Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Watford FC - 08/04/2017

Spurs mascot?

 

What odds are you getting?

 

Guess this will be a toughie. But on the plus i look forward to the forum melt down, and Wally out around 2-50pm. Will be nice to settle down on Saturday afternoon and read through it :naughty:

 

Probably crap.

 

I'm reading that 'Walter scoffs at sack'. Can't he use a plate like anyone else? Maybe it's because Troy hits the buffet like a train. Wise to stock up.

 

Nothing wrong with Walter enjoying his nosebag ...

 

They really had to put in a shift against Swansea, for the full 90 plus added time. Only 2 days to recover. Could be a few tired legs...

 

I presumed he was scoffing at Pochetinos tiny seedless sack.

 

https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/team-news-tottenham-v-watford

We'll also have some tired legs....

 

We need to get the Spuds game out of the way without any new injuries.

 

Blimey. If all those with knocks don't make it (but the tired ones just about do), then I hereby give Walter permission to revert to 3 at the back for one game, and one game only:

Pantilimon

Kabasele
Mariappa
Cathcart

Holebas
Doucoure
Cleverley
Janmaat

Niang
Okaka
Success

Subs: Arlauskis, Zuniga, Amrabat, Deeney, Dja Djedje in disguise, Gilmartin in an outfield shirt, Paolo de Toffel

Deeney on the bench as the Herts Mercury article suggests he's struggling more with fatigue than the others.

 

Spurs did beat us one time when the wind blew the ball over Fosters head.

I believe they released a DVD.

 

Spurs fans are (rightly) confident, but the concept of irony is clearly not well understood in N17

https://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/threads/spurs-vs-watford-sat-8th-april-12-30ko.20911/page-1

 

Our relegation rivals have got tough games as well so table may not change much. Probably th GD for us may take a bit of a nosedive.

 

.

 

They're actually thick as ****, nobody cottoned on at all....

 

Spurs are certainly just getting lucky this season, they don't play good football (hoof it up to that donkey Kane at every opportunity), they're dirty and their fans are as thick as dung. Frankly, if we want to be a consistent mid table side we should be beating teams like Spurs, West Brom, Stoke etc, they are our closest rivals for that area of the league. I think Spurs will make it a scrappy affair as usual and just try to stop the better team playing. I'd take a draw for that reason but I'd really like to see us go for the win, we're better than them with or without all the players reportedly injured.

 

One of my big problems with Mazzarri is his constant excuse making. He does it before matches, in either building up the opposition or putting us down. He's a pre and post match excuse maker.

This time he's gone for the "injury crisis" approach, when it's nothing of the sort.

Ok we've got three central defenders missing, but to say "we've got no defence", what message is that saying to the ones that actually do play?

Having Holebas - Cathcart - Marriappa - Janmaat across the back is not exactly throwing the kids in, is it.

Kaboul was absolute gash against Spurs last time, Prodl is not the quickest and Britos' form has been very patchy and erratic.......a sloppy pass leading to his sending off against West Brom.

So it's nowhere near as bad as Mazzarri wants to make out. He's also saying that Doucoure, Deeney and Cleverley are fatigued......really? Haven't they only just had 2 matches in 4 weeks before the Sunderland game.

I think it's a nonsense with all these excuses. All teams get injuries and players get tired, just get on with it.

Personally I think Cathcart and Mapps will do just fine against Spurs. Marriappa is probably the most mobile player we have in central defence, which could work against a quick and clever Spurs team.

Playing Marriappa could be another lucky break for Mazzarri, just as being forced to play Doucoure was.



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...ury-crisis-says-walter-mazzarri-a3509416.html

 

Christ.

 

Hear hear m8, glad someone has said it. Almost every Spurs goal involves some bibbly-bobbly, lucky bounce, Mr 50p head type action. It's like watching a poor version of the lower Scottish leagues. 8-0 to Spurs on the day.

 

It must have been a hard few days for you so it's nice to see you back on track with a skip in your step.

He's no different to any other manager/head coach in that regard. They all make excuses. Pulis for example already had his lined up on Monday by saying how different the Watford game would be for his players after the high of beating Arsenal and drawing with Man Utd.

 

Lots of managers do this. He's just taking the pressure off.

