Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Vanilla]

Quote from AM
 “It was a bad night for a few of our players – a bad day at the office – and they know they owe us one. They owe the fans and me a performance in the next game."

So what happened to I'm not scared to drop players if they underperform.No doubt Collins wil stilll start on Sunday

Quite a regularly used phrase now.

Replace with what though? Fresh air? Problem is, who else is there? The squad is tiny and full of mediocrity at the moment. Passion can get you so far, but that is missing also.

[bilsim]

I really think relegation talk is a bit far fetched.

[Merv]

GK - Given

RB - Hutton/Cuellar
CB - Cueller/Collins
CB - Dunne
LB - Warnock

CM - Herd
CM - Petrov
CM - Jenas

RW - N'Zogbia
LW - Gabby

STR - Bent

That team should be able to get a result.

John - that's the way I'd like to see Villa shaping up for the rest of the season, in terms of formation. Very similar on the players as well. I'd keep Hutton at RB until Lichaj (who I rate) is fit to take his place, and probably look to bring Clark in at CB alongside Dunne, though I could certainly live with Cuellar in there. Collins need to sit it out for now.

Good midfield three. I'd be looking at Delph as an option/replacement for Petrov for certain games, bringing Gardner along and adding Bannan into the three if we want a more attack-minded three.

Front three should be the three who always start IMO. Albrighton as the change player for one of the wide lads.

Stick to that kind of shape and we'll be much the better for it.

[Vanilla]

I really think relegation talk is a bit far fetched.

It is funny how the people who shun the possibility of relegation regardless of our current form as 'far fetched', are usually the same people who, when it is mentioned that we need to buy a couple of players, immediately pipe up about 'We don't want to turn out like Leeds!'.

[SoccerHQ]

We won't get relegated.

I think teams will stay up on 35 points this season given how bad Wigan and Blackburn are so we're nearly halfway there anyway.

[midnite]

I don't think we'll get relegated. Not because we're too good to go down. But thankfully this season there are some woeful teams worse than us.

But I think we could be in a little dog fight with the other teams in that area come march. We'll then just scrape through and finished anywhere between 10th to 15th.

I dont see much happening in jan to change the situation. Not unless we get some offers for our fringe players like baye, Heskey. Maybe cuellar too. It would be too much to ask if the first two along with Collins got bought so we got some cash in

[Ryu]

Started reading this thread this morning and, as I expected it would be, it's full of hysterics an hyperbole so I just skipped to the end half way through.

Yes, it was a bad performance. Yes, AM's team selection really didn't work and yes, spurs looked miles better than us. But at the end of the day we've lost, away from home, to a team we usually lose to away from home and are a better side than us. if playing hutton in midfield becomes the norm then the manager should be slated but if he learns from this mistake and our next game is more like the one against Norwich then I think we should continue to give hime time.

[Shrek]

I agree with Ozzjim.

..................................Given

Herd.............Cuellar..............Dunne..........Clark

..........Gardner............Jenas.............Delph

...........Gabby...............Bent...........N'Zogbia

Guzan, Baker, Warnock, Petrov, Bannan (or Ireland), Albrighton, Burke.

Even if we lost to Swansea having a real good go, trying to play football would be acceptable with that team.

Mcleish is driving all our youngsters away from the club.
Clark,Gardner,Albrighton,Weimann,Delfouneso are a good crop a youngsters that a not even getting a look in.

Alex Mcleish OUT for me I'm afraid.

[PeterWithesShin]

I figured I would feel a bit better after a nights sleep, the old 'it's never as bad once you've calmed down' trick. But i'm still as fucked off with the team selection, lack of tactical changes and substitutions and the manner of the defeat as I was last night.

Normally i'm very much a 'fuck it, let's move on, onwards and upwards' type, but I look at the club as a whole right now and can't see much light in the future. Could be a long few years, never mind a long season.

Merry Christmas. Bah humbug!

[Concrete John]

Started reading this thread this morning and, as I expected it would be, it's full of hysterics an hyperbole so I just skipped to the end half way through.

Yes, it was a bad performance. Yes, AM's team selection really didn't work and yes, spurs looked miles better than us. But at the end of the day we've lost, away from home, to a team we usually lose to away from home and are a better side than us. if playing hutton in midfield becomes the norm then the manager should be slated but if he learns from this mistake and our next game is more like the one against Norwich then I think we should continue to give hime time.

Well said, Ryu.

[Chico Hamilton III]

as I expected it would be, it's full of hysterics an hyperbole

Yeah, whingeing Villa fans, paying the best part of a hundred quid, taking an afternoon off work to travel to North London on a Monday night before Christmas only to be served up with a pile of fucking rubbish...

[Merv]

But at the end of the day we've lost, away from home, to a team we usually lose to away from home and are a better side than us.

I think that's half the reason people are upset. I expected defeat because I have such a low expectation of this current side but I don't expect the players and the management to be so resigned before a game. The signals we sent out at the start of the game were awful. We should at least be looking to give a good account of ourselves in games, even games we're expected to lose: QPR and Fulham both managed to give Spurs a run for their money. We fell desperately short last night.

That's not being hysterical. But I remain deeply concerned about our present and future. Not one single result has surprised me this season, we've looked ordinary against some pretty average sides this season.

I genuinely and honestly think Swansea will show us up on Sunday - they look the complete opposite to us. Well drilled at the back, disciplined, vibrant, mobile, playing to their strengths.

[pauliewalnuts]

It is not about the fact we lost.

It's about the manner in which we lost.

We're used to losing matches, especially at Spurs. I can think of plenty performances far, far worse than that over the years, but I struggle to think of too many more gutless and insipid.

[Concrete John]

I genuinely and honestly think Swansea will show us up on Sunday - they look the complete opposite to us. Well drilled at the back, disciplined, vibrant, mobile, playing to their strengths.

I remember some very similar things being said about Nowrich before we played them.

[PeterWithesShin]

More like the Norwich game? You mean getting outplayed for large periods, conceding 2 goals and desperately trying to hold on to a win at home against a team that 2 years ago were in division 3?