Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

We have three homes games coming up, two are against teams which are probably of similar strength to Spurs and one which is undoubtedly stronger.
We cannot simply attempt a purely negative approach for this 270 plus minutes of play, conversely a totally gung-ho attitude would be suicidal. There has to be a balance, but that balance must be  weighed notably more to the offensive than anything displayed at White Hart Lane.

[Somniloquism]

For giving up the game before it's even been played, last night dosen't come anywhere near Man. City away last season imo.

Made worse by Houllier pretty much admitting it afterwards.

Well McCleish admitted it as well.

Although the Moscow and Citeh cup games were both given up on before KO, you could see the reasoning as the league seemed more important in both cases (albeit at different ends). And at least you are also blooding some youngsters and they might want to play to keep a place in the team. Last night the only youngster we played was Herd and that seemed to be more that he was the best DM in the club then anything else.

[barrysleftfoot]

 What kind of message was last night teams selection giving out.

  N'Zog, Bannan, Ireland.......you're not good enough to play against Spuds

  Gabby and Bent.........whwen you knock on my door in Jan, how am i going to reassure you that we are an ambitious club?

  McL needs to realise he has moved across the city.

[Chris Smith]

I haven't read the thread and don't intend to. I didn't watch the game and do not intend to.

We lost to a much better team, one that has seen continuous investment for about ten years but one which were behind us not so long ago. These things go in cycles.

It appears that the manager tried a couple of different things to try to stop one of the form sides in the league. It didn't work but he's entitled to try and I doubt the result would gave been much different whatever we'd done.

According to many on here getting to sixth was "easy", they were wrong then and it makes me less inclined to take any notice of their opinions now.

[taylorsworkrate]

I don't think many thought it was easy to get to sixth place.  It clearly wasn't and took a lot of investment to do so.

Chris, I agree that Spurs would probably have won the game anyway (not that the management / coaching staff / players should ever feel that way about any match, they get paid way too much money to write games off), but the team selection was woeful. 

Our players struggled to keep the ball for more than 2 passes, yet Bannan and Ireland didn't play.  We had two inform strikers on the pitch, yet decided to play Heskey and Hutton out wide.  That despite N'Zogbia having played well in recent weeks.   We have conceded silly goals from set pieces in recent weeks, yet the same underperforming defenders are picked.

Mcleish speaks well in interview, but is failing to back up his words.

Most fans have come to terms with the lowering of ambitions, the least we want to see is an effort to play attractive football and attack. (against every team we play, not just your Norwich's and Wigan's)

[Chris Smith]

Most fans have come to terms with the lowering of ambitions, the least we want to see is an effort to play attractive football and attack. (against every team we play, not just your Norwich's and Wigan's)

Great in theory but Spurs are the form team in the league and if by playing an open game we've conceded five he'd now be getting slaughtered for being naive.

I'm not defending the selection as it clearly didn't work but rather his right to try it.

[Eigentor]

Most fans have come to terms with the lowering of ambitions, the least we want to see is an effort to play attractive football and attack. (against every team we play, not just your Norwich's and Wigan's)

Great in theory but Spurs are the form team in the league and if by playing an open game we've conceded five he'd now be getting slaughtered for being naive.

I'm not defending the selection as it clearly didn't work but rather his right to try it.

So you're saying the the manager has a right to select the team?

Some controversial comments you're coming with here.

What next, the referee might have been wrong but has the right to act as match official?

[Chris Smith]

It is controversial on here as he's getting stick for not doing exactly as posters are demanding. As I said I didn't watch the game but can see the logic in setting up to try to stop Bale. I've been told how crap we were so accept that it didn't work but we all know that if he'd tried a more attacking formation and that had failed many of the same people would be giving him stick for that instead.

[taylorsworkrate]

It is controversial on here as he's getting stick for not doing exactly as posters are demanding. As I said I didn't watch the game but can see the logic in setting up to try to stop Bale. I've been told how crap we were so accept that it didn't work but we all know that if he'd tried a more attacking formation and that had failed many of the same people would be giving him stick for that instead.

I remember in 07/08 when we lost at Old Trafford, how happy me and my mates were that we'd had a go, and taken the game to Manure. 

Maybe its just my personal opinion, but i'd rather get stuffed 4-0 / 4-1 having a go, rather than beat 1-0 never having given ourselves a chance.

[oldtimernow]

perhaps AM is already looking at the goal difference come season's end.....about -14 by my reckoning

[batucada]

So much of football is about motivation and self belief. If the manager virtually tells the players  before the game that they aint gonna win is it any wonder that they played like that.

[cheltenhamlion]

Perhaps its because I am old fashioned but it ruins me to watch any fixture where a team sets up for damage limitation. That's not the football I enjoy.

At a push you can understand a tiny team in the cup against one of the big boys doing it but in your own league?

I don't mind us losing, I can understand us falling from where we were based on cash flow and previous errors of judgement. But to not try? Against fucking Spurs? I just can't accept that.

Fair enough, they have a better team than us. They have been managed significantly better both in terms of the quality on the pitch and the control of finances.

But at least try to give them a game. Stourbridge took it to Plymouth. Norwich took it to Man Ure at Old Trafford. We took it up the arse.