1 hour ago, olderschoolcfc said:

Well, it's better than wishing for the unobtainable title win.. championship promotion push could be quite fun. 

Some of my favourite times as a Chelsea fan was in the old second div. and getting promotion. What a crack and massive following going to away games then.

1 hour ago, Kev56 said:

Some of my favourite times as a Chelsea fan was in the old second div. and getting promotion. What a crack and massive following going to away games then.

We'd probably take more away fans to lower league teams than home fans... Get to try out some pies and alternative travel destinations. Who wants Rome when there's morecambe! 🙂 

just the way the football chip cookie crumbles. up and down. TBH, its exactly what the new owners and players deserve, It would also mean we have to rely totally on the youth team and we'd build a pretty strong side from that, and we could offload most underperforming players. 

 

5 hours ago, enigma said:

Problems were here under Roman but many people were blinded to it, yet we finished 20 pts off the title and scraped by top four a couple times in recent seasons. 20pts with added club restructuring now taken into account, it's going to be tough for another 1-2 seasons. 

Our problems under Roman were nothing compared to the problems that the new ownership has brought with them.

No club starts from 0 but Roman made sure this club could almost do so and yet the new regime managed to ruin everything in record time and with catastrophic possibilities heading into the next few years. You can't remove their responsibility, specially not after what they have done.

It’s disappointing that the club still haven’t been able to sort out all of the injury issues. Apparently they’ve hired highly rated people but suppose it will take time for them to sort it out. It’s really hampering Poch‘s ability to build a team having 13 players out. Crazy out over a long period as well. 
 

It was interesting hearing one of the ex-Spurs players talking about his time with Poch. He said at the beginning, he had a lot of injuries due to the new physical demands on his body. But once he recovered and conditioned himself properly, his fitness and performance went through the roof.

We can only hope that this is the same situation..

Think it was Julien Laurens who warned us in June that many ex-players revealed to him that Poch hardly had any tactical sessions in training, mostly just fitness' work. 

 

 

34 minutes ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Think it was Julien Laurens who warned us in June that many ex-players revealed to him that Poch hardly had any tactical sessions in training, mostly just fitness' work. 

 

 

That’s amazing that he got spurs so well oiled without much tactical work!! Almost like it’s bullsh*te!!

O add Southampton to that too!!

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by El regreso

8 minutes ago, El regreso said:

That’s amazing that he got spurs so well oiled without much tactical work!! Almost like it’s bullsh*te!!

O add Southampton to that too!!

Poch's poor tactical management isn't news though.  I advocated for Poch over the summer from the manager shortlist but I still said my biggest concern was how poor he seemed to be tactically. Always out coached in every big match at both Spurs and PSG. It's why I was OK with him coming on a short contract, develop the players, and at the end of the contract see where we are. Either he deserves to continue or bring in an upgrade. 

Stance hasn't changed. 

4 hours ago, nonotnowjim said:

I agree - but would actually go further. I put out there that poch has us creating far more chances than we have at any other point over the last few seasons. We have regularly complained about not creating enough - only a couple of half chances per game. Well - that feels a thing of the past. We actually are creating a lot more - and that should be held up as progression and a small win.

I have said, since Potter was here, that we need to take the small wins and be patient.  For me, the fact that we are now creating genuine, clear cut chances, is a massive positive and progression since the days of Tuchel - when we struggled to create anything. Of course, we have not yet seen that translated into goals or points, but we should still recognise and celebrate the small progressions.

I agree

I wouldn't say he's been outcoached in every one of his biggest matches. On that ucl run in 18/19 his side knocked out some of the best coached teams in the world (A**x and Man City to name a couple). 

He's also contended with Klopp, Guardiola (begrudgingly I put him in here) Arteta and Ange. 

He also completely outclassed the Real Madrid team before his PSG keeper and captain decided to throw the game away.

 

Edit anyone know why a j a x is being censored?

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by LongtimerLurker

3 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

I wouldn't say he's been outcoached in every one of his biggest matches. On that ucl run in 18/19 his side knocked out some of the best coached teams in the world (A**x and Man City to name a couple). 

He's also contended with Klopp, Guardiola (begrudgingly I put him in here) Arteta and Ange. 

He also completely outclassed the Real Madrid team before his PSG keeper and captain decided to throw the game away.

 

Edit anyone know why a j a x is being censored?

@Valerieplease enlighten  :)

2 minutes ago, LongtimerLurker said:

I wouldn't say he's been outcoached in every one of his biggest matches. On that ucl run in 18/19 his side knocked out some of the best coached teams in the world (A**x and Man City to name a couple). 

He's also contended with Klopp, Guardiola (begrudgingly I put him in here) Arteta and Ange. 

He also completely outclassed the Real Madrid team before his PSG keeper and captain decided to throw the game away.

 

Edit anyone know why a j a x is being censored?

I mean Llorente's handball was one of the biggest technicalities I've ever seen. Had it been a month later, it wouldn't of counted.

A**x also took the piss out of Spurs that whole tie and individual brilliance from Lucas saved them.

There is also the final itself where Poch dropped Lucas and felt the need to play a half fit Harry Kane. Didn't respond well to Liverpool going ahead early too. 

I remember the PSG tie against City too in 2021 where they got the upper hand but Pep tweaked some stuff at half time then ran away with it. PSG players also lost the plot and got red cards for lack of discipline (surprise, surprise). 

There were also some domestic cup finals/semi finals in England where he doesn't have the best record in. Bloody hell we beat them with Zouma at DM after they spanked us 5-3. 

