Keep your mails coming to theeditor@football365.com.
Spurs overhaul
Slightly bemused Spurs fan here. That was easily in the top 5 worst performances I can remember from my team and there have been plenty over my 44 years of support. It seems like it’s the proper beginning of the end for Mourinho and will be interesting who we opt for next, we yoyo between project managers AVB, Hoddle, Poch and the here and nowers Mou, Redknapp etc. Imagine that Levy won’t twist until he has someone else lined up and there aren’t many of them really.
In some way I feel a bit sorry for him, he’s constantly stated that the deep defending is not the plan, players have backed that view but it doesn’t stop it from happening so often and I guess that the managers role to coach or adapt. Please don’t send in that overused and annoying Einstein quote in a response. The Arsenal defeat I would say was exactly where a shape change and pragmatism would have wrestled a bit of impetus from Arsenal so that one I’m happy to lay at the feet of Jose, but last night, that was all on the players, they were awful, terrible. It wasn’t a tactical decision for each to forget what to do. The fault will always lay at the manager but the players are getting a bit of a free ride at the moment.
Poch couldn’t fix us and it looks more likely that neither can Mourinho, so maybe the constant is the issue, a bit of an overhaul, some tough decisions short term on players may freshen the place up and allow some reinvestment.
But, the worlds still spinning, the sun’s starting to shine and it’s really just another funny result for a club and fan base that is pretty much expecting one round every corner any way. In many ways it comforting. Well done Zagreb is what I say.
Steve – Chin up
Excellent article by Raj Bains on Spurs under Enic (Daniel Levy). The allusion to the faulty fridge does provoke thought as to looking beyond the management rather than the coaches at the helm.
For Spurs, I think it should be a case of managed expectations. For now, to focus more on excelling in the cups and transmitting that confidence to going for the league. There should be a clear plan as to get to the top. As yet, they can’t be considered as an elite team- too sloppy, too spursy, a roller coaster, too up and down-ish.
If we were to take a parallel with Arsenal before their move from Highbury, they reached the Champ’s league final and fell apart after moving to the Emirates, same with Spurs, only that Spurs managed to keep their better players, but lost their (over-achieving) coach, the soul of the operation.
One thing Wenger did right was to manage expectations following that move, but he also got trapped in the cycle and became a victim of his own success. Prioritizing Champions League places over an actual trophy was a hollow victory that led to his downfall. It was admirable to blood the kids in the domestic cups, but it proved to be chances wasted, as they barely waited around to repay his trust once they approached being the full article, and some never came up the required standard.
In all, Tottenham could benefit from a similar dose of managed expectations, until they can maintain an assault on the League table, but chasing down the cups in the meantime, not going gung-ho on all fronts and failing at the last hurdle. A dispassionate approach as mentioned in the article, to break down the hoodoo and end the trophy drought.
I’m an Arsenal fan, but I admire Daniel Levy and the way Tottenham is run. (Imagine keeping your best players and always selling for a sizeable profit if need be!) What Tottenham lack, I think, is a clear idea to get to the top, they have clear plans, but perhaps too little imagination at the moment.
Ps: the Danny Rose issue could maybe have been handled better.
Iyanu, Lagos Nigeria.
Dear Spurs fans,
We did warn you.
Sincerely,
Man Utd, Chelsea, and Real Madrid fans.
Only West Brom would swap for Solskjaer
Ive seen a few emails recently as to whether United can attract a top class manager…..personally i think they can as money talks. However regards the actual current manager would any fans of a current PL team swap their manager with man utd.
By my reckoning (non scientific i may add) i think West Brom probably would and thats it…..
So mailbox a poll!! No need for reasons just email in who you support and a simple yes/no if you would swap managers…….
Paul (i wouldnt) Manchester
Trent’s exclusion
Sigh…
Quick riposte for Paul McDevitt.
Just putting any old rubbish in quotation marks doesn’t make it an actual quote of an actual thing that an actual person said. Southgate didn’t say “he [Trent] hasn’t been at his best for 2 years” – that is the sort of “quote” that the Prime Minister would’ve put in a Times article before the Times invited him politely to stop working for the Times!
What he said was: “I don’t think he has played to the level he found in the last couple of years but I think he is getting close to that now”.. which I think is pretty undeniable.
Good right back who’s been in below par form not getting picked ahead of other right backs who are in better form… sounds about right to me!
