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Jose Mourinho

How do you feel about Mourinho appointment

  • Excited - silverware here we come baby

    Votes: 666 46.7%
  • Meh - will give him a chance and hope he is successful

    Votes: 468 32.8%
  • Horrified - praying for the day he'll fuck off

    Votes: 292 20.5%

  • Total voters
    1,426

Joely

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2011
1,724
4,648
We really need to stop giving Alli this free no.10 role. I don't know what his best position is, but it's not as a no.10.

Inclined to agree. His passing isn't good enough for him to take up that role. He slows down the play when on the ball. Sometimes wonder if he could play up front at times if Kane is injured or needs resting. Obviously not a true striker but just keep him in and around the area and dropping back slightly and having runners go beyond him, I don't know. Just find him so frustrating when he is so deep and has so much of the ball. He isn't very good in those positions.
 

jolsnogross

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2005
3,729
5,431
I felt like Mourinho came in and played 4231, back to basics, square pegs in square holes, and seemed to have a functioning side albeit with mistakes. Kane is 9, Alli is 10, speedy flankers, Sissoko and someone in the middle, Sanchez and Alderweireld at the back. Not setting the world alight, bit too much hoofball for my liking, but building towards a functioning unit, even with a total liability at right back.

I don't know what he's doing now, other than handing the team sheet to some SCers. Lots of central midfielders and still no joined up play in midfield and general malaise. No pattern, no purposeful play. Based on the shower of shit show earlier, no discernable plan at all. Norwich wasnt much better.

Everyone wants to dream of a big couple of transfer windows, but that seems very wishful. It undermines the case for switching from Poch to Mourinho. I think we'll just find out over the coming 5 months whether Mourinho can coach and tactically establish a decent side or not. And I take him at his repeated word that it's more about working with what's there than initiating a new 'project'.

My fear is he's behind the curve now and we continue to struggle. My hope is we stabilize with Son coming back into the side and not fall away again.
 

gavspur

Well-Known Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,255
8,686
A switch to 4-3-2-1 so we can actually win a midfield battle would be nice.

Skipp
Ndombele Winks/LoCelso

then with Eriksen and Dele behind Kane (if fit) or Son.. try and get some creativity from the 2, and not be so reliant on them having to defend much.
 

jurgen

Busy ****
Jul 5, 2008
6,710
17,167
It’s quite amusing that we were told Mourinho had been developing this new, cutting edge, brand of football in his time out of the game and thus far it’s turned out that he was taking inspiration from rugby instead.

However I’m sure Howe or another young manager would also be terrible with this bunch and it’s clear that the big problem is upstairs. His giant £15m pa wage (if correct) is still only the sort of money you’d spend on a backup RB, let alone the new starter we so desperately need, so you can see why Teflon Dan took a punt on him wringing the last drops out of the squad and we’re winning more points than before he arrived, but my god we’ve been playing some shit football. Mourinho is also such a divisive character that when it goes tits up he’ll easily be given the full blame like every other stiff has.

Alternatively January might prove that when we appointed a ‘winner’ we were actually serious about providing him with the tools to do so, but we’ve heard that tune too many times before.
 

Joely

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2011
1,724
4,648
Wasn't overly keen when he was appointed but back him now he is here and hope he does well for the good of the club. However, deep down feeling remains he is bit of a busted flush. Don't buy into the whole this is a new Mourinho with a new style etc.

Don't believe he is someone who can bring individual players on the way a Poch, Klopp, Pep or Rodgers can. His forte is buying ready made players who fit his criteria and tactics for his system and build a successful team that is capable of winning stuff in a short space of time.

We just don't operate that way in the transfer market and a manager at us will work under constraints. Just really don't see this marriage is going to work.
 

EnfieldYiddo

Silence
Aug 6, 2012
15,505
26,871
I think we are all being slightly blinded by the name.

If this football was being served up under Tim Sherwood we would be all losing our shit.

