Sunderland vs Spurs match thread

therecklessone

Line ups:

Sunderland: Gordon, Etuhu, Nosworthy, McShane, Edwards, Whitehead, Stokes, Richardson, Murphy, Yorke, Wallace. Subs: Miller, Ward, Collins, Chopra, Connolly.

Spurs: Robinson, Chimbonda, Stalteri, Kaboul, Gardner, Tainio, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Keane, Berbatov. Subs: Cerny, Defoe, Huddlestone, Bent, Rocha.

Expected Rocha at LB, and no Taarabt on the bench? Not sure Thudd can change the game from the bench, so we're relying on Bent and Defoe if we need to chase the game.

Snake Plisken

Oh what a disaster!!!!! Spurs really weren't up to much in this game, I also thought taking Berby off for Defoe was a mistake ok, he wasn't doing much but as we saw with his chance in the first half he just needs one chance to score. Fairplay to Sunderland, they fought to the end and got a good goal. Looks like on this performance they'll do well this season.

Snake

Playboy

Snake Plisken wrote:

Oh what a disaster!!!!! Spurs really weren't up to much in this game, I also thought taking Berby off for Defoe was a mistake ok, he wasn't doing much but as we saw with his chance in the first half he just needs one chance to score. Fairplay to Sunderland, they fought to the end and got a good goal. Looks like on this performance they'll do well this season.

Snake

Not enough desire to win and an insane lack of creativity or width in midfield. I'm going to the everton game on tuesday and I'm not looking foward to it if we play like that.

Snake Plisken

anyway we never do well in the first game of the season, it can only get better

Snake

colly_browy

Beaten by a team who wanted it far, far more.

No width, Malbranque and Tanio always want to come central.

Still don't get the Chimbonda thing at all.

This 4 strikers thing could turn out to be our achilles heel, I hate to admit ot but Jamie Redknapp made a great point that having two quality strikers on the bench breeds insecurity on the two that are on the pitch. Berbatov was pissed off (great start for team morale), and i think the Defoe substitution showed a weakness on the part of Jol. He made the substitution for Defoe's benfit alone.

Wendell Gee

The team had structural weaknesses, but the attitude was more worrying. keane pointing all around him, players losing 60-40 balls, midfield pissing about, narrow, no out ball. Theonly problem I have with Bent's signing is that we needed a quality midfielder more. This might still happen. Fingers crossed this confirms to Jol the need for a decent midfielder. Jenas and Zokora are not looking like a midfield that are busy or dominant.

galinka

In a physical game we always come off 2nd best.
Mc Shane won every ball - lots of pushing off but getting away with it.

Gardner and Staltieri will stop us winning if we were to spend another £100M - they are both planks and should be left go for nothing.

Kaboul was excellent - why dont we let take free kicks, he has terrific power.

Tainio is too defensive - Huddlestone seems to think he can fanny around and loses possessions.

I seriously feel Jol has been getting away with murder - this certainly does not change my mind.

northlondon17

galinka wrote:

In a physical game we always come off 2nd best.
Mc Shane won every ball - lots of pushing off but getting away with it.

Gardner and Staltieri will stop us winning if we were to spend another £100M - they are both planks and should be left go for nothing.

Kaboul was excellent - why dont we let take free kicks, he has terrific power.

Tainio is too defensive - Huddlestone seems to think he can fanny around and loses possessions.

I seriously feel Jol has been getting away with murder - this certainly does not change my mind.

I seriously feel Jol has been getting away with murder.......SPOT ON...today was a joke...he'll b gone soon anyway within the year or two...his not up to it.

Snake Plisken

northlondon17 wrote:

I seriously feel Jol has been getting away with murder.......SPOT ON...today was a joke...he'll b gone soon anyway within the year or two...his not up to it.

And who do you think we can get to replace him????? He has improved our league position in the last 2 years, previous to him the highest we achieved was 7th under Gerry Francis. Unless we have a disaster of a season i.e. bottom 4 Idon't see the board sacking him

Snake

galinka

Only 2 teams have spent more than us in recent years - our midfield is woeful, we have 2 defenders on today i would not have in my way.

Jol is paid - well - to manage. Tactically he is hopeless - remember Chelsea in Cup last season. We need some hard men in midfield - not a couple of guys who go missing when the chips are down.

We might Gross back!

Jurgen Klinsmann would do nicely for me - via satellite from California he'd do better!

Snake Plisken

Gross was a very good manager as he has proved since, its just he got a hardtime from the media in the UK and it didn't help that he arrived at his first press conference on the Tube!
Jurgen might be interesting but I think he still has a lot to prove at club level management.

But I'm not going to join the "Get Jol Out" campaign just yet, if we have a crap league campaign but win the Uefa cup I would still consider the season a success.

Snake

Robxxx7

seasons just began and all ready i'm feeling hacked off ...hope this is not another false dawn

Liam Byrne

Nil-all would have been a fair result today.....

