Spurs vs Norwich - Match Thread

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="basil brush"]There is absolutely nothing positive to come out of this game at all.

The fans, like myself, who gave Hughton the benefit of the doubt are now facing reality in the face - things aren''t going to change.

All Hughton has achieved is giving us a more expensive type of mediocrity, with a negativity that cannot and must not be tolerated indefinitely. The way we go into our away games is an utter disgrace - get as many people behind the ball as possible and hope the opposition don''t score.

I could sense some of the players are already becoming complacent, something you never saw with the previous management team. This is no better than Pulis era Stoke.

The happy clappers can''t justify this for much longer - or can they?

Hughton has no excuses anymore - this is his team and his tactics and they simply do not work. If things don''t change - which I don''t expect them to - he has to go.

No excuses.[/quote]Different tactics, different team, more effort, more heart etc etc. total bullshit!None of it makes any difference when you are comprehensively outplayed by what is patently are much better team.Blahhing on about changing the manager will not change the fact that some teams are always going to have better players and be better financed than NCFC.[/quote]

 

All of the above is true, apart - possibly - from the bit in red. It will always be hard for us to compete with a team that can, for example, take off Eriksen and bring on Holtby. We just do not have that kind of money. Posters who slagged off the old regime for "prudence with ambition" seem blind to the reason why that was a perfectly sensible policy.That said (without having seen us play this season) it sounds as if Hughton is setting us up on the basis that we did sign Quagliarella (or Ibrahimovic) rather than Elmander. Apparently today we were - in theory - playing a 4-4-1-1. That will not going to work with Elmander as the link. He is not that kind of player. He can be a lone striker, or half of the top bit of a 4-4-2, but he is not an upgraded Swedish Hoolahan. I suspect better tactics would have made the game less lopsided, without - probably - changing the result.

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]--- ricardo: None of it makes any difference when you are comprehensively outplayed by what is patently are much better team. Blahhing on about changing the manager will not change the fact that some teams are always going to have better players and be better financed than NCFC.

Absolutely, but Hughton did nothing to try and change the situation. The game ran its course until the 74th minute when he made his first meaningful changes and finally removed the ineffectual Elmander.

Howson for BJ made me chuckle, if you are going to put someone on to play in the defensive midfield position why choose the guy who has failed to shine in that position for nearly 12 months now.[/quote]To be frank I think the only reason he took Johno off was to protect him from a second yellow card. So who would you have replaced him with considering we couldn''t get hold of the ball in midfield?

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="basil brush"]There is absolutely nothing positive to come out of this game at all.

The fans, like myself, who gave Hughton the benefit of the doubt are now facing reality in the face - things aren''t going to change.

All Hughton has achieved is giving us a more expensive type of mediocrity, with a negativity that cannot and must not be tolerated indefinitely. The way we go into our away games is an utter disgrace - get as many people behind the ball as possible and hope the opposition don''t score.

I could sense some of the players are already becoming complacent, something you never saw with the previous management team. This is no better than Pulis era Stoke.

The happy clappers can''t justify this for much longer - or can they?

Hughton has no excuses anymore - this is his team and his tactics and they simply do not work. If things don''t change - which I don''t expect them to - he has to go.

No excuses.[/quote]Different tactics, different team, more effort, more heart etc etc. total bullshit!None of it makes any difference when you are comprehensively outplayed by what is patently are much better team.Blahhing on about changing the manager will not change the fact that some teams are always going to have better players and be better financed than NCFC.[/quote]

 

All of the above is true, apart - possibly - from the bit in red. It will always be hard for us to compete with a team that can, for example, take off Eriksen and bring on Holtby. We just do not have that kind of money. Posters who slagged off the old regime for "prudence with ambition" seem blind to the reason why that was a perfectly sensible policy.That said (without having seen us play this season) it sounds as if Hughton is setting us up on the basis that we did sign Quagliarella (or Ibrahimovic) rather than Elmander. Apparently today we were - in theory - playing a 4-4-1-1. That will not going to work with Elmander as the link. He is not that kind of player. He can be a lone striker, or half of the top bit of a 4-4-2, but he is not an upgraded Swedish Hoolahan. I suspect better tactics would have made the game less lopsided, without - probably - changing the result.