We are tactically all over the place, with our only game plan seemingly to be hit it long up to Kane and hope for a lucky knock on.

I had reservations when we first appointed Jose due to the fact I expected defensive displays with little to no attacking ingenuity.

What I'd have never expected in a million years is this unidentifiable brand of football which results in our defence being constantly exposed and little to no sustained ball control.

Obviously he has not been here long and our problems run deeper than who is our manager... Yet I can't help feeling slightly bemused when I see far less acclaimed managers getting a much finer tune out of far less talented squads.

Very puzzling.
 
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Chimbo!

Well-Known Member
Jan 7, 2007
3,558
3,291
A bit early to judge Mourinho. But this shit has being going for a year under two elite coaches. Maybe the players are no longer that good?
 

NEVILLEB

Well-Known Member
Nov 6, 2006
6,733
6,335
When we get to the stage of tactically doubting Mourinho’s ability we’re really lost.

Every midfielder has had their chance and they’ve all played terribly.
 

Kiedis

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,926
8,490
I keep repeating myself, but before we manage to establish some principles of play and structures that lets us play out from the back and have sustained possession, we'll remain bad. These days, one of two will happen.
1. The opposition will try and force us to play along the touchline, where a winger or fullback facing his own goal will generally lose the ball.
2. We'll try and pass the ball from defence and up to an attacker 60 yards away, leading to the pass being intercepted, or the attacker being manhandled by three or four defenders.

As long as Ndombele isn't playing, we're not breaking the opposition press, and this is what we're getting. And every player will be looking bad.

And predictably enough, a lot will be said about "passion" and "wanting it". Well, as it turns out, you can't pashun the ball with presicion and intent through a midfield press and knocking on the opposition door by wanting it. Our best sides under Poch were tremendously well coached, and it made the team more than the sum of its parts. Right now, we're seeing the opposite.
 
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HW61

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
680
3,620
Think people suggesting that Jose is letting Levy see how shit it is in the hope he will spend big are either hugely optimistic or haven't been paying attention - the same was said of Poch.

Jose will have to fix this with largely what he has, as it has ever been under Levy.
In which case it’s mid-table for the foreseeable future. Because Levy won’t change his style either. It’s also confirms where the problem lies.
 

spursfan77

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2005
46,680
104,956
Earlier in the Christmas period Mourinho said he could make us better defensively but we would suffer attacking wise. Well, I think it’s now time he worked on that especially with Kane out for a while. Train on that ahead of the Liverpool game (surely there’s no better opposition to try that against?) and forget about the attack for a couple of weeks. The amount of goals we are shipping and the lack of structure defensively in our team is terrible. More people will moan about performances but maybe it’s necessary in the short term to get us sorted for the rest of the season.
 

Metalhead

But that's a debate for another thread.....
Nov 24, 2013
25,351
38,294
I think we are all being slightly blighted by the name.

If this football was being served up under Tim Sherwood we would be all losing our shit.

We are tactically all over the place, with our only game plan seemingly to be hit it long up to Kane and hope for a lucky knock on.

I had reservations when we first appointed Jose due to the fact I expected defensive displays with little to no attacking ingenuity.

What I'd have never expected in a million years is this unidentifiable brand of football which results in our defence being constantly exposed and little to no sustained ball control.

Obviously he has not been here long and our problems run deeper than who is our manager... Yet I can't help feeling slightly bemused when I see far less acclaimed managers getting a much finer tune out of far less talented squads.

Very puzzling.
I think that the key is that he has not been here that long. Personally I've written this season off. If he gets to make some signings and has a pre-season and is still struggling to instill an identity in the team then I'll be worried. Putting aside the ability of the individual players, they have not being playing cohesively on a consistent basis for a long time. Whatever is causing it, be it an imbalance in the side or something psychological or both, it's clearly going to take a while to fix.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,348
87,807
I did say that it wouldn't matter if it was Poch/José/or whoever, this was always going to be a shit season and we'd have to suck it up.
 