Also, citing his goals and assists… in that case, he should be dropping a keeper and calling up Tom King from Newport County, who has more goals (1) than any of the keepers selected! Glib, I know, because attacking output from a fullback is good, but it’s not the only attribute to consider. Great for Liverpool, where (when it’s working) he basically has no defensive responsibility, so his being an awful defender is mitigated, but maybe it’s not quite the right fit for England, whose first choice centre back, as many a Liverpool fan enjoys pointing out, is no Virgil van Dijk!
Andy (MUFC)
Has anyone thought that trents omission from the recent squad was contrived? Somethings not right with him & it hasn’t been for quite a few games now. He’s either carrying a knock or he’s simply just in need of a rest. Gomes got a season ending injury last time out, my guess is that klopp & Southgate had a conversation & the agreement was that he would not be selected, that can’t be made public because other managers would demand similar treatment. However it went it’s great news for Liverpool, lots of our players will be getting a 3 week break that is very much needed!
Marcel G, LFC
The Gods shine on the Reds
Dear Gods of football,
I respectfully note you have influenced the Champions League draw.
I greatly appreciate your efforts on Liverpool’s behalf over the last few years, and sincerely hope you have decided Liverpool will win number 7 following dramatic victories over Real, Chelsea and City.
A Ramos hat-trick in the quarters would not be funny.
Yours worshippingly
Aidan, Lfc (he’s going to score the winning penalty isn’t he?)
What it’s all about
While I was writing my mail about Mourinho being the devil on Thursday night, my wife asked me why I was typing a long email late at night. Having explained the football365 mailbox, she asked me what would happen next. “Well”, I said, “assuming I’m published then I’ll likely be called names, told I’m wrong and generally be abused in the subsequent mailbox”. Safe to say she didn’t understand why I would bother.
But then low and behold, Jon from Lincoln writes a positive message about being inspired and motivated by my mail. And I’m at least 75% sure he wasn’t taking the piss.
And you know what – it kept a smile on my face for the rest of the day. My point here isn’t particularly football related I’m afraid but is just to say that it’s amazing what affect a few kind words can have on people. So Jon from Lincoln, you too have a great name and thank you for your words. It’s inspired me to say more kind things to people more often.
As for me replacing Mourinho, I still think we’d have a better chance with the traffic cone but maybe I’ll start dusting off my Football Manager CV…
Cheers, Jon
To do this, we need more mails…
I know there have been many, many emails lamenting how much coverage Man united and Liverpool get on F365 so here’s another one.
Can we have a United and Liverpool-free mailbox once or twice a week? I’d love hear more about Southampton fans discussing Hassenhuttl-ball, or Leicester fans discussing their new 3-5-2 formation, or anybody discussing anything but these two clubs. The whole shitstorm about TAA not getting an England call-up and the Mailbox’s response to it is the straw that broke my camel’s back. Get over it. Aymeric Laporte has NEVER gotten a France call-up; you don’t see City fans kick and scream about it and claim how much better he is than those selected.
Look at what you made me do, I’m big-upping Man City for fuck’s sake. And yes, I get the boring old argument of bigger club more clicks; yawn.
-Adi, MUFC, NYC (Yes, I’m a United guy)
Outstanding hat-tricks
Mikey,CFC asked about outstanding hat-tricks and I’m sure the mailbox will get flooded with examples. I can certainly think of a brilliant hat trick (maybe even 4 goals) by Suarez v Norwich, but Liverpool fans can describe that far better than me. So I’ll go for the Bergkamp Hat-trick v Leicester in 1997-98 season. Bergkamp was unplayable at that time, he won consecutive player of the month awards at the start of that season and an historic 1st, 2nd and 3rd in goal of the month! I believe 2 of them were from this Leicester hat trick. The first a corner of the penalty box curler that is the very definition of hitting the postage stamp (or ‘top bins’ as the youngsters say) and the hat trick goal the incredible control, juggle and finish.It also made me think that back in the 90’s there were a lot of players who played this sort of classic No.10 role in a 4-4-2 but that type of player along with the formation has somewhat died out in the modern game.
Rich, AFC
Nominative determinism
It’s Friday and I’m bored at work – let’s have some footballing nominative determinism. I’m going to stretch the credibility of my own premise and start with Kepa, the legendary Celtic defender Rafael Scheidt, Peter Crouch, Eric Dier, Robbie Savage, and Jose Izquierdo (translation required). These are terrible and I apologise.
FM, Edinburgh
The post Would any Premier League team swap for Solskjaer? appeared first on Football365.