Cronky

There were worrying signs in the team selections for this and last week that Sam isn't backing his own judgement. This is what can happen when a manager is under pressure at a bigger club. Last week, it was dropping Smith. This week it's playing Zoggy and Milner. Those are choices that a lot of people were wanting him to make, and you wonder whether he's been influenced by all that. Wrong calls both. He's got to stick to his beliefs and call it as he sees it.

Just got in and seen the line-up - that looks a very flimsy midfield. A lot of people will have got their wish with Zoggy and Milner playing though.

Exeter 4, NUFC 0. FA Cup tie, midweek, early 80's. Long trip, freezing cold, shit performance.

The Champions League has been a success and I wouldn't want to see lesser teams included just so that particular countries are represented. That idea died with the old European Cup and I wouldn't want it brought back. The only thing wrong with the Champions League is we're not in it.

raises the question I've often wondered which is how we've ended up not playing through the summer months and having the season start at Easter and end round about November time. I suppose our climate is changing and becoming more hospitable during the winter months so the need is less to avoid games in winter reduces? The point about global warming is valid. The days of vast numbers of weather postponements seem to be over. If a short break genuinely prevents injuries and burn out, then fine, but it could only work if the number of fixtures overall was reduced and no-one seems to be agreed on how to do that. You could cut down the number of European games, scrub the League Cup or reduce the size of the league, but for financial reasons the clubs are reluctant to consider any of that and I can't see it changing.

The game is faster now and takes more out of the players. If we're going to see them at their peak, then they need proper recovery time. It also improves their quality if they can spend time training rather than just resting for the next game. For me, it boils down to whether you want quality or quantity. Yes, we saw more football a few years ago, but the standard wasn't anything like as high as it is now.

You're getting a bit carried away there. Sam has done more than enough in his career to demonstrate that he has some real ability. The number of players that speak highly of him and want to play for him is testament enough to that. And look what happened to Bolton the minute he left.

There's nothing daft about the tactic of frustrating the opposition away from home and nicking a goal or two on the break or when the other team are tired in the second half. Everton have been doing this successfully for the last three seasons. In fact, to a greater or lesser extent, all teams recognise the need to take a more conservative approach away from home, at least in the early stages. Playing like that means you have to defend well, and I think Sam has only just hit upon his best back four. In front of them, the midfield needs to close the opposition down more aggressively and as a group. That's something we need to work on. The other issue is that when you do have possession, it's important to keep it and not just give it away and invite further pressure. Our midfield doesn't pass the ball well, and without Viduka the ball doesn't stick up front. We don't have much ability to hit teams on the break, despite the pace of Martins. By his own admission, Sam is still getting to know the players and trying out different things. He hasn't sorted out these problems as yet. But to say that we should go ahead for all-out attack is a bit naive. We aren't good enough to play that way either.

I disagree with pretty much everything you've said here. All of our recent home games have been 4-4-2, and although he does set out with quite a defensive midfield, the performances at home have been exciting AND attacking. I guess I'm not really sure what you're getting at.... I don't know whether this thread is riding on the dissappiontment of the Reading game, but I for one felt entertained at each our home games this season, apart from Villa. The only thing that is worrying is transferring that to our away games. Dont be fooled into think because we've scored three times in the last three home games, that we've been playing swashbukling football. We haven't. For the vast majority of in particular the Everton game we looked pretty average. The performances versues West Ham and Spurs were decent but i wouldnt call it exciting football. This bugs me a bit as well - this idea that we've been a completely different side when we're playing at home. Big Sam himself seems to be encouraging this idea. The results have obviously been different, but not the performances so much.

I'd agree with nearly all of that. Big Sam is clearly more confident about 4-3-3. Both Owen and Martins are really 4-4-2 players, and that's what's creating the dilemma. 4-3-3 doesn't make best use of either of them. Owen's link-up play is better than it used to be, and he could possibly be converted to a new role, but he still very much sees himself as a finisher. Duff, Milner and Emre could play in a 4-3-3 - Zoggy I'm not so sure about because while he has plenty of pace, his reading of the game is dodgy and he needs a clear role. At the end of the season, Big Sam has a decision to make. It's even possible that he's already investigating the possibility of replacing Martins in January with someone who's better suited to 4-3-3. Owen would be a trickier decision because of his reputation, but ultimately it's the team that matters, not individuals.

