hiro and his mates (see match thread)

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Answers

sting.

After Nick Raphael returning from OZ for the Wham game, now sting for this one.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Loony Toon missing the match thread?

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

I'll have to take some responsibility. I was entirely too optimistic...or perhaps just not completely pessimistic about this before kick off. Chalk it up to U2 mania.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Dammit I hate being right.

I said that with a new formation, we would struggle at the start, probably let in an early goal - we did, and it came from a mistake - Robert should have stuck tight on Anderton straight after the free kick, instead he stood in the wall and stayed there until the goal went in. This isn't really his fault as he isn't a wing back.

We finally got to grips with the game in the latter part of the second half, but it was all too late, with Spurs 2-0 up and prepared to defend.

It was so predictable, everyone knew it would happen. I can't bring myself to criticise all the players too much - Bobby Robson is primarily to blame for playing a new formation. Little things like passes out wide went astray, mainly because in our normal 4-4-2 line up, players would be there to get the ball, but with 3-5-2 there is nobody there. Solano and particularly Robert are NOT WING BACKS!

The players out there today should have buried Spurs, no question about it. I am pretty certain we would have if a 4-4-2 formation had been deployed. But no, Bobby decides to try to be clever and unleashes Aaron Hughes into midfield and tells Robert and Solano to defend. Could you ever imagine Kevin Keegan asking Ginola to play as a wing back and spend half of the game defending? No. That is exactly why we were beaten. Acuna and Speed do too similar a job to each other, so in their case 1+1 = 1 as you can't have two players doing the same thing.

Lua Lua was man of the match, no question. He did more in 15 minutes than anyone else did in the entire game. Bassedas, although he didn't make a major impact, had a pretty good shot that Sullivan was never going to get. On another day it could have gone in. At least he was prepared to pull the trigger just outside the box, unlike the rest of them who more often than not lost the ball in that area. Speed had a solitary header and numerous mis-placed passes. Acuna was basically the same. O'Brien and Dabizas were pretty good for the whole game.

The referee as well, he was bloody awful, there were five bookable offences from Spurs players in the first half. None were given, some were even ignored completely as not being fouls. Had these been given, Tarrico and Ziege would have been one off a red and Solano and Robert would have the upper hand and it changes the game completely. Instead, Bellamy was booked for dissent. What a load of bollocks that was.

Up front we were pretty awful. Bellamy took players on but his shooting was pathetic, although he put in a canny few good crosses. Shearer was possibly our worst player. He may have jumped on top of Sullivan and got the crowd going, but this doesn't win you matches. He missed what was basically a sitter for the old Shearer and was rarely up with the action in the final third.

Lua Lua was the one that gave us hope. We would have been better off playing him in a free role, putting Aaron Hughes at right back and taking a winger off. He played all around the pitch, left wing, right wing, centre, and at one stage took on seven Spurs players, beat them all and then was unlucky to hit the side netting. Some say he should have crossed, but with Richards on Shearer, my money would have been on a Spurs clearance.

We played badly today, no question about it, but for the whole of the first half and most of the second, the players didn't know what to do. The formation was new to them all and where they would usually be comfortable in playing passes around, the usual people were in different positions. Bobby Robson has to take the blame for this. We also had bad luck with the boucne of the ball - a hell of a lot of rebounds and deflections went the way of Spurs. Although this isn't an excuse, it all adds up. On another day the deflection could go our way and we get a couple more chances.

Overall, it is extremely disappointing, most of all because Spurs were nothing special. They didn't play well at all, it was a solid defensive display. For the second home game in a row we have had the vast majority of possession but created nowt. I hope this serves as an example why Bobby should NEVER tinker with a winning team.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Paul has it right the only thng I would add was that Sherringham was superb hate to admit it but true.

O'Brien looked so good at times as many of the payers did but no cohesion.

Think Shearer had a reasonable game and Bellamy ran his heart out. But as you so rightly say Lua Lua Lua Lua etc was quite starting would it be good policy to give him a starting role???

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

One thing that Lua Lua had was that he was fighting for a place. For players like Robert and Shearer it is almost a forgone conclusion that they will start. Lua Lua is desparate to get into the team and it showed, he did so much more than anyone else in the game.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

The game was lost when the team-sheet went up.

