Tottenham Hotspur FC 2013/14

[fallenangle]

Saw the Lloris injury on MOtD and you could see immediately the left arm as he fell on landing was being bent at a very unnatural angle. Must have hurt like hell.

I keep on telling myself it is only three games lost in the Premiership and there are still 90 points more available but with the Colchester and BM results too it just feels bad. It was not as though they could not have got something out of the Brighton game, HK could/should have scored but there was a lethargy and lack of creativity, particularly in midfield. Sissoko was out of position for the last goal too and made little effort to get back - Trippier would have made the effort even if it was in vain.

From what they showed only Lucas Moura when he came on really showed the sort of effort and commitment you expect to see from a Spurs side.

[Team Andromeda]

Up here watching the NFL and OH MY GOD if this Stadium isn't bloody amazing

[EJG1980]

Up here watching the NFL and OH MY GOD if this Stadium isn't bloody amazing

It’s always a worry when you change stadium, and I loved WHL, but I don’t think they could have done a much better job with our new place.

You chose the right place to sit, can’t beat the Park Lane end. You’re not too far away from my season ticket seat, but I’m a bit further back and further into the corner, it’s a nice isometric view like the original FIFA games

Had a quick look on telly and it’s looking great.

[Team Andromeda]

It’s always a worry when you change stadium, and I loved WHL, but I don’t think they could have done a much better job with our new place.

You chose the right place to sit, can’t beat the Park Lane end. You’re not too far away from my season ticket seat, but I’m a bit further back and further into the corner, it’s a nice isometric view like the original FIFA games

Had a quick look on telly and it’s looking great.

It's awesome , drinking with the Americans and having a fab time

[EJG1980]

Saw the Lloris injury on MOtD and you could see immediately the left arm as he fell on landing was being bent at a very unnatural angle. Must have hurt like hell.

I was amazed it wasn't a break! They him loaded up with morphine when he was taken off the pitch, unsurprisingly. I was also very glad that they only showed one slow motion replay of it during the live match, I'm wincing now just writing about it.

I keep on telling myself it is only three games lost in the Premiership and there are still 90 points more available but with the Colchester and BM results too it just feels bad.

I know what you mean. You look at the league table and think 5 points behind second, 3 points behind 4th, results go our way for a couple of weeks and we could be right back in the top four. So you don't wanna go TOO overboard about it, but, at the same time, it's not just the results but the manner of some of the performances that have been a bit worrying. And to be fair the iffy form stretches back into last season, in the calendar year of 2019 we've had 11 wins, 11 losses and 4 draws (in the league).

But to repeat myself from a couple of posts ago, I think the only sensible approach for the club is to stay calm, back Poch, and let him get on with it. And if he says "We need to do X, Y and Z to move the club forward," do they best they can to give him what he needs.

[Team Andromeda]

It’s always a worry when you change stadium, and I loved WHL, but I don’t think they could have done a much better job with our new place.

You chose the right place to sit, can’t beat the Park Lane end. You’re not too far away from my season ticket seat, but I’m a bit further back and further into the corner, it’s a nice isometric view like the original FIFA games

Had a quick look on telly and it’s looking great.

I've been to the USA for the NFL and your stadium looks and feels like a real American Football stadium, it's truly state of the art .

Well impressed

[vanpeebles]

I've been to the USA for the NFL and your stadium looks and feels like a real American Football stadium, it's truly state of the art .

Well impressed

Do they still have that NFL ambulance that comes onto the pitch and knocks everyone flying??

[Team Andromeda]

Do they still have that NFL ambulance that comes onto the pitch and knocks everyone flying??

No, sadly in this PC age its been banned LOL

[EJG1980]

Juan Foyth back from injury and playing for Argentina (at right back) today against Germany. If he plays again in a few days against Ecuador that’d be very useful for getting his fitness up before playing for Spurs. As long as he comes through these games okay, I’d expect him to start against Watford. It’d be nice to see him get a good run of games there to see if he can make the right back spot his own.

[fallenangle]

According to the BBC sports web site reporting newspaper stuff Poch has apparently indicated he wants to sell Dier, Aurier, Eriksen and Rose in the January transfer window. Could be just the usual wild speculation - like Jose Mourinho being interested in the Spurs job if Poch decamps to MU when/if they sack Solskjaer.

