Home
Spurs fixtures
West Ham vs Spurs

West Ham vs Spurs Chat

West Ham vs Spurs Chat


It is a real real struggle to write with my eyes watering to protect themselves at the moment so posts will be as and when.

Our supporters are a nightmare. If they are told things like a player will be coming in over the next couple of days, they want to know specifically if it will be today or tomorrow, what do they want next, a bloody time!

People like that ruin things for everyone else because you think why bother.

I gave out some specific information and even though it wasn't ambiguous in any way, he wanted specific clarification, like the guy above, then wanted more specific clarification and then asks if I'm sure.

I bloody told him 3 effin times.

I'll refocus and ignore these insecure needy people.

There are plenty of our supporters and so-called supporters whom I totally dislike, just as there are many of the lower classes who dislike me.

And if you can't read that with a smile on your face stop reading, you're reading the wrong blog.

West Ham vs Spurs

Spurs sit a healthy third in the Premier League having played two London derbies away from home against sides that hate us and raise their game against us.

Again I thought we had a measure of control until we fell asleep at a thro-in, more concerned with the referee than the game.

The Hammers made us pay and we put ourselves under extra pressure as a result. Had we not turned off they would not have created the chances they did, but the anxiety got to a couple of players and we started making errors to put ourselves under further pressure and encourage them.

I have no idea what Lloris was thinking, you can't have your goalkeeper giving the ball away in our own box.

I still see Davinson Sánchez as a weak link and clearly so do the opposition. I pointed out how he was targetted in a previous game because of his poor distribution of the ball and West Ham did the same.

They pressed when he had the ball. For me he needs to work with a psychologist to control his anxiety, he panics and forgets his role, then it's all hands to the deck desperately trying to get bodies in the way to fight off immediate danger.

Yves Bissouma had a poor first half, giving the ball away in our half several times, well three problem moments to my mind.

While other say he had a poor game, I though he improved markedly in the second half and was much more what we were looking for from him.

I though he showed in the second half why we have bought him and that there is a player there whose game we can improve.

Richarlison once again had an impact and I'd see one of the front three getting a rest against Fulham, in readiness for the home UEFA Champions League game against Marseille on Wednesday.

The Højbjerg injury was not an accident.

Rice made a tackle and played the ball, but he wanted to stop Højbjerg as well and temporarily take him out of that attack.

He therefore deliberately, while making it look like an accidental part of the tackle, fell into the legs of our Danish midfielder.

That seemed to do something, perhaps twist, his knee. I wonder if there is ligament damage there?

Rice didn't mean to injure him, I'm not saying that, but he meant to stop him and that deliberate act, which wasn't needed as part of the tackle, caused the injury.

There seems to me to be a huge misunderstanding by fans and reporters of how Spurs play.

Antonio Conte has a style of play that has won trophies and made him one of the best managers in the world, but reporters still think having the ball means you are playing well.

That isn't ho Spurs play, it isn't how Chelsea used to play.

Spurs used to have the ball against Chelsea in the John Terry era and we thought we were doing well, giving them a good game, we weren't.

Spurs would make a mistake, they would pounce on it and score, then drop back to defend again and let us have the ball beyond the last third.

Tottenham have adopted that approach, we defend the last third.

We are not worried if the opposition have the ball, we have a solid defence and you will have to play well to get through it.

That is our position.

From there, we will try to counter-attack as fast as possible, meaning we will try to be as direct as possible, meaning keeping the ball is not the priority, meaning we will lose the ball.

That is part of how we play.

Spurs are not a possession based team.

We try to score from a counter-attack, a set-piece, a mistake and a passing movement to open sides up.

Those passing movements will often be quick one touch and mistakes will be made.

I repeat, we are not a possession based passing team, which is what these reporters like Rob Guest, Dan Kilpatrick and Jack Pitt-Brooke seem to define as playing well.

These reporters need to understand the game better, understand what Antonio Conte is trying to achieve better.

Our fans need to understand that building what we want is a process.

Spurs are not building a team who are entertaining on the ball, we are building a ruthless team, a team who create less chances but score more of them.

Spurs Style

What Jack Pitt-Brooke is basically saying is he doesn't understand the style of play and isn't being entertained.

Conte is building a team to win, not entertain, the entertainment is in the winning, that's how a winning mentality thinks, what it looks like is irrelevant.

Can we improve on the ball, of course we can but we are not bad on the ball at all, if you understand what is trying to be achieved with the ball, with each pass and how it fits in the big picture.

I see someone complaining we are easy to defend against, then why are Spurs the third highest scoring side in this colander year, only pipped because City have scored 12 in two and Liverpool 9 in one.

Fair play to them, but 2e have outscored every other team in the league, despite being 'easy' to defend against!

Again that shouts of someone who doesn't understand our football, stats prove him wrong.

Another says 'Tottenham have not much of a plan between phases', hat complete cobblers.

Yet another saying he doesn't understand football, that the only thing he knows is keeping the ball.

Conte told you the plan, forward as fast as possible, that involves risk, that involves playing early ball to put opponents under pressure, that means trying to thread the eye of a needle passes, in which you risk losing possession.

Risky, high reward passes. If they don't come off so be it, that isn't because we don't know what we are doing or because we are not following Conte's plan, that's exactly his plan.

Losing possession is part and parcel of that, it's why e try to attack at pace with three players, so we have the defensive solidity behind them, should our 'risks' not come off.

Spurs are not City or Liverpool, we are not trying to play like them so who cares how they play, how Conte wants us playing is what matters and supporters need to adjust their thinking about football.

