Tottenham (H) - Mon 19 Aug 8pm - Pre-Match Thread

[ClaphamFox]

1 hour ago, cruzFOX said:

We don’t have all crap players ffs. Of course! It’s just that they look lost and devoid of confidence. Despite our frustrations with Enzo ball the players really bought into it and understood it. With cooper they don’t look ready to play his way. Maybe they are missing Enzo and his style of management. There are lots of factors and it’s totally understandable. If only we had another month of pre season friendlies.

its not a good situation and going into these high pressure games we are asking for trouble.

I suspect you’re right and that at least part of the problem is that Cooper is trying to play in a similar way to Enzo because he doesn’t want to change a winning formula, but he just can’t coach it with the same passion/conviction because, deep down, he doesn’t believe in it as much. Enzo’s obsession with his ‘idea’, for all its inflexibility, at least brought total clarity about every player’s role and what was expected of them. From the first games in preseason last summer, it was clear that the players understood exactly what they were supposed to do; this summer, by contrast, they’ve looked lost and devoid of energy. 

 

This doesn’t mean that Cooper is a bad manager or even that the players don’t like him. But maybe he’s just struggling to provide the same obsessive clarity they had last season, and their confidence has dropped as a result. The departure of our best player and the lack of quality additions obviously won’t have helped, either. 
 

The good news for Cooper is that expectations are so low at the moment that it wouldn’t take much to lift the mood - if we lose on Monday but play well and provide some excitement, the fans will get behind him and we’ll have something to build on. If we actually get something from the game, the sheer relief could generate some real momentum. If we want to survive this season, we need to turn the KP into a fortress the way Forest did at the City Ground under Cooper. Let’s hope something has clicked on the training ground this week and the players understand what Cooper wants from them better than they’ve shown so far.

Edited 17 August 2024 by ClaphamFox

[SemperEadem]

Aiyawatt will be there.

[Spudulike]

7 minutes ago, SemperEadem said:

Aiyawatt will be there.

All of the top brass should be there to pay tribute to Shakey.

[st albans fox]

3 hours ago, lanefox said:

Apart from having no CB with pace, no creativity in midfield, no depth on the wing and now down to our last unproven striker

Yes yes but apart from that …..

[Clarkey123]

Bobby Reid do a job up top?

[SafewayFox]

6 minutes ago, Clarkey123 said:

Bobby Reid do a job up top?

I don’t think so but then I don’t know what he offers differently.

 

Very premature and based solely on pre-season but can’t see him improving our starting 11 in the slightest.

[Micky]

18 minutes ago, SafewayFox said:

I don’t think so but then I don’t know what he offers differently.

 

Very premature and based solely on pre-season but can’t see him improving our starting 11 in the slightest.

I remember watching Christian Fuchs in pre-season.

[DennisNedry]

My Mrs has been rostered on a long shift for Monday so I can't go to this one anymore due to childcare.

 

I'm a bit disappointed now but I think it'll be a blessing in disguise to be honest. Don't fancy watching us get pasted.

[Pliskin]

45 minutes ago, Clarkey123 said:

Bobby Reid do a job up top?

I mean, he could play an actual striker, Tom Cannon…….

[Tielemans63]

Had a dream last night that Maddison hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win for Spurs. One of them was a penalty.....

[Pliskin]

Our only hope is that Cooper can create a siege mentality, and sets the team up to be solid and we shithouse teams. Pretty much the way we won the lot. 

[Pliskin]

2 minutes ago, Tielemans63 said:

Had a dream last night that Maddison hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win for Spurs. One of them was a penalty.....

He’s definitely scoring…. 30 yard belter. 

[whoareyaaa]

9 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

I mean, he could play an actual striker, Tom Cannon…….

That’s not going to happen but if it does I will at least be able to get behind Cooper

[Ricey]

1 hour ago, ClaphamFox said:

I suspect you’re right and that at least part of the problem is that Cooper is trying to play in a similar way to Enzo because he doesn’t want to change a winning formula, but he just can’t coach it with the same passion/conviction because, deep down, he doesn’t believe in it as much. Enzo’s obsession with his ‘idea’, for all its inflexibility, at least brought total clarity about every player’s role and what was expected of them. From the first games in preseason last summer, it was clear that the players understood exactly what they were supposed to do; this summer, by contrast, they’ve looked lost and devoid of energy. 

 

This doesn’t mean that Cooper is a bad manager or even that the players don’t like him. But maybe he’s just struggling to provide the same obsessive clarity they had last season, and their confidence has dropped as a result. The departure of our best player and the lack of quality additions obviously won’t have helped, either. 
 

