Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 0 Newcastle - 19/04/08 - post match reaction from page 25

[M4]

Carroll 3

 

Harsh. Very harsh

 

Indeed

[Offshore]

4-3-3 for the home games.

[garth]

Have to say Carrol was out of his depth today he'll make a terrific Championship player, when we go down.

[aussiemag]

Owen needs to drop into the midfield like under Keegan and make those late runs into the box, where if Guttierez starts taking it to the byline he can cut it back for a late Owen run. This is the only position he will be effective in. I think we should also go to the back four of Beye, Collocini, Bassong, Enrique that was such a solid unit during our best spell this season under Kinnear. Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt have proven how inept they are at this level. Far too slow, don't break down the play and cant even pass the ball 5 yards. How Danny Guthrie is not getting a game is beyond me.

 

                                                      Harper

                  Beye        Coloccini                      Bassong    Enrique

                                                    Smith

                                Guthrie                        Jonas

                                                    Owen

                                    Viduka                    Martins

 

[Guest Stephen927]

Shearer is turning into the new tinkerman, sort this hit out in training man Al FFS..

 

To be fair, the system today might have worked in training. Training isn't really a good indicator of what formations and tactics work best, you have to try them out in a competitive match, unfortunately we don't have too many of them left.

[garth]

Owen needs to drop into the midfield like under Keegan and make those late runs into the box, where if Guttierez starts taking it to the byline he can cut it back for a late Owen run. This is the only position he will be effective in. I think we should also go to the back four of Beye, Collocini, Bassong, Enrique that was such a solid unit during our best spell this season under Kinnear. Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt have proven how inept they are at this level. Far too slow, don't break down the play and cant even pass the ball 5 yards. How Danny Guthrie is not getting a game is beyond me.

 

 

 

                                                      Harper

                  Beye         Coloccini                      Bassong    Enrique

                                                     Smith

                                Guthrie                        Jonas

                                                     Owen

                                    Viduka                     Martins

 

 

 

Agree with that line up.

[TRon]

There's a glimmer of hope in that we actually looked like a team once Viduka and Martins came on in place of Carroll and lardarse Nolan.

[Guest neesy111]

if barton is fit, he has to start v pompey

[Beezeri]

If Big Al decided to drop Colo for perfoming poor in the last few matches...how come he's got no balls to do the same with Nolan, Butt, Taylor, Owen? They're all English or what?

[Skirge]

We need Enrique and Barton back....

 

Beye--Tayl----Colo----Jose

 

Jonas------Barton-----Duff

 

-------------Owen

----Dukes-----------Oba

[Offshore]

Shearer was a legend as a player no doubt, but everyone here is clouding their judgement if they're saying he isn't responsible today. His formation was pants, as was his starting selection, no Guthrie? what was that all about seems to me Dowie is pulling more strings than Al.

 

I don't think anyone thinks the tactics weren't s***, so of course Shearer has to take his portion of the blame.

 

He changed it midway thru the 1st half, didn't make a difference, changed it again in the second with better results.

 

I am pleased that at least we've a manager who's prepared to change his formation/players when necessary as opposed to one who'll only change things due to injuries.

 

 

 

Agreed, and as I said earlier in the thread, he made some quick decisions dropping Coloccini and Ameobi when they were s***, so perhaps we'll start the Portsmouth game in the 4-3-3 that at least gave us a chance today.

 

it's a bit hypocritical that he drop's colo and shola because they are playing s***, but he won't drop his mate's butt and owen

 

We had match fit replacements for Colo & Shola - Taylor & Carrol.

 

Owen is fit so plays. Viduka & Martins were probably intended to be 2nd half subs at best.

[S.S.R.]

Shearer is going with players he feels he can trust. Unfortunately they're not the most capable.

[Guest Heneage]

I'm sorry but as poor as we played, that handball by Martins was a truly piss poor decision.

 

Guthrie needs to play his range of passing is  vital. I just don't think Shearer will do it, he made changes but he's clearly just going to stand by them.

