Match Threads Newcastle vs Spurs - Match Thread

[spud]

To put it bluntly....who fucking cares?

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

 

[midge]

Strange game but good result . It was like watching the Sheff Utd vs Us game with roles reversed.

We played 7 games since the restart won 4 lost 1 drew 2 . Score 10 conceded 5 . Looking at that, it aint so bad

 

[Kiedis]

I've been very sceptical about how we play (especially before the break), not because it's not "entertaining", but because when we only managed to get the ball to our best attackers in decent positions 2-3 times per half, then you're not going to score enough goals to be consistently good.

But we've taken some steps in the right direction after the restart, no doubt about that.

 

[teedee]

Exactly. I feel like people are just grateful to not be so limp and ineffective as we were for all of 2019 that they are willing to accept results at all costs and while I understand that we should still continue pushing Jose to do better and hopefully find a way to entertain us.

Winning 3-1 away from home entertains me. And before you say it, I have been supporting Spurs for 60 years. If Jose can get us to a place where we win regularly and get back into the CL and more, then the football will be entertaining enough.

 

[Rusta81]

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

Glory is winning tho right ?

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Happy for the 3 points but I don’t think I’ll ever get on board with the awful brand of football.

22-8 in shots to Newcastle but a 1-3 win.

Completely agree with you. I just want to be entertained - not much more really.

 

[midge]

I think the full quote was

"The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."

Depending on how you look at it, some will place more emphasis on "The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish" and others will place more emphasis on "about going out and beating the lot"

Ideally we want the whole sentence but we had 5 years of Poch "The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish" and now we are at the "about going out and beating the lot"

 

[Col_M]

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

Glory needs to be built in better foundations.

 

[slartibartfast]

Only saw the highlights but we attacked and had shots. Thats all I ask. Think some.people need to remember away from home we arent going to dominate every mate. We're a work on progress. Patience my young padawans.

22-8 in shots to Newcastle but a 1-3 win.

Completely agree with you. I just want to be entertained - not much more really.

8 shots away from home isnt an absolute shower and while Newcastle had 22 from what I saw a large chunk where 20yd pot shots landing in the car park.
They were almost the opposite of us, we get in good positions to shoot and dont while they got in our half and had a shot.

 

[Legacy]

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

Then why are the champions decided by who gets the most points rather than who plays the most glorious football? Which team do you think is still remembered by the neutrals from the 15/16 season: Leicester, who played defensive counter attacking football and won the league, or Tottenham, who played the best football, but finished 3rd?

Are you happy with that season? Would you not trade our play style that year with Leicester's if it also meant trading our league finish with theirs? Because I damn sure would.

 

[Rusta81]

Decent result that , away from home . They have a midfield stronger than us and a real handful in Saint Maxim . Always felt we would go on and win the game . Some decent football till we get in the last third after breaking to get there and also hesitated in shooting opportunities. Decent.

 

[Monkey boy]

Decent result that , away from home . They have a midfield stronger than us and a real handful in Saint Maxim . Always felt we would go on and win the game . Some decent football till we get in the last third after breaking to get there and also hesitated in shooting opportunities. Decent.

Not that I’m disagreeing with you but when Newcastle’s midfield consists of Matt Ritchie, Nabil Bentaleb, Jonjo Shelvey and Miguel Almiron you realise how bad ours actually is.

 

[Shadydan]

22-8 in shots to Newcastle but a 1-3 win.

Completely agree with you. I just want to be entertained - not much more really.

Most of them shots were speculative - we had a higher xg than them as well.

 

[mark87]

For me it's all about the result, but when you're watching it and see the opposition with the majority of the ball creating chances and half chances it's unsettling to watch as I don't yet have the confidence back in our defence to be able to consistently stop them. Always seeing the opposition with the ball ain't nice as you think they can score here.

But as I said, for me it's the result that matters the most and I just think I need to get used to this way we now play and hopefully the more we win the more confidence it'll give.