MOTM - Andy O'Brien.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Two words. Bobby Robson. And another two - team formation. It's very easy with hindsight, but I have to question the decision to pick a debutant in a team formation which we have regularly failed to grasp. HTF can a player be introduced to a team when that team don't know how to play that formation? Isn't it simple - play to a pattern and then introduce a new player.

It was obvious we were struggling as soon as they scored. It resulted from a free kick (or was it??) when Robert tracked back. Robert is an excellent player going forward, but he is not a wing back. If we were going to play with 3 at the back, we should have started with Bernard as WB.

Having gone one down, it was obvious from where I was sitting that Distin didn't know what to do. As said elsewhere, if Hughes was supposed to man-mark Poyet (he's a b@st@rd, that Gus isn't he), why the hell did he get so much space in the box? If anything, a guy who has been one of our regular CBs this season should at least have given him a hard time. Hah, bumhug!

At least in the 2nd half, we sorted the formation, tho I expected Robbie Elliott to come on for Distin. But actually, SD had a good second half so that was a positive. Indeed, the defence did pretty well in the seconf half when we went to a back four. Senile owd git!! (joke, honest!).

Shearer did nowt much, tho he did win the ball and hold it before laying off. But if you look at his contribution over 90 mins and compare with Sir Les over the 75 or so he was on for, I'd say LF did better. In comparison to other recent games, I thought Bellamy was poor - or did Spurs just do their homework?

So, yet again, it comes down to midfield. Probably due to the formation, but Solano was poor and Robert did nowt. Neither seemed to know how to play in this formation. There were lots of times in the first half when Nobby was too deep and should have been up the wing. But he wasn't. But then again, there were too many times when he was up in attack and we were exposed at the back. In itself, that wasn't Nobby's fault. The left was even worse. As I said earlier, Ditin didn't know where to play - don't blame him. In the second half, he had obviously been told, as had the rest of the shower, to play wide and to get the ball to him. But it was too bliddy late.

Speed had a great game. Sorry. I'll say that again. Speed was sh!te. Perhaps Acuna, Solano and Robert are more easy to spot, and therefore so are their mistakes. But for me, Speed was non- existent in terms of creativity and he gave the ball away far to many times. Acuna had a standard game - but that probably says it all - he rarely does anything special.

Now, having been away for a couple of days sans PC, I don't know the Rob Lee story. Was he injured, or was that another YBR mistake? Or did my eyes deceive me, as Sky (bless 'em) just reckoned Spurs' first was a deflection from Rob Lee. I know it seemed to be missing the goal, but by that far?? Whatever the reason, it does just emphasise the need to replace Lee. I actually thought Bassedas did OK when he came on. Maybe there's hope there. So all we need is a replacement for Gary Speed. Bo11ox.

At least there was one bright part to the day. I arrived home and found some beer and a few bottles of wine. Excuse me while I disappear for a while.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Screacher

According to Sky Bobby Robson said Lee would have definately played but for the fact he was unwell overnight. It was Speed who deflected the ball into wor net

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

It's not the question of Bliddy Lee, it would have been the same with him. I'd even suggst we have more movement with Acuna + 1 other than Lee & Speed together. Bobby has to give Bassedas a game, we have no invention or movement in the centre.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Yes Bob, I realise it was not Lee who deflected their goal - tho I wasnt aware it was GS who got the last touch. Yet another black mark against him then :-(

However, I still feel that thos we may have lost with Rob Lee, we would have made a better fist of it had he been playing instead of Speed. But of course, YBR would never do that.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Screacher I think most are thinking exactly the same.