 

 

I wonder, if the owners do sack Poch, would they return to Potter and use it as pitch of "We were right to begin with Grahams the man".

1 minute ago, axman2526 said:

I wonder, if the owners do sack Poch, would they return to Potter and use it as pitch of "We were right to begin with Grahams the man".

Unless we are seriously toying with relegation, Poch is safe imo. 

If it does happen, they probably go back to their original shortlist.  Slot or Amorim. Either would be crazy to join. 

 

Poch outcoach Pep, Arteta, Klopp this season with these kids only for the same kids to balls it up. Arteta looked loss at the bridge Pep City git ripped apart and we played Liverpool off the bridge so I don’t get how he’s tactically weak. I hated playing his teams when he was managing Tottenham!!

 

All three matches we should have won but for individual errors, not tactical issues. Players not tracking their man, leaving players unmarked in the second phase of a set piece etc.. none of that he can control other than improve the players or get better players.

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by El regreso

I think we’re a long way from worrying about whether Poch can win titles and competing with other elite teams. He’s the right man for where we are - young side, bang average, mid table team. 

1 hour ago, LongtimerLurker said:

I wouldn't say he's been outcoached in every one of his biggest matches. On that ucl run in 18/19 his side knocked out some of the best coached teams in the world (A**x and Man City to name a couple). 

He's also contended with Klopp, Guardiola (begrudgingly I put him in here) Arteta and Ange. 

He also completely outclassed the Real Madrid team before his PSG keeper and captain decided to throw the game away.

 

Edit anyone know why a j a x is being censored?

 

1 hour ago, axman2526 said:

@Valerieplease enlighten  🙂

Thank you for pointing me towards this question @axman2526.

@LongtimerLurker Because they're c**ts.

Really can't stand this guy.

4 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

I

A**x also took the piss out of Spurs that whole tie and individual brilliance from Lucas saved them.

There is also the final itself where Poch dropped Lucas and felt the need to play a half fit Harry Kane. Didn't respond well to Liverpool going ahead early too. 

I think that's a bit harsh, Poch (for once) made an in game adjustment hitting it long to Llorente and A**x had no answer for it.

Do agree with the second part though, and his comments about how he "had" to play Enzo and Caicedo vs Arsenal shows he hasn't learned.

Edited December 27, 20232 yr by Argo

Absolutely not who we want in charge of developing these players. You'd want a manager with an actual system to do that.

He became a "revelation" in the Premier League by getting his sides fitter and running more than anyone else but these days you don't get anywhere with that as we can clearly see. The ownership will have a decision on their hand soon enough, perhaps he lasts the season but Caicedo, Enzo, Colwill and the others will continue to suffer as long as he manages the team.

 

5 hours ago, Sconnie Blue said:

Poch's poor tactical management isn't news though.  I advocated for Poch over the summer from the manager shortlist but I still said my biggest concern was how poor he seemed to be tactically. Always out coached in every big match at both Spurs and PSG. It's why I was OK with him coming on a short contract, develop the players, and at the end of the contract see where we are. Either he deserves to continue or bring in an upgrade. 

Stance hasn't changed. 

You'll need some tweezers after making that post.

Tend to get splinters on your arse when sitting on the fence.

Just when we have enough problems at the club, he brought us another one, discipline. He encourages players to be petty and get yellow cards, I’ve lost count of how many times he got carded himself.

Surely there is a smarter way of motivating your players… Like Mourinho’s siege mentality which doesn’t effect the team directly.

Come on, it’s getting embarrassing now. Getting booked for protesting against a side that haven’t won a game for the past 8 weeks.

Feels like he got away with one tonight. Again some strange decisions, especially in game when he switched Gusto to left back and played Disasi right back, which pretty much killed all our width. 

We are the point now though where we just need points on the board though. So let's see if we start the year with a win at Luton and hope for a bit of light at the end if tunnel.

1 minute ago, big blue said:

Feels like he got away with one tonight. Again some strange decisions, especially in game when he switched Gusto to left back and played Disasi right back, which pretty much killed all our width. 

We are the point now though where we just need points on the board though. So let's see if we start the year with a win at Luton and hope for a bit of light at the end if tunnel.

I can’t see it at all but I hope you’re right. I hope he proves me wrong and ends up being a great manager for us.

It’s just his irritating decisions such as Maatsen instead of Madueke, Colwill at left back instead of Maatsen, Chilwell as a left winger, Disasi as right back, and Gusto left back. Far too many players playing out of position. 

Seems some of the fans (online and on here have had enough of Poch. 
 

He’s doing all the right. We are creating good chances but the players are either too raw or not good enough. It’s a recruitment issue, not a management issue. He has repeatedly said about the team being wasteful. 
 

It’s good to see competition back in the first 11 though, especially with our forwards. Noni coming back had a point to prove. 

20 minutes ago, dansubrosa said:

I can’t see it at all but I hope you’re right. I hope he proves me wrong and ends up being a great manager for us.

It’s just his irritating decisions such as Maatsen instead of Madueke, Colwill at left back instead of Maatsen, Chilwell as a left winger, Disasi as right back, and Gusto left back. Far too many players playing out of position. 

Tbh its hope more than expectation at this point. 

I am sick of seeing square pegs in round holes, I'm also sick of the tempo we play with. Tonight we played the same tempo chasing the game, as we did trying to run the clock down. 

I have sympathy with the amount of injuries and the make up of the squad, but it's not looking good for Poch. He needs a good run now as he is dangerously close to the point of no return where the match going fans turn on him, and then you will see some players not even playing him, as they know he is a dead mam walking.