Not excusing Spurs completely, though, because if they'd played better and handled the constant nudges and pushing better, they'd have won; and in order to be in the top 4 they'll need to win against the "physical" teams.......any team that doesn't have the skill to play better than you is going to do whatever it takes to stop you playing your own game, and on this display Spurs are still unable to cope with that.

Good points from the match:
Top-class save by Robinson to deny Sunderland
Malbranque played a LOT better than most matches last season
Huddlestone can still crack one from distance and was unlucky to find the Sunderland keeper in the only position from which he could comfortably save

Things to work on:
Leaky central defence still firmly in-place, with too much ball-watching or strolling back
Berbatov & Keane's telepathy and ball-skills seemed a little rusty - some flashes of brilliance (such as the controlled flick over the Sunderland keeper before he was sneakily nudged off the ball), but overall not up to the required standard that we've come to expect from them

therecklessone

Didn't see all of the game, though did catch the 1st half and the last 15 minutes of the 2nd half.

What can I say? No creativity, you could have had all four strikers on the field and we still wouldn't have threatened Gordon's goal. Four central midfielders on the pitch and not a left foot among the starting 11, we were too narrow (on both sides) but especially the left side.

Two strikers on the bench is bollox. Make your mind up, ditch one and have a 2nd midfielder to bring on. That game was crying out for Taarabt or Lennon in his pomp.

I reckon the overall plan Jol has is that our starting XI will be:

Robbo
Bale King Dawson Chimbonda
Steed Jenas Zokora Lennon
Berbs Keane/Bent

The intention being that Bale and Chimbonda will provide the width by pushing forward when possible, and Lennon will move around the midfield four a lot. When we're missing all 3 LBs and Lennon that plan goes out the window.

I don't think the lack of a LW is the problem, I think not having players who can adapt to circumstances is.

galinka

I think Kaboul will be our Berbatov signing of this Summer - not Bent or the rest.

This guy looks the part. I'd luv to see him in midfield if Dawson & king were fit again. At last a Spurs player with a physical presence. Play him next to Zokora and then we'd see an improvement.

Snake Plisken

Well read some of the comments Jol made after the match he thought Spurs were lazy, and he said that the midfield lacked creativity in supplying decent balls up to the strikers. So at least he has the same opinion as the rest of us, I can see some major changes for the everton game.

Snake

colly_browy

therecklessone wrote:

Two strikers on the bench is bollox. Make your mind up, ditch one and have a 2nd midfielder to bring on. That game was crying out for Taarabt or Lennon in his pomp.

Agree 200%. He cannot justify having two strikers on the bench. It's madness.

"We have to learn how to protect a 0-0."
- M Jol after the game.

No, you have to learn comfortably outplay and beat second-rate opposition. If you compare the attitudes of both managers going into this game it's no surprise Sunderland won it.
We need 6 points from the next two games and nothing less.

northlondon17

Snake Plisken wrote:

And who do you think we can get to replace him????? He has improved our league position in the last 2 years, previous to him the highest we achieved was 7th under Gerry Francis. Unless we have a disaster of a season i.e. bottom 4 Idon't see the board sacking him

Snake

Jol has brought us as far as he is able to i think....i dont think he can handle big name players....to me berbo didnt look happy on sat, and i think he played bad for him, i'd love to see Fabio Capello at the club...but im prob all wrong and we'll go on a 10 games unbeaten ....i wish:o

northlondon17

does anyone out there rate tainio....??? i think he's f**kin crap...i dont kno wat jol see's in him...nd he seems to love him cause when he's fit he plays........:mad: :mad: :mad:

Snake Plisken

northlondon17 wrote:

i'd love to see Fabio Capello at the club

I wouldn't he fluked the spanish league last season why do you think they got rid of him. Gus Hiddink now there is someone who I would like to see at Spurs, not just yet though I'd give Big Martin another 2 seasons (this one included), at least he could see the same issues as the rest of us could, no creativity in our midfield. Hopefully he can get 7 1/2 Miliion for Mido and use that money to buy a decent midfielder.

Snake

BERBA

BMJ has to feel he's under pressure....tactically he got it wrong again...taking off berb's for defoe!!!.....ditch defoe...we only need 3 strikers!....as for tainio?..Jol seriously loves him...and he's crap.....i reckon were cryin out for another midfielder coz as long as were missing king dawson and lennon we'll struggle....where was routledge on sat?...surely he'd be a better option than tainio. what about putting chimbo in centre half instead of playin that plank gardner....6 pts v everton and derby is a must now!!!...didn't help seeing the goons win in injury time either yday!!!.

I-Bleed-White

Can't believe the amount of BMJ bashing going on after just 1 game into the season. I've only been a Spurs fan for the last eight years and maybe some of you were Spurs fans long before that when expectations were high and Spurs were favourites for alot of cups and leagues but this is the first time in the 8 years that Spurs have been getting respect and praise for the type of football they play and the financial structure of the club. Other clubs commenting on Spurs gradual strengthening as a blueprint to be followed by the smaller clubs.