That sounds interesting. Could you expand on this 'different approach'? For me it's fairly simple. In any business, if you're putting someone in charge of producing results (ie the manager), you have to give him the means to achieve those results. Choosing staff correctly is an absolutely vital part of achieving results, and if you compromise the manager's authority in that area, then you'll have problems.

And why did Reading finish above us in the league last season? -OK, we had a terrible season with injuries etc. But in my opinion Reading did better than anyone expected because they didn't compromise how to play. They played their style, and got a good season out of that. With the squad Sam have in command, he should be Boss enough to do the same I agree with that. The thing is your defence is not good enough to try and play a defensive game and eek out a win. Chelsea were able to do it under Mourinho because they had Terry, Carvalho, Cole & Ferreira. Such a strong unit, so difficult to break down. If Reading were up against that type of defensive unit we would have struggled and you could have just nicked a goal and won it like that. Newcastle is a fantastic attacking unit. As proven by home results and the manner of your victories at SJP this season. If your strength is attack and your weakness is defence then surely you got to attack. As the old saying goes. The best form of defence is attack. Readings weakness is defence. So what do we do, we attack you like hell at the Mad Stad. Now if you attacked us back you would have outscored us. I'm pretty sure about that. Pompey outscored us by 7-4. Blackburn outscored us by 4-2. Newcastle would have outscored us with the quality of your forward play. It would have made for an amazing game as well. Thats why I think Big Sam got his tactics badly wrong. I think Big Sam and your defenders were blaming the defeat on a lack of concentration at the back. Thats nonsense. We had lots of chances. Lita could have had a couple. Sonko should have scored. Lita missed from just a couple of yards out. Newcastle had no chances. You needed us to help you out with a goal. If Newcastle were more positive you would have beaten us. Simple as that. It really is that straight forward. Big Sam has got to have a much more positive approach at Sunderland. Is that your next away game. If you attack them hard, you will win. Halford is rubbish by the way. He is slow and prone to mistakes. You can really pummell them down the left wing. We're a 'fantastic attacking unit', are we? Personally, I haven't seen a single game this year, home or away, when we've looked anything like 'fantastic' going forward. In fact, we've been a bit stodgy. As for unleashing the dynamic duo of Martins and Owen, (as suggested in your previous post) well on the few occasions that they've been together, they've looked no more convincing as a combination in practice than in theory. Martins can't hold the ball up, and while Owen's a bit better in that department, his strength is as a finisher. If Viduka had been fit, he'd have played. As individuals, Owen's lost a fair bit of pace and Martins' touch on the ball is very poor. You weren't playing Portsmouth and Blackburn at home, and in any case, at the moment, they are better sides than us. Likewise Everton, who you beat. We are what the league table suggests - a mid-table team, albeit one who can improve. I wouldn't have picked the same team that Allardyce fielded, but at the same time, things are nowhere near 'simple' or 'straightforward'. And attack isn't always the best form of defence. That's a cliche.

Yep. This tendency to go overboard with praise when we win and scream blue murder when we lose has never been more obvious than this last week. And what is going on in your signature? Is that a real ref?

Really?

People are being way too hard on Sam. He's still learning about his players, and testing different things out. Reading finished above us in the league last time, aren't far behind us now, and have a decent home record. He figured that we weren't good enough to go out there and attack them from the start. That may have been the wrong call in the end, but it wasn't a crazy call. The one decision that surprised me was starting with Oba and using Smith as a sub. Smith's retention of the ball and link up play is far better than Oba's, and that's what we needed. Maybe Sam is a bit fed up of Smith's regular bookings and bans, and didn't want to let him think he could walk back into the side. Maybe he was a bit reluctant to break up a strikeforce after a 3-1 win. Hopefully he wasn't influenced by the many fans who don't like Smith. Whatever, dropping Oba would have been the controversial but correct decision, and he didn't make it.

