Jose Mourinho

[Marty]

I've done some digging up of stats that people can make of whatever they will, the stats don't save Mourinho from criticism but they do put it into a bit of context.

The wheels came off against Burnley last season, since we're going back to Turf Moor it feels relevant to drag all this stuff up.

Before Burnley:
3rd: Tottenham, 20-0-6, 60 points, 2,30 PPG

From the Burnley game until the end of the season:
16th: Tottenham, 3-2-7, 11 points, 0,92 PPG

From the Burnley game until Pochettino was sacked we played 24 PL matches
18/19: 3-2-7, 11 points, 0,92 PPG
19/20: 3-5-4, 14 points, 1,17 PPG
Total: 6-7-11, 25 points, 1,04 PPG

Since Mourinho was hired we have this PL record
8-2-6, 26 points, 1,63 PPG


Given all the injuries I'm still willing to cut Mourinho a little bit of slack on the results, my criticism of him goes mostly on that we have absolutely no discernable style of play when neither Kane or Son are in the side. It's now two months since Kane was injured and nearly every game since then we've played like the team is composed of 11 strangers that met each other in the tunnel, that just isn't good enough.

 

[wizgell]

Mourinho was hired mid season to lift a deflated, depleted squad. He hasn't done that.

Yes he has been unfortunate with the injuries that have cropped up but the one thing our team developed over the last 5 years was a backbone, a sense of spirit and fight when the chips were down, the way people would step up during Kane's annual injury meant we would get by without his goals. Sure it didn't always work but at least we would turn up to a game knowing that the 11 players on the pitch would give their all come what may. We now have a squad of players who appear to not only have zero fight but also zero direction, that doesn't fall on Poch or Levy, that stems from what happens in the changing room.

We are terrible defensively, we lack the ability to dominate games in midfield and that is before you factor in having ZERO strikers on the pitch. What has been done to address these issues with the players available to us?

We've simply gone to 5 at the back in the hope that having more bodies stood between the opposition and the goal will strengthen us- it hasn't! All that has done is left even more holes in a midfield that struggles to impact a game and a bigger gap between that ineffective midfield and poor Lucas Moura who has been left running around like a headless chicken for 90 minutes.

All this talk of creating a more balanced squad in the summer is all fine but that basically puts out the message that this season is no longer worth fighting for.

I've seen enough to know this isn't Jose 2.0 as promised.

This is a bloke who has to step up and coach his players to improve a dire situation, he isn't doing that. He is refusing to gamble on young, hungry players like Skipp who would come into the side and show a lot more desire than some who are strolling around out there at the moment. The whole Parrott debacle reeks of gaining leverage to say 'I told you so' rather than actually trying something different, and if not Parrott SURELY there are other strikers playing in the development squads that we can take a punt on for a few games to at least make it seem like we want to win a game? The likes of Skipp, Parrott and Tanganga (to a lesser extent) are being kept in and around the squad so he can sit down with Levy in the summer and try to persuade him that using younger untested players simply doesn't work.

Instead we will go and sign other relatively untested players from the continent for stupid fees, like the fee mooted for Gedson, who I have seen nothing of yet that suggests he warrants that fee. A mate of mine referred to him as the Portuguese Steve Sidwell the other day and I really hope he is wrong, but who knows.

He will expect funds in the summer, but will come in for a shock when he doesn't get the type of funds he needs to be able to impact a squad. There is absolutely no chance he will get to go on a spending spree.


Very very rare that I rant like that but I'm sick of watching Spurs already knowing the outcome.

 

[shelfboy68]

Mourinho was hired mid season to lift a deflated, depleted squad. He hasn't done that.

Yes he has been unfortunate with the injuries that have cropped up but the one thing our team developed over the last 5 years was a backbone, a sense of spirit and fight when the chips were down, the way people would step up during Kane's annual injury meant we would get by without his goals. Sure it didn't always work but at least we would turn up to a game knowing that the 11 players on the pitch would give their all come what may. We now have a squad of players who appear to not only have zero fight but also zero direction, that doesn't fall on Poch or Levy, that stems from what happens in the changing room.

We are terrible defensively, we lack the ability to dominate games in midfield and that is before you factor in having ZERO strikers on the pitch. What has been done to address these issues with the players available to us?

We've simply gone to 5 at the back in the hope that having more bodies stood between the opposition and the goal will strengthen us- it hasn't! All that has done is left even more holes in a midfield that struggles to impact a game and a bigger gap between that ineffective midfield and poor Lucas Moura who has been left running around like a headless chicken for 90 minutes.

All this talk of creating a more balanced squad in the summer is all fine but that basically puts out the message that this season is no longer worth fighting for.

I've seen enough to know this isn't Jose 2.0 as promised.