[/quote]However it was a position that Elmander seemed to fill perfectly adequately against Southampton.I fail to see where any different set up or personnel changes would have produced a different game. We couldn''t hold the ball against Spurs high pressure pressing and when they had the ball we couldn''t get it back. No amount of wishful thinking will turn £5 million players into £20 million ones. If you catch them at less than 100% you have a chance but today Spurs were an all round superior unit.

[PurpleCanary 5,562]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="PurpleCanary"]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="basil brush"]There is absolutely nothing positive to come out of this game at all.

The fans, like myself, who gave Hughton the benefit of the doubt are now facing reality in the face - things aren''t going to change.

All Hughton has achieved is giving us a more expensive type of mediocrity, with a negativity that cannot and must not be tolerated indefinitely. The way we go into our away games is an utter disgrace - get as many people behind the ball as possible and hope the opposition don''t score.

I could sense some of the players are already becoming complacent, something you never saw with the previous management team. This is no better than Pulis era Stoke.

The happy clappers can''t justify this for much longer - or can they?

Hughton has no excuses anymore - this is his team and his tactics and they simply do not work. If things don''t change - which I don''t expect them to - he has to go.

No excuses.[/quote]Different tactics, different team, more effort, more heart etc etc. total bullshit!None of it makes any difference when you are comprehensively outplayed by what is patently are much better team.Blahhing on about changing the manager will not change the fact that some teams are always going to have better players and be better financed than NCFC.[/quote]

 

All of the above is true, apart - possibly - from the bit in red. It will always be hard for us to compete with a team that can, for example, take off Eriksen and bring on Holtby. We just do not have that kind of money. Posters who slagged off the old regime for "prudence with ambition" seem blind to the reason why that was a perfectly sensible policy.That said (without having seen us play this season) it sounds as if Hughton is setting us up on the basis that we did sign Quagliarella (or Ibrahimovic) rather than Elmander. Apparently today we were - in theory - playing a 4-4-1-1. That will not going to work with Elmander as the link. He is not that kind of player. He can be a lone striker, or half of the top bit of a 4-4-2, but he is not an upgraded Swedish Hoolahan. I suspect better tactics would have made the game less lopsided, without - probably - changing the result.

[/quote]However it was a position that Elmander seemed to fill perfectly adequately against Southampton.I fail to see where any different set up or personnel changes would have produced a different game. We couldn''t hold the ball against Spurs high pressure pressing and when they had the ball we couldn''t get it back. No amount of wishful thinking will turn £5 million players into £20 million ones. If you catch them at less than 100% you have a chance but today Spurs were an all round superior unit.[/quote]

 

You have seen both games, ricardo, and I have seen neither. Elmander may have done OK against Southampton, but he really is not suited to the role Hughton is asking him to play. And against what we agree is a significantly better team/squad that seems to have become apparent and been a factor. I am not blaming Elmander in the slightest. He is a decent enough player. But if not being able (an anagram of Bale incidentally) to hold on to the ball was a failing today then I am not surprised, given the personnel used in the system used.

[ZLF 274]

BJ was woeful today, the ball simply moved around him. Tettey again looked on another level when it came to breaking up play he reads the game so much better, intercepts the ball and actually made tackles - he is the option there and warrants a start next week.

Too many had an off day - Fer was a shadow of what we saw against soton, snoddy is simply off form and redmond only able to last 60 mins.

Elmander and RvW were isolated but worked hard defensively and the wolfs good movement and positional sense did get him into two goodpositions - neither taken today but it will come.

Elmander is improving and currently looks the only realistic alternative in that role other than Wes.

We were second to all balls, could not cope with either their technical ability and movement on the ball or their pressing game off it.

As for positives - it was the back 4 - with Seb head and shoulders our MOtm. A footballer who uses his brain and positional sense to keep us more secure. Legend

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

-- ricardo: To be frank I think the only reason he took Johno off was to protect him from a second yellow card. So who would you have replaced him with considering we couldn''t get hold of the ball in midfield?

I would have brought on Tettey who did this job admirably well when he did arrive. And I agree with you, Johno was removed because he was ineffective while on a yellow card. Unable to make challenges and put his foot in.

[the bristol nest 0]

Thanks for your insightful deconstruction of the game Ricardo.I usually enjoy your post match reviews but on this occasion your lack of interest in the city performance/tactics is lazy.Yes Spurs were outstanding but we did little to help ourselves with our defensive approach from the outset. We have been here before. Shall we just play the bottom half teams for the rest of the season?