For me, the most important person for Spurs isn't Juande Ramos, it's Ledley King. If King doesn't come back fit, strong and healthy, and if he doesn't stay that way, then they are in trouble. If you're weak in defence, then the lack of confidence spreads throughout the team. From what everyone's saying, Ramos believes that attack is the best form of defence, but I don't think that's the medicine that Spurs need right now. The other reason why I've got doubts about Ramos being the right man is I think there are divisions within the squad. There were players that weren't giving their all, and some that were loyal to Jol. It'll be tough for someone whose English isn't very good to get to know everyone and assert himself. Presumably Poyet has been brought in to help out in that area, but he's not familiar with the players either. The way the papers are talking, you'd have thought that getting out of the drop zone was a formality, and Ramos's real task is building a Champions League side. Well, if he'd taken over four months ago, that might have been the case, but the situation's different now. King isn't going to be a regular starter in the future if he doesn't call it a day beforehand. The best I've heard is play one, sit one out, the worst play one, sit out 3. Whatever evolves, he'll start less than he misses. Ramos isn't stupid, he knows things will have to change and quickly. By all accounts the players had a culture shock at Spurs Lodge today. Those that played yesterday did 2 light training sessions, the others got a real workout. They all get the same tomorrow. Sevilla put a lot of hard work into their style and any Spurs fan will tell you that there is no way the current Spurs squad could play at that level of intensity. There's been no moans about the change in training, not that it would make any difference. Comolli is delighted, he wanted the players trained to have high energy levels as well as high technical ability. Jol put the emphasis the other way round. This isn't the greatest time to be working on the players' fitness. And it won't make much difference to the main area of weakness, which is the goalkeeper and centre backs. If King is as knackered as you're suggesting, maybe he's not the answer after all. You need to hope that there's a good centre back available in January. And Kanoute? Surely just an idle rumour, when you've already got Berbatov, Keane, Defoe and Bent. Not the answer at all.

I've just seen a 15 year old make their debut in midfield as a sub for Crystal Palace - John Bostock. For his age, he looked brilliant. Deffo a name to look out for.

Normally the season review DVD has come out long before now. Does anyone know what's happened here? The club said that they were not going to be releasing a season review at the start of this season IIRC. Why not, and..........ummmmm..... what does IIRC mean?

For me, the most important person for Spurs isn't Juande Ramos, it's Ledley King. If King doesn't come back fit, strong and healthy, and if he doesn't stay that way, then they are in trouble. If you're weak in defence, then the lack of confidence spreads throughout the team. From what everyone's saying, Ramos believes that attack is the best form of defence, but I don't think that's the medicine that Spurs need right now. The other reason why I've got doubts about Ramos being the right man is I think there are divisions within the squad. There were players that weren't giving their all, and some that were loyal to Jol. It'll be tough for someone whose English isn't very good to get to know everyone and assert himself. Presumably Poyet has been brought in to help out in that area, but he's not familiar with the players either. The way the papers are talking, you'd have thought that getting out of the drop zone was a formality, and Ramos's real task is building a Champions League side. Well, if he'd taken over four months ago, that might have been the case, but the situation's different now.

Away from home, the opposition midfield pressures the ball a bit more and Butt has difficulty coping with that. He ends up passing the ball to someone who's in a weaker position, or passing the ball to nowhere in particular in the hope of finding a black and white shirt. Players in that position often see a lot of the ball, and if they can't pass well we end up wasting possession. Away from home, we can't afford to waste the few opportunities that come our way. Butt will have his days when things go right for him, but basically I don't like him that much. Despite his experience, you don't really sense that he's providing any leadership or taking responsibility. If we're up against it, he's not a player that's going to pull things round. If we're looking at a midfield four, I'd play Geremi and Barton in the centre. Geremi might not make so many tackles, but we'd use possession a lot more confidently with him in that role.

Agree with this, though I wouldn't favour playing him at home either. For an experienced player, he loses all composure under pressure.

Normally the season review DVD has come out long before now. Does anyone know what's happened here?

I agree. It looks very wussy.

I wouldn't worry. From what I've seen, your midfield hasn't provided much defensive cover all season, but your centre backs have been great and you've got away with it. Against Chelsea, that just wasn't good enough. You only have to face them twice.