Oh no we lost a game...must be time to sack AVB?

[Yiddite]

We won ..... 3 points ..... say no more !!!!!   

[dimexi]

First half we were
 
Out Passioned
Out Played
Out Passed
and more disturbingly Out Classed
 
By Queens Park Rangers
 
The team was sent out with our most potent attacking force playing at Left Back somewhere he hasn't been for god knows how many games, Defoe spent the whole half running round like a headless chicken and was offside that many times I lost count. Finally why was Dempsey on the pitch, come to think of it why is he even at the club..... Why no Sigurdsson ? and why was Dembele playing so deep alongside Sandro ?
 
AVB tactically aware...... well if that's tactically aware we are in the s**te it's lucky QPR are so poor in front of goal and Friedel again had a stormer and one last thing the whole lot of them looked as motivated as a dead man walking !!!!!
 
Against a better side the game would of been gone so the fact that AVB changed it at half time would of made no difference at all. We got lucky for our goal and the second came while QPR were still cursing their luck. Overall the second half was a massive improvement but a massive improvement on a pile of s**te, we now have 3 away games in the next 2 weeks which if I'm honest I think we are going to struggle big time with !!!
 
I know everyone is going to give it the big your a doom and gloomer but ask yousrself this question .....Do you have any doubts over AVB ?
 
If the answer is yes then you know what needs to happen
 
A Vacancy Beckons !!!!!!!!!
 
 

At half time you must have been enjoying us facing defeat. I can see you formulising your comments to get AVB out. What a shock it must of been to see the side changed and to end up with the 3 points. As long as that keeps happening he is going nowhere. DEAL WITH IT!

Yes Bale was ineffective but the idea to put him there was not. Who would you have played against QPR? Should we put a centre back there? possibly they would be good defnsively but not so good going forward. (As it turned out Vertognen showed his versatility and the reason we bought him, playing very well there in the second half. But this was helped by Bale pushing their attack back. How about a defensive midfielder? Sandro, but that would leave us open in the middle. Or should we play a player who used to play in that position, is left footed and could act as a wing back giving width to the play?

Then add in the fact that he played a different formation 4-3-3 so 2 defensive midfielder providing cover for the overlapping wingbacks of Walker and Bale. The thinking behind it was sound. Unfortunately it did not work, why? Maybe because it is a new system. Maybe because the way QPR set up neutralised the attacking options (fair play to them).

As for Dempsey I am not sure why you have such a problem with him. Last year he was one of the best forwards in the premier league. Scoring 17 goals. Finally Defoe getting caught offside is not a new thing. But because he plays on the last defender, he gets caught a lot. I agree that he should time his runs better, but at this stage in his career, I can not see him changing now.

[RSS61]

Did anybody see how poor Man Utd were against Liverpool in the 1st half ? And yet again they came away with 3 points,
That was the point of the game for us yesterday, we played crap 1st half, rode our luck but got the 3 points. All the top teams do it regularly. How poor were Chelsea, 3 points.
How many times have we played good and come away with 1 or no points, eg Lazio.

[pieboy]

Must admit, it did feel as it it was a bit of a smash and grab. But credit to QPR for coming to the lane and trying to attack. All to often teams at the other half would just come and defend. Maybe(as well as injuries) that was the thinking behind playing bale at left back as he would be attacking more than he be defending.

Didn't work and don't' think bale should be use at left back anymore, his attacking threat makes him wasted there, especially at a time when we are lacking creative spark as it is.

Awesome 3pts, hopefully it will lift a bit of the gloom and doom and give the lads a bit of confidence in the upcoming games. Look very nervous in last ten mins, 1 goals lead just doesn't seem enough at the moment

[aspursfan]

Honestly I was thinking before the game that if I were picking the team I'd put Bale in LB. I certainly wouldn't have anticipated QPR shutting us down so well. He's no stranger to the position and had we not been beaten and out-passed all over the pitch he probably would have been able to make more happen offensively.

So, I would have done the same thing. It obviously wasn't working and he changed it. It wasn't a genius tactical move, it was obvious. Defoe was stranded up front and Bale was wasted in LB creating no chances. He saw what needed to be changed and he did it. Nothing wrong with that and I think his initial team selection made sense, it just didn't work.

We played like s**t for the most part and got 3 points. We're not always going to completely outplay the opposition, but we improved and found a way to win.

Let's see what happens against United on Saturday.

[aspursfan]

Oh and Vertonghen was a beast!

[ugs]

