Match Threads Spurs vs West Ham - Match Thread

[floydiohead]

I blame Sissoko for the absolutely piss poor attempt to stop Balbuena score. If Sissoko goes up with him and makes contact with Balbuena, he quite simply doesn't get a free hit at it and probably fails to get any precision or power on the header. That attitude led to the start of the collapse.

I'm now imagining Rodon jump with him and seeing that ball gamely fall to Lloris or go 20 yards away from our goal.

Some players clearly lost focus thinking with 8 mins to go the game was done. Sissoko was one of them.

For me, that would be the whole team when they came out for the second half. It just absolutely stank of arrogance from the kick off.

 

[Thanksandy]

Let's be honest we are a team that tends to do very stupid things at precisely the wrong time in games. We have been that way for many years and it is a mindset that seems to always creep back up just when we think we are turning a corner. Anyone remember the handball in the first min of the CL final that led to a penalty? It probably shouldn't have been given but again as a proper professional outfit you just don't give the opposition, referee or whoever the opportunity to mug you off which is precisely what happened that night in Madrid and again on Sunday night.

I can't be having any of this JM ballsed it up and should have tightened the team bollocks. Something Poch often said which I agree with is that sometimes, the game is nothing to do with tactics, team shape or instructions from the sideline. It is about a group of 11 players taking full responsibility and accountability on the football pitch and sensing when the game is starting to turn and dealing with it accordingly. We did at least 10 stupid things in that last 10 mins which you just cannot do as a professional outfit. Rather than pick out and amplify any individual error, the reality is that the totality of these schoolboy errors is what led to the outcome we had on Sunday. Not having a crowd also played a role and the team(s) that adjust to this the best have the basis to achieve something this year. I can guarantee that with 60k strong in the stadium shouting AWAY Winks puts his foot right through that ball. The players need to find more from within as they haven't got the oxygen from the crowd to pull them over the line especially in the closing stages of a game.

I am choosing to look on it as a positive as I am confident that JM will be different from Poch and not endure these tendencies for too long. I won't be surprised to see another two or three go out of the door in Jan as we do have a small group of players in our squad who have it in them to consistently do daft things. Unfortunately, one thing that cannot be coached is decision making especially under pressure so you sometimes have to accept that certain players cannot be relied upon when it comes down to the crunch so you just have to bite the bullet and say adios. This season is already looking like a mad one with the results so far. I am glad this happened early in the season as I think this is the reality check the players needed to show that nothing less than 100% focus and attention will do for the full 90mins of every game if we are to achieve anything this year. In any case I feel this will turn out to be a great season for us. The season year does end in 1 afterall. Chin up everyone. COYS!!!

I agree. We also have new players in the team and squad, so we can't keep blaming the same individuals all the time.
9 players have joined since January, that a big difference to the squad and players with winning mentalities.
Mourinho can take some blame to an extent, but these kind of issues have been going way before his time and even before Pochettino.
I strongly believe that as soon as we win one trophy, even if it's the Carabao Cup, with this current crop of players, we will start to believe in ourselves, cut out the mistakes and go on to win more, we just have to get over that initial hurdle and ease the pressure and anxiety on everyone.

 

[Shadydan]

For me, that would be the whole team when they came out for the second half. It just absolutely stank of arrogance from the kick off.

The fans or the players?

 

[Pistols At Dawn]

For me, that would be the whole team when they came out for the second half. It just absolutely stank of arrogance from the kick off.

Yeah, even after the first goal, the whole team had an air of "eh, no worries, we got this" about them.

NARRATOR: "But they didn't. They didn't 'got this.'"

 

[mattdefoe]

So now your blaming him for a goal that occurred in a different phase of play that wasn't his fault.

But The free kick led to the equalising goal?