This is a bloke who has to step up and coach his players to improve a dire situation, he isn't doing that. He is refusing to gamble on young, hungry players like Skipp who would come into the side and show a lot more desire than some who are strolling around out there at the moment. The whole Parrott debacle reeks of gaining leverage to say 'I told you so' rather than actually trying something different, and if not Parrott SURELY there are other strikers playing in the development squads that we can take a punt on for a few games to at least make it seem like we want to win a game? The likes of Skipp, Parrott and Tanganga (to a lesser extent) are being kept in and around the squad so he can sit down with Levy in the summer and try to persuade him that using younger untested players simply doesn't work.

Instead we will go and sign other relatively untested players from the continent for stupid fees, like the fee mooted for Gedson, who I have seen nothing of yet that suggests he warrants that fee. A mate of mine referred to him as the Portuguese Steve Sidwell the other day and I really hope he is wrong, but who knows.

He will expect funds in the summer, but will come in for a shock when he doesn't get the type of funds he needs to be able to impact a squad. There is absolutely no chance he will get to go on a spending spree.


Very very rare that I rant like that but I'm sick of watching Spurs already knowing the outcome.

Begs the question of why did levy hire him if isn't going to get the funds that he wants maybe levy just thought the squad needed an arse kicking and top four would be assured, I think everyone including Jose has now realised that it's an average team with a lot of work to do before we can compete again let alone win anything.

 

[Hakkz]

Begs the question of why did levy hire him if isn't going to get the funds that he wants maybe levy just thought the squad needed an arse kicking and top four would be assured, I think everyone including Jose has now realised that it's an average team with a lot of work to do before we can compete again let alone win anything.

I doubt Levy would pay that much for a short term arse kicking.

 

[shelfboy68]

I doubt Levy would pay that much for a short term arse kicking.

That's why I said maybe we don't know the reasons behind it and what the expectation is or isn't.

 

[HedgieSpur]

Are you honestly trying to tell me the general feeling of fans is that the football has improved? You allude to that I am defending Poch. Why can’t it be a good decision to sack Poch but a bad choice to replace with Mourinho?

I find the unconscious bias part of your comment particularly odd. I want Mourinho to win and for us to play decent attacking football. I don’t see that happening for the reasons I have explained.

You would also expect a new manager bounce, particularly after it ended with Poch after such a long time at the club. This wait to next season is dangerous - we are on a downwards negative spiral being accelerated by a style of play that will never be embraced by the club.

His not a long term ‘project’ manager and was never sold as one so why, considering where the squad is at , do we suddenly think his the long term answer. Otherwise we will be in a situation where we have a new manager in 18/24 months expecting more time to impose his style/system whichever that will be and building again.

I wasn't saying that the general feeling is that the football had improved, but that results had. My assessment of the mood was that the football was still generally poor but we somehow were getting results and had pulled ourselves from sinking towards the bottom of the table to one point behind 4th.

Regarding unconscious bias, I wasn't merely singling you out. I have a hypothesis that things look better/worse depending on our pre-determined views. Thats the reason why despite some of the good things that we did under Sherwood, it always looked bad to me because I really didn't like the guy. I suspect its the same with Jose...I don't think our football is appreciably worse than under the last year of Poch, but some fans will view it that way because of their predetermined dislike of Jose.

In any event, my main point is that its going to be difficult to meaningfully judge Jose until the end of next season when he's been afforded a pre-season and a chance to get in the players he wants.

 

[Metalhead]

Begs the question of why did levy hire him if isn't going to get the funds that he wants maybe levy just thought the squad needed an arse kicking and top four would be assured, I think everyone including Jose has now realised that it's an average team with a lot of work to do before we can compete again let alone win anything.

Plus FFS, he didn't just hire him for half a season. Everyone has got their own take on what Levy expected/is expecting but if he did hire him with the expectation of getting results without backing him then that is the naive part.

 

[Metalhead]

I wasn't saying that the general feeling is that the football had improved, but that results had. My assessment of the mood was that the football was still generally poor but we somehow were getting results and had pulled ourselves from sinking towards the bottom of the table to one point behind 4th.

Regarding unconscious bias, I wasn't merely singling you out. I have a hypothesis that things look better/worse depending on our pre-determined views. Thats the reason why despite some of the good things that we did under Sherwood, it always looked bad to me because I really didn't like the guy. I suspect its the same with Jose...I don't think our football is appreciably worse than under the last year of Poch, but some fans will view it that way because of their predetermined dislike of Jose.

In any event, my main point is that its going to be difficult to meaningfully judge Jose until the end of next season when he's been afforded a pre-season and a chance to get in the players he wants.

TBF he did bring the gilet back into fashion.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

Mourinho was hired mid season to lift a deflated, depleted squad. He hasn't done that.

before you factor in having ZERO strikers on the pitch.

Well, yes. He did lift the squad. They were hardly capable of scoring a goal this season or fetching more than a point a game before Mourinho came in. To argue from a viewpoint that nothing is better is starting at a false reality.
I see many are separating from the whole and splitting the issue of injured strikers. It's all a convenient way of justifying one's frustration, but it isn't actually a reality. Injuries to Kane & Son are at the heart of the problem. They are not this side dish that stands apart from the problem and that we can casually overlook for sake of making an argument. When you lack a player like Kane or Son as deputy up front, it causes a severe ripple effect that is reproduced all over the pitch all the way back to defending. Your best players are your best player, your super stars are your super stars. The fact that their position is on the other side of the pitch, doesn't mean that their injuries can be isolated.