How did I feel at half time was I formulating ideas on how to get AVB out ..... No, I was praying that AVB would change things in fact I was praying that he would change things after about 30 mins. Contrary to your beliefs I really really don't want the team to lose, they are my team that I have supported as man and boy for over 40 years and all I want is for them is to play football, good attractive football and to win.
The facts are simple AVB is not as good as you think he is, yes he changed it and we won but we were at home and with his team selection and tactics he gave QPR the upper hand, and they took it. The fact that they played so well in the first half was due to the fact that Sandro and Dembele were sat far to deep and Sigurdsson couldn't get into the game because he was isolated. As for who would I have played at LB, that's easy Vertonghan, he has played there for Belgian for the last 2 years and also quite often for Ajax and funnily enough if you check out some of the You tube footage of him he is devastingly good there too.
Dempsey, who you are right I have a problem with, is no left winger/midfielder wether he has a left foot or not he is a Forward who plays off of a frontman. Last season that is the position he played for Fulham and that's why he scored 17 goals, plus this is a man who went on strike to get a move from his club and we welcome him with open arms after most of the people on this board slagged off Modric for doing the same thing.... double standards people, double standards !!!! Mark my words Dempsey is a player that we didn't need unless as AVB did in the second half we revert to the tried and tested formation of 442, but all I hear is how the great tactician AVB likes to play 433 and press and all the other crap people come out with about his enlighten tactical knowledge.
Defoe is Defoe but if we are going to play one up front he needs to stay onside otherwise you are just constantly giving the ball back to the opposition which kind of defeats the object of playing one up front.
Let's just face facts AVB made a monumental error in his judgement at the start of the game and if we were playing against a better side, rather than a side that hasn't won an away game for 10 months, the game would of been over by halftime.
Credit were credits due AVB realised his mistakes and altered things and in the second half we looked a whole lot better and in the end probably just deserved to shade the game, all I want is for the team to win, that's all plain and simple but under AVB I am not inspired or filled with confidence plain and simple... SO DEAL WITH IT !!!!!!

[spursjoolz]

I was surprised to see Bale as LB, and as you quite rightly say, Vertonghen would have been the ideal man there. The only question is: Who would have replaced him in the middle? He had a fantastic game.
Yes we play a crap 1st half and I was cursing all the way through and whilst I hoped AVB would change the lineup after the break, it was always obvious to me when he did that Bale would take his rightful place.
We were extremely unlucky v Lazio but we got that luck back v QPR and I am grateful for the 3 points.

[aspursfan]

You never know, but we certainly won't be able to ride our luck like that on Saturday. Not that we ever have a particularly wonderful time at Old Trafford.

I'll get an AVB tattoo if we win on Saturday.

[Paul Finch]

I would like to see Vertonghan start at LB Sat with either Dawson or Steven Caulker in the backline and if Adebayor is fit I would start him up front with either him or Defoe playing between the midfield and front man in 4-4-1-1 formation and put either Siggy or Dempsey on the bench, I think that would be a good line-up against United and could cause a few problems for them, I would be interested to hear your comments. 


C O Y S   

[RiffHard]

I would like to see Vertonghan start at LB Sat with either Dawson or Steven Caulker in the backline and if Adebayor is fit I would start him up front with either him or Defoe playing between the midfield and front man in 4-4-1-1 formation and put either Siggy or Dempsey on the bench, I think that would be a good line-up against United and could cause a few problems for them, I would be interested to hear your comments. 


C O Y S   

Vertonghen can play at LB but I don't think it suits our style. Our full-backs tend to go up and while Vertonghen is a very solid CB, his pace and crossing are not good enough to gallop down the flank. Adebayor and Defoe together? Well, it could work but then we won't have another striker on the bench as our American is not exactly a striker.

[Paul Finch]

If Dempsey isn't a striker where does he play, he played as a striker for Fulham.At the moment we don't seem to have a style, the way Vertonghen played in the second half on Sunday, he certainly didn't have any problems playing at LB, at the moment we don't have a fit LB, and Rose has been sent out on loan

[RiffHard]

If Dempsey isn't a striker where does he play, he played as a striker for Fulham.At the moment we don't seem to have a style, the way Vertonghen played in the second half on Sunday, he certainly didn't have any problems playing at LB, at the moment we don't have a fit LB, and Rose has been sent out on loan

I think Naughton did surprisingly OK at LB.

[RSS61]

If Dempsey isn't a striker where does he play, he played as a striker for Fulham.At the moment we don't seem to have a style, the way Vertonghen played in the second half on Sunday, he certainly didn't have any problems playing at LB, at the moment we don't have a fit LB, and Rose has been sent out on loan

I think Naughton did surprisingly OK at LB.

Me too - miles better that BAE. However I think he's injured ?

[baldbloke]

So we have now won our first game of the season. Just wondered what your opinions were of the game and if you are beginning to have more belief in the side?

Just to preempt the views of a few, thought I would try and get here ahead of them...

I can already imagine the AVB/LEVY bashers mulling over what interesting and new way they can repeat what they have already said. I think it will go something like. AVB sh!t blah blah blah, Levy F*cking useless etc. etc. they will then go on to tell us that Spurs only won because Reading were so poor (they were poor, so this is not untrue) and the real test will be against better opposition.

This is not a completely moot point but the problem is that either way this result was going to have no impact on their points of view. If we won (like we did) it was because Reading were poor, AVB sh!t blah blah blah, Levy F*cking useless etc. etc. If we drew it would have been because we did not spend the money on a new striker, AVB sh!t blah blah blah, Levy F*cking useless etc. etc. if we lost it would highlight just how bad AVB/Levy is, AVB sh!t blah blah blah, Levy F*cking useless etc. etc.

I think you get my point.

Personally I thought we played quite well, Defoe showed how good he can be in front of goal, given the chances. I think the midfield trio of Sandro, Sigurdsson and Dembele ran the show and dominated the midfield. Defensively we were ok, Reading hardly threatened, but when they finally did, they got a goal, we must tighten up and stay focused. Lennon is starting to look like the player of old, with pace, penetration and his final ball has improved. Bale looked dangerous all over the pitch. We need to build confidence and points and that can only be done by beating the teams in front of us. A step forwards albeit a small one.

In short, we looked effing terrible, and were very lucky to get 1 point, let alone 3.