Cronky

On 25/04/2024 at 08:29, Cronky said:

You don't have to chop a player's legs away to bring them down. That tug on the arm was enough for Longstaff to lose his balance. Maybe he could have staggered on and kept on his feet but he'd have lost the ball.

 

It seems that it failed the 'clear and obvious' test, but I'm pretty sure if the ref had been sent to the screen he'd have changed his mind. We were unlucky.

It's occurred to me that if the pen had been given, the ref would have had to issue a red card as well. It was unquestionably a goal-scoring opportunity.

Maybe that led to him and the VAR official adding an extra layer of caution to their decisions?

You don't have to chop a player's legs away to bring them down. That tug on the arm was enough for Longstaff to lose his balance. Maybe he could have staggered on and kept on his feet but he'd have lost the ball.

It seems that it failed the 'clear and obvious' test, but I'm pretty sure if the ref had been sent to the screen he'd have changed his mind. We were unlucky.

Micah Richards goal

I love this guy. I think he's great.

12 hours ago, toon25 said:

Have changed my opinion on Rice since he's moved to Arsenal. He's been fantastic every time I've seen him. Comfortable in every position he's played in at CM. Was everywhere tonight.

He's certainly looked better, but he's playing in a better side so you'd expect that.

He's a great athlete, very strong in his running, and that shows in many of the things he does on the pitch. I still don't think he's quite the superstar that some would say. He's not in the class of someone like Odegaard, who seems to have the lot.

I think Gallagher would definitely improve our squad, but money will be tight and there are other priorities.

Jackson is a talent, but his decision-making is sometimes schoolkid standard. However, he is steadily improving. 

1 hour ago, Mahoneys Tache said:

Good spot 😁

 

I’d argue it was Waddle. 
 

edit: it was bait but also likely true. 50 years has taught me to be pessimistic and therefore less at risk of crushing disappointment. 

 

 

 

The 80s were indeed a bad time. First Waddle, then Beardsley, then Gazza in successive seasons, I think it was. We did our best to get relegated and finally succeeded.

Time to shed the pessimism now, I reckon. We're in good hands.

5 minutes ago, Mahoneys Tache said:

This could be another watershed moment like selling Andy Cole, which set us up for several years of glorious failure. 

Not really. That was more or less a swap for Les Ferdinand. (Unless that was bait, he added hastily)

That did prompt me to wonder what was our costliest sale. Arguably Gazza, with Beardsley a close second.

I think we’re in for a good run-in.

It’s probably been mentioned before but this Gordon-Isak-Barnes attack has parallels with the Salah-Firmino-Mane trio that did so well for Liverpool. Plenty of pace and trickery.

1 hour ago, Froggy said:

 

Who said I was happy?  Just saying he did it in response to an opposition player doing it. 

 

Classless from Coventry, classless from Antony.

Both are immature, but there’s a difference between taking the piss out of fans who were booing you and mocking defeated opponents in their time of misery. 

8 hours ago, El Prontonise said:

 

He didn't score.

I was talking about his general quality and contribution to Villa's season.

20 minutes ago, brummie said:

Ollie Watkins in the second half today gave what I really reckon is the best 45 minutes performance by anyone, this season. Unplayable.

Didn't see the game, but yes, good player. Gets goals from very unpromising situations.

22 minutes ago, huss9 said:

one stone wall, one probable, and one 50-50.

Forest were unlucky, but I don't think any of them were stonewall. The ref didn't give any of them, and then it's down to the 'clear and obvious' test, which of course has a subjective element to it.

On another day, a ref would probably have given at least one of them, but it's not about just substituting one opinion for another. 

Either way, Forest should not have accused the system of corruption, and made some veiled threat of legal action. I don't like agreeing with Gary Neville, but he's got it spot on. It's a very slippery slope when clubs join in with the sort of conspiracy theories that supporters like to nurture.

Only saw the last hour of the game, but during that period Coventry did not look like a Championship side. They got back into it through Premiership standard football. That's the story here, surely.

Yes, the players end up playing too many games, but Pep is the last person who should be complaining. In fact, City have been able to take advantage of the situation. They effectively have two first teams and can easily rotate the squad whilst their opponents are forced to field the same players.

Villa looked good against Arsenal, and as long as Watkins stays fit, they should be fine, I'd have thought. He gets them goals from all sorts of unpromising situations.

8 hours ago, Mattoon said:

Am I the only one that doesn't care what City win? Could have done with the coefficient as a safety net.

No, you're not. The FFP evidence against them is overwhelming and that gives the whole enterprise an unreal flavour. They also stifle teams and are boring to watch.

35 minutes ago, RobsonsWonderland said:

And Mcmanaman droning on and on...

He reminded me of that Harry Enfield character - 'You don't wanna do this, you wanna do that'.

17 hours ago, Menace said:

 

Not sure if its been posted before - quite enjoyed it actually

It was interesting what they picked up on - eg the way a player approached the penalty spot and put the ball down.

It sounds like Postecoglou is concentrating on instilling his basic strategy, which is to play an all-action aggressive style, with a big effort to squeeze the space and recover any lost possession far up the pitch. 

It worked very well at first, but a team is liable to pick up more than its fair share of injuries and cards, and may run out of steam later on in the season. And when the pressure comes on in the final stages of the season, you may need more strings to your bow.

The thought is that Postecoglou will later develop his team's capacity for other strategies, as situations change in a match, and to suit different opponents. At the moment, it's the cavalry charge, but are his players starting to want something more? 

1 hour ago, cubaricho said:

 

What? How is that even possible?  

Eric Dier was asked about the difference between Conte and Postecoglou, and this is what he came up with - 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/football/tottenham-eric-dier-explains-how-ange-postecoglou-differs-from-antonio-conte-and-jose-mourinho/ar-BB1ljFA3

Make of it what you will.

5 hours ago, SteV said:

I seem to remember that 2% was the chance of us avoiding relegation when Eddie took over.

It'll be interesting to see how Spurs react now that they're coming under a bit of pressure. They've started really well and have been favourites for the top four for a long while, and it's started to slip away. Their supporters are starting to grumble.

Postecoglou is new to the very top level, and won't have experienced this sort of pressure before. He has to keep his players believing in what he's asking them to do, and two defeats in his next two games will make that difficult. His methods are said to be a bit unusual (ie no work on tactics) and it'll be easy for the players to start blaming him rather than themselves if things start to go wrong.

9 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

Tend to agree with TCD. 

 

A ten point buffer with six games remaining is massive. Overhauling Spurs not only requires a total collapse on their part, it means even with an injury hit squad, we can't put a foot wrong.

 

It's not impossible, but it's highly improbable.

 

7th would be a decent finish. 6th would be exceptional under the circumstances.

Spurs' next three games are with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Ours are with Palace, Sheffield United and Burnley. That 10 point gap could get slashed to 3 or even 1, and then it'll get very interesting.

Spurs started the season very well, but seem to have run out of steam. That high-tempo, aggressive game may have taken its toll. And maybe other clubs have sussed Ange out a bit - there were signs of that on Saturday.

I don't fear the Man U game at all. I think our players will relish it.

Chelsea need a striker, not a change of manager.

If they can land Osimhen, that'll make a big difference.

No need to look backwards with regret. The run-in is fairly straightforward and the team is now playing with confidence. The teams around us aren't pulling up trees so I'd be disappointed now if we don't make 6th.

Even 5th is possible. Villa look good but something's not quite right with Spurs.