you take a step back and observe the whole season, there is a lot to be proud of and build off of.

COYS. The future is bright.

 

[Styopa]

There’s a Conte thread. If people want to talk about him, why not do it there? It just clogs up this thread going over and over the same stuff about Conte in the Postecoglou thread. It’s not relevant.

If people want to talk about Conte endlessly, they can fill their boots in the dedicated thread that exists for Conte.