No mention of who Poch is interested getting in to replace them. Eriksen going is hardly unexpected but Rose is still one of our most reliable left side players, a world class wing back at his best. It sounds more like a fire sale and unless they have guaranteed replacements in mind for all those players I'd be worried.

[EJG1980]

Dier is the only name on that list that I'd be a bit surprised by, as his versatility is useful for the squad and he's always seemed like a Poch favourite. Swap his name with Wanyama and I'd not be surprised if any on that list left in January. I think you could even add Alderweireld to it. I think they're all players that Poch expected to leave in the summer. Rose was left out of our tour squad in the summer and the club confirmed it was so he could try and set up a transfer, Erkisen and Alderweireld we know about, Wanyama had a transfer to Brugge collapse at the last moment, etc..

I think that Poch really wanted to give the squad a big refresh in the summer, and those players not leaving left that process in limbo, half done. So if we get the chance to move those players along in January, I think Poch would take it, possibly even if it meant being left a little short until completing the squad revamp in the summer. Or, who knows, we may bring some players in in January if players do leave.

Some of them I think the replacements are already here. If Rose leaves you still have Sessegnon and Davies for the left back spot. Lo Celso takes Eriksen's spot if he leaves. Not sure you really need to replace Wanyama as we've got a load of central midfielders ahead of him already.

That's not to say we wouldn't buy anyone though. Bruno Fernandes (Portuguese midfielder) said in an interview that he had everything agreed with Spurs for a move in the summer and it only didn't happen because Eriksen didn't leave, so maybe there are some targets like him that we might go for in January if certain players do leave.

[fallenangle]

Strange England game yesterday - very lethargic first half, very recent Spurs like IMHO but you can't blame the Spurs/ex-Spurs players as HK, DR and Trippier at least showed some spark. Problem was, like Spurs, the under-performing midfield. Too static, not enough creativity and underpowered.

In many ways the formation was set up like Southgate did in the second half of the Croatian WC semi-final where he virtually gave the midfield to the opposition, the very place they were the strongest. The Czechs were clearly technically superior there too, passing faster, more accurately and with better off the ball movement than England's lack lustre midfielders.

Result was the same - even in the second half where England were playing OK - our midfield players were inferior throughout and it took HK and Sterling coming back and helping to balance things out. But the Czechs did exactly the same thing the Croatians did, defended well and always looking to hit England on the quick break. Eventually they scored.

They'd done their homework.

[EJG1980]

I saw an interesting quote / fact on brought up yesterday, re England's midfield:

In July the England assistant manager said of Harry Winks "He's a player we have very much been waiting for in that kind of position. Someone who is comfortable to turn and connect the play". Since making that statement Harry Winks has played a grand total of... zero minutes for England

That's not to say he would have made any difference yesterday, but it seems remarkable that the England management can have that opinion on a player and then not give him a single minute on the pitch to see if their opinion is right.

[EJG1980]

Winks starting for England today, Southgate read my post Hopefully he has a good game.

We’ve re-signed Michel Vorm until the end of the season. Seems sensible as we’d have no experienced keeper at all if Gazzaniga were to get injured before Lloris was back.

The THFC Suppoters’ Trust had one of their regular meetings with the Spurs board recently and they’ve just posted the minutes online. I haven’t read them yet but Levy talks about stuff like the summer transfer window, difficulty in selling players, the contract situation of the likes of Eriksen, and various other stuff. Should be an interesting read.

https://www.thstofficial.com/thst-news/report-from-the-trust-meeting-with-the-spurs-board-on-8-october-2019#

Edit: surprised (and happy!) to see that the club retains 100% of the profit from the food and drink sales at the NFL matches. The first NFL match did over £1 million in beer sales alone, add all the food sales on top, the NFL merchandise sold in the club shop (which we also keep all the profit from) and the rental fee for the use of the stadium, and those two games each year should provide a handy little boost to the finances.

[fallenangle]

Yep you were spot on with Harry Winks - he did a good job too.

Easy win for England today against a side that was certainly not in the same class as the Czechs.

A lot of BS about the racist crowd trouble - if the pundits and authorities think a threat to walk the players off the pitch is going to solve the problem they're mad. Anyone could have predicted that if the Bulgarians were losing badly the bad boys amongst their supporters were going to try to disrupt the match. That is what they did.