Who cares what a bunch of disinterested hacks have to say when you can get the skinny direct from those to whom it matters most? Well, good news – Football Burp’s very own Jonny Forumer, lurker extraordinaire, is here to collate choice message board analysis so you can get the lowdown from the people who really know what they’re on about. Take it away, Jonny…
Morning folks, Jonny Forumer signing in. Andre Villas-Boas looked to be silencing the doubters after lifting Tottenham Hotspur into the upper echelons of the Premier League table, but a midweek League Cup exit at Norwich City followed by Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Wigan Athletic at White Hart Lane has thrown the cat back amongst the pigeons. I hotfooted it down to online Spurs joint The Fighting Cock to find out what folk had to say about it all, starting with a couple of comments made before the final whistle had even blown on Saturday…

AberdeenYid, The Fighting Cock…
What formation are we playing now? Fucked if I know. I’m just waiting for Brad to invoke Rush Goalie rules.
mitts, The Fighting Cock…
It’s the Jesus Queen formation. A sort of inverted crucifix with a naked lady nailed to it by the ghost of Younes Kaboul…
penpen, The Fighting Cock…
Who’s at right back? No one, right?
King Ledley XXVI, The Fighting Cock…
If Dembele is out for more than a few weeks holy fuck. That potential Moutinho transfer would have been huge. I have generally applauded AVB so far, but he relies on Defoe too much for my liking. Sure he puts in goals from time to time but his selfishness doesn’t make others better around him. Adebayor needs to start a few. Also, christ can we get Friedel out now and move Vertonghen back to central defense.
williams316, The Fighting Cock…
Just cannot see it getting any better in the next few games with the players we got out.He is set to the way he plays.Sandro will be a big miss. Huddlestone just not up to it fact game after game just to slow he can give a fantasic ball now and then but we need more.How Dempsey kept his place after the game in midweek i will never know.
penpen, The Fighting Cock…
With each game that goes by, the failure of Siggy and Dempsey to contribute perceptible value on the field becomes more disturbing.
sammyspurs, The Fighting Cock…
Id rather have Jenas and Saha, and that is not even a slight joke
AberdeenYid, The Fighting Cock…
Interested to find out what Kyle Walker is going to do with his life now he’s given up being a footballer. Terrible for weeks now.
MKYid, The Fighting Cock…
Lacking ideas, creativity…a midfield. Honestly, if AVB is telling Hudd to sit so deep, we need a formation that doesn’t have wingers. With Bale and Lennon wide and Hudd deep, the middle of the park is unguarded, Wigan walked straight through the middle time and time again.
Though not suggesting Friedel cost us the game entirely, but I agree with Kayal, that ball needed to go over the bar…that’s goalkeeping basics!
dmartins13, The Fighting Cock…
I have been positive for every defeat this season but there was really nothing to be positive about today and while normally an AVB fan, he really made some strange decisions today. Roll on Maribor, where we can actually sing!
Erik_Edman, The Fighting Cock…
So I’m not going to be a cunt and start calling for AVB’s head or anything, but I think it’s not outrageous to say that he got a couple of key decisions wrong- some long-term ones that finally bit us in the arse today, and some on the day. Lloris not starting over Friedel (who made some great saves but just didn’t suit the playing out of the back style we were aiming for for periods of the game) clearly fits into the former camp- ditto sticking with Vertonghen at left-back when he clearly doesn’t suit or like the role all too much. Ade not coming on at half time for the totally anonymous Defoe is an example of the latter. Could also maybe say that sticking with Defoe full stop was a long-term mistake that reared it’s head today depending on how fit Ade is, but he looked sharp enough to make me think he could have maybe started today without it being a huge gamble. Though I know that Siggy was the only senior midfielder on the bench, I could never condone bringing him on to play in a double pivot.
Clearly still too early for us to be panicking, especially with the injuries we’ve had, and I still think AVB will bring us success down the line. I am starting to get a few concerns creeping in over his decision making process though. He needs to demonstrate that he can climb down from a strategic approach he perceived as the best when it stops working for the next game.
mitts, The Fighting Cock…
Nothing less than we deserved really. Shite performance first half and pretty negative subs second half. It’s not enough to only raise your game in the last 20 minutes. It’s because we have loads of injured players but honestly Huddlestone looks like he’s actually got worse. I love his silky passing game and his goals are sublime when they go in but there’s no verve to his playing at the moment he just looks like a clunker with not enough pace to press the ball and sustain pressure on the opposition and no incisiveness to his passing. Sigurdsson again was woeful. Dempsey looked like he was trying and so he should after his last performance but he doesn’t look like a goalscorer. The kicker for me was to play Defoe alone against three massive really physical centre backs. I absolutely love him but how is he meant to pick up a pass and make a chance when we’re playing like that? I hope Sandro isn’t seriously injured because without him, Parker and Dembele we’re a total walkover in central midfield. I keep going on about this but Rafa is worth more than Sigurdsson and Dempsey combined. It’s starting to show now that the squad is stretched that it was mental to sell him. He’s a born match winner. Gutted. Hopefully we’ll improve next time. Love on yas all. COYS.
What do you think AVB has been doing wrong, Spurs fans? Have your say in the comments section below…