 

I think he does take it to extreme though.

If it takes the pressure off, then why did we go on a run of just 2 wins in 13 recently? It doesn't seem to work.

I think it's designed to protect himself only. He's done this throughout his career. If it goes wrong he can point to that as being the reason. A good coach just gets on with it.

To me, all this excuse making shows that he's incredibly insecure in himself.

I'd have far more respect for him if he took adversity on the chin and come out with a comments like "we have a strong squad and whoever plays on Saturday we'll give Spurs a tough game".

He's now painted a picture of absolute no hope for the Spurs match, and I just think that's completely the wrong approach.

 

I understand your frustration but I'd bet all the buns in Mrs Miggins Coffee House that something different is said to the players. It's just a way of putting the expectation on the opposition.

 

All managers do this, it's called deflection, nothing new here. We get it HB1, you don't like Mazzarri but take a day off will you, it dull and tedious. We just put in one of the best performances all season and pretty much secured survival, you'll have your opportunity for some more Mazzarri bashing after the defeats against Spurs, Chelsea, City etc.

 

This is another pre-match quote, and I think it's even worse.

If you read between the lines, it's clear he doesn't rate players in the squad. You cannot promote that message to players. Why would they play for you?

It's fine saying "show me that I'm wrong not to play you".......but to go on to say the quoted below just sends the wrong message to the players that will play.

"But the way we play tactically it would have been better if we had the players who are injured."

"The thing is we played on Tuesday the way I like to play. Fast with lots of possession. I would have liked to express this against Tottenham, with the same team."

http://www.hertfordshiremercury.co....tenham-clash/story-30254613-detail/story.html

 

I think most managers do this to be fair. Mourinho is constantly at it and I get as bored of him doing it as I do when Mazzarri does it. Harry Redknapp was always "down to the bare bones". Etc etc. Just routine manager nonsense behaviour.

 

I do agree that this is a weird thing to say in public.

 

These are rational and honest observations. I'm not going to take a day off and wont be dictated by you or anyone else on this forum what I post. If I think it's merited then I will post it.

If you find it dull and tedious, put me on your ignore list or don't read it. That message goes to everyone that dislike my posts.

So many on here will snipe away or try and police the forum......but it is a forum. Everyone is allowed their say.

 

The trouble is fans seem to simultaneously want absolute honesty, while criticising that for probably demotivating the players, while also wanting no excuses, because they probably demotivate the players too. It's almost a no win.

In your approved way of doing things we're left pretty much with meaningless cliches and sound bites. Anyone can do well on their day, this is a chance to impress me, it's a game of two halves, jumpers for goalposts zzzzzz.

If I had my way I'd bin the press conferences altogether. They're a nonsense. No experienced manager is ever going to reveal anything really worth knowing. They all make excuses and as Jumbo says it's pretty boring listening to issues any simpleton could have worked out.

You can't tell me you didn't leave Vicarage Road on Tuesday night thinking we're pretty stuffed for Saturday lunchtime given the reduced recovery time, that we'd just watched the players run themselves into the ground for half an hour a man down and two first choice centre backs were likely ruled out?

 

We're going to beat them and the press are going to turn on us. You heard it here first.

 

Yep. This is my thinking too.

Everything has gone against us. On paper we have no hope. So a smash and grab 0-1 win it is. I have never been more certain of a result in my life.

I haven't checked the odds, but I'm going to put five whole pounds on a watford win.

 

Actually....no I wasn't thinking that. I was just buzzing about the game and the manner of how we performed. I did not have one thought about the Spurs match.

What I'm saying is that Mazzarri's comments can only alienate the fringe players. He's basically gone public in stating that he does not rate these players. How the hell will that motivate anyone? It's the wrong message to send out. The only purpose of the quotes is to protect the coach if it goes bad, so he can point to that as the reason. Self preservation, without a thought of how his comments will be received by fringe players.

 

This is one of those games that we could cop a thrashing. I'd just like to see the team give a decent account of themselves. It's not beyond us to get a result, but it won't spoil my weekend if we get beaten so long as the side doesn't roll over.

Hopefully Kabasele won't be back. I know the boy can play, but his attitude stinks out the squad whenever he's involved. I'd send him on loan to South Pole United for the rest of his contract if it was up to me.