[Frazzle]

Ranger to save wor season man!!

 

Although I'm not saying Ranger is the answer, it may take a gamble with a youngster, preffarbly one that plays centre mid, that will save us from this. There's probably no one though within the club that has the ability.

 

Well Macheda is starting a FA Cup semi final today at 17 but apparently Ranger can't play ten minutes in the PL, stupid.

[Unbelievable]

F*cking hell man. HAS to score.

 

Owen doesn't even make runs like that anymore..

 

What's he got to do with it?

 

He's on the pitch isn't he? (you could be forgiven for saying no by the way)..

 

Well first half he made an identical run to the Oba one there and a better ball from Jonas would have give him a simple tap in, so your argument is moot really.

 

Completely incomparable situation man.. Martins ran behind the defense himself, Owen had Jonas do the hard work for him (as he always does nowadays)..

 

That's Martins' game. He doesn't have the brain to do anything else. It's all instinctive. It comes off or it doesn't. Owen's game is to thrive on service. He didn't get it so obviously he's going to suffer. His link up play on the whole was decent though.

 

 

Well, I'm sure you will have to agree Owen is not going to be the one to pull us out of this s***, considering how little service the rest of the team can give him, is he?

 

If Martins & Viduka are up with him like last season, then yes, I do.

 

Playin in the attacking midfield position that the club have failed to properly fill in in the past 5 or 6 transfer windows is wayshere he is most effective nowadays. He's still not an all round, flair attacking midfielder though, and it would only serve us well because we would have two better strikers up top. He's finished as a top class striker; will be interesting to see whoever takes a chance on him next season, but he won't be a regular in one of the top sides, that's for sure..

[Guest zogonthetyne]

One of the real weaknesses that appears to run through our team is that we've no capability of dealing with other team's movement. If you watch our midfield in particular when they don't have possession, no forward runs are ever tracked. Nolan is possibly the biggest offender, as he is always drawn to the ball, there were many occasions today when he would close down on Lennon/Hutton, who would then release the ball and make a forward run. Instead of tracking their forward run he would just follow the ball and double up on the recipient of the pass leaving the runner completely unmarked. This happened time and time again throughout the game, and it is little surprise that Bent's goal itself came from nobody tracking his run forward and allowing him to have two attempts on goal completely unchallenged.

We also suffered today without Guthrie's ability to retain possession in the middle as Butt gave the ball away time after time. If we are to stay up, we need Martins and Viduka to remain fit for the rest of the season, the only two players in our team capable of turning a match on its head. A return to the formation Keegan had used at the end of last season looks a good bet although we don't have anyone with a delivery that's good enough to take advantage of Owen's late runs into the box. This 3-5-2 nonsense needs to be got rid of; Beye, although effective, is wasted at centre back as he adds far more to our threat at full back than R. Taylor.

[joeyt]

even though we were hopeless, I can't stop thinking about what would have been the outcome if Harper had held onto the save. They would have scored another somehow though

[KaKa]

It cannot be underestimated how much Butt negatively affects the whole team.

 

You just cannot have him in central midfield playing the way he does. He kills us defensively and going forward.

 

The likes of Nolan, Duff etc who are not that great in the first place are made to look a million times worse as he puts them all under pressure time and time again with his questionable play.

 

Taking Butt alone out of the team for Guthrie regardless of what formation we play will se us improve about 50% right off the bat.

 

Still he will remain even after today's performance.

 

You really have to wonder what it is all about when the guy continues to feature in the game every single week. It is criminal.

[Tachikoma]

Owen needs to drop into the midfield like under Keegan and make those late runs into the box, where if Guttierez starts taking it to the byline he can cut it back for a late Owen run. This is the only position he will be effective in. I think we should also go to the back four of Beye, Collocini, Bassong, Enrique that was such a solid unit during our best spell this season under Kinnear. Kevin Nolan and Nicky Butt have proven how inept they are at this level. Far too slow, don't break down the play and cant even pass the ball 5 yards. How Danny Guthrie is not getting a game is beyond me.