 

[Metalhead]

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

Me too - win games and trophies.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Then why are the champions decided by who gets the most points rather than who plays the most glorious football? Which team do you think is still remembered by the neutrals from the 15/16 season: Leicester, who played defensive counter attacking football and won the league, or Tottenham, who played the best football, but finished 3rd?

Are you happy with that season? Would you not trade our play style that year with Leicester's if it also meant trading our league finish with theirs? Because I damn sure would.

That quote hangs like a millstone around our necks at times. It's a lovely part of our history and all that and we totally get what it means but it's not the be all and end all, a degree of pragmatism should also be applied. We all know football has moved on massively since the 1960's, the game has changed, we all know that and lets be honest here, the game isn't about glory any more it's about money. That's the bottom line.

I love the idea behind the quote and we've always wanted to see exciting attacking football, exciting players, the whole thing that encapsulates our identity but some realism needs to be applied here. As a whole we need to either lose ourselves in our history and accept what that brings (I'd suggest not much) or temper expectations to something more realistic, something closer to what is required in todays world, not the sixties.

It's a wonderful part of our history but we shouldn't lose ourselves in it, it's from a period never to be repeated and the only way we can even come close to hoping we'll get somewhere near repeating it is by the club being bought by a mad sugar daddy. Or, if you really want the full on exciting attacking football what the fuck were you doing by complaining like roosters on acid when we did play it and lost?

Finally, if we start winning cups, not one of you will give a short sharp shit about what the game is about, it'll all be conveniently forgotten.

Nothing is guaranteed in football. But that is.

 

[Metalhead]

For me it's all about the result, but when you're watching it and see the opposition with the majority of the ball creating chances and half chances it's unsettling to watch as I don't yet have the confidence back in our defence to be able to consistently stop them. Always seeing the opposition with the ball ain't nice as you think they can score here.

But as I said, for me it's the result that matters the most and I just think I need to get used to this way we now play and hopefully the more we win the more confidence it'll give.

Absolutely - with a Mourinho team though, the aim is definitely being hard to beat so whilst there are still ‘heart in mouth’ moments, he will be striving towards making those moments few and far between.

 

[HW61]

They had more possession than us
They had more shots than us
They had more shots on target than us
They had more corners than us
They had a territorial advantage for most of the game
They pressed more effectively than us
They hit the post and Shelvey put a free header into row z that he should have scored from
......But our strikers are better than theirs so we won.

Newcastle were as good as, or better, than us. Or, to put it another way, we were not even as good as Newcastle - a team with seven of their squad injured who even their most ardent fans think are crap. Mourinho has mentioned fatigue. That's bollocks. We only have three players out, he didn't have to play the same team as on sunday, and even then he had the opportunity to use five substitutes if players were tired.

I'm happy with the three points and I'm happy with the effort of the players, but if anybody thinks that was a good performance then they were either high or watching a different game.

Looking at the ratings almost split amongst fans down the middle between agree and disagree. Demonstrates the magic of this site otherwise we’d have nothing to discuss.

A lot of the football is so painfully dull....I actually struggle to sit through it. But I’m just happier when the whistle blows and we’ve won. JM has an entire history of winning so surely deserves some decent time and build the team that he needs to make it effective.

There lies my single concern....will Levy allow him to do that.

 

[mark87]

Absolutely - with a Mourinho team though, the aim is definitely being hard to beat so whilst there are still ‘heart in mouth’ moments, he will be striving towards making those moments few and far between.

Which is what I'm hoping for as it'll make for less 'hide behind the sofa' viewing and I think it will happen the more the players get used to playing that way.

 

[GMI]

I do.

So did Danny Blanchflower. So did Bill Nicholson. So did Keith Burkinshaw........

"The game is about glory......."

Would those three be remembered and be as quotable without the trophies they won us?. If Blanchflower and Nicholson had won zero trophies they would likely not be coming up in the conversation.