Sunderland away on the first day of the season was ALWAYS going to be a tough game and after that performance all I think is we just have to get our expectations back in check. We have a young team and an alledgedly strong and creative midfielder coming through in KP Boatang not to mention an abundance of injuries. We are not Chelski fans and I for one will not be calling for rolling heads after one POOR result. It was only 1-0 from a goal scored in injury time. Hardly too much of an embarrasment considering seasons past.

John W

I think I said this a while back when everyone was going on about a Champions league place. Calm down lads we support Spurs remember. As a 35 year supporter I um unhappy to see and hear these remarks, it only puts pressure on a team, that quite frankly is not ready for 4th or the indeed CL. I think Saturdays game yet again reinforces we just do not have the squad for 4th or CL YET! Like I said before the season started, we did not really NEED Bent to "strengthen" our squad, and I think that was shown on Saturday. Once again we were light in defense and light in the midfield - when will BMJ lean this? - JOL, IF, we do get rid of Mido and Gharly, Please PLEASE spend the money in the right area this time. Basically as soon as I saw the team sheet on Saturday, I knew the writing was on the wall. Take nothing away from Keane and his men, they did the job and did it well, and I think they will do okay this season. But the likes of Huddlestone, Tainio, Stalteri, Gardner, and although he was probably our best player on Saturday, I am afraid Steed also are not great players, in fact most of the time they are bad. If we seriously want to challenge for 4th, I would expect only ever to see these players on the bench - even with injuries they should be on the bench - so THAT Mr Jol is where we need players, NOT up front, and I think Saturday showed that. I don't want to sound doom and gloom, but unless we can get King, Lennon, Bale and the Prince into the team soon - we will be looking at bottom half of the table before Christmas. Huddlestone, Tainio, Stalteri, Gardner, and Steed just don’t do it, sorry lads!

I-Bleed-White

John W wrote:

I don't want to sound doom and gloom, but unless we can get King, Lennon, Bale and the Prince into the team soon - we will be looking at bottom half of the table before Christmas. Huddlestone, Tainio, Stalteri, Gardner, and Steed just don’t do it, sorry lads!

I agree though I do think that Dawson and Kaboul make a stong if slightly inexpierienced pair at the back. The biggest question I want answered is who do you take out to put Prince in. With Chimbonda and Bale playing from both back postions we can ask a lot more questions of opposing defences with both capable of carrying the ball to free up wingers to make runs. What kind of time are we looking at to see them back in action ?

galinka

I have followed Spurs since 1962 - before they won the cup for the second year running. I know all about ups and downs - but Saturday was appalling. I saw Sunderland in Cork and they looked awful. Keane is a well organised manager but he does not have the players we have. McShane and Nosowrthy bossed our 4 primadonnas off the pitch - that's the part that annoys me.

The Board have spent a fortune on players over the past 2 years - there is a glaring problem with midfield - too lightweight, only Zokora and Tainio can tackle and then either or both get booked. (I have great time for Tainio but he too is not good enough). Jenas is dreadfully frustrating, my daughter could knock him over in a tackle, Malbranque had his best game for Spurs on Saturday but i don't where you could play him. Huddlestone is too cumbersome and will never be the player i hoped he would be.

I don't want to go on about Gardner or Staltieri again ... BUT they are just not up to premiership standard and never will. Murphy and Routledge also need to be shifted - Routledge was dreadful for Fulham last season, i don't see any mention of them wanting him back permanently either. Leicester were interested in Murphy - give him away.

If we get £8.6M from Boro for Mido - we need 2 experienced/hard men at CB or MF. No more of the young lads who will be wonderful when they get older.

I was very impressed by Man City on Saturday - their new signings looked the business. What a pity we did not get Petrov - i know his wage demands were excessive. Sam Allardyce had a good piece in the Sunday Times yesterday about overpaying for English players - Bent got a particular mention.

Hey it's only one game - maybe we will hammer Everton and Derby and we can dream of Champions League again!

WhiteWashMan

im happy.

we have gotten rid of the pre season hype, and shown that in the premier, you actually have to get results.
sunderland werent poor, but they are not a good premier team. we made them look better than they are.

if this results in the lads digging in, in martin jol getting his team selection right, in robbie keane not dropping deep to collect the ball, in berby to concentrate on a full game, on the whole squad to realise that a top 4 position needs to be earned, then i will be happy.


if we keep making the same mistakes, then i think levy will know what to do and when. hes a clever bloke. until then, i will have to just keep believing that spurs as a team will win every match. more importantly, the lads have to believe they can win every match. thats how winners think.

I-Bleed-White

Roll on 8 O'Clock. Hopefully we will be given reason to be a bit more optimistic and put this negative sh1t behind us. Anyone know who will be back in the team that was out against Sunderland ? Also wish best of luck to all the lads travelling to the game today...Dublin Spur, therecklessone etc..