Comments on: Same Old, Same Old - Bleeding Hearts Crying Over Jol

By: abe

abe — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:49:43 +0000

Results can go anyway. It is the tactics that worry you. And Jols tactics against Sunderland, Everton and the last bit of Fulham were terrible

By: Alan Hylands

Alan Hylands — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:46:25 +0000

Bloody fence sitter - of course an outsider can answer those questions! We do expect more and we feel (as any self respecting football fan should) that we have the right to demand success. Bitter experience shows that we don’t always get it but that shouldn’t stop the demand for a potential tilt at the title.

I don’t think a cup run is good enough this year, it has to be a trophy or at the very least the modern day version of a trophy fourth place for the season to be seen as anything other than a waste of time. Silverware is the only thing that counts for me and unless Martin has bought a big book of Fergie and Mourinho’s tactics I just don’t think he has the nous to get us any.

By: Jonny

Jonny — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:16:23 +0000

SotG is back!

I did actually discuss this with the author a few days ago, and as an outsider (a Liverpool fan) I was surprised by his opinion, but can see where he is coming from.

Speaking as a Reds fan (the only position I can speak from) his Alan’s worries strike me a s similar to our issues with Gerard Houllier (and a similar growing view of Rafa) - they don’t see were theat extra jump in class is going to come from.

I would say this though, even if it didn’t come for Liverpool with Evans, Houllier or Rafa (yet), each of those managers instilled a belief (no matter how brief) that the possibility was there. Evans took us within a whisker of the title in ‘97, Houllier had the treble and Rafa had the Euro Cup number five… just no Holy Grail.

Jol may provide another good cup run, even a League Cup or FA Cup, but is there a feeling that he can do more? Do the fans really expect more? Do you have a “right” to expect more?

Not questions for an outsider to answer I’m afraid

By: Alan Hylands

Alan Hylands — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:29:19 +0000

Sorry to the commenters who I’ve just been able to approve now - we’ve had some problems upgrading to the new version of Wordpress but all should be fine now.

In response to some of the comments above - I’m a fan like any of the rest of you and I write my opinion on what’s happening. I don’t ask that everyone agrees with it and in fact would be disappointed if they did. Smug though? Not sure where you get that from unless giving one’s opinion makes you smug.

I mentioned Nicholson (disappointed to hear he wouldn’t have liked me but glad that bob can speak for the late great man and pass his feelings on from the great dressing room in the sky) and Burkinshaw because they won things, not overnight of course but they looked like they were moving in the right direction and had the potential to go higher. I just don’t see that with Jol at all and nothing in the first three games of the season makes me change my mind.

To the guy who calls me deluded for wanting Spurs to challenge for trophies - I’d rather be deluded than defeatist. If you want to celebrate 5th place like it’s a success then go ahead, personally I feel we might as well finish 17th as 5th for all of the glory associated with it. I want to see signs of progression and the coaching staff learning from past mistakes and being willing to take chances to bring home silverware and I don’t see it.

By: Hylo

Hylo — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:29:07 +0000

I knew it had been a while but even I was shocked to find it was six months since the last post. I’m still very busy writing for About.com but I’m promising to get SOTG back up and running, if not for myself then for the adoring readership (or something along those lines).

In other words, more ridiculous views and rants to come from some old faces and hopefully some new ones as well if I could be bothered opening the books!

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:08:23 +0000

Hurray! At last some new posting. Let’s hope there’s more to come from SOTG. (And I know I’ve been tardy too.)

By: franglo

franglo — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:14:34 +0000

Agree. Better to try and fail, than the nervous, negative ‘let’s see if we can get a draw at Sunderland’ approach.
My only concerns are 1. why now - nothing has changed since Jol took charge when Santini went AWOL? 2. who is AVAILABLE that would be guaranteed to be better?

By: jonathan

jonathan — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 23:26:12 +0000

Great article, Alan. Isn’t it time we had something to shout about??

By: SimianSpur

SimianSpur — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:16:17 +0000

Is this the thoughts of one of the minority of spurs fans who think of themselves as a supporter because they feel they are so worthy to have watched their team win nothing apart from a league cup since the turn of the Premiership. The kind of spurs fan that are happy to have ex spurs legend after ex spurs legend return for a bit of managerial experience before failing terribly. The type of fans whose support revolves around how much they can mouth off at their players when they arent winning. I heard a season ticket holder at the Everton match remark on how he wasn’t coming back until spurs start winning. That type of fan, the type of fan you are, should really give your season tickets away because there are plenty of honest fans who want to support their team and have realistic ambitions and I`d rather have a half empty White Hart Lane than have to share my team with you.

By: Bobcee

Bobcee — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:12:29 +0000

What a poorly argued critique. BMJ has not yet had his go - he is till working that way. Two fifths are not the end product but they are part of planned move towards some form of longeviety and glory. Mourinho may have had some instant success, but much of the basework and players he had were in place - you can actually track the Chelsea success run back when Hoddle was manager and bringing in the Guillts and Vialli’s. Ferguson never had overnight success even with the so called power that is (was) Man U.

Its about building and progressing and we can all see that we are moving the players who are not going to make it out and that the squad has improved, and continues to do so, under BMJ. Provided this year on year improvement continues, there is no reason to move him aside.

Billy Nick took a few seasons to get his plans right. Burkinshaw went down with us and then back and then a couple of seasons to get to that early 80’s side.

Stick with BMJ and support progression. Have you forgotten how poor we were season on season and with no visible improvement - this nice Dutch man should not have to answer the sort of petty “we are spurs, we should be champions” playcage tantrum- you have to earn things in this world not demand them as some inherent right.