Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013/14

[sj33]

Is the scoreline a fair reflection of the game? I've only seen the MotD highlights, but it would appear that Spurs had the majority of the opportunities of the game. Aside from the Morrison goal which was just shambolic for Spurs, Spurs seemed to have had 10 minutes of bad luck.

Mind you, highlights don't reveal much about the performance through the entire game.

[EJG1980]

It would be a bit of a disservice to West Ham to just call it bad luck for us. We defended poorly, they took advantage, you have to give them credit for punishing us.

Their defence did well too, we had a lot of the ball but there was only really one Defoe chance at the start of the second half where I thought it was a clear cut chance to score wasted. Most of our chances were either long range or just "okay" chances. Aside from 10-15 minutes at the start of the second half, our passing wasn't quick enough or inventive enough, and West Ham coped with it pretty well for the most part.

So did they play us off the park and stroll to a 3-0 win? No. While we weren't terrible though, our own performance didn't get above average for the most part, so it's not like we put in a brilliant performance and couldn't fathom how we hadn't won.

In the end I don't suppose it matters if they got one goal or three, they executed their game plan and kept us at bay very well and then took their chances when they came. I can't begrudge them the win or say they didn't deserve it.

AVB summed it up pretty well in his post match interview:

"West Ham deserve full credit, they played very, very well," said Villas-Boas.

"The first half we played well, but not enough to score. We started the second half very strongly, but unfortunately for us their set-play goal came a little bit against the run of play.

"They totally deserved it, and every time we tried to make changes to come back into the game, they scored again. The three goals came in a quick sequence, which did not allow us to bounce back and react.

"We wanted to throw in all our weapons but as we were ready to put Soldado on, they made it 2-0. It made it even more difficult to come back into the game.

"We never had that chance, but West Ham did extremely well in the second half. They were very aggressive, getting to the ball first and they deserved the result."

The day's results see Spurs slip back to sixth place, three points behind leaders Arsenal, who drew 1-1 at West Brom.

Villas-Boas added: "We need to bounce back against Aston Villa and make sure we stay connected to the top.

"It's a wake up call that we have to react to and I trust the team to do that."

[fallenangle]

Spurs need to win today against Aston Villa and if they lose I fear they will be playing catch up for the rest of the season. Even with a win Spurs will still be three points behind Arsenal at the top.

[EJG1980]

Very nice to get back to winning ways today. Not a classic first half and the opening goal was a bit lucky, but the second half display was good and we definitely deserved the win. The only real spell of pressure from Villa came for about 10 minutes after Benteke came on, which we nipped in the bud with our second goal.

Good to see AVB using the squad today and giving starts to the likes of Sandro, Holtby and Vlad, and still getting the win. Soldado's goal was a lovely move and finish and hopefully it'll be the goal to kick-start his season (in goal scoring terms, I think he's been decent in general play in most matches). He got a great reception from the fans for that goal, we were desperate for him to score.

On a sour note, glad that there have been some arrests made re the pricks who threw the flare that hit the linesman. Hope they get the book thrown at them, no place for that kind of thing and they tarnish the name of the club.

[fallenangle]

Yes that flare incident was utterly unforgiveable and I hope there are no consequences for Spurs. I just don't get that sort of dumb-ass thing.

Spurs did the business and in a pretty good way too. On MotD they picked out Sandro as being an important factor in Spurs admirable defensive record as a ball winning/holding midfielder. If you remember earlier this season I was concerned about selling off Scott Parker but said it would be OK if they got somebody else in to do the same job he did. Sandro has been given that role and appears to be a player who can do it and, arguably, better than Parker.

[EJG1980]

Spurs did the business and in a pretty good way too. On MotD they picked out Sandro as being an important factor in Spurs admirable defensive record as a ball winning/holding midfielder. If you remember earlier this season I was concerned about selling off Scott Parker but said it would be OK if they got somebody else in to do the same job he did. Sandro has been given that role and appears to be a player who can do it and, arguably, better than Parker.

Yup, I think I mentioned when we sold Parker that I wasn't too fussed with him going as I'd have wanted Sandro starting ahead of him anyway. It's good to see him getting back to full fitness after his injury, I think it's helped that he wasn't rushed straight back in and was allowed to ease in with more playing time in the "lesser" cup games first. AVB reported a couple of days ago that Capoue should be back from injury any day now, so we're going to have some excellent competition for places in the midfield.

Speaking of injuries, great to see Lennon back as well. Should keep Townsend on his toes and give him even more incentive to try and maintain his form. Oh, nice league debut from Vlad as well. I can only recall one mistake where he dwelt on the ball too long and nearly gave it away, otherwise a good, solid, ninety minutes. Another useful option to have in the squad.