This is why Louis van Gaal said reporters haven't a clue what they are talking about, well nor do most fans who haven't been on coaching courses either, their thinking is rather one dimensional.

One guy even says the squad shouldn't be doing what they're doing, he says the tactics are wrong!

Can you believe that, Conte has won title after title but his tactics are wrong.

Some people just don't have brain cells.

The players are doing what one of the best managers in the world is asking them to do, but some road sweeper thinks he know better.

It's unbelievable.

Spurs are third in the league, about Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea, not bad for a team who don't know what they are doing, are easy to defend against and are hopeless with the ball!

All this just highlights the difference between winning mentalities and the standard mentality, that all these people and most fans have, certainly all anti followers have.

The players are growing with the system, understanding how to implement it better, it is new to most of them.

It is a process though.

It has been 9 months, I said as soon as Conte arrived that it would take a year to get to a standard where Spurs could challenge for a trophy.

Unfortunately we have a World Cup to hamper that.

There will be fatigue and rotation issues, apart from additional injuries caused by crushing a season.

Tottenham are a better side than our own fans give us credit for.

The transfer window is about improving the whole as much as we can, then improving upon the improvements so we develop incrementally.

I'm not sure fans understand that either.

At the moment, if we can't find the solution to a position w are looking for, for whatever reason, then our fall back plan is to bring in a loan player, as we have seen with Clément Lenglet, whom I expect will start against Fulham, unless Conte see him as more of a European player.

COYS

FURTHER READING

Harry Kane

Harry Kane is setting record after record and another domestic milestone is in his sights, but having not scored against West Ham, he'll have to wait for a bit to achieve it, as he inevitably will.

The England captain has scored 9 goals in 27 Premier League games played on a Wednesday.

Harry Kane has already scored 10+ goals on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday's.

Only one player has reached 10+ goals on five different days of the week thus far, Alan Shearer.

Kane is also on 99 away Premier League goals, nobody has scored 100. Manchester City is the next away game on Saturday 10th September at 5:30 British time.

Destiny Udogie

Udogie 6 - Booked by Conte for next season, without overdoing it proves once again that Tottenham's investment is anything but risky. Uncontainable when he starts in progression, he engages in a good duel with Kouamè.

Cristian Romero

Paolo Palermo is an Italian agent, whose son assists Cristian Romero, as asked if he had the opportunity to return to play in Italy, to which he replied that the Argentinian is very happy at Tottenham.

Clean Sheets in 2022

AC Milan lead the way in Europe (Top 5 leagues) for clean sheets. In the calendar year they have achieved 14, Tottenham have had 11.

Clean Sheets in 2022
14 AC Milan
13 Real Sociedad
12 Liverpool
11 Tottenham Hotspur
11 Manchester City

Pre-Game Press Conference quotes

Question: How will you choose your team and rotate with two games every week until the World Cup?

"For sure if you have to play one game every six days, every seven days or one week a game. From now I try to start with the old players because they give me more reality. With the new players we start to work with them only one month and half. It was the reason. I think in the end my choice was good as we got four good results in first four games.

"Now it's normal, when you have to play one game every three days it's normal to make rotation. The player has to be intelligent to understand sometimes to go on bench, to come in, to alternate. For sure in this moment, this is the moment this is the period the club can understand if we are really really complete in the squad or maybe we will do better.

"For sure compared to last season we are more complete as a squad. You know very well to reach other teams at top level I think we need time, patience and at least two transfer markets to reach the same level.”

THBN Comment: Pretty obvious Conte would play his best side against the Irons and rotate against Fulham. It hasn't happened two games previous as I thought it might.

Question: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a player who seems to divide the opinion of some fans, how important is he to your system?

"Pierre I think is for us a really really important player. I think that he improved a lot and I'm seeing in him a great improvement with the ball, without the ball and in the position and when go to recover the ball. I'm absolutely satisfied about the improvement of Pierre.

"Pierre's a really good prospect to become a really top midfielder. For sure he has to continue to work in the way he is doing. Pierre doesn't divide in my head, in my mind. I am absolutely satisfied about his performance.”

THBN Comment: I highlighted an error in positioning against Chelsea, an area he needed to improve upon and Conte sees that he needs improvement too, to become a top midfielder.

Yet the road sweepers won't hear a word against him, even though it as constructive and suggested a solution.

Same with Sánchez, offer a solution to a problem.

Question: Are you pleased with Dane Scarlett's start to life at Portsmouth?

"It's important to have this process for our young players otherwise you stay here and have only training and to play with U23s. I think for him was important, for Parrott important to go on loan to play regularly to develop yourself and become stronger physically and then come back and be ready to be available for the first team.”


2,326 words

2 comments

  1. Many thanks Clive. I have thoroughly enjoyed your insights and analysis over the transfer window. I missed the first days but so enjoyed a sensible blog. Down here in Western Oz I was so pleased to have SpursPlay in operation. At least I can listen to a live commentary even if the full game is a replay. Take care of those eyes and the rest of the ageing body. My first live Spurs’ game was vs Wolves for a 4-3 win in the 63/64 season so am well versed in the ageing body department. Regards, Barry.
  2. Agree entirely re Sanches, problems occur due to slow build up from the back where he is often guilty of languidly playing the ball backwards, twice against wet spam when he tried playing forward he put us under pressure. I thought Buss played quite well considering he has no match fitness and comes into a team who have, and he does look class, but this is a problem as to how to integrate squad players.
    COYS Bob