D

Deleted member 27995

Earlier in the Christmas period Mourinho said he could make us better defensively but we would suffer attacking wise. Well, I think it’s now time he worked on that especially with Kane out for a while. Train on that ahead of the Liverpool game (surely there’s no better opposition to try that against?) and forget about the attack for a couple of weeks. The amount of goals we are shipping and the lack of structure defensively in our team is terrible. More people will moan about performances but maybe it’s necessary in the short term to get us sorted for the rest of the season.
We're just not very good. It's been a year in the making. The mentality of this team and the players playing in it have to be questioned as well.
 

Monkey boy

Well-Known Member
Jun 18, 2011
6,380
17,039
Whether it’s because I’m getting older or maybe it’s the realisation that this squad hit its peak a few years ago and won nothing but I’m struggling to care anymore. Before I’d get very pissed off and let a match like the one we played yesterday play on my mind. Yesterday I switched over to watch a repeat of only fools and horses which I’ve seen a million times before and you know what it was still way more enjoyable than that shit that we’ve been serving up since last January.
 

Archibald&Crooks

Aegina Expat
Admin
Feb 1, 2005
55,533
204,721
As long as Ndombele isn't playing, we're not breaking the opposition press, and this is what we're getting. And every player will be looking bad.
Yet when he does play we're (generally) getting the same sort of results and performances. I think those players who look 'bad' aren't going to look any better for his presence in the team.

And seeing as we're repeating ourselves I'll say this again. We can put whoever we like wherever we like, we can bring in this player for that player and it won't (and it hasn't) made a blind bit of difference. The solution isn't playing someone else or a different formation. There is no magic solution. We need different players. For a variety of reasons, some of those who were easily good enough no longer are. Previously, we could put in a Foyth or a Winks or whoever and the quality of the rest would carry them through, but now that is no longer the case, they are all much more under the microscope and have been coming up short.

And anyone who's STILL getting annoyed, angry or waiting for their knees to land needs to have a word with themselves before they give themselves a nervous breakdown. It isn't going to improve until we make some signings.

Get used to it for now and relax a little, your mental health demands it :D
 
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Kiedis

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,926
8,490
Yet when he does play we're (generally) getting the same sort of results and performances. I think those players who look 'bad' aren't going to look any better for his presence in the team.

And seeing as we're repeating ourselves I'll say this again. We can put whoever we like wherever we like, we can bring in this player for that player and it won't (and it hasn't) made a blind bit of difference. The solution isn't playing someone else or a different formation. There is no magic solution. We need different players. For a variety of reasons, some of those who were easily good enough no longer are. Previously, we could put in a Foyth or a Winks or whoever and the quality of the rest would carry them through, but now that is no longer the case, they are all much more under the microscope and have been coming up short.

And anyone who's STILL getting annoyed, angry or waiting for their knees to land needs to have a world with themselves before they give themselves a nervous breakdown. It isn't going to improve until we make some signings.

Get used to it for now and relax a little, your mental health demands it :D

This is not me saying "play Ndombele and all is well". It's just that he's capable of consistently taking the ball under pressure, wiggling out of it and playing a meaningful pass. If memory serves me right, the last games where we've had any meaningful bouts of sustained possession was vs. Bournemouth at home and Norwich away. If he was able to play every minute, he would probably paper over some of the cracks in this structure, ensure that we had more possession and less hoofing.

But he'd not make Aurier a reliable defender, Dier a top class DM, etc. etc. We need some new players, but we also need some structures and principles to play according to that doesn't make Vertonghen and Alderweireld, two of the best passing CBs in the world, whack the ball 60 yards every time they have it.

Dunno if that is something Mourinho tends to coach. Maybe Sacramento can do it. Or maybe hoofball without defensive errors really is the endgame here. That could maybe see us fall ass backwards into a league cup or something.
 
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