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

TBF he did bring the gilet back into fashion.

Made me want to bring the guillotine back in fashion.

 

[Ossie85]

Again Janssen wasn't Pochittinho first choice if you cast your memory back it was Michy Batshuayi.
The players you mentioned wouldn't have improved us Maddison is vastly overrated and not better than Dele in assists and goals plus Eriksen.. Brooks I give you was a miss but has chronic injuries the greatest mistake was Grealish that was down to Levy again messing about.


Anyway Pochittinho has gone. I just hope Levy backs Mourinho totally whereas I honestly feel Pochittinho was let down with transfers.

FFS it's Pochettino

 

[wrd]

FFS it's Pochettino

Cheers Ozzie

 

[double0]

All said and done my hope is for Daniel Levy to back Mourinho 100% with the required standard of players in the right positions, early enough in the transfer Window so that Mourinho has time to adjust and perfect the tactics going into next season fully ready on the whistle.

I dont think we can afford to mess around from a business point of view with loss of revenue.

 

[teok]

FFS it's Pochettino

Zakora.

 

[Ossie85]

I disagree, because a reasonably level headed peek back over Mourinho's 100 first days at Spurs goes something like this:
Took over a very under performing squad
Instantly found a line up of 11 players who fit a plan and got results immediately
Suffered a couple of minor injuries to "his" line up and adapted. Went on with good results and some entertaining football. Direct competitor to top 4.
Suffered major injury to the club's star. Went through a tricky few matches but eventually adapted once again, and although the football wasn't as entertaining, got the train back on the tracks. For the 2nd time a direct competitor for top 4.
Had a successful first transfer window.
Suffered yet a major injury to one of the biggest stars and biggest goal threat. There are no more possible and viable short term patches to adapt with.
So clearly, they have been working hard to adapt as best as they can to ever changing bad circumstances, and what was really a slim squad to begin with. But you can only invent so many successful short term patches.

I don't know who's fault it is, but we didn't sign a striker. And now we are seriously suffering from it. So it's very far from a successful window

 

[double0]

FFS it's Pochettino

Lazy predictor text

 

[Everlasting Seconds]

I don't know who's fault it is, but we didn't sign a striker. And now we are seriously suffering from it. So it's very far from a successful window

I have very low expectations to January windows, even signing one player who immediately hits the ground running and contributes I think is huge success.

 

[ToDarrenIsToDo]

Did you see the football mam? Painful, we were winning games we didnt deserve to.
It took indidual moments of magic to win matches and we had Dele rather than his brother for a few of them.

The number of points achieved is not a valid point.

The number of points achieved is not valid? I, pretty sure anyone in football will tell you otherwise.

We had the joint 2nd best points to games ratio before Sonny got injured. Before that spell we achieved 25 points in 24 games, relegation form and we went nearly a calendar year without being able to win a game away from home. If you wish to admit it or not we weren't a good team before Mourinho got sacked so o struggle to see why people think our style would change just like that. He has been in charge for 3-4 months and took us from 13th-14th in the league to 1 point away from 4th.

I think a fair few Spurs fans been to face reality. Pull their heads out of the sand and remember exactly why Pochettino got the sack. With an even worse nucleus of players now available to Mourinho (no plaayers player of the year in Sissoko, no Lloris for large spells, no Davies our number 1 left back), now no Sonny, no Kane for 14-15 games he still outperformed Pochettino's last spree months at the club. You're being unreasonable because it's Jose

 

[Hakkz]

The number of points achieved is not valid? I, pretty sure anyone in football will tell you otherwise.

We had the joint 2nd best points to games ratio before Sonny got injured. Before that spell we achieved 25 points in 24 games, relegation form and we went nearly a calendar year without being able to win a game away from home. If you wish to admit it or not we weren't a good team before Mourinho got sacked so o struggle to see why people think our style would change just like that. He has been in charge for 3-4 months and took us from 13th-14th in the league to 1 point away from 4th.

I think a fair few Spurs fans been to face reality. Pull their heads out of the sand and remember exactly why Pochettino got the sack. With an even worse nucleus of players now available to Mourinho (no plaayers player of the year in Sissoko, no Lloris for large spells, no Davies our number 1 left back), now no Sonny, no Kane for 14-15 games he still outperformed Pochettino's last spree months at the club. You're being unreasonable because it's Jose

Oi

 

[spursfan77]

All said and done my hope is for Daniel Levy to back Mourinho 100% with the required standard of players in the right positions, early enough in the transfer Window so that Mourinho has time to adjust and perfect the tactics going into next season fully ready on the whistle.

I dont think we can afford to mess around from a business point of view with loss of revenue.

Well, I can tell you now that won’t happen. With the window going back to the start of September it will be last minute dot com again with the manager starting the season with one hand tied behind his back. It has always been thus