 

 

 

                                                      Harper

                  Beye         Coloccini                      Bassong    Enrique

                                                     Smith

                                Guthrie                        Jonas

                                                     Owen

                                    Viduka                     Martins

 

 

 

Agree with that line up.

 

Enrique and Martins to magically have their injuries heal, and Viduka to lose 10 kilos?

 

I'd still rather have Geremi in there over Smith, mind.

[Karjala]

Shite first half, decent second.

 

Oba should have burried that chance he had with 3mins remaining.

[S.S.R.]

Ranger to save wor season man!!

 

Although I'm not saying Ranger is the answer, it may take a gamble with a youngster, preffarbly one that plays centre mid, that will save us from this. There's probably no one though within the club that has the ability.

 

Well Macheda is starting a FA Cup semi final today at 17 but apparently Ranger can't play ten minutes in the PL, stupid.

 

People could argue that Ferguson isn't in the shit we're in, but it was still incredibly bold to put him on against Villa when the title was at stake.

 

He's got the got the guts to try something other than the familiar faces with reputations. Others don't - that's why he can shift has beens like Butt and Smith onto mugs like us.

[TRon]

One of the real weaknesses that appears to run through our team is that we've no capability of dealing with other team's movement. If you watch our midfield in particular when they don't have possession, no forward runs are ever tracked. Nolan is possibly the biggest offender, as he is always drawn to the ball, there were many occasions today when he would close down on Lennon/Hutton, who would then release the ball and make a forward run. Instead of tracking their forward run he would just follow the ball and double up on the recipient of the pass leaving the runner completely unmarked. This happened time and time again throughout the game, and it is little surprise that Bent's goal itself came from nobody tracking his run forward and allowing him to have two attempts on goal completely unchallenged.

We also suffered today without Guthrie's ability to retain possession in the middle as Butt gave the ball away time after time. If we are to stay up, we need Martins and Viduka to remain fit for the rest of the season, the only two players in our team capable of turning a match on its head. A return to the formation Keegan had used at the end of last season looks a good bet although we don't have anyone with a delivery that's good enough to take advantage of Owen's late runs into the box. This 3-5-2 nonsense needs to be got rid of; Beye, although effective, is wasted at centre back as he adds far more to our threat at full back than R. Taylor.

 

We needed to replace Butt in the transfer window, instead we ended up signing his twin, Nolan. We have been well and truly "Kinneared"

 

 

[samag]

It does not matter who we play in the centre of midfield, no one can pass the ball, no can open up defences, create chances or score goals. The forwards have to make their own chances. No good blaming Owen even at his best he would struggle to score with the crap service he is getting. We lost today against an ordinary. That is what should really worry everyone because any half decent team would have taken something from that game today.

[dcmk]

It cannot be underestimated how much Butt negatively affects the whole team.

 

You just cannot have him in central midfield playing the way he does. He kills us defensively and going forward.

 

The likes of Nolan, Duff etc who are not that great in the first place are made to look a million times worse as he puts them all under pressure time and time again with his questionable play.

 

Taking Butt alone out of the team for Guthrie regardless of what formation we play will se us improve about 50% right off the bat.

 

Still he will remain even after today's performance.

 

You really have to wonder what it is all about when the guy continues to feature in the game every single week. It is criminal.

 

Butt wasn't the worst out there - by far it was Ryan Taylor and Nolan. By a country mile.

[johnnypd]

It does not matter who we play in the centre of midfield, no one can pass the ball, no can open up defences, create chances or score goals. The forwards have to make the own chances. No good blaming Owen even at his best he would struggle to score with the crap service he is getting. We lost today against an ordinary. That is what should really worry everyone because any half decent team would have taken something from that game today.

 

Guthrie and Geremi can both pick a pass and keep possession to a half decent standard. but they're not big, hard lads or loud voices in the dressing room and dont crack enough jokes on the training ground to get into the team.