saintant

Super goal. We look so different today. The pass and move is all there. Brilliant.

Great goal and this is a proper start from us. Mixing it up and causing them loads of problems.

Your view is different to SR and RM then because they claim results are not important.

Start fast with conviction - build momentum and keep them under the cosh. Mix it up a bit and don't be afraid to use long balls in behind to utilise the pace of Sulemana whenever it's on - THB hits a good long ball. Encourage centre backs to surge forward with the ball because they're both capable and this opens up space ahead. Lots of movement into space, between the lines and off the ball, less walking football. Let's show some proper intensity.

I think our scoring of numerous late goals could be partly due to the fact that, at that stage of the game, we realise the tippy-tappy football isn't going to get us a goal in the time left so we abandon that and play without the handbrake on.

This is such rubbish. Check Spurs fans forum during the first half tonight and read them slagging off their team and individual players and they're top of the Premier League and playing some great football in the main. Football fans across the country are largely all the same.

Many good points here.

I don't rate him doesn't mean I dislike him.

I'd agree with him if we were playing quality football but we aren't.

Good young managers make a difference quickly and the ones with something about them soon stamp their style and personality on teams. Their methods bear fruit and their teams improve. For his whole time in management RM has continued to claim that his methods will work but are difficult to learn so time is needed. It's a bit of a con trick and when our owners eventually realise this he'll move on to another club and espouse the same ideologies.

We'd all love to see it work. The problem is he doesn't know how to make it work.

I don't expect us to beat everybody - as you say, that's arrogance. What I'd love to see is a team playing a system that works and produces some sustained periods of good football that is entertaining and exciting. What I see is a turgid team making a clumsy attempt to grapple with possession football with players continually giving the ball away cheaply leading to an embarrassing goals against tally.

This is key and it drives me mad watching us because we don't do nearly enough of it. There are loads of pockets of space but we ignore them. There are times when it's crying out for a forward or advanced player to drop off to receive a pass and nobody moves a muscle. Does RM watch how we play or does he just not know how to fix it?

But it's soooooooo difficult to learn! Yeah, especially when the guys trying to to teach it don't appear to have a scooby. It's all smoke and mirrors designed to deflect from the fact that RM is a pretty average coach presiding over a team that plays uninspiring football and let's in far too many goals. But hey, let's keep saying the system is hard to learn. We should be seeing signs of improvement by now.

Spot on.

Not certain he actually exists. There have been a few dubious sightings plus the odd photographs that look computer generated but nothing conclusive. I smell a hoax.

RM has been a manager for 4 years so you'd think he'd have gained enough experience to combat a low block. It's nothing new in the game.

I wouldn't agree that Bednarek and Stephens have noticeably improved. It's more the case that they are playing against inferior opponents now.

Nor do I but in the absence of hearing anything different my point stands.

Fair point. Clearly I don't know what RM's instructions are for JB and it was wrong of me to imply otherwise. I should have said I suspect RM instructs JB to play simple passes rather than carry the ball out of defence.

I didn't say easy I said easier - two different meanings.

It was a mistake but I'd like to see Bednarek carry the ball out of defence more - he has it in his locker. There was one occasion in the first half when he made a superb surging run with the ball and it led to KWP's goal. He should be encouraged to do more of this but the problem is that his instructions from RM are to just play simple passes to retain pointless possession.

RM continues to hide behind the excuse that his system is very difficult to learn. My view is that he doesn't know how to teach it. He's like a maths tutor trying to teach art - he doesn't know what he's doing. If not why is progress so slow as to be almost non-existent? I see no signs that we are playing possession football other than the simple sideways and backwards passing which boosts the stats. Anyone can teach that. What I don't see is all the finer points that together are the drivers for well-drilled possession football making it effective and entertaining. The knock-on effect of not having these components in place is what we are witnessing - a clumsy attempt to keep the ball which leads to frequent loss of possession in dangerous areas and hence the high number of goals we are conceding.

It's certainly easier than RM is making it look.

You might like to factor in that the main reason we are wining football matches is because we have dropped down a league and the skill gulf is massive. It's relevant.