[Archived] Spurs Preview

[Eddie]

To add to that, one positive that we can take from this is Benni. He's looked hungry. His movement is back and he's won the majority of challenges against King, which is quite an achievement given the size difference. He's had one chance which could have changed things, but his general play has been very good and he's looked our best player on the pitch (although that isn't saying a huge amount at the moment).

[andrew92]

Does Ince control woeful passing and poor first touches?

no but ince does pick the 2 useless basta**s that are playing in CM, and thats our problem!

[RoverRich]

double post. oops.

[4ever&ever]

Does Ince control woeful passing and poor first touches?

The team need to take ownership of some of this and actually play football. As it stands I think we could gather together 11 folks from this messageboard and just turn up in the same manner this lot are doing.

No, but he controls the confidence and passion of the team and he also selects these players who's passing is woeful. The fact is the manager is responsible for installing confidence and passion. Okay the players should have that already but he needs to be bringing it out of them if it isn't there.

[stuwilky]

Yes he does Stu - he puts the team on the pitch, not to mention spending the whole week preparing for them. Were the full backs really not briefed on defending against Lennon?

The manager takes overall responsibility for EVERYTHING. Thats the first rule of management, in any industry.

Im not absolving Ince T4E, far from it, HOWEVER, Ince is not on the pitch.

At the VERY LEAST I expect players to be able to do the basics correctly more often than not. That is why they are professional footballers and I, for example, am not. Regardless of where they are playing I expect a footballer playing at the top of his trade to be able to find a team mate over 20 yards, to be able to trap an incoming ball.

Ince is a very easy scapegoat, and whilst I too have been baffled by some of his decisions over the last 4 months - the players need to take some responsibility.

[Shevchenko]

My prediction is that the board won't have the cojones to sack Ince till it's too late.

Yeah, pretty much what I was going to say.

I thought the appointment of Ince was bold, interesting and risky. I was in the wait and see camp...well, its time for action now.

The people responsible for hiring him should hold their hands up and acknowledge that they made a mistake. They took a chance and it didn't pan out. That's ok, sometimes you have to take risks to progress but when it doesn't work out you have to do something. There is no shame in this. It's business, and the manager is not the right man for the job. Get rid.

[jny]

We need to tighten up the marking and improve our control and creativity. Cue Villanueva and Tugay.

[Amo]

Never saw the sense in a Mokonea/Andrews pairing. It doesn't offer us anything. Mokoena can 'protect' the back four, but Andrews doesn't get forward enough or do much of anything. It just means Tottenham can pick it up and bomb forward every time because there's nothing to push them back.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

Ramos picked roughly the same team as Harry Redknapp.

that wasnt what i asked. i said which team would you have selected. The players are at fault for today's performance in my eyes. specifically Olsson, Ooijer and Andrews.

And Ramos never thought Bent/Pavlychenko could play plus he kept Bentley out of the side.

[Hasta]

Everything that we have feared has happened before our very eyes.

Olsonn is too inexperienced and has probably cost us any hope.

Andrews is outclassed

Mokoana is limited and the midfield pair offer no creativity.

Pedersen has no pace or attacking thrust to be able to hurt them on the break.

I'd get Roberts on and start going direct. I don't want to do it but we can't play through them with 11 men, no chance with 10. Get the ball up field quickly and try and force throw ins / set pieces and corners. Yep, it's come down to that !!

[ROVERS]

GAME OVER

Mokonea and Andrews as the centre mid already have lose written all our face!

WTF! mokonea passes are as close to @#/?....... or maybe already in the league of @#/?.

Then we have some one totally clueless being a centre mid in ANdrews

And the 1 demension attacking problem still exsist...... right means all the way right , left means all the way left . centre is nt an option . cause we have andrews and mokonea?

No wonder Harry looks so calm and cool............

guys relegation is written all over us!

[tony gale's mic]

what on earth could Ince do? seriously, to all those who are blaming Ince - which team would have you selected. Cos i for one would have picked the same starting 11. He cannot be responsible for shoddy passing, Olsson having a nightmare and the lack of composure shown by the players.