I got a lump in my throat as soon as the teams walked out as I could see that we were lining up in a 3-5-2 formation, and I knew exactly what was going to happen. People around me told me to have more faith, but I could see it happening.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

a number 9 who can't play at this level any more and a midfield player who never could

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Having witnessed a very decent performance last week at Bolton, where we created a string of chances throughout the game, and kept our second clean-sheet running, I would like to ask our esteemed Manager a few simple questions about his decisions today:

i) we are a decent, attack-minded team with a brittle defence, playing a mid-table PL team with arguably an even more brittle defence. Why choose to completely restructure the team, when playing at home, to cater for the opposition rather than playing to our undoubted attacking strengths?

ii) why adopt, yet again, a 3-5-2 formation that has failed every single time you have tried it - especially when one of the critical back three players has been at SJP about 3 weeks and has not started one single PL fixture?

iii) why would you even contemplate playing Solano as a WB, when he has amply demonstrated his utter incompetence in this position several times already?

iv) even more incomprehensibly, why on earth would you consider, even for one nano-second, utilising our most potent attacking player, brought here at a cost of £10,000,000 to provide and score goals, as a LEFT WING BACK. Why, Why, Oh Why?

v) in a home game, why would you consider man-marking a good-to-average player who has scored a few headed goals against us, thereby reducing our overall effectiveness at a stroke? In arriving at this decision did you for one second consider the pathetic shambles using Hughes in this role created in at least one, and argubably two, InterTwoBob games earlier this season?

vi) in changing back to 4-4-2 after only 45 minutes of today's shambles, do you accept you made a stupid error that almost certainly cost us three points, AND one that yet again will have depleted the confidence of a side that was showing signs of beginning to play as a unit?

v) do you ever learn anything from your mistakes?

vi) and lastly, where today was the man you described only two days ago as our best current player? Somehow, I very much doubt I will believe your answer to that particular one.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Clarky I think your entire post was rhetorical.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

.....I guess so Paul.
Actually, I'm sitting here "rhetorically steaming"!

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Can I just take this moment to thank each and every one of our stars for making me endure my sad and lonely existence in a Seville pub alongside a dozen obnoxious part-time Spurs fans? After watching that I'm still too upset to post a rational response. So I'm gonna have a rant instead. It's already been well said about the 3 at the back experiments. Robson should stop playing the game on paper and start planning for then reacting to what's unfolding on the grass in front of him. Firstly to Spurs - even allowing for the fact we never got the rub of the green and for some fantastic refereeing decisions - how the hell can we be so second best to what is only a fair to middling Spurs team, playing away from home and carrying such average players as Freund and such anonymous ones as Anderton (exc. cross for Poyet's goal notwithstanding)?? Main reason for me wasn't the system it was pure and simple the ATTITUDE in the first half. As demonstrated quite amply by the greater urgency and tempo put in during the second half. With the possible exceptions of Given and Bellamy every single player should be docked a week's wages for their lack of 1st half effort no questions asked. A lack of talent you can stomach (from some players, though surely we shouldn't have had to for THIS many years?) but a lack of basic ball skills like unforced PASSING is absolutely criminal. Step forward in particular Messers Acuna, Speed & Solano. Wouldn't it also be nice just once (since Beardo days)to see a player in B&W with even a bit of footballing intelligence? I think Sheringham's already been singled out by someone else - not exactly world class but he made our lot look the muppets they so often are. Next up, Shay Given. Always going to be a good PL keeper and a good shotstopper, but lets face it he's never going to grow that extra inch so we have to accept we're going to keep watching him flap at looping headers are we (even when they don't really loop)?? Alan Shearer - sorry mate, unless you decide you're not too old to learn a few tricks, then you're yesterday's hero and you'd be wise making a swift retirement decision. Gary Speed - and to a lesser degree Robert - shame on you for hiding through yet another match. Professionals my arse.In partial defence of the Frenchman though, defence and midfield step forward and take a bow for your uncanny skill and ability YET AGAIN in failing to even attempt to find arguably our most talented player and potential matchwinner out left.

PS. just for you gus, our London record will be shattered when I get there just in time for the Charlton game, you'll see !

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

Some hollow laughter when Acuna and Solano each instinctively spun the ball into space on the right in the first half: conditioned to having the floppy haired blonde spaniel making that run. When we talk about smart-arsed tactics failing utterly, let's not forget that bizarre section where Robert and Solano changed wings....eh?

The single most shameful scene on the day, though, was the number of times Distin was presented with the ball and everyone else evaporated like they'd just spilled John Wayne's pint: spineless little turds. That was only matched by the morons who booed the poor bugger when his crosses went astray as though we are used to centre-halfs crossing with uncanny skill and guile. I thought Distin had a canny day, since the weird formation was none of his choosing and he had the sense to slot out wide to fill the gap as best he could.