[bwi]

In regards to the flare thing, i suppose i'm trying to look on the good side of human nature and thought they just threw it and it accidently hit the linesman. Because you would have to be a real tool with all the cameras around atm.

As to the result it seems to have a pattern with villa away. We score , they then push and take control, we finish off the game with a counter attack.
Could do with that every week

[EJG1980]

6PM kick-off tonight. If we win and the other match is a draw we'll qualify for the next round with three matches to spare.

Tonight's team: Lloris; Naughton, Chiriches, Vertonghen, Fryers; Dembele, Sandro; Lamela, Eriksen, Lennon; Defoe.

Subs: Friedel, Dawson, Chadli, Holtby, Sigurdsson, Adebayor, Soldado.

Yes, Ade on the bench, he's back! Quell your excitement, bwi

Edit: Not a classic performance but job done. Shame Defoe couldn't have nabbed another goal, I had a tenner on him to score the brace he needed to break Chivers' European goalscoring record. Thought Vlad had a good game, very composed on the ball and a magnificent goal line block in the first half.

[fallenangle]

Good result but if Sherriff had been a bit sharper and luckier in front of goal Spurs could have been in real trouble. There was some real last ditch defending going on at times.

As I said in the England thread as regards the Poland match: without Kyle Walker's speed being able to cover up for defensive positioning mistakes England looked much more vulnerable. Same applies to Spurs.

Martin Chivers was one of my earliest Spurs heroes and it is amazing it has taken 40+ years to break his European scoring record. Well done Defoe. I hope he's going to add to that tally considerably before the end of the competition.

[EJG1980]

Not a great performance today. We need to work out how to create more chances when teams come and pack most of their players behind the ball. Having said that, three points is three points however you get them!

Was worried about Townsend at the end, he went over the advertising boards just in front of where we were sitting but couldn't see him when he was down being treated. Fearing the worst when it was going on for so long, it was a great relief when he got back up with only an injured hand. Quite funny that the second he was back on his feet, AVB was going nuts gesturing for him to get back on the pitch

Back on Wednesday night for the rematch!

[bwi]

well that wasn't a penalty

[fallenangle]

I agree but Spurs have been at the receiving end of their fair share of bad decisions so it all, usually, sorts itself out over the season. Not a convincing performance but the sort of game Spurs need to get some points from if they're going to stay in top four contention. That's what they did whether the result was a result of bad refereeing or not it all counts.

[bwi]

seems the crowd was a bit jittery according to avb.

[EJG1980]

Alas, his comments were pretty much spot on. It takes no time at all for the moaning, grumbling and complaining to start if we're facing a "smaller" club and aren't playing brilliantly. The atmosphere in general at WHL has declined year on year since we broke into the top 5 / 6. It's still better than most but it was much better and more fun seven or eight years ago. It seems any form of (relative) success generates a sense of entitlement among a lot of supporters.

Far far too many supporters these days (at every club) forget that a supporter is supposed to, you know, support! So often I hear people say "The team should give me something to cheer," but this is football, not the theatre, you're meant to get involved. Especially if the team isn't playing well, or is struggling to break down an opponent, the supporters should be doing their best to gee them up and encourage them, not get on their backs after every misplaced pass and make the task seem even tougher.

Away matches are usually much more fun, unconditional support and cheering for the team no matter what's happening on the pitch. As AVB said, it would be great to replicate that kind of support at home too, but unfortunately it's not a common occurrence.

Don't get me wrong, I still love it and there's no better way to spend my time and waste my money It's just a shame when you know it wouldn't take much effort to make it a rocking atmosphere every week.

[fallenangle]

I do think the players need to shoulder some of the responsibility. They are paid vast sums to entertain us and if they're not pulling their weight then blaming the crowd for not getting them motivated is just wrong. Players earning ?20,000/week and some more than triple that should be working their socks off to do their job. Showing that they're worth those wages to the crowd in the stadium who, after all, are the ones paying a significant percentage of them is part of the deal. It is a two way street; they play well, the crowd gets excited and that encourages them to play even better.

Look how well Andros Townsend has been received, we were saying here pre-season just how good he and Danny Rose were looking and he's continued that form and you can't say the crowd isn't getting behind him. Every time he gets the ball there's an immediate buzz of expectation and excitement just as there was for Gareth Bale and Arron Lennnon, at least before the latter decided to stop doing the very thing he was good at. You can see in the interviews with AT how much the support is motivating him and that's how it should be.

But if a number of players are making mistakes, don't appear to be pulling their weight and playing badly as a team I think the crowd quietening down and getting a bit critical is a natural response. The players have to take the initiative in this, it is part of their job.