1. Signed a replacement for Bentley in the summer.

2. Stuck Emerton as our permanent RB this season.

3. Played Vogel and Villanueva as centre midfield

That's three already. Even if Warnock was available I have a feeling we wouldn't have seen him at left back which would've been another error.

How has our defence suddenly gone from reasonably solid to so awful?

[brfcmad1979]

I'd sooner pederson be considered 2nd choice right back than olsson, pederson effectiveness in an attacking sense is a thing of the past but he is always useful defending set pieces. the only thing ince has done right today is play the 2 big guns up front and drop roberts......................we are so easy to break down its frightening.

no support from the central midfield and thats what the "axe" is supposed to specialise in, Anybody spotted Andrews yet?

how did i manage that?

[Amo]

How has our defence suddenly gone from reasonably solid to so awful?

Should I mention Larissa, Coventry, and Birmingham before someone else cherry picks those three results?

[philipl]

Get Tugay on for one or other of the CMs. Then just maybe a pass through could produce the goods.

[den]

The red card could have been avoided, that's the gaulling part of this. I could see it coming, so should have Ince. Olssen should also have known what would happen if he lunged in like that and missed the ball.

So unprofessional all round.

[sambo]

McCarthy was playing well, I know we need protection at the back but its not going to make him any more confident is it?!

[Exiled in Toronto]

I, like most others today, would have picked the same team given the injuries. Olssen was outclassed bay a player many of the 'experts' on here derided as being usless over the summer.

Spurs had a 100 million team under-performing under Ramos. We had a 15 million team over-performing under Hughes. they got a better manager and we got a worse one so money wins in the end. We would not have scored from the same position of Olssen's error - there was still a lot to do from there - whereas we have missed 4 decent half chances.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

1. Signed a replacement for Bentley in the summer.

2. Stuck Emerton as our permanent RB this season.

3. Played Vogel and Villanueva as centre midfield

That's three already. Even if Warnock was available I have a feeling we wouldn't have seen him at left back which would've been another error.

How has our defence suddenly gone from reasonably solid to so awful?

1. The bentley point is redundant. Of course Ince wanted to sign a RW. we had Pennant in the bag until the last few hours.

2. Emerton a, has been injured. and b, has done well enough on the right to replace Bentley

3. Villanueva is not a cm he plays just off the front man. Vogel is a only fair point. god knows where he is.

[philipl]

Sorry, Andrews is getting embarassing.

[T4E]

Im not absolving Ince T4E, far from it, HOWEVER, Ince is not on the pitch.

At the VERY LEAST I expect players to be able to do the basics correctly more often than not. That is why they are professional footballers and I, for example, am not. Regardless of where they are playing I expect a footballer playing at the top of his trade to be able to find a team mate over 20 yards, to be able to trap an incoming ball.

Ince is a very easy scapegoat, and whilst I too have been baffled by some of his decisions over the last 4 months - the players need to take some responsibility.

The players should be held accountable - for example, Mokoena should be dropped for the forseeable future. Ince should also be held accountable, as he is picking the players and seemingly failing to prepare them correctly.

[tony gale's mic]

I, like most others today, would have picked the same team given the injuries. Olssen was outclassed bay a player many of the 'experts' on here derided as being usless over the summer.

Spurs had a 100 million team under-performing under Ramos. We had a 15 million team over-performing under Hughes. they got a better manager and we got a worse one so money wins in the end. We would not have scored from the same position of Olssen's error - there was still a lot to do from there - whereas we have missed 4 decent half chances.

Most others would have signed a replacement for Bentley and not weakened our entire right side by moving a perfectly decent right back in Emerton up to right wing where he's nowhere near effective enough.

Most of us would have given Vogel a proper go rather than keep playing Mokoena.

[brfcmad1979]

started this half better

[Amo]

Good play from Andrews. Nice pass to Emerton to win a (wasted) corner.

[stuwilky]

The players should be held accountable - for example, Mokoena should be dropped for the forseeable future. Ince should also be held accountable, as he is picking the players and seemingly failing to prepare them correctly.

Couldnt agree more, on both counts.

My point is that Im failing to see much criticism of the players (apart from Andrews and occasionally Mokoena) and a great deal of criticism of the manager.