Hateful Sunday game yet again. Hang your head Robson: it's bad enough coming up with a stupid idea like that, but pretty well announcing your intention to do so in the Friday press call and sticking with it when we were 2-0 down and leaving it until there were only 15 minutes to go to introduce some fresh ideas was woeful.

-- Anonymous, October 21, 2001

3-5-2 nuff said

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Spurs are a better team than us....simple....so are Everton who will beat us this weekend....

We've not that good...we haven't really improved much over last season....we were crap against Leicester, Wham and Liverpool and a couple of decisions in the Bolton game turned it for us.....

We're lacking Steel in Defence and Midfield but look reasonable going forward....

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Couldn't find the enthusiam to write last night anything other than shite. YBR proves that he can't learn from mistakes. The formation was shite. Only people who impressed me where O'Brien and Distin, who couldn't be blamed for not knowing where he was supposed to be playing. He wasn't alone in this confusion. Nobby had a 'mare of Red Rum proportions and should have been put out of our misery at half-time. Frenchbob is not a wing back, and never will be. Midfield was shite, when it was there. Bellamy ran his socks off as usual. This was shite, but orchestrated shite.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

......and if we'd had Seth Johnson instead of Bassedas....

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Bobby's explanation as posted on teletext was, putting it mildly, pathetic, to the effect that it was all uphill once we had to start playing catch-up.

I have this naive impression that that's what the bliddy game is all about, only, if you do it properly, you catch up to the extent that you go ahead, and if you've really mastered the art, you stay ahead.

That pile was as bad as anything I've seen. Can't pick out a single redeeming feature, and gawd help us against Everton and Villa, in the short term. Daren't contemplate longer term implications, if Bobby doesn't get up in the stand for a couple of games so he can see what all of us can, that that formation hasn't a hope in hell with the set of artisans we have.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Howay Why are we so suprised , at least they are consistant with their inconsistancy ;-)

I'm surprised Bobby changed the system ,the players didn't seem to know what they were supposed to be doing, with no space or width. they were running around like school boys !

Just shows how open the league is though, if we'd won we'd have been third !

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Who the f..k are Spurs that we should adapt to their game? They are average at best and they should come to SJP wondering how to deal with us. We hadn't been beaten by this side in ages at SJP and our formation lost it for us: we have never played well like this, so why try it? None of the CH's looked comfortable in a back three. The midfield was shite and even bothering with having a manmarker on Poyet was pointless (Hughes has manmarked playmakers very well in the past but Poyet isn't a playmaker and needs a completely different treatment. As one of the papers today says, Hughes was actually marking someone that Acuna was supposed to be dealing with when Poyet got the fatal ball: so where the f...k was Acuna?). I can't remember our midfield playing so badly. Robert and Solano were playing too deep which wasn't helped by Robert's team-mates ignoring him and Solano having possibly his worst game in a black and white shirt. Can we have Trevor Sinclair please. Bellamy did a lot of running to no avail and Shearer did nothing but whinge from first to last (I hate to say it, but Les and Sheringham showed him up). Whether we reverted to a flat back four by accident or design, I don't know. It was probably by accident. We looked much better, with O'Brien and Dabs looking happier and Distin and Hughes dealing with pretty much everything that fell to them as fullbacks. This is our natural formation, Bobby, stick with it. Generally, Bellamy's gob got him booked, stupid lad, but why did no other player try to shut him up? Your song, Alan. Also, which word of "Get the ball to Robert" do our players not understand? Is it stupidity, dislike for Robert, ineptitude? Whatever, they need to deal with it, because our best resource is being wasted. A word about Given. He couldn't have done much about the goals, particularly Poyet's which was a mint goal, However, why does he consistently pass the ball to whichever of our defenders is in most trouble? Harper does the same thing. Who is our goalkeeping coach? Plum of the day, though, was one YBR. He says it's not about systems but about players. He should add that you need the players for certain formations and we DON'T have the players for 3 at the back.

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001

Dougal I agree and have commented in the last couple of matches that the players seem to be ignoring Robert on the left flank. Why this is I don't know ,hopefully it's not to do with the players disliking him . However in yesterdays match I noticed he was often positioned upfront with Shearer and Bellamy ??

-- Anonymous, October 22, 2001