The good news for Cooper is that expectations are so low at the moment that it wouldn’t take much to lift the mood - if we lose on Monday but play well and provide some excitement, the fans will get behind him and we’ll have something to build on. If we actually get something from the game, the sheer relief could generate some real momentum. If we want to survive this season, we need to turn the KP into a fortress the way Forest did at the City Ground under Cooper. Let’s hope something has clicked on the training ground this week and the players understand what Cooper wants from them better than they’ve shown so far.

I have a feeling that Cooper was told by the club during discussions that we want to “play like Man City” and he’s agreed to it to get the job. 
 

As you say though, he clearly doesn’t believe in it and I suspect he’ll ditch it after a few defeats.

[Pliskin]

2 hours ago, ClaphamFox said:

I suspect you’re right and that at least part of the problem is that Cooper is trying to play in a similar way to Enzo because he doesn’t want to change a winning formula, but he just can’t coach it with the same passion/conviction because, deep down, he doesn’t believe in it as much. Enzo’s obsession with his ‘idea’, for all its inflexibility, at least brought total clarity about every player’s role and what was expected of them. From the first games in preseason last summer, it was clear that the players understood exactly what they were supposed to do; this summer, by contrast, they’ve looked lost and devoid of energy. 

 

This doesn’t mean that Cooper is a bad manager or even that the players don’t like him. But maybe he’s just struggling to provide the same obsessive clarity they had last season, and their confidence has dropped as a result. The departure of our best player and the lack of quality additions obviously won’t have helped, either. 
 

The good news for Cooper is that expectations are so low at the moment that it wouldn’t take much to lift the mood - if we lose on Monday but play well and provide some excitement, the fans will get behind him and we’ll have something to build on. If we actually get something from the game, the sheer relief could generate some real momentum. If we want to survive this season, we need to turn the KP into a fortress the way Forest did at the City Ground under Cooper. Let’s hope something has clicked on the training ground this week and the players understand what Cooper wants from them better than they’ve shown so far.

This is spot on.

[Spudulike]

29 minutes ago, Tielemans63 said:

Had a dream last night that Maddison hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 win for Spurs. One of them was a penalty.....

Any darts involved?

[Tielemans63]

3 minutes ago, Spudulike said:

Any darts involved?

Can confirm he did this for the hat-trick goal in my dream

[lcfcbluearmy]

I have always rated KDH and was terrified to lose him, but the vast majority of people on here kept telling me that he wasn't that good and easily replacable with a better player.

 

Now that he is gone these same people keep referring to us having lost our best player 

 

Funny that

[lcfcbluearmy]

Is there a banner or tribute for Shakey planned by the club or @Union FS?

 

P.s. appreciate its a lot of work just wondering if its planned

[FoxesWalk]

Odds on Vardy starting? Cooper is a known bullshitter in press conferences, of those who predict lineups off the back of them he is known as the least reliable in the prem. Frequently obscures the truth. 

[OntarioFox]

4 minutes ago, FoxesWalk said:

Odds on Vardy starting? Cooper is a known bullshitter in press conferences, of those who predict lineups off the back of them he is known as the least reliable in the prem. Frequently obscures the truth. 

Would be a boost, granted. But that would be too good a scenario. This club is clearly cursed.

 

I'm pretty sure someone at the club walked under a ladder, tripped, smashed a mirror and then stole this guy's slab sometime around the FA Cup win.

 

[NJFox]

Just had a fox run in front of me and the dogs on our morning walk…I’ll accept it as a good omen for Monday that it wasn’t a mangy fox.

 

Grasping at straws for pre-match optimism.

[FoxesWalk]

Just now, NJFox said:

Just had a fox run in front of me and the dogs on our morning walk…I’ll accept it as a good omen for Monday that it wasn’t a mangy fox.

 

Grasping at straws for pre-match optimism.

I was 100m behind you, after you walked away it got ripped apart by a group of 11 cockerels 

[DJ Barry Hammond]

20 minutes ago, FoxesWalk said:

I was 100m behind you, after you walked away it got ripped apart by a group of 11 cockerels 

Nah, your eyes deceived you, those cockerels completely bottled it.

[FoxesWalk]

7 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

Nah, your eyes deceived you, those cockerels completely bottled it.

I saw what I saw. One of them was wearing a tiny silver backpack and seemed to keep falling over. 

Edited 17 August 2024 by FoxesWalk